Anwar: We have the numbers to form govt

By ROYCE CHEAH & RASHITA ABDUL HAMID

(STAR) KUALA LUMPUR: The Pakatan Rakyat coalition is ready to form the Federal Government and is now waiting for the right time and the right numbers, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The PKR-PAS-DAP alliance had already secured the required number of MPs but wants to form the government with a strong majority, the de facto opposition leader claimed at a rally Monday night.

He said none of the MPs had been "bought over."

"There have not been discussions about dollars and cents but discussions about sense.

"The door will be closed to anyone who wants money," he told reporters after the rally to celebrate the end of his exile from active politics, held at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru here.

Thousands of supporters turned up at the rally. There was a heavy presence of Federal Reserve Unit personnel and water cannon trucks, but no reports of untoward incidents.

The opposition had gained 82 seats in Parliament against Barisan Nasional's 140 in the March 8 general election, which allowed Barisan to form the government with a simple majority.

Pakatan Rakyat also won four new states and retained Kelantan in what was the worst-ever showing by Barisan in 50 years.

Anwar said that most of the MPs waiting to cross over were from Sabah and Sarawak, as well as from Umno in peninsular Malaysia.

He said it was too premature to talk about him running for Parliament because MPs have yet to be sworn in.

As for whom from Pakatan Rakyat should be the prime minister, he said he did not see why his wife PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could not be Malaysia's first woman PM.

However, he cautioned that any decision made by Pakatan Rakyat would be done by consensus.

Anwar, who arrived at the rally at 9pm, was greeted with cheers and chants of "Reformasi."

At about 10.30pm, the police asked him to wind up his speech. The crowd dispersed peacefully at about 11.30pm.