A 'no confidence in Najib as PM' petition , initiated by socio-political blogger Haris Ibrahim, was sent to 142 members of Parliament yesterday. The petition urges the legislators to voice out their lack of confidence towards the incoming prime minister.

Of the 142 MPs, comprising BN and Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers, who received the petition, 24 were notified by letter and the rest by e-mail.

They represent the 142 constituencies of the approximately 5000 private citizens who have signed the petition as of this morning.

The petition directed the MPs to demand for a royal commission to be set up to investigate the allegations linking Najib Abdul Razak to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shariibu, and make public the findings and recommendations.

The petition also urges the MPs to inform the king that with the serious allegations left unanswered, they have no confidence in Najib if the government fails to establish the aforementioned commission.

law conference lingam tape 311007 haris ibrahim According to Haris, a copy of the petition and its signatories will also be forwarded to the king.

Among other things, the petition cited the disappearance of Altantuya's immigration records and private investigator P Balasubramaniam, SMSes exchanged between Najib and his aide Razak Baginda, and the subsequent acquittal of Baginda as incidents that cast serious doubts on Najib's integrity.

"Najib's suitability to be prime minister has come under serious scrutiny by the international media, and in turn by the international community.

"It is in the interest of our country that the person chosen to become prime minister does not assume office with such baggage, namely allegation of involvement with events leading to the involvement of a foreign national", stated a press statement released by Haris.

He also emphasised that there was no constitutional obligation on the king to appoint the president of Umno as prime minister, adding that it was a tradition that has to be re-examined.

Nurul commends Haris

francis siah uncensored nurul izzah interview 020608 01 Contacted this morning, Haris told Malaysiakini that of the MPs who received the petition, only Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai) has responded thus far.

She commended Haris Ibrahim for creating the petition and remarked that the initiative gave her hope in the country.

However, she did not say whether she would undertake the actions as implored in the petition.

When pressed on whom he thinks should replace Najib as prime minister, Haris replied,

"Pak Lah can stay on as PM. The other alternative is to form a unity government comprising of BN and Pakatan leaders.

Whichever way, anybody can become PM but Najib", said Haris, adding that he will be taking further steps over the next few days to persuade more members of the public to push forward the message that they do not have confidence in Najib as head of the government.

Meanwhile, the petition, launched on January 4, 2009, is still open for signing.