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| Cyberbattle to own the ‘truth' Posted: 15 Jul 2011 03:46 PM PDT
The truth' is still out there in cyberspace where the Bersih 2.0 rally is concerned. Pakatan had always enjoyed a well-oiled social media network. It was first seen in action during Anwar's black eye incident and later in the first sodomy trial and subsequently the purported arsenic poisoning. BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star THE Bersih 2.0 rally might be over but the battle to own its truth is still being fought over social media which had become a fierce battleground. People from both sides of the political divide have weighed in with their experiences of July 9 on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and so forth. Some of the things uploaded now include a video clip of a man who had supposedly died, a hospital that was blasted with water cannons and a PKR activist who died of a heart problem during the rally but his death was blamed on the police. The person who faked his death on video has been traced and identified as an Al-Arqam member from Selangor. He is said to have run off when the police sent him to hospital. Then a supposedly "Chinese man" was seen holding a loud hailer for the man (said to fake his death) as he prayed. Eventually, the "Chinese man" had been exposed as a Selangor PKR man who is a Malay. A blogger posted his picture for viewers to judge for themselves. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, was seen grimacing in hospital after the rally but his detractors scoffed at the images.
Umno Youth's Patriot group appears to have been 'outsourced' to Bangladeshis to make up the 500-strong crowd
It's a war zone out there in cyberspace. The Pakatan Rakyat appears to be winning at times; at other times, the Barisan Nasional. Pakatan had always enjoyed a well-oiled social media network. It was first seen in action during Anwar's black eye incident and later in the first sodomy trial and subsequently the purported arsenic poisoning. One of the prominent websites at that time was the Free Anwar website managed by Raja Petra Kamaruddin. It did Anwar a great favour and is also credited with helping to free him in 2004. Pakatan was always a step ahead of Barisan in exploiting the developments in social media. During the years since the Free Anwar website, Anwar himself led in the fight to exploit social media for its powerful ability to connect disparate people. Today, social media is working overtime for Pakatan as it seeks to manufacture consent for his political themes. Tech-savvy youths were checking iPads and smartphones during the days leading to the Bersih 2.0 rally and on the day itself. They sent out tweets, posted comments and images and wrote about their experiences at the rally. The truth can sometimes be lost in the maze that is social media but some images do not lie, such as the incident which took place at Tung Shin Hospital. There is overwhelming evidence that tear gas and water cannon were fired into the hospital area after rally participants ran helter skelter into the hospital area. Images and video clips of the incident were recorded and uploaded online by many people. It is well known that some ministers lack social media skills or have not found time to watch videos online but still make statements that later put them in a spot. Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms have thus become a contested arena with many pro-Barisan Nasional and pro-Pakatan Rakyat supporters arguing over their version of what the "truth" is. For Anwar, the important thing is to keep up the political momentum achieved by Bersih 2.0. Their hope is that the next general election is held soon to capitalise on the political momentum created by the rally. He needs the Bersih 2.0 rally to be talked about everywhere, besides calling on his friends in the Western media to write about it. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, on the other hand, has been spending time explaining things. While on a visit to London, he was interviewed on CNN where he took questions on the rally, on police brutality and on his economic transformation plans for the country. Najib has to put a distance between himself and the effects of the rally on the people, especially the youths who are upwardly mobile. The social media is Anwar's strong suit. The same cannot be said about many government leaders. But not everybody is connected and those who are connected deeply disagree on what really happened on July 9. The silent majority is out there and when they speak, it will be a roar.
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| Make Up Your Mind, Electoral Commission Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:26 AM PDT By Mariam Mokhtar In the first Bersih rally, in 2007, in which Malaysians marched for free and fair elections, the event drew around 30,000 people. The rally was marred when the police provoked the crowds and used water cannons firing chemical laced water, baton charges and tear gas canisters against them. As a result of Bersih and the Hindraf march which happened 10 days later, BN lost its grip on power in Malaysia and the Prime Minister then, Abdullah Badawi was reported to have said that the Election Commission (EC) had acceded to several of Bersih's requests and that the opposition was continually blaming the EC for irregularities. He said, "They wanted a transparent ballot box and the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting. The EC has agreed to that. Other than that, they can negotiate with the commission". He suggested that the electoral gains made by the Opposition after the GE were because the EC was not tainted. Fast forward to 2011 and BN is under pressure again. Apart from the usual grievances regarding electoral fraud, the EC is accused of condoning double-voting and vote-buying. Perhaps, the scrutiny into their lack of performance has forced the EC to say that BN does not have undue influence on any of their decisions. Perhaps, the intense public disapproval means the EC and BN have forgotten their election pledges for reform which they made last 2007. The most damaging of these reforms, for the EC, would be the use of indelible ink which is simple, cheap and foolproof. In 2011, the EC suggested that finger printing was necessary to avoid electoral fraud. In a climbdown from the statement issued by Badawi in 2007, it then announced that using indelible ink was a backward practice. According to Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, the EC deputy chairman, Bersih's demand for indelible ink to be used in an attempt to prevent electoral fraud would create chaos and make a mockery of Malaysia's image as a progressive and developing country. He said, "Countries that use indelible ink are countries like Indonesia, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe….. These are countries with more than double the population of Malaysia and where not all its citizens own identification cards. "These countries are not up to our level so why should we adopt their system? This is a choice between progression and regression." Perhaps, Wan Ahmad is not aware that as a nation, we have already regressed. Our leaders lack morals and have no desire to give up their hold on power. Malaysia does not have the rule of law. It says one thing about corruption, but does very little to eradicate it. There are many recorded abuses of electoral law, which are brushed aside by the EC. The EC is already compromised and is not an effective organisation to uphold the electoral rights of its people. Wan Ahmad then raised fears that voters would not agree with having their fingers painted with ink and asked if these people would not be eligible to vote. He said, "Disqualifying them would go against their rights." In a further attempt to prevent the use of indelible ink, he expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the method. "I also heard that indelible ink can be easily obtained from Thailand. What if voters ink their fingers themselves before casting their vote? Can you imagine the chaos that will erupt when they are barred from voting?" This reminds us of the MACC lawyer Abdul Razak Musa who tried to strangle himself in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest. However, Wan Ahmad is not alone in advocating the use of fingerprinting. According to Bernama, the EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohamad Yusof was reported to have said that plans were underway to 'record voters' fingerprints to verify their identities before allowing them to cast their ballots'. He said, "Then (a voter) will be considered to have voted, and the individual concerned cannot go to another polling station with the identity card to again cast his or her vote". The EC appears to have lost all credibility and powers of reasoning. Every decision or statement it makes seem to suggest that it has no desire to clean up the electoral process in Malaysia. Just like Umno/BN, it does not care or even want to be seen to champion the right of everyone to have free, clean and fair election. If only the EC had the imagination and perspicacity to realise that if it had agreed to engage with Bersih, it's reputation and those of its office-bearers, would be much improved. The bottom line is money. Ink is relatively cheap compared with fancy gadgets like biometric readers. Naturally, Umno/BN are afraid that the use of the simple and relatively cheap way of addressing voter fraud with indelible ink will oust Umno/BN from power. They are only concerned with the economics of the system. Which method will net them more money especially as the award to purchase expensive equipment will not be transparent and will be given to one of their cronies? What is a few hundred thousand ringgits in indelible ink, when Umno/BN cronies can charge several hundred millions and dupe us into handing over more money to those who already benefit from the public purse? Reducing electoral fraud is perhaps the least of the EC's problems. Making Umno/BN stay in power is more important.
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