Anwar blames BN for collapse of peace treaty with Najib

By Ida Lim and Md Izwan

PETALING JAYA, May 25 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of breaching several agreed points in an April peace deal brokered by former Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla between him and Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pic).

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto chief argued that to honour the deal, which stipulated that both sides accept the outcome of Election 2013 regardless which way it swung, there were several key pre-requisites that had to be fulfilled first.

“There were some parameters agreed upon. Number one, ethics in terms of campaigning and conduct of affairs of government so the media in particular is not used to demonise the opposition...this did not happen...”

“Second condition of free and fair elections which means access to media, some of the Bersih’s demands, which was not met,” the PKR de-facto leader told reporters today at the end of the party’s ninth national congress, claiming that electoral fraud has been proven.

“And third, was contingent upon those conditions, our position is that we accept the decision,” the former deputy prime minister added.

Anwar was responding to today’s report on the Wall Street Journal where Jusuf had reportedly accused him of reneging on the peace deal by protesting the polls results.

The renowned international business paper featured interviews with all three parties confirming the secret peace deal, and quoted Jusuf as claiming that he had phoned Anwar a day after the May 5 polls and urged the opposition leader to respect the commitment and “look at reality”.

“We had a commitment,” Jusuf was quoted as saying. “But they said, ‘No, no, no, no.’ ‘‘

But Anwar appeared to indicate today that Jusuf had not actually accused him of breaking the agreement.

“I’ve also sought clarification although from what I’ve got. Jusuf Kalla did not say that. He was trying to make sure the full context was well understood.”

Anwar also said that he had publicly spoken on the issues of ethics in campaigning, free and fair elections, and the peaceful transition of power, saying: “To me, there’s nothing secret about the deal.”

When asked who had started the deal, Anwar said that friends in neighbouring countries — Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines — were concerned about the possibility of a peaceful transition of power in Malaysia.

He then said that someone had taken the initiative to start the deal which he agreed to, although he did not explicitly name the individual.

Anwar said the deal was done without him meeting Najib, saying such a meeting would only be done after he had consulted PR leaders.

“It was in about a month or so before elections. He met me and Datuk Seri Najib separately,” Anwar said earlier on in the press conference, likely referring to Jusuf.

In its report, the WSJ had reported that it was Anwar who approached Jusuf on the agreement two months ago, seeking the latter’s help in securing his opponent’s commitment for a peaceful election outcome.

The deal — that both sides refrain from personal attacks during campaigns and to accept the outcome of the polls — was subsequently made in April.

The two rivals had apparently rejected a clause in the accord to offer the loser a role in a “reconciliation government”, the WSJ wrote.

An adviser to Najib reportedly confirmed the deal, telling the WSJ that Anwar had sought Jusuf’s assistance to secure a mutual agreement to accept the results of the polls peacefully, regardless which way it goes and even in the event of a slim majority.

“The prime minister reiterated privately to Jusuf Kalla and in public before the election that BN would respect the will of the people and accept the election results, even if the opposition wins,” the paper quoted the aide as saying.

According to the paper, Jusuf is known for his role in brokering peace deals during his term as vice-president from 2004 to 2009, having done so in Thailand and Sri Lanka to help resolve conflicts across the Indonesian archipelago.

In the May 5 polls, Najib and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) was returned to power in Putrajaya after a heated contest that saw Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win the popular vote but lose the polls.

A dissatisfied Anwar and PR have been staging mammoth rallies across the country since the close of the election, insisting that the election had been stolen from them through fraud and widespread cheating.

During one of his rally speeches, Anwar vowed never to surrender until PR claims its rightful place at the helm of Putrajaya.

The 65-year-old Anwar also appears to have put his plans for retirement on hold, and seems determined to fight on.

One of PR’s point of contention is the popular vote, which saw BN scoring just under 48 per cent of the total number of votes cast and PR scoring the majority at 51 per cent.

But the uneven dispersal of votes across various constituencies, which PR has labelled gerrymandering by the BN, had cost them the election as it only snapped up 89 seats to BN’s 133 seats in the 222-seat Parliament despite winning the popular vote.

Apart from the “Black 505” rallies, which have drawn mammoth turnouts all around, PR is also filing formal petitions against the results in 27 constituencies.