Don't try Egypt style power grab in Malaysia, says Najib

[nalnn]

Source: Straits Times

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has warned against any attempt to usurp power in Malaysia, using demonstrations like those in Egypt.

'Don't think that what is happening there must also happen in Malaysia. We will not allow it to happen here,' he said at the national-level Chinese New Year open house in Miri.

Egypt has seen 13 days of protests for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and the embattled regime failed to clinch what would have been a landmark deal with the opposition groups yesterday. The parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood, rejected as insufficient an offer to include them in the political reform plans.

They have instead renewed their campaigns to unseat the country's strongman.

Read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_632157.html

---

Any odds on the likelihood of this happening in Malaysia?

[rox63]

1. A coworker of mine is currently in Malaysia

visiting his wife's family. If it's going to happen, I hope it waits until they get back home.

[bemildred]

2. The PM certainly seems fearful that it might happen there. nt

[yellowcanine]

3. Sounds like a "Bring it on" kind of statement. Kind of stupid.

[johnroshan]

4. Pretty dumb move.

How is it that the rulers are so arrogant enough to say this to the people's face? A Government without the consent of the governed is an abomination, to say the least.

[parkia00]

5. Highly unlikely.

Malaysians in general are a passive lot. This prime minister has only been in power for around 2 years although his party has been in power since 1957. But people are slowly waking up to the cronyism, corruption and abuse of power. As usual, it's the urban areas that the people are waking up first and it showed in the last elections. It's very different from Egypt. We do have somewhat credible elections every 4 years and the government has lost ground. Although printed matter is tightly controlled, Malaysia has no restrictions on the internet (presently) which gives an outlet to the younger generation to vent.