Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Sabah-based BN components should call Umno’s bluff and join UBF
- “Ikut Perintah”: Vote Rigging Is Coming Out Of The Woodwork Now
- Who’s calling the shot: Najib or Muhyiddin?
| Sabah-based BN components should call Umno’s bluff and join UBF Posted: 18 Aug 2011 07:02 PM PDT
The problem is that the BN components claim to be fighting for the people while they know they can no longer achieve this objective within the BN! The people see them as fighting only for their own interests, for their positions and pecuniary benefits. They stay in the BN while at the same time fighting with Umno. They don't know if Umno is good or bad for them.
DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN What is happening to the BN in Sabah? If one were to make a simple observation, it would be obvious that all is not well, and it has been so for a long time now. While Umno is having its own internal strife, it is also embroiled in clashes with the other component parties, which Umno treats with contempt. We can go back to 2008 when the then president of LDP resigned his post as Deputy Chief Minister suddenly without stating any reason, and causing a lot of speculation. Since then Umno leaders had antagonized LDP at various levels, including demanding for seats currently held by LDP. Then it demanded seats held by Upko, causing an Upko leader to retort sarcastically, "Go ahead and take it!" PBRS had clashed with Umno as well with regard to its right to continue to hold on to the Pensiangan seat, causing the PBRS President to warn that PBRS would have to review its position in the BN if Umno takes the seat currently held by him. And then an Umno leader replied arrogantly that PBRS's departure would make no difference to BN's position in Sabah. PBRS was simply shown the door and thus ended the argument. PBS had its own way in showing its fangs by giving an ultimatum with regards to the solution of the problem of the illegal immigrants by a certain year. But it was more of a shadow play, trying to show the KDM voters that PBS was still relevant rather than an honest effort at solving the problem. What happened to that ultimatum now? Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has been accused of having betrayed his own people by SBS, a local group, for not defending the opponents of the construction of the Koiduan dam. Most memorably was Datuk Salleh's remark to a BN component that "Without us (Umno) you are nothing, and without you we (Umno) are still who we are," which implied that "You can go ahead and leave, and it will not affect Umno in any way." But of late LDP's President had taken on a daring front and made a statement to say that the seats they now hold are "non-negotiable." In the same day the Secretary General of LDP said his party "is not opposing the BN despite being seen as the opposition party in BN." But he called for a stop to the "rot" in race relations in Malaysia, referring to various negative developments such as the promotion of the idea of 1Bumiputera, the antagonistic media attacks on Christians, the lukewarm action by the KDN against Utusan Malaysia despite the paper's action in instigating interracial and interreligious conflicts, the finding of Merdeka Centre that Malaysians now have less confidence in ethnic relations in Malaysia (now 66% compared to 85% in 2006). In the same day as well, the LDP Deputy President, Datuk Chin Su Phin vowed that LDP will continue to voice out the people's needs, pledging that LDP is willing to sacrifice to fight for the people. Note that before Chin had urged for the completion of the investigation of the money laundering case in Hong Kong involving the Chief Minister. Also on the same day LDP Luyang Division Chairman, Datuk Lee Chuen Wan, said BN must walk the talk to gain the people's confidence, and that BN also has to change its policy in order to stand a good chance of winning the general elections. "If we cannot convince the people, we will have a big problem (in the next general election)," he said very pointedly. In the same day also, the Sandakan LDP made a joint statement urging the government to handle the inflationary problem of the nation's economy, saying that "The general Malaysians are the biggest group that has been seriously hit by the hike of commodities prices. The spending power of the people has dropped tremendously since the past two years. Life has become more and more difficult." All these statements came at the same day that the Chief Minister said the state Barisan Nasional, "especially Umno Sabah," is ready for the 13th general election, while the LDP President urged his leaders to prepare for the general elections, but with a warning that "The battlefield has now changed and the mindset of the people is also changing." The overall tone form LDP is that it is not confident that the current trends in BN Sabah is conducive enough for a victory in the coming general election, with BN needing to "walk the talk" to gain the people's confidence, with inflationary trends in commodities prices, with the mindset of the people changing. As much as the leaders of LDP and other BN components want to say how confident they are about winning in the GE13, they just cannot stop themselves from saying how dangerous the situation is for the BN because of internal and external problems affecting the Sabah BN at the moment. From their statements it is very clear the BN is facing a crisis of confidence from the people. And from their own surveys, they can see clearly that all is not well for the BN. They are not dumb. They can sense that the electorate is now more enlightened and are aware of the many problems, and that they can see when a party or a leader is trying to hoodwink them. The problem is that the BN components claim to be fighting for the people while they know they can no longer achieve this objective within the BN! The people see them as fighting only for their own interests, for their positions and pecuniary benefits. They stay in the BN while at the same time fighting with Umno. They don't know if Umno is good or bad for them. But now the time has come for them to realize that there is only one way out of their dilemma. If they are really fighting for the people, they must make a very firm stand now, to fully side with the people by leaving the BN before the general election! They should join under the UBF to fight for the Borneo Agenda. The LDP says it is willing to sacrifice for the people, and what better way to do that than sacrificing their positions now and joining the opposition? If the KDM parties also take the same step, the state BN, and most importantly Umno, will be severely crippled. This is the only way to kill Sabah Umno and to get the party packing up and go back to the Peninsular! Umno has been telling the other components that it can stand on its own ("Without you we are still who we are"), so call this bluff, take their challenge and leave Umno en bloc, and see what happens to Umno. Ask yourselves, will the KDM still vote for BN if the PBS is no longer in BN? Will the Chinese still vote for the BN if the LDP has left it? Umno may then decide to stand in all the 60 seats because this is what it had been wanting to do all these years. Salleh had said Sabah will continue to be a fixed deposit for the BN, but see if this is true if only Umno is left alone in the Sabah BN. By leaving Umno now, the Sabah BN components can create what we can call a reverse takeover of another sort. The present Sabah-based BN components can group together on the other side of the political divide now, stand for the Borneo Agenda, and deliver the coup de grace that will kill Umno and change the political history in Sabah. This way they will still be the government at the end of the day, and in tune with the aspiration of the people. They must ask themselves if the current arrangement will benefit them in the longer run. The people have lost respect for them, and they are seen as puppets trying to be heroes in a situation where they are being bullied into submission all the time. And then there is another huge problem that they may have not seen yet. Even if the state BN can muster a victory in GE13 (with a lot 'magic' tricks with money and cheating), the real possibility of the Peninsular going into the opposition's hands is looming like a dark cloud above their heads. The anti-BN sentiment in the Peninsular has reached a crescendo, has peaked, so much that even the Sabahan youths working there are calling their parents in Sabah to say their parents need to realize that the tsunami of change has enveloped the whole of the Peninsular "while you people are still blindly supporting the BN in Sabah!" This is the biggest threat to the Sabah BN components. Even if Sabah BN wins in the GE13, Sabah will most likely become an opposition state, in which case their victory will be hollow, and we Sabahans will stand to lose in the process. They need to wise up and see that the best approach in any political manoeuvring is to side with the winner before the battle. Let's create a bigger window of opportunity with courage, which will be remembered forever. |
| “Ikut Perintah”: Vote Rigging Is Coming Out Of The Woodwork Now Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:13 PM PDT
By Mariam Mokhtar Over the past weeks, Malaysians have been horrified to learn that the Election Commission has been negligent and allowed vote-rigging and electoral manipulation on a wide scale.
The EC would roll out the usual, tired excuses – that checking processes cannot be done, that the EC lacks resources, or that the EC does not have the power. In a civilised part of the world, any EC head or its deputy, who was responsible for tarnishing its non-partisan image, and who compromised its impartiality and neutrality, would have been sacked for his incompetence. In Malaysia, it is business as usual. To ensure a clean election is far from the EC's prerogative. To enable Umno to rule in perpetuity seems to be its only objective. The EC is as useful as an umbrella in a raging typhoon. It continues to disregard all the exposés that ordinary citizens, opposition members, activists and news portals have managed to uncover. The latest to wade into this election mêlée is the head of the Armed Forces, General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. He issued a written statement at yesterday's press conference denying vote manipulation in the Armed Forces. He also denounced the four members of the rank-and-file who admitted that they had been involved in electoral fraud and slammed them for their betrayal and disloyalty. Earlier this August, another ex-soldier also claimed that he was forced to manipulate postal votes. Zulkifeli said, "The actions can be interpreted as treachery and it should stop immediately. The Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) is the nation's wall of defence that should be supported by all levels of the people, regardless of ethnicity, religion and political position. "It is hoped that the ATM is not made a scapegoat by those seeking to advance their own interests. The people should show their support and appreciation for the contributions of the ATM." According to Zulkifeli, the Armed Forces respects the freedom of its troops to cast their votes, under the Elections Act 1958 and section 16 of the Election Regulations (Postal Votes) 2003. He stressed, "The voting process carried out by the Armed Forces is clean, transparent and professional without any interference by all levels of the Armed Forces' leadership," and took a swipe at the opposition for discrediting the Armed Forces. It is a well-known fact that the armed forces have been used to shore up support for the BN in previous elections. The only difference in the 21st century is that we now have some brave individuals who are prepared to admit their actions. Oftentimes, we do many unpleasant things because we "ikut perintah" and to a lesser extent we "jaga periuk nasi". Many of our ex-service personnel especially the top brass become arms dealers when they retire. Furthermore, the book 'Questioning Arms Spending in Malaysia" by Kua Kia Soong, alleges that when arms are procured, contracts are given to companies linked to political leaders. Officers approve projects of relatives or friends of the political leaders. Zulkifeli cannot be a good leader if he immediately points fingers at the Opposition and calls the men who exposed the wrong-doings in the armed forces as traitors. He could have gained more respect if he said that he would look into the allegations and order a full-scale investigation. To brand the five men as disloyal is an insult. They have exposed the scandal and corruption in the armed forces. It is Zulkifeli who should consider his position and responsibilities. If Zulkifeli does not order an investigation of the election fraud within the armed forces; he is the traitor and he should be cashiered. The traitors are also those who let in foreigners through the back-door with citizenship and voting rights. In 2004, Najib would have lost the Pekan constituency but for postal votes. Another classic case of postal voting being used to manipulate the election outcome was in the Bagan Pinang by-election on Oct 11, 2009. It is alleged that the garrison commander of Port Dickson earned his second star because of this. It was a favour returned for his tacit support in ensuring 5,000 extra votes for Umno's Isa Samad, a man who had been charged and punished for money-politics. Voting in the army involves personnel crossing ballot papers in a hall and then depositing them in mail bags placed in front of the hall. The bags are then sealed and taken away by EC officers. Counting is done centrally at the approved centre after voting day. Whether the mailing bags surrendered are the right bags is anybody's guess. Anything can happen when the bags are in transit or are stored at the EC office. Despite claims and efforts by commanders to prevent canvassing in army camps, there are occasions when members of the ruling party have managed to "talk to the boys on a personal basis". One army commander related how in the 1995 GE, he was told to 'look the other way' when BN politicians solicited for votes in his camp. By right, no campaigning is allowed in army camps, because as Zulkifeli pointed out, the armed forces are supposed to be apolitical. However, which serving army officer is prepared to ignore the directive from Mindef? Section 87 of Army Act 1972 stipulates that an officer or a soldier can be subjected to military punishment if he is charged for a conduct/act unbecoming of good military discipline/order. Section 88 says that punishment can be meted on soldiers/officers for an act/behaviour deemed offensive by a superior officer. These two sections will get anyone whom a superior dislikes into trouble. Zulkifeli is disingenuous to claim that the "voting process carried out by the Armed Forces is clean, transparent and professional without any interference". Naturally he cannot condone the electoral cheating because of "Ikut perintah". But to denounce the four ex-soldiers is outrageous. Zulkifeli is harbouring traitors in disguise. It is he who should question his own allegiance to King and country.
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| Who’s calling the shot: Najib or Muhyiddin? Posted: 18 Aug 2011 11:58 AM PDT
Such flip flop coming from the flip-flop prone Premier Najib Razak should not have raised any eyebrow, if not for the lightning speed with which he made the reverse turn in apparent deference to his deputy DPM Muhyiddin Yassin who publicly contradicted his boss by saying that Malaysian elections have always been above board, and that the PM's proposed PSC is only for the purpose of fine tuning the electoral process. By Kim Quek One moment, the Prime Minister surprised almost everyone when he suddenly proposed to form a parliamentary selection committee (PSC) to seek consensus over electoral reforms, in tacit concession to the heated demand spearheaded by Bersih 2.0. But next moment – barely 48 hours later – he backtracked by saying that there is nothing wrong with the present electoral system, and that he only proposed the PSC because the agitators demanded for reforms. Such flip flop coming from the flip-flop prone Premier Najib Razak should not have raised any eyebrow, if not for the lightning speed with which he made the reverse turn in apparent deference to his deputy DPM Muhyiddin Yassin who publicly contradicted his boss by saying that Malaysian elections have always been above board, and that the PM's proposed PSC is only for the purpose of fine tuning the electoral process. This public statement from Muhyiddin on Aug 16, coming on the heel of Najib's PSC proposal only the day before is a slap on the face of the latter. GALLANT ATTEMPT AT ELECTORAL REFORM When Najib announced the PSC proposal on Aug 15, there was no mistaking his sincerity when he said: "The committee will discuss all electoral reforms that need to be implemented in order to achieve bipartisan agreement without any suspicion that there is manipulation by the government" Najib further stressed that his administration will not form the government unless it is truly elected by the people. These are words that clearly admit the presence of structural flaws and that these flaws are serious enough to warrant the establishment of a parliamentary select committee. And Najib's avowed intention to seek consensus and to govern only if "truly elected by the people" is further manifestation of the desire to right a wrong that has been long overdue for correction. In the face of such gallant and apparently serious attempt to restore some shine to our democracy to the approval of all decent minded Malaysians, Muhyiddin's daring contradiction of his boss almost in the same breath must have stunned many. But what is even more shocking is that Najib made an almost immediate U-turn so as to toe the line of his deputy when he practically regurgitated what Muhyiddin said about our electoral system being transparent and credible. Speaking to a buka puasa function on Aug 17, Najib denied that the PSC proposal is an admission of any defect in our elections. He further said: "We will improve the election process, if it is disputed. "We don't dispute it but to satisfy them, we will implement the changes to the system." Such a wishy-washy statement does not befit a prime minister. If there is no fault, why reform? Making changes just because someone makes a complaint? Hasn't the Prime Minister a stand and a conviction of his own? Forming a PSC is a serious affair that occurs rarely and only in the event of a grave issue that needs to be probed into deeply by Parliament. It is the height of frivolity for the prime minister to propose such a solution to quell complaints against an electoral system that in his opinion is perfectly sound. Surely a man of the intelligence of the Prime Minister could not have meant what he said – forming a PSC just to silence critics. FORCED TO MAKE U-TURN Isn't it obvious that the PM has succumbed to the stronger will of the hard line DPM? Looking back over Najib's two-year helm of the nation, one cannot help but lament that it is a premiership that started off with a bang but looking increasingly like ending with a whim – not unlike the path trodden by his lame duck predecessor Abdullah Badawi. His grand reforms sounded correct - political reform under the 1Malaysia banner to unite a fragmented people, and economic transformation through removal of race-based protectionism to revive a dormant economy – but a series of retreat in the face of recalcitrance from the conservative faction within his own party Umno have virtually reduced his so-called transformation to mere sloganeering exercises. In the midst of such disappointments, his sudden nod to the much yearned for electoral reform was seen as a strategic move to regain the middle ground which would otherwise be irretrievably lost through his ill-advised repression of the the Bersih 2.0 movement, in particular, the cruel and totally unjustified crackdown on the July 9 Bersih rally. All is not lost, however, if Najib can marshal enough courage to re-assert his prime ministerial authority to push through some meaningful reforms to an election system that has lost all credibility. After all, the prime minister is fully empowered by the Constitution to engage or dismiss his cabinet members, and any move of his towards restoration of constitutionality will surely be supported by not only the right-minded faction within his own party but will also be heartily applauded by all decent-minded Malaysians including opposition members. HONOURABLE PLACE IN HISTORY Correcting the wrongs of a flawed electoral system need not be all disadvantages to his party, as the rush of goodwill and respect that he will accrue through such a course of action (which will translate into votes in due course) may more than offset the anticipated loss of ill-gotten votes. Besides, win or loose, Najib will have earned for himself an honourable place in Malaysian history as the prime minister who restored democratic election to his people. He still has two years to prove his mettle, as election is not due until mid 2013. Why gamble away the chance to walk on the right side of history by rushing into a hasty election which is universally condemned as unfair and flawed, and risk losing everything – for himself, his party and his people?
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