On Anwar urges patience in bid to remove gov't 

EJPS: I am really starting to wonder about the 31 MPs that Anwar Ibrahim said are ready to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat. He said he cannot reveal their names for fear that they will be harassed by the authorities. Perhaps so. But what kind of commitment are these MPs demonstrating if they are afraid of a little harassment?

Look at Raja Petra Kamarudin. He's a true Malaysian hero who went to jail for his fearless and sincere beliefs. Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng also demonstrated strength of character, even if she was only doing her job, by enduring jail. Anwar himself went through hell for 10 years.

And yet, these well-paid, well-fed MPs who supposedly want a new dawn for Malaysia can't even stand up for themselves and for the nation? They want to play it safe and hide behind Anwar.

They don't seem to have even half the guts and gumption of Tan and Teresa Kok. Don't these MPs have any backbone? Can we trust such people? Does their loyalty really lie with the rakyat or their own well-being?

And really, what do they think the government will do to them? Arrest them all under ISA? Maybe. But if the government does that, I tell you it will be the final nail in BN's coffin.

I hope these 31 MPs develop a spine, stand up for themselves and tell their old BN bosses to pack up and ship out. A new government is ready to take its rightful place.

Kumar Ganesh: Big questions now surround the credibility of Anwar Ibrahim who has urged Malaysians to be patient in their bid to remove the government, given the "complex web controlled by a few cronies". Yet, previously, Anwar had repeatedly expressed his utmost confidence that the government would be overthrown on September 16.

Why did he make such bold promises if he knew he couldn’t deliver?

One wonders if Anwar has lately been cramming up on the constitutional difficulties of toppling BN. If so, he should study harder.

Anwar still refuses to publish his list of defectors. Instead, we are treated to word games and contradictory statements by PKR leaders. The best reason why the existence of such a list is unlikely is the secrecy surrounding it.

There appears to be total silence on the identity of those on the list. In real life, you would expect friends, relatives and others in the know to gossip and some of the gossip to get into the press. The press would have hassled those involved. There would have been admissions and denials.

This would be the case even if there are only a few persons on the list, let alone 31. The perfect secrecy that we have so far witnessed is only possible if the list does not exist.

On Guan Eng: Let Anwar do the talking

NO-EYE-SEE: Pakatan Rakyat should not give the impression that they are also in the habit of making ‘flip-flop’ statements like the BN government. BN has a habit of saying things without substantiating them with facts, often changing their statements at their own whims and fancies.

In giving Pakatan the mandate to rule, the people would wish to see the party they have chosen being more professional when making announcements and statements, especially if these statements are televised over international or regional news. They should think before they speak.

Imagine what other countries would think of Malaysians’ choice of government if they shoot off their mouths without solid facts.

Tian Chua's telephone interview in Mandarin was widely broadcast in Singapore on Tuesday. Yesterday, top Pakatan leaders denied his claims. What happens now?

On Fomca: Publicise list of banned products

Neko: The list of ‘safe’ dairy products released by the Health Ministry is definitely not enough. While I agree with Fomca and CAP that the authorities should also release a list of banned products, I strongly urge the relevant government agencies to conduct checks on secondary food products which are not directly linked dairy products.

Foods such as instant coffee and other beverages, biscuits and candies may all be tainted by melamine as the raw products used to make these products have not been checked. The source of these raw ingredients, especially milk powder, will remain questionable until the authorities conduct thorough checks on all of them and give them the green light.

Even more worrying are the non-branded food products like buns, cakes and pastries sold in bakeries and hypermarts nationwide, as well as in-house blended beverages and cooked food sold in restaurants and shops. They might very well be made from milk powder bought in bulk from China. These foodstuffs must also be checked.

The Malaysian government must emulate Taiwan’s fast and efficient response to this crisis. Instead of saying everything is under control, the health ministry must undertake earnest efforts to ensure the safety of all Malaysians is its utmost priority. For the sake of everyone, especially the young, the authorities must act fast and in a transparent manner.

On Rais wants contest for Umno's top 2 posts

Ngawang Jimpa: The nobility of Rais' desire to see contests for Umno's top two posts deserves applause but it is clear that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Razak want to maintain the status quo and in the process kill off whatever democracy there is in Umno.

By preferring no contest and a transition of power, the duo are the biggest stumbling blocks in Umno's attempts to revive and resuscitate its relevance to the people. How can Umno change and be in tune with the people's feelings and aspirations when its top two leaders stifle open challenge?

For Umno to discard outdated approaches and policies, its grassroots and divisional heads must effect the changes they want to see and make calls for courage, pragmatism, impartial evaluation, maturity and vision instead of sticking to the same old subservient and no-contest stand.