Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Sarawak DAP to `go rural' in 2016 state election
- 'Anwar using Red Bean Army to incite hatred'
- PM Najib: BN has to adapt to remain relevant
- Election Commission promises utmost transparency in redelineation exercise
- Anwar: Yes, we instigate the people
- Pakatan seeks 500,000 volunteers for anti-EC action
- Proposal for BN to be single party could be made in desperation
| Sarawak DAP to `go rural' in 2016 state election Posted: 25 May 2013 06:33 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Inspired by its electoral successes in the 2011 state and this month's parliamentary elections, Sarawak DAP is now eyeing the rural seats, particularly the Dayak-majority areas. "A rural drive committee, which I am asked to lead, will sit down this Tuesday to chart down and plan what we need to do," Sarawak DAP Dayak Consultative Committee chairman Dr John Brian Anthony said today. He said the drive committee will identify the seats which the party may contest in the 2016 state election. He said the "go rural" is in line with the party's objective to penetrate the rural areas, instead of just concentrating in the urban and Chinese-dominated constituencies for support. Brian was assigned to lead the rural drive at the party's state committee meeting here yesterday. In the 2011 state election, the party won 12 urban seats, while in the recent parliamentary election, it won five urban seats. After the 2011 state election, the Sarawak DAP proposed to merge with the now defunct Sarawak National Party (SNAP) as a political vehicle to penetrate the rural areas. The proposal, however, was rejected by the SNAP's supreme council. Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP chairman explained that the party is embarking on the rural drive to prepare for the next state election. He said it is time for the party to spread its influence in the rural areas, especially the Dayak majority seats. Wong, who is also the State Assemblyman for Bukit Assek, said that the party needs to reach out to the rural areas where he believes that it will be accepted. On the parliamentary election, Wong said Pakatan Rakyat (PR), comprising the DAP, PKR and PAS, could have won more seats had the election been fair. "Money politics was rampant, especially in the rural areas," he alleged. Wong also said that the Sarawak DAP will hold its annual convention on June 9 in Sibu to elect new office bearers.
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| 'Anwar using Red Bean Army to incite hatred' Posted: 25 May 2013 03:05 PM PDT
(NST) - A former PKR leader has claimed that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is utilising a band of cyber troopers, known as the Red Bean Army (RBA), in an elaborate effort to incite hatred against the government by spreading falsehoods over social media. Ex-PKR Youth information bureau secretary Nordin Ahmad told the New Sunday Times Anwar was fully aware of the existence of the RBA, which he claimed had been operating for the past six years. "Among others, this group is responsible for the vicious rumour circulating online that several polling centres had suffered blackouts during the vote-counting process on May 5, sparking claims of election irregularities." He also claimed that Anwar had employed the services of the RBA, which is believed to be DAP-funded, after Pakatan was formed in March 2008. Nordin said the group's subtle but effective propaganda had managed to influence many Malaysians into thinking that the elections were mired with fraud, thus enabling Anwar to stage a series of rallies called Blackout 505. "When Pakatan appeared to be losing that day, social network sites like Facebook were bombarded with claims of blackouts and many Malaysians chose to believe the rumours. That's the extent of the RBA's influence." Nordin, who was a strong supporter of Anwar in 1999, explained that the series of alleged blackouts had "conveniently" given Anwar a valid reason not to retire from politics despite promising to do so should the opposition pact fail to win the election. "Now Anwar says he cannot retire until the Barisan Nasional government and the Election Commission admit that the election was fraudulent in nature. That is why he had been openly supporting the Bersih rallies in the past," he said. Nordin said the recent Bersih rallies, which called for free and fair elections, had provided Anwar a platform to convince the public that the EC was untrustworthy. "After the people became certain that the EC's credibility was compromised, all the RBA had to do was to post a picture purportedly showing EC staff counting votes in the dark to ignite the Blackout movement." However, EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had said on Friday that the photograph was taken prior to the polls. "They had staged the act even before the elections and spread it on the Internet as a ploy to show that a blackout had occurred. "The EC staff shown in the photo were not even wearing EC uniforms," he had said. Nordin pointed out several of the RBA's alleged postings, which included rumours of price hikes, had been proven to be mere hoaxes meant to deceive the public and stir up hatred against the government. The RBA, which is believed to consist of 3,000 members, is said to be a dedicated network based in Komtar in Penang and Concorde Hotel here.
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| PM Najib: BN has to adapt to remain relevant Posted: 25 May 2013 02:29 PM PDT
(The Star) - Change is imminent and Barisan Nasional has to adapt if it wants to continue to be relevant, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He said the political landscape would continue to undergo significant change due to several factors. "Among the elements that will bring forth changes are urbanisation, better standards of living and access to information and communication technology. "Nothing is constant. Whether it is quick or not, change will happen," said Najib at a thanksgiving event with members of Pekan Barisan's election machinery here Sunday. He said that was why the party had to adapt its strategy and change with the times. "We cannot assume what we used before will be a suitable recipe for the future. We must be open, be pragmatic not dogmatic, solve problems and not deny them. Only if we act this way, Barisan will continue to be relevant," said Najib. Najib said with each elections, the ruling party would face even tougher challenges. "The fact that we are in power now does not mean it is a passport to our victory forever," he said.
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| Election Commission promises utmost transparency in redelineation exercise Posted: 25 May 2013 02:22 PM PDT
Many people are unaware of how the review is conducted and merely believe some political parties which accuse us of not doing our job in accordance with the law. (The Star) - The Election Commission (EC) will begin a review of the country's electoral boundaries by the end of this year, and has assured the public of "utmost transparency" in the exercise. EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the commission would display the draft of its redelineation to the public for registered voters, state governments and local councils to present their views and objections before submitting the final report to the Dewan Rakyat for approval. (see graphic)
"This exercise will be conducted according to the utmost level of transparency before going to Parliament to be debated, so there is no question of us trying to conceal anything from the people," Wan Ahmad said when contacted. He said that any proposed redelineation of electoral boundaries would require the approval of a simple majority in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat. The creation of any new constituencies would require two-thirds support. Asked whether new constituencies would be created, he said: "Logically, there should be more seats because there have been so many new voters since the 12th general election." According to Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, the redelineation of the constituencies must be made within a period of not less than eight years and not more than 10 years from the completion of the previous review. Wan Ahmad said the Federal Constitution provided a maximum of two years for the commission to complete the review. The last redelineation exercise was completed in March 2003, and while the next review should have started in March 2011, the EC decided to postpone it because it was preparing for the 13th general election. Responding to allegations that the EC would attempt to gerrymander the electoral boundaries to favour Barisan Nasional, Wan Ahmad said: "Many people are unaware of how the review is conducted and merely believe some political parties which accuse us of not doing our job in accordance with the law." On why small urban constituencies have more voters than large rural seats, Wan Ahmad said it was to ensure that voters in urban, semi-urban and rural constituencies all had reasonable access to services by their elected representatives and local councils. Citing an example, Wan Ahmad said the parliamentary constituency of Puchong had 107,010 voters but residents enjoy good access to services and the elected representative can travel throughout the constituency within a few hours by car. The parliamentary constituency of Silam in Sabah, on the other hand, has only 51,662 voters but is remote and is as large as Negri Sembilan and Malacca combined, he added. "To ensure equal voter weightage, we will have to widen the boundary of Silam even further and this would be unfair to the voters as it would make it even harder for them to get service of their elected representatives and local council who will have even more ground to cover," Wan Ahmad said. On why Putrajaya, which only has 15,791 voters, was considered a single parliamentary constituency when its neighbouring constituencies had more voters, Wan Ahmad said: "This is because the constituency of Putrajaya was formed not by a redelineation exercise but by an Act of Parliament following the establishment of the administrative capital. "It is therefore not possible to merge Putrajaya with any of its neighbouring parliamentary constituencies." Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Pakatan MPs would not support the boundary redelineation exercise although two-thirds majority is not required for the exercise (unless it involves creation of new constituencies). He alleged that the EC had lost its credibility and was complicit in electoral frauds, and as such, Pakatan did not recognise its legitimacy.
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| Anwar: Yes, we instigate the people Posted: 25 May 2013 02:13 PM PDT
The opposition leader says that Pakatan Rakyat instigates the people to defend their rights and stand up against 'robbers'. RK Anand, FMT Since the 2008 electoral battle, which left the mandibles of Barisan Nasional agape with horror, Malaysia continues to remain trapped in the jaws of election mode. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak exacerbated the situation when he kept dropping hints of a snap polls but instead chose to dissolve Parliament upon the completion of his five-year term. Now after the 13th general election, which saw BN suffering an even bigger setback, the election mood still grips the nation, with the opposition claiming that fraud had prevented it from capturing federal power. And last night, thousands of vehicles clogged the major arteries here, bringing traffic to a crawl, as more than 50,000 people packed Dataran PJ opposite Amcorp Mall for a pro-Pakatan Rakyat rally. In the evening, less than 3,000 braved the blistering heat to listen to the various NGO leaders' spirited speeches while volunteers went around collecting donations since the organisers claimed that funds were needed to settle the PA system bill. Down the road at the Civic Centre, PKR was holding its annual congress while the pathways leading to Dataran PJ were littered with stalls selling opposition merchandise, food and drinks. But as the sun began to set, droves of people dressed in black came pouring into the field. Soon the blaring of vuvuzelas and rapturous cheers shattered the tranquility of the night. The familiar sight of party flags as well as banners and placards denouncing the Election Commission, Najib and BN flooded the field. Despite Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's stern warnings with regard to the gathering, police presence was minimal, with the majority being traffic policemen. 'The government is afraid' "The people are angry [over the alleged election fraud]… So testing their patience would not be wise and BN knows this," said Kevin Thanaraj, a 28-year-old chemical engineer. His friend, Darren Teoh, argued that the rallies were getting tiresome and wanted the opposition to take more drastic measures. "Yes, the people are angry. But the opposition cannot expect us to keep attending rallies, sing songs and hear the same things over and over again for the next five years," said the 34-year-old businessman. Asked what he would propose, Teoh, without the slightest hesitation, replied: "The time has come to take these protests out of the fields and stadiums… It is time to take them to the streets." Overhearing the conversation, law student Hafiz Iskandar, 23, cited the famous phrase, "Bila tipu pilihanraya, kita turun jalanraya [When there is cheating in the polls, we must take to the streets]." "I have attended four rallies so far, and I am tired of blowing the vuvuzela, my mouth hurts. This is not a fun-fair… It is a serious issue and serious action must be taken," he stressed.
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| Pakatan seeks 500,000 volunteers for anti-EC action Posted: 25 May 2013 11:18 AM PDT
(TMI) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wants to sign up some 500,000 volunteers to protest at the Election Commission (EC) offices until the members resign in favour of replacements who report directly to parliament. The coalition also wants voters to lodge reports against the EC forusing indelible ink that can be washed off immediately after the May 5 general elections, despite claims that it was introduced to prevent possible double voting. "The people will move to SPR until SPR is dibubarkan (disbanded). Can?" losing PKR candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin asked thousands who crowded a rally here organised by 60 NGOs, referring to the EC by its initials in the Malay language. Emceeing the rally to protest alleged electoral fraud at the Dataran Petaling Jaya in Jalan Timur, Badrul led the crowd in chants of "SPR letak jawatan" (EC resign), singling out EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and deputy Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. PR has blamed alleged electoral fraud for not becoming government although it won the popular vote in Election 2013. It won 89 federal seats against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) which took 133 seats in the 222-seat parliament. The politician better known as CheguBard heads Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), which is demanding that the EC should not be under the Prime Minister's Department but should report to parliament.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the last to address the rally but he also rejected the idea of working with the EC and supported calls that the current EC members resign immediately. "We will never cooperate or work or engage with such a deceitful Election Commission," the PKR de facto chief said, adding that an "ultimatum" will be issued if they do not resign. Anwar urged the public to lodge police reports if they had experienced the alleged premature washing-off of the indelible ink from their fingers on voting day. He said they should do so from tomorrow onwards up until Monday and send copies of the reports to PR. "This is to show the power and might of the people. We challenge you according to due process. We also respect the rule of law," said Anwar. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pakatan-seeks-500000-volunteers-for-anti-ec-action/ |
| Proposal for BN to be single party could be made in desperation Posted: 25 May 2013 11:15 AM PDT (Bernama) - The suggestion could have been made in a 'desperate' situation with the Chinese community regarding Gerakan as no longer relevant and merely wanted to depend on BN. Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the suggestion by Gerakan that Barisan Nasional (BN) turns into a single party must be studied very carefully before its implementation. He said this was because the suggestion could have been made in a 'desperate' situation with the Chinese community regarding Gerakan as no longer relevant and merely wanted to depend on BN. "I don't think the Umno leadership will agree to the formation of a single party as suggested by the Gerakan party leader," he told reporters here today. He was commenting on the suggestion by Gerakan acting president Datuk Chang Ko Youn who wanted BN to merge into a single party to regain the people's support and to avoid racial problems. Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said what was more important for Gerakan now was to strengthen the party and restructure its organisation. On another matter, he said the ministry, via the police, will work together with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Malaysian Cyber Security to check immediately the channelling of contents which violate social media law. He said the immediate action was to ensure that information channelled by individuals or cyber groups through the various social media such as the Facebook, Twitter and blogs were transparent and correct. "The complaints have been on the contents of the social websites and blogs including by the 'Red Bean Army' group which touched on matters contained in the Sedition Act concerning racial sensitivity as well as slanderous contents that exceeded legal principles," he said. Various groups have reportedly urged the government to take stern action against undesired elements in cyber space such as the Red Bean Army which jeopardised harmony between the people of various races in the country. These groups also called on the authorities to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to prevent slanders and sedition which the cyber troopers concerned were attempting to promote. Ahmad Zahid said the policy on the social media mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was to provide freedom of expression including the formation of the 'cyber troopers' by political parties and certain groups. However, he said these principles and policy must be respected on the basis of responsibility towards the country and the laws and must not be abused. "This is what we try to avoid. We want the MCMC and the Malaysian Cyber Security to be able to take action, not because of the existence of the cyber troopers such as the 'Red Bean Army' but because of the contents in the social media managed by them," he said. He said 85% of new media in the country were managed by the opposition in the country without any obstacles imposed by the government. What was puzzling was that the contents highlighted by the groups such as the Red Bean Army were believed to be done by the professional groups and technocrats who were highly educated, he said. Meanwhile, in PUTRAJAYA, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the ministry will review all aspects of the law, control and education, pertaining to abuse of the social media. He said the review would also cover the latest technologies which could be utilised to check the abuse. "We will also take a closer look at existing laws to ensure they are adequate to tackle abuse of the social media," he told reporters here today. He said this was because irresponsible parties would endeavour to find means to disseminate negative matters through the social media. On the success of the MCMC in detecting the suspect who insulted the Sultan of Terengganu in his Facebook, he said the commission would continue to intensify efforts across the board. Ahmad Shabery said the commission would always cooperate with the police and other related quarters on issues pertaining to evidence. Earlier, the minister launched a Malaysia Customer Experience Carnival organised by the Customer Relationship Management and Contact Association of Malaysia, in conjunction with the 2013 Putrajaya Youth Festival.
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