Malaysiakini: WAN AZIZAH, NEXT PARLIAMENTARY LEADER. WILL SHE SPEAK FOR THE DISABLED?

QUICK COMMENT: I met the PKR President only once when a group of disabled people and I were demonstrating outside Parliament a few years ago. She approached us and appeared very sympathetic to our cause.

But how will she react and respond towards the idea of assistance and therapy dogs, I wonder? I have no reason to believe that she would be negative about it once she understands the indispensable role that animals play in the lives of the disabled and elderly in helping enhance our quality if life.

However, my worry, more importantly is on the great need to raise the awareness and lobbying for disability change in our society. I am not convinced that the opposition parties currently have what it takes to understand our issues given the fact that unlike the Barisan, they have little experience working with us.

There is also the great plausibility of disability issues getting sidelined by other activists of other causes who no doubt will be pushing for their agendas.

aNt

PET+BlOGSPOT

Malaysiakini story:

PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be the next parliamentary opposition leader until her husband, Anwar Ibrahim, wins a parliament seat.

In a joint statement, PKR de facto leader Anwar, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said they had agreed to this arrangement at a meeting last night.

“We agree to propose Wan Azizah of PKR, which is the biggest opposition party in the 12th Parliament, as the parliamentary opposition leader until Anwar qualifies to stand for elections,” the statement read.

Lim, the previous parliamentary opposition leader, said in a separate statement yesterday: “Wan Azizah is the ideal candidate as the new parliamentary opposition leader with PKR having the most parliamentary seats of the three opposition parties in Parliament.

“I support Azizah (right) as the opposition leader for the 12th Parliament and Anwar as the parliamentary opposition leader when he is re-elected to Parliament after the expiry of his civil disenfranchisement barring him from standing for elective office in mid-April.”

The ban on Anwar’s involvement in active politics ends on April 15, but he has been vague to date as to which seat will be vacated for him to contest in a by-election.

Wan Azizah has already offered her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, which she retained with a convincing majority of 13,388 votes.

Stronger opposition cooperation

Anwar had held the seat previously on a Barisan Nasional ticket, but was expelled from Umno and his government posts in 1998, and then jailed for six years after a conviction in 1999 for corrupt practice.

Anwar, Lim and Hadi Awang, in their statement, further said the wishes of the people as manifested during the elections must be respected and implemented by them and their parties.

“We agree that a stronger form of cooperation must be seriously considered, taking cognisance of the desires of the people for the formation of a new government for the federation and the states that can bring major changes for the rakyat,” they said.

On March 8, the opposition won an unprecedented 82 of 222 Parliament seats, denying Barisan Nasional a two-thirds majority, and also gained control in Perak, Penang, Selangor and Kedah. PAS retained Kelantan.

PKR won 31 parliamentary seats to DAP’s 28 and PAS’ 23 seats.