BN is very predictable. I just wish the rural folks will finally wake up to the reality that their own skin coloured, same religion types are screwing with the entire Malaysia which includes them.
BN is predictable because they are full of smart people who are not moved by altruisms and higher moral ideals, but by greed and lust. And therefore the Bill has to pass. It has to pass because whatever the PSC finds, it won't be what Bersih 2.0 or Pakatan will like. Even if it did say something that makes wonderful sense, it won't be enacted, implemented or enforced into anything meaningfully called electoral reform. And that is when Bersih 3.0 will rise.
It has to pass because the next general elections will be dirty. Dirtiest. Ever. And BN knows that there will be massive protests. This is a forewarning to disobedient civilians. March at your own risk. We are a government that's about to go bankrupt. Might as well make RM20,000 out of each illegal protestors. Better you go down in bankruptcy rather than us going down in a flame of infamy.
But I wonder if anything will change. We had the Police Act before. There's jail sentence under that Act. But did people fear? Refuse to take the risk? And I wonder why. That's because this coward of a government had never had the guts to take the Police Act provision to court before. And why would they, when there is a 50-50 chance that they will be shot down as unconstitutional? I think they know too that the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2011 will be shot down as unconstitutional, even more so now. But it's new, and untested, and they are banking on the fact that the unknown will scare the disobedient civilians into silence.
But will we be fooled into silence? Apparently, the answer is no. In fact, the passing of the bill has simply made Malaysians even angrier. We didn't know until this afternoon that we could be angrier than what we already are with BN. We thought we've had up to "here" with BN, but apparently, "here" is a constantly up-shifting pressure gauge. Which pressure will need releasing at some point in time.
We disobedient civilians will do the right thing by channelling our anger into outreach, pre-election campaign - in our offices, in our fields, forests and plantations, in our markets, shops and homes. And as a final act of defiance, we will vote for Pakatan because these are serious people, and without vested interest, serious about fixing Malaysia, starting with abolishing or significantly amending the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2011.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Friday, 29 July 2011
In the last month...
Here's a quick breakdown of the affairs of Malaysia in the last 1 month:
1) Najib ditches his moderate and progressive facade to reveal a typical UMNO/BN dictator, with excuses for suppressing a movement that calls for free and fair elections that holds even less water than when Abdullah Badawi clamped down on Bersih 1.0 on the pretext that it's not our culture to take to the streets in peaceful protest. Why do I say this? Bersih 2.0, devoid of political party leadership, has been labelled at any one time as communist, foreign agent, Christian agent, racist, anti-Islam, Arab Spring copycats. For the first time ever in Malaysia, wearing a t-shirt bearing a cause is reason to be arrested and thrown into a lock-up. How could a government that claims itself to be democratic go against calls for free and fair election is flabbergasting.
2) Rosmah Mansor is the new Imelda Marcos.
3) After the failure of 1Malaysia email that got shot down, Najib hatches a plan to use more taxpayer's money to enrich some crony, and while at it, why not boost its electoral chances? Therefore, rise the evil of biometrics system, where he works hand in glove with the Election Commission to possibly commit the largest electoral fraud in Malaysian history. If this plan gets implemented, and the implementation is fraught with potential for hacking and database corruption and manipulation, it would have been too late for Malaysians because the general elections would have been won by BN, again. Can Malaysia afford another 5 years of BN misrule and misgovernance? If Malaysians are pissed about government treatment on Bersih 2.0, 100 storey tower, 1Malaysia and other embarassing government projects, then you must rise again and express your disgust over the biometrics plan. It may sound technologically advanced, but trust the many commentators on Malaysian politics that this is one thing you don't want BN to waste taxpayers' money on - it will affect the VERY FABRIC of what remains of our flawed democracy.
If the government says it is committed to removing phantom voters, then your ready answer must be this: indelible ink - cheaper, and less prone to abuse. EC seems to suggest that someone might sabotage elections by forcibly paint people BEFORE they poll. Our answer must be - if you treat indelible ink as loads of cash, then you keep them at safe places, and have police escort to bring them to polling stations. If that's not safe enough I don't know what is. If the EC and the police can't offer safety of custody of indelible ink, what more a biometrics system with all the intricacies of linking to the national registry or what not, ensuring the reliability of the system that is surely beyond the technical knowhow of all EC and police officers? With elections so close, it's unlikely EC will be able to carry on an effective trial run. Imagine the screwup - it will be massive, and will likely be open to contentions of fraud and hundreds of law suits that ensue. Imagine a close election - that would no doubt give rise to the very Arab Spring that Najib wants to avoid - you can't stop people from getting mad at a (deliberate or otherwise) screwup in voting process.
So, no to biometrics, yes to indelible ink.
4) Police abuse of Emergency Ordinance. PSM6 linked to communism is hillarious. That they have yet to be charged or released is not. It's in fact grave. It's criminal conduct on the part of the police to abuse their power this way. And for the police to call the shots instead of the Home Ministry is an immoral delegation of authority by the Home Minister. He can't wash his hands clean - we Malaysians should make sure of this.
5) RTM and MCMC under Rais Yatim is truly a disappointment. Balanced news? To BN, that word does not exist in their dictionary. Propaganda is the dish of the day, every day. Demonise Pakatan. Promote BN. Whitewash dirt into diamond. I'm just surprised Rais Yatim's doctorate haven't been pulled back by the University. Where's the integrity in the thesis when Rais calls it a mere intellectual exercise?
6) Utusan runs amok. But what we have learnt is that editors are affected by circulation. So dear Malaysians, it works. Continue to boycott them. They will suffocate, and die a natural death.
7) Perkasa - I like the way everything Ibrahim Ali said is being reported. It gives a chance to the public to condemn him. He's our Pauline Hanson, only 10 times worse. And he's protected by UMNO. Good thing is his time is running out. He will lose his election, if he's even a candidate, and he can retire from politics and rethink his life.
8) Anwar's trial continues. Put him in jail at BN's on peril. Enough said. The good thing is after Bersih 2.0, Pakatan seems to have seized the initiative again. There's nothing like unity of purpose amongst Peninsular Malaysians to regalvanise Pakatan. Kedah almost did something foolish but Pakatan was fast to correct that. Pakatan needs to push hard into Sabah, Sarawak and Johor. Changing 5% of the minds in those states will mean the whole world to Malaysians who want simple justice and fairness and an equal opportunity to make something out of their lives out of sheer hard work - and not asking for any special treatment.
End game draws near for BN. For the first time in 53 years, Malaysians have dispelled several myths: that opposition does not have the ability to rule, that any gathering of people who are not aligned with the government will spark racial riots, that BN is somehow invincible.
I remember as a teenager when I told my friends that Malaysia could be run as corrupt free as Singapore and their reply was "but Malaysia is so big", and everytime I raised an issue about how badly the government is doing, I get an earful that nothing is perfect, that the opposition will do no better. I am glad that I've been vindicated, as my friends have all come around to my way of thinking. It all boils down to willingness to find out, and developing critical thinking. As long as we in the position of knowledge and awareness reach out as far as we can between now and the next general elections to the rural folks, change can happen. It must happen, for the sake of our nation no less.
1) Najib ditches his moderate and progressive facade to reveal a typical UMNO/BN dictator, with excuses for suppressing a movement that calls for free and fair elections that holds even less water than when Abdullah Badawi clamped down on Bersih 1.0 on the pretext that it's not our culture to take to the streets in peaceful protest. Why do I say this? Bersih 2.0, devoid of political party leadership, has been labelled at any one time as communist, foreign agent, Christian agent, racist, anti-Islam, Arab Spring copycats. For the first time ever in Malaysia, wearing a t-shirt bearing a cause is reason to be arrested and thrown into a lock-up. How could a government that claims itself to be democratic go against calls for free and fair election is flabbergasting.
2) Rosmah Mansor is the new Imelda Marcos.
3) After the failure of 1Malaysia email that got shot down, Najib hatches a plan to use more taxpayer's money to enrich some crony, and while at it, why not boost its electoral chances? Therefore, rise the evil of biometrics system, where he works hand in glove with the Election Commission to possibly commit the largest electoral fraud in Malaysian history. If this plan gets implemented, and the implementation is fraught with potential for hacking and database corruption and manipulation, it would have been too late for Malaysians because the general elections would have been won by BN, again. Can Malaysia afford another 5 years of BN misrule and misgovernance? If Malaysians are pissed about government treatment on Bersih 2.0, 100 storey tower, 1Malaysia and other embarassing government projects, then you must rise again and express your disgust over the biometrics plan. It may sound technologically advanced, but trust the many commentators on Malaysian politics that this is one thing you don't want BN to waste taxpayers' money on - it will affect the VERY FABRIC of what remains of our flawed democracy.
If the government says it is committed to removing phantom voters, then your ready answer must be this: indelible ink - cheaper, and less prone to abuse. EC seems to suggest that someone might sabotage elections by forcibly paint people BEFORE they poll. Our answer must be - if you treat indelible ink as loads of cash, then you keep them at safe places, and have police escort to bring them to polling stations. If that's not safe enough I don't know what is. If the EC and the police can't offer safety of custody of indelible ink, what more a biometrics system with all the intricacies of linking to the national registry or what not, ensuring the reliability of the system that is surely beyond the technical knowhow of all EC and police officers? With elections so close, it's unlikely EC will be able to carry on an effective trial run. Imagine the screwup - it will be massive, and will likely be open to contentions of fraud and hundreds of law suits that ensue. Imagine a close election - that would no doubt give rise to the very Arab Spring that Najib wants to avoid - you can't stop people from getting mad at a (deliberate or otherwise) screwup in voting process.
So, no to biometrics, yes to indelible ink.
4) Police abuse of Emergency Ordinance. PSM6 linked to communism is hillarious. That they have yet to be charged or released is not. It's in fact grave. It's criminal conduct on the part of the police to abuse their power this way. And for the police to call the shots instead of the Home Ministry is an immoral delegation of authority by the Home Minister. He can't wash his hands clean - we Malaysians should make sure of this.
5) RTM and MCMC under Rais Yatim is truly a disappointment. Balanced news? To BN, that word does not exist in their dictionary. Propaganda is the dish of the day, every day. Demonise Pakatan. Promote BN. Whitewash dirt into diamond. I'm just surprised Rais Yatim's doctorate haven't been pulled back by the University. Where's the integrity in the thesis when Rais calls it a mere intellectual exercise?
6) Utusan runs amok. But what we have learnt is that editors are affected by circulation. So dear Malaysians, it works. Continue to boycott them. They will suffocate, and die a natural death.
7) Perkasa - I like the way everything Ibrahim Ali said is being reported. It gives a chance to the public to condemn him. He's our Pauline Hanson, only 10 times worse. And he's protected by UMNO. Good thing is his time is running out. He will lose his election, if he's even a candidate, and he can retire from politics and rethink his life.
8) Anwar's trial continues. Put him in jail at BN's on peril. Enough said. The good thing is after Bersih 2.0, Pakatan seems to have seized the initiative again. There's nothing like unity of purpose amongst Peninsular Malaysians to regalvanise Pakatan. Kedah almost did something foolish but Pakatan was fast to correct that. Pakatan needs to push hard into Sabah, Sarawak and Johor. Changing 5% of the minds in those states will mean the whole world to Malaysians who want simple justice and fairness and an equal opportunity to make something out of their lives out of sheer hard work - and not asking for any special treatment.
End game draws near for BN. For the first time in 53 years, Malaysians have dispelled several myths: that opposition does not have the ability to rule, that any gathering of people who are not aligned with the government will spark racial riots, that BN is somehow invincible.
I remember as a teenager when I told my friends that Malaysia could be run as corrupt free as Singapore and their reply was "but Malaysia is so big", and everytime I raised an issue about how badly the government is doing, I get an earful that nothing is perfect, that the opposition will do no better. I am glad that I've been vindicated, as my friends have all come around to my way of thinking. It all boils down to willingness to find out, and developing critical thinking. As long as we in the position of knowledge and awareness reach out as far as we can between now and the next general elections to the rural folks, change can happen. It must happen, for the sake of our nation no less.
Monday, 27 June 2011
A must read for those asking what Bersih 2.0 is about (and why it's so important)
Consensus on unfair polls backs case for Bersih march
Lim Teck Ghee
Many Malaysians may be unaware of the considerable research work by social scientists - both local and foreign - that have unequivocally concluded that the country's record on free and fair elections has been abysmal. Analysis of this remarkable record of trickery, manipulation and gerrymandering by first the Alliance, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN), goes back for more than 50 years - in fact soon after the country received its independence.
Dishonest election conduct takes the following main forms:
1. the manipulation of electoral boundaries or gerrymandering,
2. the vast disparity of voter numbers among the constituencies,
3. the contamination of electoral rolls with phantom voters and other fraud,
4. the grossly unfair use of the governmental machinery and resources in support of ruling party candidates,
5. impersonation, multiple voting, ballot stuffing and other frauds in polling, counting and tabulation,
6. the rigid and opaque postal voting system,
7. the short campaigning period and selective restriction on campaign freedom,
8. the biased and distorted official media coverage ,
9. the inadequate and outdated regulations on election expenses and funding,
10. the ineffectiveness of or limitation in judicial remedy.
Adding to the above is the impotency of the Electoral Commission (EC). Lately, there has been an upsurge of political hooliganism which is increasingly coming from high levels and aimed at suppressing any expression of concern over the fair conduct of elections. Thus, it is not surprising that the leaders of the ruling party are confident BN will remain in power - by hook or by crook - for the next 50 years.
Malaysians interested in how the ruling parties have manipulated the electoral process to their advantage are spoilt for choice in the matter of reading material. Reference to the work of any of the following scholars will provide facts and figures on the truth behind the facade of 'democratic' elections in the country.
Among them are: Sothi Rachagan, Mavis Puthucheary, Noraini Othman, Lim Hong Hai, Wong Chin Huat, Harold Crouch, James Jesudason, John Funston, Rainer Heufers, Bridget Welsh, Ong Kian Meng, Mustafa K. Anuar, James Chin, William Case, Francis Loh Kok Wah, Andrew Aeria, Dan Slater, Simon Barraclough, Gordon P Means and Diane Mauzy.
A selection of excerpts from some recent published work is provided in the annex (see below).
Obliterated from media coverage
Unfortunately such accounts have been deliberately obliterated from national media coverage whilst the antics of Ibrahim Ali as well as diversionary issues are prominently broadcast and splashed in the papers.
The commentaries of media sycophants focusing on the purported economic losses likely from traffic disruption (aren't these columnists capable of finding better reasons to explain why the planned march should not take place!) are merely to hoodwink Malaysians whereas the more belligerent editorials resort to intimidation to discourage Bersih supporters marching.
Reading the independent and scholarly work on Malaysian elections should lead most in the country to conclude that the Bersih march has good reason to go ahead, if only to show to the rest of the world that BN's claim of democratic elections has been one of the oldest - if not the oldest - lie in Malaysian politics.
Annex
Excerpts from recent academic writing on elections
“…Thus, the electoral system contained built-in advantages for the Malay community. There was no realistic possibility of a non-bumiputra party's or coalition's “going it alone” and winning an election. The only way for Chinese and Indian politicians to participate in government was by allying themselves with Malays, inevitably as junior partners. In practice, only two types of government could emerge from elections: an all-Malay government or a Malay dominated coalition…”
Crouch, Harold (1996) 'Government and Society in Malaysia', St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin Australia
“…Malaysia has institutionalised a semi-democratic political system. It does engage in elections, which provide for free choices, and the opposition has won seats. Yet the contest is not a fair one, given state dominance of the media, bias in government funding toward the incumbent BN, continuing electoral irregularities, and constituencies that are constructed to favour BN…”
Welsh, Bridget (2007), 'Malaysia at 50: Midlife Crisis Ahead?', Current History pp106, 699
“…We have demonstrated how the Barisan Nasional has managed to perpetuate its rule through various forms of electoral manipulation and administrative repressions. On one hand, its initial electoral strengths have been entrenched through control of franchise, alternation of international and administrative boundaries, malapportionment and gerrymandering of electoral constituencies, controlled electoral campaigns and polling irregularities. On the other hand, political opposition is disempowered with infringement of civil and political liberties, extensive patronage networks and abuse of federal apparatus to suppress intergovernmental competition. The opposition state governments are discriminated against and in some cases overthrown through direct federal intervention, while the local elections which the ruling coalition had largely failed to win were outright terminated since 1965…”
Wong, Chin-Huat, Chin, James and Othman, Norani (2010), 'Malaysia - towards a topology of an electoral one-party state', Democratization, 17: 5, 920- 949
“…In Malaysia, elections are not fair since basic political rights and civil liberties are restricted. Limitations to press freedom and to the right to associate and assemble, malapportionment, gerrymandering, and the financial advantages of the ruling parties are testimony to the systematic violation of fairness principles…”
Ufen, Andreas (2009), 'The transformation of political party opposition in Malaysia and its implications for the electoral authoritarian regime', Democratization, 16:3, 604-627
“..On average in 11 general elections in Malaysia, the opposition wins 45 percent of the votes, but due to the limits on the opposition within the electoral system, through gerrymandering, malapportionment and the impact of a first-past-the post system, and constraints on political organization for the opposition, holds less than 15 percent of the seats in parliament. In the 2004 election the BN won 63.4 percent of the popular vote, but won 91 percent of the overall seats…”
Welsh, Bridget, Suffian, Ibrahim & Aeria, Andrew (2007), 'Malaysia country report.' Asian Barometer
“…All mainstream media are directly controlled by either the government, such as Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM), or by companies that have a close link with the BN's top leadership, such as Utusan Malaysia, Straits Times, TV3, and NTV7. Their relationships with leadership make them favourable to the ruling BN…”
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani (2009), The Emergence of new politics in Malaysia – from consociational to deliberative democracy', Taiwan Journal of Democracy, Vol. 5, No. 2: 97-125
“The Malaysian electoral system . . . [has been] so heavily loaded in favour of the government that it is hard to imagine that [it] ... could be defeated in an election."
Crouch, Harold (1996), 'Malaysian Government: Authoritarian Repression and Democratic Responsiveness', Ithaca: Cornell University Press
“…Further, these iterative electoral victories have extended some legitimating cover for the government's often sly legislation, habitual amendments to the constitution, manipulation of standing orders and question time, and elevation of loyalists to the largely ceremonial upper house. In sum, while the government can claim that Malaysia holds the longest unbroken record of elections in the region, it has not been established competitively. As Tun Razak noted in 1971: 'So long as the form is preserved, the substance can be changed to suit conditions of a particular country... '”
Case, William (1996), 'Can the 'Halfway House' stand? Semi-democracy and elite theory in three Southeast Asian countries', Comparative Politics, Vol 28, No 4, pp 437-464.
“ …A further package of factors working in Umno's favour included an electoral redistribution, changes to electoral laws, and a 'cleansing' of the electoral roll. An electoral redistribution carried out by the Election Commission (EC) added 26 seats to Parliament, most in areas favourable to Umno in the south (Johor from 20 to 26, Selangor 17 to 22), and Sabah (20 to 25). The northern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah had no additions. Furthermore, several seats in Kedah won by PAS in 1999 were reorganised with a higher proportion of non-Malay voters, making a repeat PAS victory unlikely.
“…Traditionally, not issues but the 'three Ms' - media, money and machinery - are the key determinants of Malaysian elections. (It used to be the 'four Ms', before Mahathir retired.) The BN controls all television and radio stations, and all major newspapers, either through its control of government or party ownership. It uses this control to sell the virtues of the BN, and denigrate the opposition. An independent voice does exist in the form of the online newspaper Malaysiakini. Some opposition parties and NGOs also have their own publications on the internet and/or in hard copy. But such publications cannot reach a large audience.
“…The most controversial aspect of the 2004 election campaign was its management by the EC. The elections were the most disorganised and contested ever. In some cases this may simply have reflected incompetence, but EC activities frequently provided direct benefits to the BN, as they had in the revisions of electoral boundaries and membership of the electoral roll.
“In the face of very broad concern over EC activities its chairman proposed an independent inquiry into EC conduct. Prime Minister Abdullah quickly rejected this, telling the EC to conduct its own internal inquiry…”
Funston, J. (2006), 'The Malay Electorate in 2004: Reversing the 1999 Result?', in Saw Swee-Hock and K. Kesavapany (ed.), Malaysia: Recent Trends and Challenges, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, p 313
Lim Teck Ghee
Many Malaysians may be unaware of the considerable research work by social scientists - both local and foreign - that have unequivocally concluded that the country's record on free and fair elections has been abysmal. Analysis of this remarkable record of trickery, manipulation and gerrymandering by first the Alliance, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN), goes back for more than 50 years - in fact soon after the country received its independence.
Dishonest election conduct takes the following main forms:
1. the manipulation of electoral boundaries or gerrymandering,
2. the vast disparity of voter numbers among the constituencies,
3. the contamination of electoral rolls with phantom voters and other fraud,
4. the grossly unfair use of the governmental machinery and resources in support of ruling party candidates,
5. impersonation, multiple voting, ballot stuffing and other frauds in polling, counting and tabulation,
6. the rigid and opaque postal voting system,
7. the short campaigning period and selective restriction on campaign freedom,
8. the biased and distorted official media coverage ,
9. the inadequate and outdated regulations on election expenses and funding,
10. the ineffectiveness of or limitation in judicial remedy.
Adding to the above is the impotency of the Electoral Commission (EC). Lately, there has been an upsurge of political hooliganism which is increasingly coming from high levels and aimed at suppressing any expression of concern over the fair conduct of elections. Thus, it is not surprising that the leaders of the ruling party are confident BN will remain in power - by hook or by crook - for the next 50 years.
Malaysians interested in how the ruling parties have manipulated the electoral process to their advantage are spoilt for choice in the matter of reading material. Reference to the work of any of the following scholars will provide facts and figures on the truth behind the facade of 'democratic' elections in the country.
Among them are: Sothi Rachagan, Mavis Puthucheary, Noraini Othman, Lim Hong Hai, Wong Chin Huat, Harold Crouch, James Jesudason, John Funston, Rainer Heufers, Bridget Welsh, Ong Kian Meng, Mustafa K. Anuar, James Chin, William Case, Francis Loh Kok Wah, Andrew Aeria, Dan Slater, Simon Barraclough, Gordon P Means and Diane Mauzy.
A selection of excerpts from some recent published work is provided in the annex (see below).
Obliterated from media coverage
Unfortunately such accounts have been deliberately obliterated from national media coverage whilst the antics of Ibrahim Ali as well as diversionary issues are prominently broadcast and splashed in the papers.
The commentaries of media sycophants focusing on the purported economic losses likely from traffic disruption (aren't these columnists capable of finding better reasons to explain why the planned march should not take place!) are merely to hoodwink Malaysians whereas the more belligerent editorials resort to intimidation to discourage Bersih supporters marching.
Reading the independent and scholarly work on Malaysian elections should lead most in the country to conclude that the Bersih march has good reason to go ahead, if only to show to the rest of the world that BN's claim of democratic elections has been one of the oldest - if not the oldest - lie in Malaysian politics.
Annex
Excerpts from recent academic writing on elections
“…Thus, the electoral system contained built-in advantages for the Malay community. There was no realistic possibility of a non-bumiputra party's or coalition's “going it alone” and winning an election. The only way for Chinese and Indian politicians to participate in government was by allying themselves with Malays, inevitably as junior partners. In practice, only two types of government could emerge from elections: an all-Malay government or a Malay dominated coalition…”
Crouch, Harold (1996) 'Government and Society in Malaysia', St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin Australia
“…Malaysia has institutionalised a semi-democratic political system. It does engage in elections, which provide for free choices, and the opposition has won seats. Yet the contest is not a fair one, given state dominance of the media, bias in government funding toward the incumbent BN, continuing electoral irregularities, and constituencies that are constructed to favour BN…”
Welsh, Bridget (2007), 'Malaysia at 50: Midlife Crisis Ahead?', Current History pp106, 699
“…We have demonstrated how the Barisan Nasional has managed to perpetuate its rule through various forms of electoral manipulation and administrative repressions. On one hand, its initial electoral strengths have been entrenched through control of franchise, alternation of international and administrative boundaries, malapportionment and gerrymandering of electoral constituencies, controlled electoral campaigns and polling irregularities. On the other hand, political opposition is disempowered with infringement of civil and political liberties, extensive patronage networks and abuse of federal apparatus to suppress intergovernmental competition. The opposition state governments are discriminated against and in some cases overthrown through direct federal intervention, while the local elections which the ruling coalition had largely failed to win were outright terminated since 1965…”
Wong, Chin-Huat, Chin, James and Othman, Norani (2010), 'Malaysia - towards a topology of an electoral one-party state', Democratization, 17: 5, 920- 949
“…In Malaysia, elections are not fair since basic political rights and civil liberties are restricted. Limitations to press freedom and to the right to associate and assemble, malapportionment, gerrymandering, and the financial advantages of the ruling parties are testimony to the systematic violation of fairness principles…”
Ufen, Andreas (2009), 'The transformation of political party opposition in Malaysia and its implications for the electoral authoritarian regime', Democratization, 16:3, 604-627
“..On average in 11 general elections in Malaysia, the opposition wins 45 percent of the votes, but due to the limits on the opposition within the electoral system, through gerrymandering, malapportionment and the impact of a first-past-the post system, and constraints on political organization for the opposition, holds less than 15 percent of the seats in parliament. In the 2004 election the BN won 63.4 percent of the popular vote, but won 91 percent of the overall seats…”
Welsh, Bridget, Suffian, Ibrahim & Aeria, Andrew (2007), 'Malaysia country report.' Asian Barometer
“…All mainstream media are directly controlled by either the government, such as Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM), or by companies that have a close link with the BN's top leadership, such as Utusan Malaysia, Straits Times, TV3, and NTV7. Their relationships with leadership make them favourable to the ruling BN…”
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani (2009), The Emergence of new politics in Malaysia – from consociational to deliberative democracy', Taiwan Journal of Democracy, Vol. 5, No. 2: 97-125
“The Malaysian electoral system . . . [has been] so heavily loaded in favour of the government that it is hard to imagine that [it] ... could be defeated in an election."
Crouch, Harold (1996), 'Malaysian Government: Authoritarian Repression and Democratic Responsiveness', Ithaca: Cornell University Press
“…Further, these iterative electoral victories have extended some legitimating cover for the government's often sly legislation, habitual amendments to the constitution, manipulation of standing orders and question time, and elevation of loyalists to the largely ceremonial upper house. In sum, while the government can claim that Malaysia holds the longest unbroken record of elections in the region, it has not been established competitively. As Tun Razak noted in 1971: 'So long as the form is preserved, the substance can be changed to suit conditions of a particular country... '”
Case, William (1996), 'Can the 'Halfway House' stand? Semi-democracy and elite theory in three Southeast Asian countries', Comparative Politics, Vol 28, No 4, pp 437-464.
“ …A further package of factors working in Umno's favour included an electoral redistribution, changes to electoral laws, and a 'cleansing' of the electoral roll. An electoral redistribution carried out by the Election Commission (EC) added 26 seats to Parliament, most in areas favourable to Umno in the south (Johor from 20 to 26, Selangor 17 to 22), and Sabah (20 to 25). The northern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah had no additions. Furthermore, several seats in Kedah won by PAS in 1999 were reorganised with a higher proportion of non-Malay voters, making a repeat PAS victory unlikely.
“…Traditionally, not issues but the 'three Ms' - media, money and machinery - are the key determinants of Malaysian elections. (It used to be the 'four Ms', before Mahathir retired.) The BN controls all television and radio stations, and all major newspapers, either through its control of government or party ownership. It uses this control to sell the virtues of the BN, and denigrate the opposition. An independent voice does exist in the form of the online newspaper Malaysiakini. Some opposition parties and NGOs also have their own publications on the internet and/or in hard copy. But such publications cannot reach a large audience.
“…The most controversial aspect of the 2004 election campaign was its management by the EC. The elections were the most disorganised and contested ever. In some cases this may simply have reflected incompetence, but EC activities frequently provided direct benefits to the BN, as they had in the revisions of electoral boundaries and membership of the electoral roll.
“In the face of very broad concern over EC activities its chairman proposed an independent inquiry into EC conduct. Prime Minister Abdullah quickly rejected this, telling the EC to conduct its own internal inquiry…”
Funston, J. (2006), 'The Malay Electorate in 2004: Reversing the 1999 Result?', in Saw Swee-Hock and K. Kesavapany (ed.), Malaysia: Recent Trends and Challenges, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, p 313
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Countdown to Bersih 2.0
I haven't written for a while, and many things have transpired in the meantime, ranging from a RM1.8 million facebook tourism campaign by Ng Yen Yen; rising cost of living, porn show in KL Magistrates Court, and to top the icing on the cake - BN, UMNO, Perkasa, Utusan, and "independent" MP's daily tirades against Bersih 2.0.
I'm not going to say a lot here, just that when the cause is a just and clear one, then there is only one thing left to do.
Join in. It's now or never. Make it count. Do your part for the society.
Your parents, friends or relatives may be concerned if you show up at the gathering points, and you may not want to be in the line of fire of the tear gas, chemical jet water or police baton, but you can still contribute. Be out there. Wear yellow, or if you seek to confuse the police, wear a tone off yellow, light orange perhaps. With logos such as Digi. Raise a yellow flag at home if you want to. Or tie a yellow ribbon on the aerial of your car if that's the only thing you can do. Not only in KL, but throughout the country. And folks overseas - you'll have it better without police intimidation. As long as we all do something. Be seen. Show solidarity for a just cause.
Just do it.
I'm not going to say a lot here, just that when the cause is a just and clear one, then there is only one thing left to do.
Join in. It's now or never. Make it count. Do your part for the society.
Your parents, friends or relatives may be concerned if you show up at the gathering points, and you may not want to be in the line of fire of the tear gas, chemical jet water or police baton, but you can still contribute. Be out there. Wear yellow, or if you seek to confuse the police, wear a tone off yellow, light orange perhaps. With logos such as Digi. Raise a yellow flag at home if you want to. Or tie a yellow ribbon on the aerial of your car if that's the only thing you can do. Not only in KL, but throughout the country. And folks overseas - you'll have it better without police intimidation. As long as we all do something. Be seen. Show solidarity for a just cause.
Just do it.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Perkasa full of crap too
This is another article out in the Malaysian Insider:
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Vernacular schools cannot be treated equally with national schools, claims Perkasa, as it “contravenes” the Federal Constitution.
The Malay rights group said today that such a demand was seditious, adding that national schools still needed to be given priority as they promoted the national language Bahasa Malaysia, unlike vernacular schools.
“The demand made by Chinese groups that vernacular schools be accorded the same treatment as national schools is against Article 152(2) of the Federal Constitution, and they can be charged with sedition,” said Perkasa Wiranita chief Datin Paduka Norkhaila Jamaludin.
Her remarks were aimed at a Sun daily report today that more than 80 Chinese NGOs turned up for the launch of the “Justice for Lim Lian Geok” campaign on Sunday.
The campaign, held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the revocation of the citizenship of Lim, a revered Chinese educationist, aims to petition the government to restore his citizenship, and give equal and fair treatment to all schools that use different mediums of instruction.
According to a statement issued last week by the LLG (Lim Lian Geok) Cultural Development Centre, vernacular schools should be treated equally along with national schools and that all forms of discriminatory practices against vernacular schools should be stopped.
Perkasa lodged a police report against the campaign today.
“The late Lim Lian Geok was stripped of his citizenship because he betrayed the country and the demands are a threat to national security and against the country’s laws,” said Norkhaila.
---------------------------------------------------------------
You know, they have pressure groups in the US who is actually able to lobby for change in the Congress and at the White House. The effectiveness comes from a combination of know who and especially know how. The lobbyists tend to be professionals who are very knowledgeable and skillful in their undertaking. In Malaysia, we try to immitate in form, but not in substance, hence cretins like Perkasa are born. With half a brain and some inkling of what history and politics (and the constitution) are all about, they go about bandying half baked ideas of what these complex things could mean, making up things as they go along as long as it suits them and their paymaster, which is none other than powerful forces (and warlords) within UMNO.
In these few last weeks, their enemies have multiplied:
1) there was originally some unnamed bogeyman who is challenging Malay/Muslim position in the constitution (until this date we don't know who they are referring to)
2) since Sarawak state election, DAP is now a Chinese chauvinist party even though the swing to opposition is by urban voters, not just Chinese voters
3) DAP is now also a proponent of Christian state, even if BN's partner MCA has been repeatedly accusing DAP of working hand in glove with PAS to create an Islamic state (both untrue of course)
4) and now the latest twist in their increasing list of grievances, they are accusing certain Chinese groups as seditious for suggesting having a free hand to grow vernacular schools
5) and oh, they are even demanding only bumi contractors (qualified or otherwise) are given the task of building the MRT (heaven help us all)
In this land where pride overides good judgment, and sensitivity sweeps honest discussion under the carpet, Perkasa has obviously missed the whole point about this perplexing education debate. Chinese groups are pragmatic folks. Do you think they care that the entire education system only consist of national schools, if the education system is of top notch quality? Can Perkasa deny that the vernacular Chinese schools teach better math and science? Even President Obama has acknowledged that Asian schools have surpassed US schools in coming up with better maths and science students, and I betcha he ain't referring to national schools in Malaysia.
It's really not a pride issue as far as the Chinese are concerned, and even far less a Chinese chauvinist position. It is purely an education issue - people (and I mean even Malays and Indians) are sending their children to Chinese vernacular schools because it's proven that the system there works better in educating children on these subjects. Perhaps Perkasa can think of it this way - that the Chinese are very serious about their children's education. It's like being a protective parent. Can Perkasa understand this analogy? I hope so, because child protection is a human instinct that even if Perkasa refuses to engage their logic, they should be able to feel that what the educationist groups are requesting is right.
What I cannot fathom is how does asking for vernacular schools seditious or against the constitution? Are the education groups inciting hatred towards anyone else? A call for diversity in schools are equivalent to asking for more democratic space. Since when is asking for more democratic space seditious? It would have been different if the education group says "down with national schools and convert everything to Chinese medium" - now, that would not only piss off the Malays, but probably some Chinese themselves for the undemocratic stupidity that it represents. Likewise, Malaysians having the right mind would probably think the same if Perkasa keeps harping on having ONLY national schools because that's undemocratic.
Seriously, Perkasa should stop shooting from the hip. You really don't have to meet the daily or weekly quota UMNO sets for you to make your million ringgit fees. It's ok (in a commercial sense, illegality notwithstanding) to be an extremist and fundamentalist party bent on racial and religious division (you're just doing your hatchet job), but please do your research and come up with smarter arguments that could actually change people's minds instead of idiotic pronouncements that not only turn the non-Malay/Muslims away, but probably the moderate Malay/Muslims as well. And for goodness sake, stop using the "we Malays will be angry if you do that and you won't like it when we're angry" because firstly, Perkasa are not Malays/Muslims, and then you stop meaningful dialogue and it becomes a purely intimidatory exercise. It's fine for you to intimidate under a BN government (in a machiavellian sense), but you should remember that after the 13th general elections, when the top BN leaders have escaped the country to avoid getting arrested (yes, I mean Pakatan will take over the federal government, in case you don't know how to read between the lines), the rest of you are still here, and you will be arrested for a multitude of criminal offences, and upon conviction, you can rest assured your days in prison will be a long and hardy one.
Perkasa members, bail out while you can, from a sinking vessel. It is inevitable and predestined that such a day will come very soon.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Vernacular schools cannot be treated equally with national schools, claims Perkasa, as it “contravenes” the Federal Constitution.
The Malay rights group said today that such a demand was seditious, adding that national schools still needed to be given priority as they promoted the national language Bahasa Malaysia, unlike vernacular schools.
“The demand made by Chinese groups that vernacular schools be accorded the same treatment as national schools is against Article 152(2) of the Federal Constitution, and they can be charged with sedition,” said Perkasa Wiranita chief Datin Paduka Norkhaila Jamaludin.
Her remarks were aimed at a Sun daily report today that more than 80 Chinese NGOs turned up for the launch of the “Justice for Lim Lian Geok” campaign on Sunday.
The campaign, held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the revocation of the citizenship of Lim, a revered Chinese educationist, aims to petition the government to restore his citizenship, and give equal and fair treatment to all schools that use different mediums of instruction.
According to a statement issued last week by the LLG (Lim Lian Geok) Cultural Development Centre, vernacular schools should be treated equally along with national schools and that all forms of discriminatory practices against vernacular schools should be stopped.
Perkasa lodged a police report against the campaign today.
“The late Lim Lian Geok was stripped of his citizenship because he betrayed the country and the demands are a threat to national security and against the country’s laws,” said Norkhaila.
---------------------------------------------------------------
You know, they have pressure groups in the US who is actually able to lobby for change in the Congress and at the White House. The effectiveness comes from a combination of know who and especially know how. The lobbyists tend to be professionals who are very knowledgeable and skillful in their undertaking. In Malaysia, we try to immitate in form, but not in substance, hence cretins like Perkasa are born. With half a brain and some inkling of what history and politics (and the constitution) are all about, they go about bandying half baked ideas of what these complex things could mean, making up things as they go along as long as it suits them and their paymaster, which is none other than powerful forces (and warlords) within UMNO.
In these few last weeks, their enemies have multiplied:
1) there was originally some unnamed bogeyman who is challenging Malay/Muslim position in the constitution (until this date we don't know who they are referring to)
2) since Sarawak state election, DAP is now a Chinese chauvinist party even though the swing to opposition is by urban voters, not just Chinese voters
3) DAP is now also a proponent of Christian state, even if BN's partner MCA has been repeatedly accusing DAP of working hand in glove with PAS to create an Islamic state (both untrue of course)
4) and now the latest twist in their increasing list of grievances, they are accusing certain Chinese groups as seditious for suggesting having a free hand to grow vernacular schools
5) and oh, they are even demanding only bumi contractors (qualified or otherwise) are given the task of building the MRT (heaven help us all)
In this land where pride overides good judgment, and sensitivity sweeps honest discussion under the carpet, Perkasa has obviously missed the whole point about this perplexing education debate. Chinese groups are pragmatic folks. Do you think they care that the entire education system only consist of national schools, if the education system is of top notch quality? Can Perkasa deny that the vernacular Chinese schools teach better math and science? Even President Obama has acknowledged that Asian schools have surpassed US schools in coming up with better maths and science students, and I betcha he ain't referring to national schools in Malaysia.
It's really not a pride issue as far as the Chinese are concerned, and even far less a Chinese chauvinist position. It is purely an education issue - people (and I mean even Malays and Indians) are sending their children to Chinese vernacular schools because it's proven that the system there works better in educating children on these subjects. Perhaps Perkasa can think of it this way - that the Chinese are very serious about their children's education. It's like being a protective parent. Can Perkasa understand this analogy? I hope so, because child protection is a human instinct that even if Perkasa refuses to engage their logic, they should be able to feel that what the educationist groups are requesting is right.
What I cannot fathom is how does asking for vernacular schools seditious or against the constitution? Are the education groups inciting hatred towards anyone else? A call for diversity in schools are equivalent to asking for more democratic space. Since when is asking for more democratic space seditious? It would have been different if the education group says "down with national schools and convert everything to Chinese medium" - now, that would not only piss off the Malays, but probably some Chinese themselves for the undemocratic stupidity that it represents. Likewise, Malaysians having the right mind would probably think the same if Perkasa keeps harping on having ONLY national schools because that's undemocratic.
Seriously, Perkasa should stop shooting from the hip. You really don't have to meet the daily or weekly quota UMNO sets for you to make your million ringgit fees. It's ok (in a commercial sense, illegality notwithstanding) to be an extremist and fundamentalist party bent on racial and religious division (you're just doing your hatchet job), but please do your research and come up with smarter arguments that could actually change people's minds instead of idiotic pronouncements that not only turn the non-Malay/Muslims away, but probably the moderate Malay/Muslims as well. And for goodness sake, stop using the "we Malays will be angry if you do that and you won't like it when we're angry" because firstly, Perkasa are not Malays/Muslims, and then you stop meaningful dialogue and it becomes a purely intimidatory exercise. It's fine for you to intimidate under a BN government (in a machiavellian sense), but you should remember that after the 13th general elections, when the top BN leaders have escaped the country to avoid getting arrested (yes, I mean Pakatan will take over the federal government, in case you don't know how to read between the lines), the rest of you are still here, and you will be arrested for a multitude of criminal offences, and upon conviction, you can rest assured your days in prison will be a long and hardy one.
Perkasa members, bail out while you can, from a sinking vessel. It is inevitable and predestined that such a day will come very soon.
Perkasa full of crap
This is out in the Malaysian Insider today:
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Datuk Ibrahim Ali dubbed the Bar Council racist for picking on Utusan Malaysia for inciting racial hatred, saying today the lawyers’ group should also focus on the Chinese media and others that “insult Islam, Malay Rulers and the Malay community”.
The Perkasa chief’s rant came after the Bar Council joined other groups to condemn Utusan Malaysia for its front-page article on Saturday which claimed that the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to take over Putrajaya and abolish Islam as the country’s official religion.
“Why did the Bar Council not urge the police to investigate Chinese media, other bloggers, website and portals, tweets that carry news and statements which insult Islam, Malay Rulers and the Malay community.
“The Bar Council is controlled by a certain race and, of course, its actions are anti-Malay and anti-Islam,” Ibrahim (picture) told The Malaysian Insider.
The Bar Council is a professional body under the Legal Profession Act that runs the Malaysian Bar, which groups all lawyers in the Malay peninsula.
The Umno-owned newspaper has been under heavy scrutiny from both sides of the political divide after it carried the report.
The report, based entirely on unsubstantiated blog postings by several pro-Umno bloggers, said the DAP should be hauled up for sedition for allegedly trying to change the country’s laws to allow a Christian prime minister, pointing to a grainy photograph showing what they described as a secret pact between the opposition party and pastors at a hotel in Penang on Wednesday.
Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee accused Putrajaya yesterday of giving free rein to Utusan Malaysia to publish and promote what he called lies dressed up as news reports and continue to stir up religious fear and unrest.
The lawyer joined a growing choir in urging the authorities to get their priorities in order and immediately investigate reporters and editors in the Umno-owned daily for repeatedly pushing provocative religious rhetoric rather than hauling up Christian leaders over unproven claims.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents over 90 per cent of churches nationwide, has also demanded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak act immediately against Utusan for false reporting and spreading dangerous lies.
“Instead of questioning Utusan Malaysia’s journalistic conduct and ethics, the immediate responses from the ministers in charge of home affairs and communications were to order investigations into the alleged incidents themselves,” Lim said in a statement.
Ibrahim said today that the Bar does not have any more integrity and its decisions are racially biased.
“Their attitude is always one sided and the topics they discuss is always towards anti-Islam and anti-Malay… It is not a professional body with any integrity,” added the Pasir Mas MP, who was once deputy minister in charge of law under the Mahathir administration after the 1999 general election.
While the MCA and Gerakan have urged actions against Utusan, Umno leaders on the contrary have tried to dodge the issue and urged for calm.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Information Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim have jumped to Utusan’s defence and issued a stern warning yesterday to Malaysians to not question Islam’s position as the official religion of Malaysia.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In a normal democracy, people like Ibrahim Ali would already be investigated for sedition, criminal defamation and even criminal intimidation. Prone to shoot from his hip, putting entire foot in his mouth, or other equivalent analogy, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali creates a bogeyman that is entirely fictitious, and then blames it on anyone they can think of - Chinese voters, Christians, Chinese press, DAP and now the latest edition, the Bar Council.
Perkasa should check the Malaysian government's position on the Bar Council. At some point in the past, the Bar Council has been known to be controlled by Malays, Indians, then Singhs, then now Chinese. It's a superficial stance of course, because they look at the Council's head, instead of elected council members collectively, which consist of all races and of all religious make-up - and these all happens too not because of some quota system but because Malaysian lawyers choose it so in a free and fair electoral process. So I ask Perkasa - which one is which? The Bar Council cannot be controlled by Indians and Chinese at the same time.
In fact, I'd even go further to ask Perkasa what's its stance on DAP. If DAP is a Chinese chauvinist party, why is there an urban voter swing to the opposition parties, instead of just Chinese voter swing? If a vote for DAP is a vote for Islamic State (as MCA has repeated said in every by-election and even Sarawak state election), then why is it that PAS is alleged to "work for" DAP? And if DAP is a backdoor to Islamic State, how is it possible for DAP to gang up with Christians in this country to turn Malaysia into a Christian state? It is simply amazing that BN/UMNO/MCA/Perkasa/Utusan/Pembela are so full of contradictions that they are tripping all over themselves. For them, making allegations are so cheap because there's no consequence, since they are a protectorate of UMNO government, and are all above the law.
Someone should just sue them. Let them come up with evidence of how these supposed seditionists have raised sensitive issues pertaining to race and religion against the Constitution. Failing which Perkasa should just be dissolved.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Datuk Ibrahim Ali dubbed the Bar Council racist for picking on Utusan Malaysia for inciting racial hatred, saying today the lawyers’ group should also focus on the Chinese media and others that “insult Islam, Malay Rulers and the Malay community”.
The Perkasa chief’s rant came after the Bar Council joined other groups to condemn Utusan Malaysia for its front-page article on Saturday which claimed that the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to take over Putrajaya and abolish Islam as the country’s official religion.
“Why did the Bar Council not urge the police to investigate Chinese media, other bloggers, website and portals, tweets that carry news and statements which insult Islam, Malay Rulers and the Malay community.
“The Bar Council is controlled by a certain race and, of course, its actions are anti-Malay and anti-Islam,” Ibrahim (picture) told The Malaysian Insider.
The Bar Council is a professional body under the Legal Profession Act that runs the Malaysian Bar, which groups all lawyers in the Malay peninsula.
The Umno-owned newspaper has been under heavy scrutiny from both sides of the political divide after it carried the report.
The report, based entirely on unsubstantiated blog postings by several pro-Umno bloggers, said the DAP should be hauled up for sedition for allegedly trying to change the country’s laws to allow a Christian prime minister, pointing to a grainy photograph showing what they described as a secret pact between the opposition party and pastors at a hotel in Penang on Wednesday.
Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee accused Putrajaya yesterday of giving free rein to Utusan Malaysia to publish and promote what he called lies dressed up as news reports and continue to stir up religious fear and unrest.
The lawyer joined a growing choir in urging the authorities to get their priorities in order and immediately investigate reporters and editors in the Umno-owned daily for repeatedly pushing provocative religious rhetoric rather than hauling up Christian leaders over unproven claims.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents over 90 per cent of churches nationwide, has also demanded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak act immediately against Utusan for false reporting and spreading dangerous lies.
“Instead of questioning Utusan Malaysia’s journalistic conduct and ethics, the immediate responses from the ministers in charge of home affairs and communications were to order investigations into the alleged incidents themselves,” Lim said in a statement.
Ibrahim said today that the Bar does not have any more integrity and its decisions are racially biased.
“Their attitude is always one sided and the topics they discuss is always towards anti-Islam and anti-Malay… It is not a professional body with any integrity,” added the Pasir Mas MP, who was once deputy minister in charge of law under the Mahathir administration after the 1999 general election.
While the MCA and Gerakan have urged actions against Utusan, Umno leaders on the contrary have tried to dodge the issue and urged for calm.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Information Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim have jumped to Utusan’s defence and issued a stern warning yesterday to Malaysians to not question Islam’s position as the official religion of Malaysia.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In a normal democracy, people like Ibrahim Ali would already be investigated for sedition, criminal defamation and even criminal intimidation. Prone to shoot from his hip, putting entire foot in his mouth, or other equivalent analogy, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali creates a bogeyman that is entirely fictitious, and then blames it on anyone they can think of - Chinese voters, Christians, Chinese press, DAP and now the latest edition, the Bar Council.
Perkasa should check the Malaysian government's position on the Bar Council. At some point in the past, the Bar Council has been known to be controlled by Malays, Indians, then Singhs, then now Chinese. It's a superficial stance of course, because they look at the Council's head, instead of elected council members collectively, which consist of all races and of all religious make-up - and these all happens too not because of some quota system but because Malaysian lawyers choose it so in a free and fair electoral process. So I ask Perkasa - which one is which? The Bar Council cannot be controlled by Indians and Chinese at the same time.
In fact, I'd even go further to ask Perkasa what's its stance on DAP. If DAP is a Chinese chauvinist party, why is there an urban voter swing to the opposition parties, instead of just Chinese voter swing? If a vote for DAP is a vote for Islamic State (as MCA has repeated said in every by-election and even Sarawak state election), then why is it that PAS is alleged to "work for" DAP? And if DAP is a backdoor to Islamic State, how is it possible for DAP to gang up with Christians in this country to turn Malaysia into a Christian state? It is simply amazing that BN/UMNO/MCA/Perkasa/Utusan/Pembela are so full of contradictions that they are tripping all over themselves. For them, making allegations are so cheap because there's no consequence, since they are a protectorate of UMNO government, and are all above the law.
Someone should just sue them. Let them come up with evidence of how these supposed seditionists have raised sensitive issues pertaining to race and religion against the Constitution. Failing which Perkasa should just be dissolved.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Racial and religious bigotry recycled
This is out in Malaysian Insider today:
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Chinese voters who chose DAP in last month’s Sarawak state election did so because they wanted power for themselves, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
The mainly urban Chinese had dumped SUPP for DAP in the April 16 vote, similar to the party’s success in Election 2008 at the expense of MCA and Gerakan, which has been attributed to voting on policies rather than along racial lines.
“Extremists want everything. Not all Chinese are like that, but you have extremists, same with Malays, even in Umno.
“Not one race in this country will be able to get 100 per cent [of] everything they wish for,” the former prime minister told reporters today.
Dr Mahathir said that while Malays were thankful to Barisan Nasional (BN) for the “benefits” given to them, Chinese voters did not feel the same despite — according to him — getting the most.
“Chinese are different from Malays. Malays support BN because they can see benefits, of which the Chinese get the most benefits.
“Chinese are looking to Penang, they want power; that’s why their judgment is different from Malays,” he said.
Dr Mahathir then insisted BN had already provided the Chinese community abundantly.
“BN has given a lot to the Chinese. Look at Kuala Lumpur; if not for Khazanah, what do Malays have? We are not asking a lot, we just want our small share,” he added.
DAP made considerable headway in the recent Sarawak state elections, when it won 12 out of the 15 state seats contested.
In Election 1969, Dr Mahathir lost the Kota Star seat after he said he did not need Chinese votes to succeed. He later said the remark cost him the seat.
During his 22-year rule, Dr Mahathir had sought to cater to all races, and a host of tycoons from the country’s three major races benefitted from his privatisation policy.
He also thanked the Chinese electorate in for backing him in the 1999 polls when the aftermath of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking cost him Terengganu and several federal seats.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Without doubt, Tun Dr Mahathir is a master of carving out new perspectives, the above being a new one. Now he's trying to moderate his criticism of the Chinese by saying that there are extremists amongst the Chinese who want to take political control. I suppose he also meant Penang Chinese.
Together with these following lines, we can see a pattern in which TDM is working hand in glove with UMNO/MCA/Utusan/theStar/Perkasa and Pembela to drive serious wedges between Chinese/Malay, and between Muslims/non-Muslims in this country:
1) PAS working for DAP (there's a big difference between taking a similar stand as a member of Pakatan Rakyat vs "working for"... duh)
2) vote DAP is vote for PAS (so which is which? voting DAP = voting Islamic state, or PAS is "working for" DAP?)
3) DAP and Christians want to turn country into Christian state (if a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS, how can this be possible?)
4) DAP is purposely influencing the Chinese to vote for them, we're polarised on a racial/political line (statistics show urban swing to opposition parties - this is purely a BN lie - so which one is which? Extremist Chinese vote for DAP because they want power, or DAP is exercising undue influence over them? Make up your mind lar)
And of course, there are the standard fares like:
5) Pakatan is falling apart (intra-party bickering which also happens, to a lesser extent in BN, is blown up by mainstream media)
6) PKR can't get along with DAP (some truth to it, but does not impact the coalition)
7) DAP can't get along with PAS because they are ideologically different (in that case, how does voting for DAP mean voting for Islamic state, or how could PAS be "working for" DAP?? super duh)
8) Pakatan only knows how to make noise, have no alternative policies (hmm, I wonder what Buku Jingga is, and proposal to redistribute oil royalty, or how about reducing subsidy slowly only after we become more competitive and earning power has increased, or say.. giving MACC prosecutorial powers, setting up police ombudsman, open tender for all government procurement, appointing highly qualified chancellors to local universities instead of choosing from colour of the skin, distribution of wealth on needs basis and not on colour basis etc..)
To top it all, UMNO's personal favourite, sealing their reputation as the orgy party:
9) Anwar patronises prostitutes (based on a sex video where the actor doesn't even look like him)
10)Anwar is an ass connoiseur (already disproved once)
11) Anwar is a Jewish agent
12) Anwar is an Islamic terrorist (and a Jewish agent at the same time??)
We've heard all of these before, and they are stale old falsehoods. Instead of debating Anwar on the economy, Najib is too chicken shit and prefers to use underhanded tactics to win over the rural voters.
Instead of debating policy and accountability issues, BN plays up racial and religious bigotry every week. Last week was Perkasa week, this week Pembela. Next week's probably Anwar week again before they recycle the issues.
UMNO/MCA/Utusan/theStar/Perkasa/Pembela must all think that their message is effective, otherwise why continue doing the same thing that pisses off urbanites more?
The question must then be, are the rural folks really that stupid? Or will they wake up in time for the next general elections?
I hope the rural folks understand that the apparent Chinese vote swing to Pakatan (actually it's urban vote swing) represents an incidental phenomenon of the more knowledgeable electorate waking up to see the corrupt monster that BN has become and that they are taking a big risk to lead the way to a better Malaysian future.
What needs to be done now is for the rural folks to play the kingmaker and make the transition complete so that they can get both:
1) a multi-racial/religious government (which BN isn't one anymore since UMNO is the BOSS and the rest are just poodles) AND
2) more importantly a clean and competent government that serves everyone (which BN isn't, with all the scandals about PKFZ, Tricubes, MRT, Perak government usurpation etc..)
I hope the rural folks do wake up and support this critical change, for Malaysia's future..and more importantly their children's future, rests with this one change in a lifetime.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Chinese voters who chose DAP in last month’s Sarawak state election did so because they wanted power for themselves, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
The mainly urban Chinese had dumped SUPP for DAP in the April 16 vote, similar to the party’s success in Election 2008 at the expense of MCA and Gerakan, which has been attributed to voting on policies rather than along racial lines.
“Extremists want everything. Not all Chinese are like that, but you have extremists, same with Malays, even in Umno.
“Not one race in this country will be able to get 100 per cent [of] everything they wish for,” the former prime minister told reporters today.
Dr Mahathir said that while Malays were thankful to Barisan Nasional (BN) for the “benefits” given to them, Chinese voters did not feel the same despite — according to him — getting the most.
“Chinese are different from Malays. Malays support BN because they can see benefits, of which the Chinese get the most benefits.
“Chinese are looking to Penang, they want power; that’s why their judgment is different from Malays,” he said.
Dr Mahathir then insisted BN had already provided the Chinese community abundantly.
“BN has given a lot to the Chinese. Look at Kuala Lumpur; if not for Khazanah, what do Malays have? We are not asking a lot, we just want our small share,” he added.
DAP made considerable headway in the recent Sarawak state elections, when it won 12 out of the 15 state seats contested.
In Election 1969, Dr Mahathir lost the Kota Star seat after he said he did not need Chinese votes to succeed. He later said the remark cost him the seat.
During his 22-year rule, Dr Mahathir had sought to cater to all races, and a host of tycoons from the country’s three major races benefitted from his privatisation policy.
He also thanked the Chinese electorate in for backing him in the 1999 polls when the aftermath of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking cost him Terengganu and several federal seats.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Without doubt, Tun Dr Mahathir is a master of carving out new perspectives, the above being a new one. Now he's trying to moderate his criticism of the Chinese by saying that there are extremists amongst the Chinese who want to take political control. I suppose he also meant Penang Chinese.
Together with these following lines, we can see a pattern in which TDM is working hand in glove with UMNO/MCA/Utusan/theStar/Perkasa and Pembela to drive serious wedges between Chinese/Malay, and between Muslims/non-Muslims in this country:
1) PAS working for DAP (there's a big difference between taking a similar stand as a member of Pakatan Rakyat vs "working for"... duh)
2) vote DAP is vote for PAS (so which is which? voting DAP = voting Islamic state, or PAS is "working for" DAP?)
3) DAP and Christians want to turn country into Christian state (if a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS, how can this be possible?)
4) DAP is purposely influencing the Chinese to vote for them, we're polarised on a racial/political line (statistics show urban swing to opposition parties - this is purely a BN lie - so which one is which? Extremist Chinese vote for DAP because they want power, or DAP is exercising undue influence over them? Make up your mind lar)
And of course, there are the standard fares like:
5) Pakatan is falling apart (intra-party bickering which also happens, to a lesser extent in BN, is blown up by mainstream media)
6) PKR can't get along with DAP (some truth to it, but does not impact the coalition)
7) DAP can't get along with PAS because they are ideologically different (in that case, how does voting for DAP mean voting for Islamic state, or how could PAS be "working for" DAP?? super duh)
8) Pakatan only knows how to make noise, have no alternative policies (hmm, I wonder what Buku Jingga is, and proposal to redistribute oil royalty, or how about reducing subsidy slowly only after we become more competitive and earning power has increased, or say.. giving MACC prosecutorial powers, setting up police ombudsman, open tender for all government procurement, appointing highly qualified chancellors to local universities instead of choosing from colour of the skin, distribution of wealth on needs basis and not on colour basis etc..)
To top it all, UMNO's personal favourite, sealing their reputation as the orgy party:
9) Anwar patronises prostitutes (based on a sex video where the actor doesn't even look like him)
10)Anwar is an ass connoiseur (already disproved once)
11) Anwar is a Jewish agent
12) Anwar is an Islamic terrorist (and a Jewish agent at the same time??)
We've heard all of these before, and they are stale old falsehoods. Instead of debating Anwar on the economy, Najib is too chicken shit and prefers to use underhanded tactics to win over the rural voters.
Instead of debating policy and accountability issues, BN plays up racial and religious bigotry every week. Last week was Perkasa week, this week Pembela. Next week's probably Anwar week again before they recycle the issues.
UMNO/MCA/Utusan/theStar/Perkasa/Pembela must all think that their message is effective, otherwise why continue doing the same thing that pisses off urbanites more?
The question must then be, are the rural folks really that stupid? Or will they wake up in time for the next general elections?
I hope the rural folks understand that the apparent Chinese vote swing to Pakatan (actually it's urban vote swing) represents an incidental phenomenon of the more knowledgeable electorate waking up to see the corrupt monster that BN has become and that they are taking a big risk to lead the way to a better Malaysian future.
What needs to be done now is for the rural folks to play the kingmaker and make the transition complete so that they can get both:
1) a multi-racial/religious government (which BN isn't one anymore since UMNO is the BOSS and the rest are just poodles) AND
2) more importantly a clean and competent government that serves everyone (which BN isn't, with all the scandals about PKFZ, Tricubes, MRT, Perak government usurpation etc..)
I hope the rural folks do wake up and support this critical change, for Malaysia's future..and more importantly their children's future, rests with this one change in a lifetime.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
