| Four picked up for stopping busloads of foreigners Posted: 07 May 2013 01:10 PM PDT 
(The Malay Mail) - POLICE have arrested four Malaysians who are believed to have stopped two busloads of foreigners in front of SRK (C) Pandamaran B in Klang on election day. Selangor police chief Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah confirmed the arrests with The Malay Mail but declined to give details because a press conference will be held today. It was learned that the four picked up could be released on police bail later. Representatives of Klang MP Charles Santiago called for the immediate release of these "patriotic" Malaysians "whose only crime was ensuring the elections were run fairly". Lawyer Mishant Thiruchelvam, who is representing those arrested, questioned why the police had detained them when the two busloads of foreigners were released. He said there were Indian nationals, Indonesian, Myanmars, Bangladeshis and Nepalis in the buses. "Many of them had mint-condition MyKad," he said. Mishant also said videos and photographs posted on Santiago's Facebook account showed instances of other individuals involved in gangsterism on election day and questioned why police had yet to act against them. Election agent Sarajun Hoda said he expected more Klang residents involved in stopping the buses to be arrested and advised them to call 016 6267797 for legal representation. "We feel compelled to help them as we had asked them to come out in droves to ensure the electoral process was conducted above board and to prevent cheating," he said. Mishant claimed there were attempts to frustrate voters through long lines, traffic jams caused by "fake breakdowns" as well as "intimidation" by gangsters at several school entrances. |
| Bekas MB Kedah, Azizan Abdul Razak Tenat Posted: 07 May 2013 01:02 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - Bekas Menteri Besar Kedah Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak kini berada dalam keadaan kritikal dan sedang menerima rawatan di Hospital Pulau Pinang. Setiausaha Akhbar kepada Azizan, Mohamad Helmi Khalid dalam khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) berkata sejak 5.30 pagi tadi, keadaan Azizan agak tenat dan kini ditempatkan di Unit Penjagaan Koronari (CCU) hospital tersebut.Difahamkan Azizan dibawa ke Hospital Pulau Pinang dari Kedah Medical Centre (KMC) di sini Selasa malam.Azizan yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS Kedah menerima rawatan di KMC sejak pagi Isnin lalu.Pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) Azizan mempertahankan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri Sungai Limau dengan mengalahkan sepupunya Fazillah Mohd Ali yang mewakili Barisan Nasional (BN) dengan majoriti 2,774 undi.Bagaimanapun, PAS kehilangan kuasa pentadbiran kerajaan negeri apabila BN memenangi 21 dari 36 kerusi DUN untuk membentuk kerajaan dengan majoriti mudah. |
| “SUARA RAKYAT SUARA KERAMAT” 8 MEI 2013 DITERUSKAN SEPERTI BIASA Posted: 07 May 2013 12:54 PM PDT 
Ini bertepatan dengan amalan biasa sebelum ini memandangkan perhimpunan diadakan di tempat persendirian yang telah dipersetujui dengan pengurusan dan pemilik stadium. Ia juga mengikut semangat Akta Perhimpunan Aman yang digunapakai sebelum ini yang tidak memerlukan permit untuk perhimpunan, hanyalah sekadar memaklumkan pihak polis. Rafizi Ramli Saya sedia maklum kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Ketua Polis Negara mengenai Perhimpunan "Suara Rakyat Suara Keramat" yang bakal diadakan malam ini (8 Mei 2013) di Stadium Kelana Jaya bermula 830 malam. Sebagai menyambut gesaan Tan Sri Ismail Omar, KEADILAN melalui YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, ADUN Seri Setia telah memaklumkan secara rasmi kepada pihak balai berkenaan. Ini bertepatan dengan amalan biasa sebelum ini memandangkan perhimpunan diadakan di tempat persendirian yang telah dipersetujui dengan pengurusan dan pemilik stadium. Ia juga mengikut semangat Akta Perhimpunan Aman yang digunapakai sebelum ini yang tidak memerlukan permit untuk perhimpunan, hanyalah sekadar memaklumkan pihak polis. Saya percaya dengan keikhlasan dan kebijaksanaan pasukan polis di bawah pimpinan Tan Sri Ismail Omar yang menghargai hak rakyat untuk berhimpun, seperti mana yang telah ditunjukkan dalam perhimpunan-perhimpunan sebelum ini. Oleh itu, saya menggesa seberapa ramai rakyat Malaysia yang menuntut pilihanraya adil dan menolak penipuan PRU13 untuk turun dengan memakai baju hitam pada malam ini di Stadium Kelana Jaya bermula 830 malam. Saya juga mengecam sepenuhnya anasir penghasut yang cuba menakut-nakutkan rakyat terutamanya golongan bukan Melayu kononnya perhimpunan itu adalah satu alasan agar satu pergolakan kaum bermula. Beberapa pesanan ringkas merujuk kepada peristiwa 13 Mei yang kononnya dikaitkan dengan perhimpunan malam ini sedang berlegar, yang jelas berniat jahat. Oleh itu, saya akan membuat satu laporan polis di Balai Polis Tropicana pada jam 3 petang ini agar pihak berkuasa menyiasat secepat mungkin pihak yang cuba menimbulkan huru hara dan ketakutan dengan memainkan sentimen perkauman melalui edaran pesanan ringkas tersebut. |
| Jeffrey, Star a player beyond Bingkor Posted: 07 May 2013 12:48 PM PDT 
The only persons standing between PR and Putrajaya in Borneo at the moment are Jeffrey and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The former is likely to be in that role for a good many years to come. Joe Fernandez The 5 May 13th General Election results in Sabah have come as a good dose of reality for Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the Malaya-based national coalition which rivals the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), a similar set-up, in Borneo as in Malaya. There will be those in PR who will beg to disagree with the "dose of reality' theory. They will swear the same thing could be said of the State Reform Party (Star) led by Jeffrey Kitingan, the newly-elected state assemblymen for Bingkor, his old seat from his days with the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), a party still led by elder brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan. PR's thinking that Jeffrey is not being realistic appears to imply, to put it simply, that he must either roll over and play dead or simply drop dead in politics if he's not willing to allow the Orang Malaya to walk all over him. Jeffrey knows which side his bread is buttered despite the handicaps. He's dealing with an electorate, especially the young, which has been deliberately kept in ignorance on how Sabah and Sarawak came to be, unfortunately, in Malaysia. The Agenda Borneo is battling not only the Agenda Malaya but also a thick wall of ignorance especially among the young. However, no one can go wrong when he's defending his country from being stolen by outsiders. Malaysia must be the only country in the world which doesn't teach the history of its formation to its students. Instead, it promotes fairy tales like "Sabah dan Sarawak mencapai kemerdekaan mereka melalui Malaysia" (56 Tahun) -- "Sabah and Sarawak obtained their independence through Malaysia" (56 years old). 16 Sept, 1963 to 16 Sept, 2013 is not 56 years. The fact is that Star is on home ground in Borneo as a national party while PR is in Sabah and Sarawak, as outsiders from some god-forsaken place far away, only hell bent on making up the seat numbers which they would need from Borneo to seize the reins of power in Putrajaya from BN. Henceforth, given the unbridgeable political divide in Malaya, it's not possible for BN and PR to form the Federal Government without the support of parliamentary seats from Sabah and Sarawak. God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform! The only persons standing between PR and Putrajaya in Borneo at the moment are Jeffrey and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The former is likely to be in that role for a good many years to come. His win in Bingkor is just a case of warming up. Star, a glance at the May 5 election results will reveal, is a player and game-changer in Borneo beyond Bingkor. Anwar is his own worst enemy. There's no lost between Jeffrey and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in particular, a party where he was shabbily treated as vice president over Borneo rights and virtually forced to resign. Most of the bad blood is between Jeffrey and de facto PKR Chief Anwar who, it has been alleged, is not too fond of the Orang Asal (Original People) especially if they are Christian and insist on running their own affairs. Anwar, for a man credited with being the so-called glue between Dap and Pas in Pakatan Rakyat (PR), is either incredibly naïve or chooses to be so when it comes to Sabah and Sarawak. Like others he has reached, to quote management guru Peter Drucker, his level of incompetence. He remains obsessed with Umno Sabah remaining intact so that, (1) Muslim domination of Sabah, more illegal rather than local, continues at the expense of the Orang Asal for the greater glory of Putrajaya's colonialist aims in the region; and (2) Umno Sabah can be converted to PKR when he's ready to take Putrajaya. So Anwar has no time for people like Jeffrey. Apparently, he would rather be in cahoots with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari, another outsider like him eyeing Sabah with no consideration whatsoever for the Orang Asal, to woo the Suluk votes in particular for him. In return, Anwar has purportedly assured that Sabah will have autonomy in Malaysia but under the illegal immigrants and not the Orang Asal. The BN is not investigating the assurance and the alleged Anwar-Nur Misuari link for Suluk votes but rather the recent Lahad Datu intrusion. It's unlikely that Anwar is involved, as alleged by Umno. It remains to be seen whether Anwar continues with his ignorance is bliss approach to Sabah and Sarawak. Anwar's only known talent, besides being the glue, is to stand up suddenly and make a good speech and just as suddenly sit down again. He leaves the organising, the details and the running around to others trading on his so-called "brand name" while he presides in imperial splendor over all that he sees and surveys around him. In short, Anwar has never changed from his rabble-rousing days as a student at Universiti Malaya. It's a tragedy that Upko leader Bernard Dompok, outspoken on Christian if not Borneo rights, lost his Penampang parliamentary seat to a young PKR leader despite Star entering the fray to split the Opposition votes. It appears that Dompok was denied the postal votes while the illegals voted for PKR. Jeffrey lost the Keningau parliamentary seat to Pairin, the Huguan Siou (Paramount Chief), only because PKR fielded a candidate as well and drew some 7,000 votes away from him. Jeffrey lost by 5,000 votes to Pairin in a seat which allegedly has some 6,000 illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls and bolstered by postal votes. If not for PKR, Jeffrey could have won and been more effective in Parliament than Pairin who doesn't open his mouth on the rights of Borneo. Anwar showed poor judgment in Keningau where Jeffrey was selling the message that the Huguan Siou must remain above politics so that Sabahans in general, the Orang Asal in particular, would remain united and defend their nation's rights in Malaysia. PKR is putting out the fairy tale that Jeffrey only contested in Keningau to save his brother from getting a drubbing at the hands of the party. Another theory, this time from Star insiders, is that Umno told Pairin to postpone his retirement to the 14th GE and help ensure that Jeffrey does not come to Parliament with his case against Malaysia in Sabah and Sarawak. According to them, PKR and BN were on the same page in Keningau. PKR must have taken leave of its senses to think that it can come all the way from Malaya and defeat the Huguan Siou in his own country through local Judas-like traitors who, like those in Sabah BN, are willing to be their local proxies, their stooges and rogue elements in return for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver. PKR points out that it won seven state seats in Sabah on May 5 and one parliamentary seat compared with just Bingkor for Star. Dap won two parliamentary seats and four state seats, all in Chinese areas, but unlike PKR isn't rubbing Star's nose in the dirt over these victories. They are mindful that they are in other people's country. Dap has been careful to maintain good ties with Star, Jeffrey in particular, and sees no reason to rub the Orang Asal the wrong way. Anwar, it appears, wants the Orang Asal to shamelessly worship the very ground that he walks on and kow tow to him. Three parliamentary seats for PR from Sabah, when they set a target of 10, really means nothing. It doesn't help with the race to Putrajaya. PR could have obtained these 10 seats, had it pragmatically kept out of Sabah and Sarawak, and worked with Jeffrey instead of relying on the illegals. Sarawak might be a study in contrast as Star aside, Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud -- the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in his pocket --has made a thorough job of destroying local opposition parties and splintering Dayak politics and the votebank. Taib thinks like Anwar here. In Sabah, to add insult to injury, PR contested the state seats too which have nothing to do with it taking power in Putrajaya. Malayan parties cannot be expected to fight for the autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak. In the end, Star denied PR many more seats it had targeted to win just as the latter drew away votes from the former with sheer lies that Jeffrey being a Kitingan is a BN mole, a Trojan Horse, the King of the Frogs, who will not hesitate to re-join BN after denying PR victory in Sabah and Sarawak. (Jeffrey had always maintained that he had always been a good frog). These blatant lies on a purported link with BN had a telling effect on Star and cost it many seats, apart from multi-cornered fights being a crippling factor. BN won Kota Marudu, Tenom, Keningau, and the state seats of Melalap and Kundasang by default. The history-illiterate younger voters especially bought the PR line that unlike Star it can bring down the BN Government in Putrajaya with their help. Left unsaid was that Star's political struggle is all about the state's rights and autonomy in Malaysia and has nothing to do with who rules in Putrajaya. As Star's 3rd Force ally Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chairman P. Waythamoorthy has remarked, albeit controversially: "It doesn't matter whether Rama (a diety) or Ravana (a demon) takes Putrajaya." Obviously, Waytha sees a big difference between a Rama who gives him the short end of the stick and a Ravana who's willing to apologise to him for past wrongs. In the original myth, the jury is still out on whether Rama or Ravana was the greater evil. Kadamaian, Matunggong, Kota Belud, Tenom and Ranau are all indications that the Orang Asal are moving away from the BN. Many young voters in Sabah and Sarawak failed to consider that PR ruling in Putrajaya means nothing to them just as it means nothing with BN in power. The BN remained in power with the help of Sabah and Sarawak after the political tsunami of Sat 8 Mar, 2008. However, such support did not translate into a sharing of the Federal Government between the three territories as envisaged under the Malaysia Agreement. May 5 has seen the BN even more dependent than ever on Sabah and Sarawak to keep Putrajaya. It remains to be seen whether there will be any benefits in this for the two Borneo nations. Had PR taken Putrajaya on May 5, it would have done a BN too to Sabah and Sarawak. This is the message that's going out from Star to the people in the two nations. Star has vowed that there will be hell to pay this time if the Najib Government ignores Sabah and Sarawak and instead, like his predecessor Abdullah Badawi, continues to woo at their expense the Indians, Chinese and Malays in Malaya who have no interest whatsoever in BN or his Umno for that matter. Najib, for starters, must appoint a non-Muslim Orang Asal from Sabah or Sarawak as a Deputy Prime Minister. It's politically incorrect to insist that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister must be Malays and Muslims from Malaya for all eternity. It goes against the Spirit of the Malaysia Agreement. The reality of the May 5 results must dictate the politics and no longer the Indian, Chinese, Malay and Lain Lain (Others) mould of thinking in Putrajaya. If there are no Chinese from Malaya in the Najib Cabinet so what? Are the Chinese going to come running back to MCA and Gerakan just because there are members of their community holding token posts in the Najib Cabinet? If having Chinese in Government is a must, the BN should consider sharing Federal Cabinet and Government posts with the Opposition, but not at the expense Sabah, Sarawak or Hindraf. If PR is to ever smell Putrajaya, it must keep out of Sabah and Sarawak unless it wants to engage in a fruitless quest. It's not in its interest to emulate what Umno and the other Malayan parties are doing in Sabah and in Putrajaya. Again, it must keep out of Sabah and Sarawak if it wants Star's 'blessing' to seize the reins of power in Putrajaya. The Malaysia Agreement and the related constitutional documents on Malaysia clearly stipulate that Malaya would not have more than one seat less two-thirds in the Malaysian Parliament. Given the 222 seats in parliament, that means 147 seats but Malaya has 165 seats i.e. 18 seats having been stolen from Sabah and Sarawak to diminish their voice. To add insult to injury, Malaysian parties have stolen further seats in Sabah and Sarawak, not only in Parliament but in the respective state assemblies too. The entire process is being facilitated by local traitors, for want of a better term, on both sides of the political divide. When people are too poor despite being in rich states, they will do anything for anyone even outsiders in their desperation. The 14th GE in Borneo can be Star's. There should be no kacau (disturb) business again from PR and the now irrelevant Sapp which was wiped out by May 5 in their attempts to further divide the Orang Asal in cahoots with BN. Star is expected to focus on the following strategies for the 14th GE: (1) taking away the Orang Asal state seats from Sabah Umno; (2) wiping out Upko, PBRS, and the parti parti Malaya like MCA and Gerakan in Sabah; (3) taking away the Dayak state seats from PBB; (4) contesting all parliamentary seats in Sarawak and Sabah including Labuan; and (5) contesting all 3rd Force seats in Malaya for Parliament and the state assemblies. The issues will be kept alive through FaceBook pages for every seat, parliament and state. Jeffrey is expected to raise, in the State Assembly, the BN including the 20 Points in their Manifesto for Sabah. In paying lip service, the Manifesto mentioned the Spirit of the 20 Points. The Star Chief will demand to know what that means and without the semantics. He needs to know that BN Sabah and Star are on the same page on the issue of Malaysia in Borneo. This is expected to test the 11 state assemblymen from PR as well. The proof of the pudding is in the eating although there are no second chances for PR. As Star conducts its post-mortem on May 5, it will discover that not all the blame can be placed on PKR and Anwar. Jeffrey took the people for granted to a certain extent by fielding quite a number of dubious characters, BN rejects and people who could hardly open their mouths and deliver a good ceramah (political talk). He surrounded himself at the same time with too many people whispering too many things in his ears and this put off many young leaders and veteran strategists who could have helped the party make a bigger difference. Jeffrey should keep away from well-meaning do-gooders in Malaya who are appaling ignorant on Sabah and Sarawak. Their campaign contributions are welcome but that does not mean they have a right to dictate to him. Also, it seems that campaign funds were simply pocketed by quite a number of unscrupulous candidates, party workers were not paid, and the state of the logistics to prevent the illegals voting left a lot to be desired. He forgot that the anti-BN illegals were willing to vote for PKR. Jeffrey should know what to do if he wants his party to continue being a player and a game changer in Sabah and Sarawak. He needs to acquire some of the killer instinct and pure political animism that drives Anwar. He should not continue to fall back on his goody goody, padre-like academician's "I am the Gospel Truth" approach to politics. Many of his press statements, drafted to "prevent hurting the feelings of our comrades in arms in the Opposition", were pure gibberish. To its credit, Dap screened its candidates well this time in Sabah and that brought a bonus for PKR as well. The Chinese were all for PKR through Dap. Jeffrey lost the Chinese vote in Keningau, for example, to PKR. Joe Fernandez is a graduate mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He also tutors at local institutions and privately. He subscribes to Dr Stephen Hawking's "re-discovery" of the ancient Indian theory that "the only predictable property of the universe is chaos". He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview) or to give a Hearing to All. He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet. He's half-way through a semi-autobiographical travelogue, A World with a View. |
| The Need For A 'Third Force' In Malaysian Politics? Posted: 07 May 2013 12:42 PM PDT 
My Living Wall A suggestion has been floated that we could benefit from a 'third force' in national politics. A third force could induce Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to purge themselves of troublemaking or corruptive elements and to rejuvenate. It is mooted that Gerakan leave BN, reform itself and act as this 'third force', a sort of Gerakan Rakyat movement. While this is an interesting proposition, it is acknowledged that there are difficulties in this happening. Gerakan lacks reach nationally and is overwhelmingly centred in Penang. It is alsounlikely to recover Penang as its power base in the foreseeable future. Gerakan needs at its helm bold, visionary and independent-minded leaders like one of its founders, Syed Hussein Alatas, not stale and subservient ones who cling on to Barisan Nasional for a paycheck. For a 'third force' consisting of Gerakan to get off the ground Gerakan has to return to its intellectual, principled and fiercely independent roots.Which takes us to some thoughts on how this 'third force' idea could be expanded. Considering that Gerakan alone may not be a force potent enough at the national scale, there are other parties that could align themselves to and augment this third alliance.Springing to mind are SAPP and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), and possibly one other new party, perhaps a green party. (The Human Rights Party of Malaysia would have been a candidate but has too narrow and divisive a scope).It may appear that Malaysians may not be ready for a green party, but in strategic terms, a green party with a broad enough goal could be appealing to a section of Malaysia's young, urban constituencies and marginalised, rural communities. The misconception that green parties are just about trees should be discarded. The platform of such parties encompass matters that are relevant to the average person, such as sustainable development (also see here for the wide range of policies green parties may concern themselves with). Green parties exist in countries like Somalia, Brazil and Ukraine. So why not in megadiverse Malaysia? In fact, Gerakan (and the other two parties I mentioned) could orient themselves to embrace such progressive causes while retaining their original flavour.This alliance need not be a formal coalition and can be a loose one, looser than Pakatan Rakyat at its inception. This would allow these very separate parties to freely develop and champion certain key but niche causes. This may imply a limited voter base, but there is advantage in targeting a small but fairly certain number of electoral seats. Moreover, their distinctive cohesion could draw additional votes. Read more at: http://mylivingwall.com/en/politics-news-menu-71/7462-the-need-for-a-third-force-in-malaysian-politics |
| Anwar wants protests over 'stolen' Malaysian election Posted: 07 May 2013 12:35 PM PDT 
(Australia News Network) - Why do you want me to retire when we won the elections? Watch the interview at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/an-anwar-ibrahim-calls-for-protests-over-election-results/4673494 or click the picture above. Malaysia's Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is urging his supporters to rally and protest against what he says were fraudulent elections. The ruling National Coalition succeeded in obtaining a parliamentary majority in one of the country's most closely fought elections. Mr Anwar has told Australia Network's Newslinethere's evidence of fraud in more than 30 constituencies, and he believes his party has won. He claims the Election Commission may have been complicit in the alleged wrongdoing "They went ahead and announced the results and even the manner in which the results was announced was so suspect," he said. "But even the irregularities are largely known to Malaysians - the fraudulent process, the electoral roll, the presence of foreigners - particularly Bangladeshis and people from Myanmar, the indelible ink which was not indelible at all - this list goes on and on." "I think no-one in their right mind could accept this sort of fraudulent process, and massive cheating, to steal an election [that is] legitimately ours." I think no-one in their right mind could accept this sort of fraudulent process, and massive cheating, to steal an election [that is] legitimately ours. Anwar Ibrahim
Najib Razak's party maintains a 133 seat majority in the 222-member parliament, and he has been sworn in for his second term as leader. The Opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance claimed the popular vote, but was unable to take make a significant dent in Barisan Nasional's numbers. Secretary general of Barisan Nasional in the eastern state of Sabah, Abdul Rahman Dahlan has told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program the opposition needs to provide proof of fraud or accept the result. "The prime minister has made it very clear that if they (the Opposition) have proof of any wrongdoings, they are more than welcome to bring it to court, and let the court settle the allegations," he said. "So we're pretty clear with that - we are giving them an opportunity under the law - they can resort to a petition. "If they allege something that they think was wrong, then it is incumbent upon them to provide proof." Mr Anwar has appealed to the Opposition's supporters not to resort to violence over the results, but has called on supporters to rally on Wednesday to voice their anger in a non violent fashion. "That is why I have cautioned them to cool off matters for a while," he said. "So that we can continue to protest, we don't accept this election which is clearly fraudulent. But we will advise them to probably have assemblies in contained areas, public fields or public stadiums," Mr Anwar is also wearing black in response to an internet campaign demanding people wear black to mark a day of mourning for what they term the death of democracy in Malaysia. "I leave it to the Malaysian people they are just enraged, you can't imagine the amount of anger," he said "Hundreds of thousands are saying, wear black." Mr Anwar had pledged that he would retire as opposition leader if his coalition was defeated at the elections. "I made it clear that I want to go back to teaching," he said. "I'm not giving up my role to advise or participate in the political process, but essentially I'll be in the back-seat, to allow younger leaders to take the helm of political leadership. "But here, for now, that question is irrelevant because we won the elections - why do you want me to retire when we won the elections?" |
| Political gap narrows in Malaysia Posted: 07 May 2013 12:23 PM PDT  
In his political climb, Mukhriz, deputy minister of international trade and industry in the previous government, could soon bump up against a rising star within the PR, Nurul Izzah Anil Netto PENANG - Malaysia's general elections returned the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to power with a weak mandate and the potential for political instability in the weeks ahead. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim has questioned the integrity of Sunday's result and has refused to concede defeat until investigations are conducted into numerous reported irregularities. On polling day, social media was abuzz with alerts, photographs and videos that showed the indelible ink used to prevent voters from casting more than one ballot was easily washed away. Other reports indicated that busloads of people believed to be nationals of other countries had cast votes. There were also widespread allegations of vote-buying. Bersih, a civil society coalition campaigning for electoral reforms, withheld its recognition of the polls and has not yet indicated whether it would protest the result. The activist coalition has held three mass rallies, including a demonstration in April that drew by some estimates 200,000 people, against an electoral system it believes is rigged in BN's and its main component United Malay Nasional Organization (UMNO) party's favor. Anwar on Tuesday urged opposition supporters to protest the result. There could be significant grass roots support for a follow-up rally. A petition on the website change.org appealing to the United Nations to investigate electoral fraud allegations had gone viral online with more than 200,000 signatures as of Tuesday. So far Anwar has called on PR supporters to remain calm while investigations are ongoing. On Monday, Najib Razak called for the opposition to accept the result while being sworn in as prime minister. According to official results, the BN won 133 of parliament's 222 seats, down from the 140 it notched at the 2008 polls and below its coveted two-thirds majority. PR increased its parliamentary representation from 82 to 89, according to the results. In a significant turn, PR won over half of the popular vote, with the BN lagging about three to four percentage points behind. According to the official results, PR polled 5.6 million votes to the BN's 5.2 million. The discrepancy between the share of popular votes and actual parliamentary seats won - PR won only 40% of parliament's seats - owes to periodic gerrymandering orchestrated by the BN to favor its candidates in rural areas. Notwithstanding possible rallies against the result, Najib's political future now hangs in the balance. He was appointed prime minister in 2009 following former premier Abdullah Badawi's relatively poor electoral showing at the 2008 elections. The danger for Najib is that, like Abdullah, he could be removed from UMNO's presidency - which traditionally brings with it the premiership - after an even worse electoral performance. UMNO party elections are due to be held later this year. For its part, UMNO won 88 of the 119 seats it contested for a win-rate of 74%. However, all five of Najib's personal aides who contested a seat lost. During his victory speech on Sunday night, Najib and BN aides around him were visibly glum despite their win in what was a grueling electoral battle. UMNO now holds two-thirds of BN's 133 seats, further consolidating its domination over the ruling coalition. Affiliated parties from the North Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak are now the largest junior partners. Other ethnic-based parties such as the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), once major players in the BN's forerunner, the Alliance, have become bit players, reflecting the shrinking demographics of their traditional supporters. Many MCA and MIC supporters defected to PR ahead of the polls. There is political irony in the fact that it was Najib's father, former prime minister Abdul Razak, who broadened the diversity of the former Alliance from an UMNO-MCA-MIC coalition to a wider BN coalition that included other smaller parties following a poor electoral showing in 1969. It remains to be seen if Najib will now try similarly to enlarge the BN by luring PR-affiliated parties, whether directly or through a pact, into its fold. Within PR, the multi-ethnic but largely Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) recorded the biggest gains in parliament, raising its tally from 28 seats in 2008 to 38 this time. Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) largely held its ground with 30, while the Islamic party PAS slipped slightly to 21 seats. Najib, typical of his party's race-based perspective, labeled the opposition's gains as a "Chinese-tsunami". Read more at: http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-070513.html |
| The tale of Najib and the Chinese tsunami Posted: 07 May 2013 12:20 PM PDT 
Why did Najib, who professes 1Malaysia, say and do something that quite a number of people deem racist?Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com BY NOW we all know that in blaming the "Chinese tsunami" for BN's unconvincing GE13 performance and defending Utusan Malaysia "Apa lagi China mahu?" (What more the Chinese want?) headline, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is finding himself getting quite a flak. From ordinary Malaysians and even BN supporters, from the opposition – that goes without saying. And "flak" is a tame word to use. The question is why a leader, who professes 1Malaysia and wants national reconciliation following the hotly-contested GE, would say and do something that quite a number of people deem racist? "He has to find a scapegoat and the Chinese are a convenient target. If he admits there's a Malay shift, he will lose his Umno presidency in double quick time," said a political observer. (To many, GE13 saw an "urban tsunami" involving Malays as well and the divide is between urban and rural, not between Malays and Chinese). The remarks made by the observer could be taken to mean Najib feels "threatened" or rather "insecure" in keeping his job in Umno which brings along with it, the premiership. Already pro-BN media have been carrying reports on the need for Najib to continue leading the nation and crediting him for the BN election victory. To Choong Pui Yee, senior analyst at Nanyang Technological University's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Najib's credibility will be challenged in general. "There is a possibility of power struggle within Umno as the GE result is worse than the previous one," said Choong. And surely we remember all too well what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said sometime in January on what would happen should Najib fail to deliver. Najib had promised a two-third majority win for BN at the federal level and win back Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat. That did not happen and the immediate speculation is that Najib will be asked to step down or face a challenge from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, his deputy. Muhyiddin with Mahathir played a big role in ousting Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi following BN's dismal performance in the 2008 polls. But said an Umno strategist a repeat of that will not take place – meaning Najib is "safe". "You must understand the psyche of Muhyiddin. He is a loyal deputy," said the strategist implying Muhyiddin will not mount a challenge. Echoing that is another BN strategist who went on to say, "Muhyiddin has openly expressed support for Najib to carry on as the number one." Even Umno's supreme council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has said there's no reason for Najib to step down or be challenged as he has "done well". In the 2008 polls, Umno won 79 seats it contested and in GE13 won 88 out of the 120 seats it vied for. But overall, Najib did not better the score registered by Abdullah's BN in 2008. (The scoreboard read BN 140, Pakatan 82 in 2008. For GE13, it's BN 133 Pakatan 89). Both the strategists were quick to point out that "Mahathir is quiet when Mukhriz is MB", referring to the former PM's son who is also Kedah menteri besar after BN wrested the state from PAS/Pakatan administration. However, to many observers, it was Mahathir who delivered Kedah to BN this time with the help of Tun Daim Zainuddin the former finance minister who had also campaigned in the state. Anyway, the two strategists spoke just a tad too soon. A few hours after they spoke on Mahathir "being quiet", the former PM was quiet no more. He told a media conference he "did not expect Najib to do worse than Abdullah". |
| Race baiting worries Umno allies, moderates Posted: 07 May 2013 12:18 PM PDT 
(TMI) - "If the prime minister is unable to see the damage done by these people, then he is not fit to talk of national reconciliation," he wrote in his blog. "The Chinese are just asking for respect and to be treated fairly." The vilification of Chinese voters for Barisan Nasional's polls slump last week is causing unease within some non-Malay sections of the coalition. Epitomised by the headline, "Apa lagi Cina mau? (What more do the Chinese want?", emblazoned across the front page of the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, the minority group is fast becoming the target of blame for BN's weakened hold on the government. Tabloid Kosmo! took the blame game further, with an even more overt title, "Pengundi Cina bersikap talam dua muka (Chinese voters are two-faced)". According to The Straits Times of Singapore, sections within BN have expressed unease even as police said they will probe Utusan for sedition over the article. Umno supreme council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said he was "very, very sad that Utusan came up with such a thing". Saifuddin, who failed to defend his Temerloh federal seat on Sunday, said the Chinese may have voted against the BN but they were not against the Malays. Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon also joined in urging BN to stop the "blame game, especially on a racial basis". "It is incorrect and improper to only blame the Chinese for not supporting BN and being ungrateful," he said in a statement. "In Terengganu also, with over 95 per cent Malay voters, the opposition's support has increased." MIC's S. Vell Paari, son of former party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, also disagreed with the labelling of Chinese voters as ingrates, suggesting the response as a result of BN climbing into bed with Malay supremacist group Perkasa. "I believe the Chinese supported the Opposition because no action had been taken against Perkasa and Datuk Ibrahim Ali for their comments. "Putting Perkasa members as BN-friendly candidates had also driven away Chinese and Indian votes in Selangor," Vell was quoted in The Star Online as saying. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/race-baiting-worries-umno-allies-moderates/ |
| Analysts: Indians have found no place in Pakatan Posted: 07 May 2013 12:16 PM PDT 
(fz.com) - Political observers have attributed the swing in Indian votes back to the BN in the 13th general election to perceived uncertainty about the community's place within Pakatan Rakyat. The Opposition found itself stumbling badly in rural constituencies with high numbers of Indian voters, suffering setbacks in a number of seats. KS Balakrishnan, a political analyst with Universiti Malaya, noted that BN attracted 60% of Indian votes this time round although Pakatan still retained its hardcore Indian supporters. Balakrishnan put the swing down to the absence of the anger that had driven Indians away from the BN in 2008 and the community's exclusion from Pakatan's manifesto. "Pakatan doesn't have anything for the Indians but it isn't brave enough to admit that aloud," he said. "It is living its own myopic idea of democracy by trying to accommodate Islam while promoting liberalism". He said that if Pakatan truly championed liberal democracy, then it would be critical of PAS' concept of an Islamic state. "But it dares not say that there is no place for religion in politics otherwise it will lose the support of the people and possibly a coalition member," Balakrishnan said. Monash University's well-known political analyst, James Chin, observed that the Indians are more forgiving and less united as a community, compared to the other ethnic groups. He pointed out that unlike the Chinese who had DAP veteran and newly-elected Gelang Patah MP, Lim Kit Siang, as their iconic leader, the Indians had no one to rally behind. "They can't even call Hindraf their leader anymore," Chin said. "The moment (Hindraf chairman P) Waythamoorthy signed that (Memorandum of Understanding) with BN, the ground was polarised. The Indians have no middle ground anymore". |
| Najib needs to transform BN Posted: 07 May 2013 12:13 PM PDT 
Rural areas over time will become urbanised. Older people will eventually pass on. The country as a whole will become richer. And internet penetration is increasing by the day. In other words, as Malaysia moves towards developed nation status, BN's traditional demographic will transform into PR's target market. Oon Yeoh, The Sun Daily WHEN Pakatan Rakyat managed to deny Barisan Nasional its traditional two-thirds majority in 2008, many wondered if it was just a fluke. As the saying goes, one swallow does not a summer make. Well, it's now two elections in a row where BN's two-thirds majority has been denied. It's pretty obvious that the two-party system is here to stay. With PR winning a few more federal seats than the last outing, as well as making inroads into traditional BN states like Pahang and Johor, it's clear that life will never be easy for BN again. It's just going to get harder. Is there any doubt that GE14 will be an even tougher battle? Although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had attributed BN's relatively poor showing to the "Chinese tsunami", more than a few political observers have pointed out that this could not have happened without the other races supporting PR as well. According to the Election Commission, BN lost the popular vote at both the federal and state levels. For federal seats, BN got 5,237,699 votes compared to PR's 5,623,984. For state seats, BN got 4,513,997 votes compared to PR's 4,879,699. Given that the Chinese are a minority, making up about 30% of the population, it's not possible for PR to have won the popular vote at both the federal and state levels without the support of other communities, most notably the Malays, who are the dominant race in this country. This is not to say that the Chinese did not swing heavily towards the opposition. They did. But the real divide, many analysts say, is not racial in nature but one involving a whole range of factors including geography, age, income level, and even internet connectivity. Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency, had conducted a survey before the election that found that rural respondents were more likely to vote BN while urban ones, PR. It also found that older respondents preferred BN while younger ones, PR. Lower-income people were inclined towards BN while higher income earners, PR. And those without internet access tended to favour BN while the connected ones, PR. If the survey is correct, such findings should be a real cause for concern to Najib. In a nutshell, Merdeka Center found that those who favoured BN tended to be rural, old, poor and without internet access. This is hardly an enviable target market. Why? Because it's a sunset demographic. Rural areas over time will become urbanised. Older people will eventually pass on. The country as a whole will become richer. And internet penetration is increasing by the day. In other words, as Malaysia moves towards developed nation status, BN's traditional demographic will transform into PR's target market. So, while it's important for Najib to figure out why the Chinese have swung so heavily away from BN, it's probably more crucial for him to understand why the urban, young, rich and connected are inclined to do the same. Najib's done well enough to earn BN another five-year run. If he wants BN's tenure to extend any further than that though, the kind of transformation he will have to achieve in his second term is not just in relation to the economy or the government but the very coalition that he heads. He needs to transform BN itself. For a start, there needs to be a concerted move away from race-based politics. With Gerakan and MCA in tatters and MIC hardly much better, perhaps it's an opportunity for Najib to boldly suggest that the "M" in Umno be changed to "Malaysian" and invite his coalition partners to join a more inclusive Umno. Imagine how disruptive that would be. Such a move would be far harder for his critics to dismiss than the vague and ambiguous 1Malaysia slogan. There will be resistance aplenty within his own party. And I'm sure he is fully aware of what happened to Onn Jaafar for daring to suggest the "M" in Umno to be changed to "Malayan". But that was over 60 years ago. The times have changed. Malaysians have changed. Can BN afford to stay the same? Oon Yeoh is a new media consultant. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com |
| GE13: Nik Aziz rejects unity talks Posted: 07 May 2013 12:11 PM PDT 
(The Star) - If they (Umno) come, I will spit at them. Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who has just relinquished the Kelantan Mentri Besar's post, said he will reject any attempts by Umno to initiate goodwill talks with PAS. He said it would be Umno who will have to seek PAS for help as Umno is fast running out of friends, including the Chinese community. "If they (Umno) come, I will spit at them. They have misinterpreted Islam," he said at his house in Pulau Melaka here yesterday. According to Nik Aziz, Umno is facing political turmoil because it had embraced nationalism instead of Islam. "If they embrace Islam, then we can talk about Malay unity," he said when asked to comment on state Umno secretary Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad, who asked Umno to initiate goodwill talks with PAS under the premise of a national reconciliation initiative by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Nik Aziz claimed that Umno was not good in keeping friends, citing history on why PAS broke off from Barisan Nasional in the 1970s, and on how Umno had abused the now defunct Semangat 46 party. On the lack of support from the Malays towards PAS, Nik Aziz blamed it on the lack of proper information about its struggles. He added that Pakatan Rakyat lacked the media resources to propagate the teachings of Islam. On his sudden move to retire, he said that he made the decision two or three days before the start of campaigning for the 13th general election. |
| GE13: Najib has 11 vacancies to fill in new team Posted: 07 May 2013 12:09 PM PDT 
(The Star) - There were seven ministers from Sabah and Sarawak in the previous Cabinet. We hope to see a bigger number There are 11 vacancies to be filled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the new Cabinet. Six members did not contest in the general election, one has been re-assigned to a state seat while four others were defeated in the polls. Najib will also need to ensure that his Cabinet line-up reflects, to a certain degree, the outcome of the general election. The Prime Minister could reward Umno and Barisan Nasional's Sabah and Sarawak component parties for their continued strong performance in the polls with Cabinet positions. Umno, which previously won 79 seats now holds 88 seats while Sarawak's Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu maintained its 100% record by winning all 14 of its parliamentary seats. The MIC is expected to retain its two Cabinet seats as its president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam won in the polls. Several Barisan MPs are of the opinion that Najib's new Cabinet line-up should comprise new faces and those who have "less baggage". "Don't worry about them not having the experience. Barisan MPs are smart and they can learn fast," said an MP, adding that ministers must quickly articulate issues pertaining to ministries onto various media platform like websites and Twitter. Another MP said it would be ideal to see bigger representation from Sabah and Sarawak. "There were seven ministers from Sabah and Sarawak in the previous Cabinet. We hope to see a bigger number," he said. Those who did not contest in the general election were Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui. Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, who was the Higher Education Minister, contested in the Permas state seat in Johor while Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, Tan Sri Bernard Dompokand Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung were defeated in the polls. The MCA has decided not to accept any positions. Najib will have to make a decision whether to respect the party's stand or persuade them to join the Cabinet with several Barisan leaders urging the party to reconsider its position. |
| GE13: One symbol to represent Pakatan in next polls, says Kit Siang Posted: 07 May 2013 12:07 PM PDT 
(The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat candidates will contest under one symbol in the next polls and not three as in GE13, said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang. He said that the party's main aim post-GE13 would be to step up work in areas where we lost by a slim majority and to register Pakatan as a proper coalition. Lim added that the battle for Putrajaya was not over and he was looking forward to the next general election. "The shift in votes do not reflect a shift by the Chinese community alone but by all Malaysians. "In the next battle, we have to focus on the semi-rural and rural areas where we must convince our Malay brothers that it is time for change," he said during a DAP dinner at the Maedo Restaurant in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Skudai here on Tuesday. |
| Malaysia's election scandals Posted: 07 May 2013 01:10 AM PDT 
(Al Jazeera) - We discuss some of the vote irregularities being alleged as ruling coalition takes power for a record 13th time. Watch the video with Bridget Welsh, Nurul Izzah and Azman Ujang at: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/05/201357734274202.html or click on the picture above One of Malaysia's most hotly contested elections has returned the ruling coalition to power. Prime Minister Najib Razak had staked his political future on strengthening his alliance's majority in Parliament. But his standing has been weakened - and he is promising to engage in dialogue with his political opponents. That has since been rejected - with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim pressing for a rally in two days to protest against the results. Al Jazeera's Florence Looi reported, "The narrower margin means Najib's administration has its work cut out for it. A youth leader in the coalition's dominant Umno party acknowledged that in a tweet on Monday. He wrote that the victory was only a reprieve and that a failure to deliver on the change that people want could mean the end for the National Front come the next general election" There were two main personalities in this election, and Razak was one of them. He has has been Malaysia's prime minister since 2009. At 23, he became the youngest member of parliament in Malaysian history and quickly rose to prominence. He is part of a political dynasty, with his father and uncle both former prime ministers. Under his leadership, the government repealed the controversial Internal Security Act. But critics say the new laws remain repressive and still allow for abuses. Najib also promised to reform pro-Malay policies, though many of them remain in place. Read more and watch the video at: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/05/201357734274202.html |
| DAP happy with election results, says Karpal Posted: 07 May 2013 12:06 AM PDT 
(The Star) - While PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has every right to question the legitimacy of the 13th general election, DAP chairman Karpal Singh said his party was happy with its performance in the polls. "If they (PKR) feel that there has been electoral fraud in some constituencies they contested in, they can reject the results in these areas," he said yesterday. Anwar had refused to accept the outcome of the elections, claiming that there had been vote-rigging and electoral discrepancies. Karpal also expressed satisfaction with DAP's win of 38 parliamentary seats in the polls. "DAP has done very well, especially in Gelang Patah, where the win was unexpected," he added. However, party adviser Lim Kit Siang, who defeated Barisan Nasional's Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman in Gelang Patah, said the party would file an election petition to reject the results in areas where it had lost by small margins. He said the petition would be filed after a detailed analysis of the election results. "Pakatan Rakyat will look into the constituencies found with problems of electoral fraud before taking the next step, which is necessary to ensure the results are fair and accurate," he told a press conference yesterday. Meanwhile, PAS said it would only lodge complaints of electoral irregularities if it found "strong evidence" of fraud, said party secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali. "We will gather feedback from the ground on claims of electoral fraud. Reports will be lodged with the Election Commission if there is strong evidence to support the claims," he added. PAS saw its parliamentary seats reduced to 21 compared to 23 in 2008. The party also failed to defend Kedah while it is still reeling from the shock defeats of deputy president Mohamad Sabu, vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and central committee member Datuk Husam Musa. Mustafa said PAS accepted that "you win some and lose some". "The reality is that the government of the day is formed by the winning side. The election results are balanced' and we accept the people's verdict. "We did well in defending Kelantan and Selangor, and we are happy to have made inroads in Barisan strongholds. "We nearly managed to create a repeat of the PAS takeover in Terengganu in the 1999 elections," he added. |
| Soi Lek urged to step down immediately Posted: 07 May 2013 12:01 AM PDT 
(The Star) - There are continued calls for MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek to resign immediately. Sabah MCA deputy chief Datuk Paul Kong Sing Chu said as Dr Chua was also the state chief of Johor and Perak where MCA suffered massive losses in the elections, the president should resign immediately to pave way for a new party leadership. His state counterpart, Sabah MCA secretary Kelvin Lim, said resigning was the only "honorable and appropriate" way for Dr Chua. In a statement issued here Tuesday, Lim said he was making a personal call with a heavy heart as it was in the best interests of the party, which managed to retain only seven parliamentary and 11 state seats, its poorest performance in its history. Padang Besar MCA division chief Datuk Loh Yon Foo told a press conference that Dr Chua should step down, saying the president had failed to deliver. On MCA's decision not to accept any government post after failing to do better than the 2008 general election, Loh urged the some 400 members who are mostly holding positions in the various village security and development committees to step down. An online news portal also reported that three MCA Selangor division chiefs made a similar call for Dr Chua to resign. Tan Chong Seng (Kuala Selangor), Lee Wei Keat (Subang) and Liew Yuen Keong (Serdang) said party morale was affected after Dr Chua ceded three parliamentary and two state seats to other component parties in Barisan Nasional during the general election. On Monday, Pagoh MCA division chief Datuk Gan Hong Su and MCA Pasir Gudang division chief Tan Cher Puk had also called for Dr Chua's resignation. However, Taiping MCA division chief Lee Hock Tow said Dr Chua should not step down until there was a successor. He told China Press that this was to prevent any inter-party fighting. Dr Chua had earlier said that he would not be defending his presidency in the party's elections this year. He said he would in the meantime work on stablising the party under "this difficult condition". |
| So what is it then? Posted: 06 May 2013 11:18 PM PDT 
In the run-up to the 13th General Election, the Chinese were boldly and proudly screaming that this time around the Chinese are going to unite and vote against Barisan Nasional. This time we are going to see a Chinese Tsunami, bigger than the 2008 Tsunami. Expect more than 90% of the Chinese voters to swing to Pakatan Rakyat, they kept repeating again and again. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Umno won 79 parliamentary seats in 2008. This time around it won 88 seats. MCA, MIC and Gerakan won 20 parliamentary seats in 2008. This time around they won only 12 seats. So the total for Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan this time around is 100 seats compared to 99 in 2008, an increase of one seat. The balance of the seats were won by the East Malaysian Barisan Nasional component members who won 140 seats minus 99 (or 41 seats) in 2008 and 133 seats minus 100 (or 33 seats) this time around, a reduction of 8 seats -- while Umno saw an increase of 9 seats and MCA, MIC and Gerakan saw a reduction of also 8 seats. Umno also won 244 state seats out of the 505 seats being contested (or 48.32% of the state seats) this time around compared to 239 state seats in 2008, an increase of 5 seats. In the run-up to the 13th General Election, the Chinese were boldly and proudly screaming that this time around the Chinese are going to unite and vote against Barisan Nasional. This time we are going to see a Chinese Tsunami, bigger than the 2008 Tsunami. Expect more than 90% of the Chinese voters to swing to Pakatan Rakyat, they kept repeating again and again. They even declared that the Chinese Tsunami is going to beat the Indian Tsunami of 2008. They also whacked the Malays and asked the 'stupid Malays' to wake up and discard the subsidy mentality and discard the 'crutches mentality' that the New Economic Policy has created. Either the Malays join the Chinese to kick out Barisan Nasional or get left behind, warned the Chinese. Now Umno is also calling it a Chinese Tsunami, just like what the Chinese were screaming about over the last year or two since Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0. But the Chinese resent Umno calling it a Chinese Tsunami. The Chinese can call it that. The Chinese have been calling it that since Bersih 2.0. But Umno must not call it that. So what is it then? Pakatan Rakyat is alleging that the 5th May 2013 general election was fraudulent. Have they compiled the evidence and will they be filing Election Petitions in court like what we did in 1999, 2004 and 2008 (which I was personally involved in doing)? I am sure there are hundreds of video recordings considering that almost everyone (if not everyone) has a mobile phone and all mobile phones nowadays can take pictures and video clips. That would be the only way to get the 2013 general election declared null and void and for fresh elections or by-elections to be held all over Malaysia. Pakatan Rakyat refuses to recognise the 2013 general election. That is good. After all, 10 years ago back in 2003 I already asked the opposition to boycott the 2004 general election. Now they can boycott the results -- just as good. And that would mean they should not get sworn in as Members of Parliament or State Assemblypersons or else people will say we now recognise the election. Let me put it this way. We do not recognise Israel so we do not talk to them or have diplomatic relations with them or set up an embassy in their country plus our citizens cannot travel to that country. We do not deal with them in any way whatsoever. Period! Hence if we join the government as opposition Members of Parliament or opposition State Assemblypersons, or worse, we form the state governments, that would mean we recognise the election and consider ourselves duly and legally elected into office. So what is it then? |
| Pakatan leaders warn Najib to stop stoking fire Posted: 06 May 2013 10:16 PM PDT 
Pakatan leader are saying that Najib is blaming the Chinese in order to cover up BN's weaknesses, and their attempts to hijack the election. (FMT) - Pakatan Rakyat leaders came down hard on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for playing the race card to mask Barisan Nasional's poor showing in the general election. They said that Najib was totally wrong in blaming the Chinese community for BN's losses on Sunday. Immediately after winning a simple majority late Sunday night, Najib blamed the 'Chinese tsunami' for BN's poor showing. BN won 133 seats while Pakatan took home 89. Apart from winning more seats, Pakatan also made major inroads in all urban areas and in all states on Sunday. In 2008, BN won 140 of the 222 seats Following the tone set by Najib, Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia today published a provocative headline, 'Apa lagi Cina mahu' (What else do the Chinese want), blaming the Chinese for being trapped in DAP's supposed racial politics. Leading the charge against Najib and Utusan was Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim who said Najib should not be treating Malaysians like fools and idiots. "Don't think we can continue with the semi-authoritarian manner in treating people like fools and idiots. Don't think the media should be treated like the manner Utusan is treating our people. "They think the Malays are gullible and fools to consider all these politics about the Chinese, therefore you play this game," he said today at a press conference in the PKR headquarters. He added that Najib was playing this game to cover up the electoral fraud. "The daily just follows Umno president's direction. I'm aware that the party president's officers could dictate the newspaper's stories as I was the party's former deputy chief," he said. Stop fanning racial sentiments Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general, Lim Guan Eng, also lashed out at both Najib and Utusan for blaming the Chinese over BN's loss of the popular votes to Pakatan. "Najib is disrespectful to democracy by using the Chinese as scapegoats. He is resorting to racial politics to distract attention from BN's worst electoral performance in history," he said. He added that Najib, if he was serious about reconciling all Malaysians, should direct Umno-owned Utusan to stop fanning racist sentiments against the Chinese community. Lim said that Utusan Malaysia's frontpage report today was a "ferocious fascist and racist attempt to shape the results of the elections as a Chinese-vs-Malay vote". He said many analysts have disputed this as a gross distortion of data, as this was more a urban-rural divide between Pakatan and BN. Lim also cited former editor of the NST A Kadir Jasin and UKM Professor Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin saying that BN's weaker showing pointed to a strong wave of rejection from all Malaysians and not just from the minority Chinese. Lim, who was sworn in as the Penang Chief Minister today, said that DAP condems Utusan for inciting racial hatred and urged everyone to stand against such irresponsible actions. "Clearly Najib is repeating what Mahathir did in punishing the Chinese community when he had openly sought their endorsement and support in past general elections. "If Najib follows what Mahathir has done in blaming the Chinese after elections, then Najib has shown that he just can not be trusted like Mahathir," said Lim. READ MORE HERE |
| BN tidak tumbang walaupun majoriti Cina sokong pembangkang Posted: 06 May 2013 10:13 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menegaskan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) tidak tumbang walaupun sebahagian besar kaum Cina menyokong pembangkang seperti yang dilihat dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13). Najib, yang juga Pengerusi BN, berkata realitinya ialah kaum Bumiputera dan masyarakat India masih memberi sokongan kepada kerajaan pimpinan BN untuk terus menerajui negara berdasarkan mandat yang diperoleh dalam PRU13, Ahad lepas. "Kita harus sedar bahawa parti pembangkang khususnya DAP telah menggambarkan kepada masyarakat Cina (kononnya) mereka boleh mengubah kerajaan…malah slogan yang digunakan seolah-olah (kalau) orang Cina sokong pembangkang, mereka boleh ubah kerajaan. "Hakikat dan realitinya walaupun sebahagian besar (masyarakat Cina) sokong pembangkang, tetapi kerajaan tidak tumbang, kerajaan BN masih kekal," katanya kepada pemberita selepas mengadakan perjumpaan khas dengan anggota parlimen baharu BN di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) di sini, hari ini. Perjumpaan tertutup selama hampir dua jam itu turut dihadiri Timbalan Pengerusi BN Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan Setiausaha Agung BN Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. Najib menarik perhatian walaupun sokongan kaum Cina terhadap DAP di sesetengah kawasan dilihat mencecah antara 85 dan 95 peratus, namun kerajaan BN masih kekal kerana kaum Bumiputera dan India di banyak kawasan lain masih percaya kepada gabungan itu. Menurutnya, apa yang digambarkan pembangkang terutama DAP merupakan satu penipuan besar terhadap kaum Cina sehingga masyarakat itu yakin undi mereka dapat mengubah kerajaan sedia ada. "(Ini) seperti janji pada 16 Sept (2008 untuk menawan Putrajaya). Storyline (jalan cerita) ini (untuk tukar kerajaan) tidak betul dan banyak ditokok tambah, direka cerita," katanya. Najib berkata satu lagi penipuan yang dilakukan pembangkang pada PRU13 ialah dakwaan tidak logik BN membawa masuk lebih 40,000 warga Bangladesh sebagai pengundi untuk memastikan kemenangannya. "Kalau ikut logik, nak bawa 40,000 (warga) Bangladesh (perlu) menggunakan pesawat Boeing 747 yang hanya boleh memuatkan 400 orang…bererti 100 buah pesawat terpaksa mendarat untuk membawa warga Bangladesh ini mengundi," katanya. Namun, beliau berkata sehingga kini tiada bukti diketengahkan pembangkang kerana dakwaan itu sememangnya tidak berasas," tegasnya. |
| Sistem first-past-the-post perlu dikaji semula Posted: 06 May 2013 10:10 PM PDT 
Walaupun BN berjaya membentuk kerajaan Persekutuan dengan memperolehi 133 dari 222 kerusi Parlimen, namun undi popular menunjukkan sebaliknya. Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT Sistem pilihan raya di Malaysia yang menggunakan first-past-the-post (FPTP) perlu dikaji semula kerana ia tidak mencerminkan sokongan sebenar rakyat terhadap sesuatu parti pemerintah. Timbalan Presiden PKR Azmin Ali berkata, walaupun Barisan Nasional (BN) berjaya membentuk kerajaan Persekutuan dengan memperolehi 133 daripada 222 kerusi Parlimen, namun undi popular menunjukkan sebaliknya. Mengikut data jumlah undian Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU13), seramai 5.62 juta (49.96%) pemilih berdaftar mengundi Pakatan Rakyat, sementara BN hanya mendapat 5.24 juta (46.53%) undi. Manakala mengikut jumlah keseluruhan 505 kerusi DUN, Pakatan menerima jumlah undi 4.88 juta undi berbanding BN yang hanya mendapat 4.51 juta undi. "Tetapi oleh kerana sistem FPTP maka Pakatan tak dapat jumlah kerusi majorti untuk bentuk kerajaan. "Sistem ini kena dikaji semula supaya pembentukan sesuatu kerajaan dibuat berdasarkan jumlah sokongan rakyat," katanya dalam sidang media di pejabat Parlimen Shah Alam di sini hari ini. FPTP, sistem yang digunakan sejak pilihan raya pertama pada tahun 1959 mengiktiraf calon yang menang ialah calon yang mendapat undi terbanyak (walaupun dengan kelebihan satu undi sahaja). "Inilah masalahnya orang yang dapat 46% dapat bentuk kerajaan tapi parti yang dapat 50% tak dapat…walaupun ada pengundi hantu tapi kita masih dapat undi 50%. "Perlu ada sistem baru yang lebih adil untuk rakyat buat keputusan," katanya. Azmin yang juga ahli Jawatankuasa Penambahbaikan Proses Pilihan Raya (PSC) berkata, pihaknya pernah membuat beberapa cadangan kepada Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) untuk menilai semula mekanisme yang tak relevan termasuk FPTP. "Tetapi SPR gagal melihat cadangan yang dikemukakan PSC untuk menambah baik sistem pilihan raya kita. "Berdasarkan sistem pilihan raya negara maju di Eropah termasuk Jerman dan UK pembentukan kerajaan melalui undi popular sudah lama diamalkan," katanya. |
| Towards the 14th General Election (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 06 May 2013 08:37 PM PDT 
Would PAS agree to separate religion from politics when religion is what puts them in power? Would Umno, MCA or MIC agree to separate race from politics when race is what puts them in power? Would DAP agree to drop 'Chinese causes' when 'Chinese causes' is what puts them in power? Would PKR agree to dump Anwar Ibrahim when the party's cause is to make Anwar the Prime Minister? Would Barisan Nasional agree to electoral reforms when gerrymandering helps them get into power with less than 50% of the votes? THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin I joined the Liberal Democratic Party soon after I 'landed' in the UK in early 2009 and almost a year before the 2010 UK general election. So I joined Lib Dem not because they won the election (in 2009 they had not won yet) but because I wanted them to win the election. And I am paying a RM50 a year membership fee (as opposed to only RM1 for Malaysian political parties). The reason I joined Lib Dem and not Labour, the then ruling party, or Conservative, the then opposition party, is because Lib Dem is pushing for political reforms while Labour and Conservative are just fighting each other to be in power (just like Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are in Malaysia). Hence, while in Malaysia we are still talking about a two-party system, in the UK we already have that. Now what we want is a strong third force to balance the two equally strong parties because both Labour and Conservative are equally bad (dua-dua pun sama). If you can remember, soon after that, also in 2010, I mooted the idea of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM). I needed someone in Malaysia to head the MCLM because I was 'stuck' in the UK and that would have made it difficult for me to manage the MCLM since all our activities would be in Malaysia. I then approached various people to ask them to head the MCLM. One such person was the late Tunku Vic (photograph below). 
Tunku Vic, however, could not head the MCLM yet at that time for reasons I am not at liberty to reveal. (Those who knew Tunku Vic would know why and would also know whom he was related to -- it was a family matter). I then asked Haris Ibrahim to head the MCLM and, at first, he, too, did not agree. Later, after some persuasion, he agreed, but only if I agreed to be the Chairman. My plan for the MCLM is that it would be a third force. But it would not be a third force in the form of a political party like Lib Dem in the UK. It would be a NGO or movement that would engage both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to push for political reforms. Malaysia needs political reforms (such as to abolish race and religion politics) and within those political reforms would be electoral reforms (such as a plus-minus 10% seat variation and to abolish postal voting). Haris and I agreed (which we announced during the MCLM launch in London) that all those who sit in the MCLM committee must not be directly involved in any political party or participate in the elections as a candidate. If they want to contest the elections then they must resign from the MCLM or not get involved with the MCLM in the first place. Sad to say, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat ignored us. In fact, Pakatan Rakyat viewed us as an enemy whose objective was to help Barisan Nasional by engaging in three-corner contests and thus splitting the votes in favour of Barisan Nasional. Somehow they interpreted 'third force' as meaning three-corner fights. One DAP leader from Johor actually told me that their HQ had instructed them to not cooperate with the MCLM while one PAS leader phoned me to tell me that unless Anwar Ibrahim endorses the MCLM then PAS cannot work with us. I make no secret of the fact that that broke my heart. I really felt hurt. If they do not want to take us seriously that is one thing. Politicians only work with people who can get them votes and they don't think that the MCLM can get them any votes. But to accuse us of being saboteurs was hitting below the belt somewhat. For everything that we have done for the opposition over 35 years since the late 1970s, the last thing that we deserve is to be called traitors to the cause. And what they are not able to accept is that 'cause' here means political reforms and not meaning to help any particular political party get into power. I was involved in Bersih in 2007. In fact, the late Tunku Vic, Din Merican (the Blogger) and I were the ones who lobbied Istana Negara to agree to meet the Bersih committee to accept the Memorandum for electoral reforms. His Majesty the Agong consented to receive the Bersih delegation but limited to only ten representatives. Ten was good enough for us. We spent months planning Bersih. I even met the Umno people to ask them to support Bersih. Many did, but 'off the record', for obvious reasons. Some Umno people even donated caps and T-shirts, which I distributed to all and sundry. On the day of the Bersih march, which attracted tens of thousands of people, we successfully reached the palace gates. Then we were asked to wait outside and not go in yet. It seems some of the political leaders were coming to join us. But why did they not march with us? Why come later only after we successfully reach the palace gates (and not without incident, too, mind you)? We waited about an hour before the political leaders arrived and ten of them went into the palace. The rest of us, all those who had worked for many months to make Bersih a success, were left standing outside the gates. After handing the Memorandum to the representative of His Majesty the Agong, the political leaders came out to ceramah to the crowd. In short, the politicians hijacked Bersih. Then, of course, they organised Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0 under the patronage of the politicians. We wanted Bersih to be a people's movement, not a tool of the political parties. And we wanted that because we also wanted Barisan Nasional to support Bersih. Now Bersih is just the fourth coalition member of Pakatan Rakyat. Would the Umno people now support Bersih like they did with Bersih 1.0 in 2007? Because of what I viewed as the failure of Bersih ('failure' in the sense of not being an independent third force but rather part of a political party) I felt we needed a new third force to fight for political reforms. And that was the whole reason for the MCLM. But the MCLM too failed. And it failed because the politicians could not control it like they could Bersih so they refused to have anything to do with the MCLM. And the rest of the story is now all water under the bridge, which you all know about. The 13th General Election is now over. There is very little we can do about that. We now need to prepare for the 14th General Election in the next four or five years time. But what are we going to do? And how do we do it? Plus who is going to do what needs to be done? That is what we now need to ponder upon. I still believe we need an independent movement to push for political reforms. And within those political reforms must be electoral reforms. And it must be the people and not the politicians who do this. The politicians will not push for political reforms. Would PAS agree to separate religion from politics when religion is what puts them in power? Would Umno, MCA or MIC agree to separate race from politics when race is what puts them in power? Would DAP agree to drop 'Chinese causes' when 'Chinese causes' is what puts them in power? Would PKR agree to dump Anwar Ibrahim when the party's cause is to make Anwar the Prime Minister? Would Barisan Nasional agree to electoral reforms when gerrymandering helps them get into power with less than 50% of the votes? This is not a decision for me to make. I live in the UK and have no plans or wish to return to Malaysia. Another one million other Malaysians also live outside Malaysia and many also do not plan or wish to go back to Malaysia. It is you 28 million Malaysians who live and work in Malaysia who need political reforms. Hence you need to make the decision as to what you are going to do to face the 14th General Election in 2018 or so. Your call! ******************************* 邁向第14屆大選 伊黨是靠宗教上位的，他們能否分得開政治和宗教呢？巫統，馬華，和囯大黨都是靠種族主義來掌權的，他們能否在他們的政治思想裏把'種族'這個因子給拿掉呢？行動黨是靠"華人鬥爭"起家的，他們能否摒棄"華人鬥爭"呢？公正黨的鬥爭目的是要把安華捧上首相寶座，他們能否把安華換下來呢？囯陣是靠不公平的選區劃分才有辦法以少過50%的票數執政的，他們能否支持選舉改革呢？ 原文：Raja Petra Kamarudin 譯文：方宙 我在抵達英國不久后就加入了自由民主黨（LibDem），當時是2009年初吧。我加入他們並不是他們已經贏得了大選（他們在2010年大選才獲勝的），而是因為我要他們贏得大選。我還爲此繳付了RM50的年費呢（馬來西亞政黨會員費只是RM1而已）。 我當時加入LibDem的原因是因爲他們要帶來政治改革而工黨（當時的執政黨）和保守黨（反對黨）要的只是斗個你死我活（就像大馬的囯陣和民聯一般）。 所以說，儅我們還在大馬大談兩綫制時英國他們早已做到了。我們現在需要的是一個給力的第三勢力來平衡這兩個大頭，因爲工黨和保守黨都是一樣的爛(dua-dua pun sama)。 如果你還記得的話，我在2010年閒提出了大馬公民自由運動（Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement，MCLM）。我當時急需有個人來帶領MCLM，因爲我正被"卡在"英國，這導致我很難親身管理MCLM因爲大多數的活動都是在大馬舉行的。我因此接觸了很多人，希望能找到人來擔此重任，而其中一個就是敦姑維克Tunku Vic（上圖者），但是他因某個原因不能出任（你們有人認識他的話那肯定會知道那個原因是什麽----那是個家庭原因）。爾後，我找Haris Ibrahim商談此事，而他一開始也不同意。但經過我的游說后他終于答應了，條件是我必須成爲主席。 我的計劃是要MCLM以非政黨模式組成第三勢力。它將以非營利團體方式來接觸囯陣和民聯以推動政治改革；馬來西亞急需政治改革（如廢除種族宗教政治）和選舉改革（如所有選區的選民總數不可以有多過10%的差別和廢除郵票等）。 Haris和我當時同意(我們在倫敦的MCLM'開幕儀式'時有做出宣佈)MCLM的委員一概不得和任何政黨有直接接觸和不得參與大選；如果他們想要參選的話就得退出MLCM。 遺憾的是，囯陣和民聯都忽視我們。更絕的是，民聯直接把我們看成敵人，講說我們的目的是要以3角戰的方式在大選時分散民聯的票源來幫助囯陣獲勝；他們把'第三勢力'了解成大選三角戰。柔佛的某位行動黨領袖私底下跟我說黨總部已下令不准跟MCLM合作，而也有一名伊黨領袖給我打電話，跟我表示除非安華點頭支持，伊黨是不會跟我們有任何瓜葛的。 我從未掩飾那一切對我的傷害有多大，我真的很受傷。政客只會跟那些會為他們帶來票源的人合作而他們認爲MCLM不會為他們帶來任何選票。他們不重視我們是一回事，但他們倒過來冤枉我們，說我們專搞破壞，那簡直跟在我們的下陰踢上兩腳沒什麽兩樣。自70年代開始，我們所做的一切都是爲了反對黨，但得來的就只是一個叛徒的駡名。 我們的目的是想要政治改革，不是幫任何政黨奪權。 07年我參與了Bersih。事實上，是我，Tunku Vic和Din Merican 三人遊説皇室來和Bersih委員們見面和接受選舉改革備忘錄的。最高元首最後同意和最多十個代表見面。 十個代表對我們來講，已經很足夠了。 我們用了數個月來策劃Bersih，我甚至還和巫統的某些人見面，要求他們多多支持。他們很多人都支持（當然都是私底下），有些人還捐了帽子T-恤等，而我也把這些給派光了。 到了Bersih那一天，我們吸引了數万人前來參加，也成功地遊行到了皇宮大閘。但就儅我們走到了皇宮時，有人叫我們暫時還不要進去，留在外邊等，因爲有些政黨首領正趕著過來加入我們。奇怪了，爲什麽他們不和我們一起遊行呢？爲什麽要等到我們成功抵達皇宮了才出現呢？（請記得我們一路遊行過來是多麽的艱難） 我們等了大約有一個小時之久，那些領袖們終于到了，然後就一行十個人頭也不囘地走進了皇宮，而我們這群爲了Bersih嘔心瀝血的就呆呆地被遺忘了在大閘外邊。在把備忘錄轉交給最高元首代表以後，這一群政客就走了出來，然後就地給人群來個講座。 簡短來説，Bersih被一群政客騎劫了，而接下來他們就順手推舟地舉辦了Bersih 2.0 和 3.0。我們要的Bersih是個全民的運動，不是某個政黨的政治工具，我們要的是巫統也有份支持Bersih。但現在Bersih已成爲了民聯的第四個成員，那請問巫統還會像在2007年般地支持以後的Bersih嗎？ 因爲Bersih失敗了（失敗是指Bersih再也不是第三勢力了而是政黨的工具），我覺得我們必須再來一個新的第三勢力繼續我們的改革鬥爭，這就是MCLM成立的原因。 但MCLM也失敗了，原因是政客們不能像他們之前控制Bersih般地控制MCLM，所以他們拒絕和MCLM有任何聯係。往後所發生的你們都知道了。 現在第13屆大選已經結束了，我們對此所能做的是非常有限的。我們現在要做的是替5年后的第14屆大選備戰。但我們應該做些什麽呢？我們應該怎樣去執行呢？我們應該找誰來執行呢？ 這是我們該深思的事情。 我還是相信我們需要一個獨立的個體來持續我們的政治改革。我們的政治改革必須涵蓋選舉改革，而我們的改革必須是由人民而不是政客來推動的。政客根本就不會想要看到任何政治改革。 伊黨是靠宗教上位的，他們能否分得開政治和宗教呢？巫統，馬華，囯大黨，它們都是因種族主義掌權的，他們能否在他們的政治思想裏把'種族'這個因子給拿掉呢？行動黨是靠"華人鬥爭"起家的，他們能否摒棄"華人鬥爭"呢？公正黨的鬥爭目的是要把安華捧上首相寶座，他們能否把安華換下來呢？囯陣是靠不公平的選區劃分才有辦法以少過50%的票數執政的，他們能否支持選舉改革呢？ 這些都不是我說了算的。我現在生活在英國，沒打算再囘馬來西亞，在我之外還有1百萬的馬來西亞人也在國外生活，當中也有很多人都不打算回國。這是你們這些2千8百萬生活在馬來西亞的急需的選舉改革。你們必須作出決定，你們必須選擇要如何面對2018年的第14屆大選。 這是你們的選擇！！ |
| The horse-trading in 2004 Posted: 06 May 2013 06:53 PM PDT
I have been saying for years that Umno does not need to win 50% of the votes to win 50% of the seats. In 1969, the Alliance Party of Umno, MCA and MIC won only 49.3% of the votes but 65.97% of the seats -- less than 1% short of two-thirds. And that involved only three parties mind you -- Umno, MCA and MIC. The opposition, which won 50.7% of the votes, won only one-third of the seats. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin SPR: Calon tidak puas hati dengan keputusan boleh fail petisyen Calon yang tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13), boleh mengemukakan petisyen atau bantahan terhadap proses pengundian itu selepas pewartaan keputusan oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR). Timbalan Pengerusi SPR Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar berkata tempoh untuk berbuat demikian ialah 21 hari selepas tarikh pewartaan. Menurutnya, SPR dijangka selesai mewartakan keputusan PRU13 itu dalam masa dua minggu. Katanya petisyen itu boleh dikemukakan di Mahkamah Tinggi di negeri masing-masing dan akan diselesaikan dalam masa enam bulan. "Sekiranya mereka masih tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi, mereka boleh membuat rayuan di Mahkamah Persekutuan untuk keputusan muktamad," katanya ketika diwawancara dalam rancangan 'Helo Malaysia' terbitan BernamaTV, malam tadi. Menurut beliau pada PRU 2004, SPR menerima lebih 30 petisyen berhubung keputusan PRU dan petisyen yang paling banyak diterima ialah pada PRU 1999 yang melibatkan 40 petisyen. Pada PRU 2008 hanya 26 petisyen yang dikemukakan sedangkan ketika itu berlaku tsunami politik yang tidak berpihak kepada Barisan Nasional. Katanya sesuatu petisyen boleh dibuat atas sebab-sebab perbuatan rasuah atau sebarang salah laku yang mungkin telah menjejaskan pilihan raya, ketidakpatuhan undang-undang dan peraturan pilihan raya. "Rakyat berhak mencabar keputusan PRU, tetapi melalui saluran undang-undang. Jangan pergi ke jalan raya berdemonstrasi dan memanggil seluruh dunia menceritakan kami tolak PRU," katanya. – Bernama *********************************************** The Election Commission has asked all those who are not happy with the election result to file Election Petitions in court and get the results declared null and void. That is actually very good advice and I hope Pakatan Rakyat will do that as soon as possible because there is a deadline for this. Once past the deadline you will miss the boat. I was working in the PKR party HQ back in the 1999 general election. We expected the opposition coalition, Barisan Alternatif, to win the election back then -- mainly because of the 'Reformasi Tsunami' that was sweeping Malaysia. That is what happens when you get psyched by the huge crowds that attend the opposition rallies or ceramah. Unfortunately, although Barisan Alternatif won 43.5% of the votes -- mainly in the Malay heartland of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah -- they managed only 23.32% of the seats. Barisan Nasional, which won 56.5% of the votes, won 76.68% of the seats. More disappointing was the fact that the Chinese voters rejected both Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh who lost the election. Lim Kit Siang was then the Opposition Leader in Parliament but because PAS won the most number of seats, the PAS President Uztaz Fadzil Noor took over as the new Opposition Leader. Soon after that we lodged a protest and demanded a meeting with the Election Commission. PAS and PKR were represented and, if my memory serves me right, DAP did not attend the meeting. Mustaffa Ali and Azmin Ali were amongst those who attended the meeting. That was about 13 years ago. Amongst some of the electoral reforms that we pushed for were to abolish the postal voting system and to redraw the election boundaries. As it stands, Barisan Nasional can win just 50% of the popular votes but get 60% of the seats while the opposition's 50% share of the votes gives them only 40% of the seats. See the graphics below where it shows that for the same number of votes (about 2.5 million each) Barisan Nasional can win 50 seats opposed to only 30 seats for the opposition. (I have picked up just 80 seats representing 50% of the 10 million voters as an example but you can do your own analysis for the entire 222 seats if you wish -- it is not that difficult). Hence, a law should be passed in Parliament where each seat should have only, say, 60,000 voters with a plus-minus 10% variation. Hence the seats would have between 55,000-65,000 voters each -- a variance of only 10,000 voters between seats. Only then would 50% of the votes give you close to 50% of the seats (I said close, not exactly). The Election Commission did not do what we demanded in 1999/2000. So, in 2004, some of us urged the opposition to boycott the general election. Only some of us thought that this was a good idea. Most people, especially PAS, did not. That was because PAS was running Kelantan and Terengganu and they expected to add Perlis and Kedah to their list. Hence why would PAS want to boycott the election and 'lose' four states? However, come the 2004 general election, the opposition got massacred. Barisan Nasional won only 63.9% of the popular vote (not even two-thirds) and yet they won 90.41% of the seats. PKR, which had won 5 state seats and 5 parliamentary seats in 1999, lost all but one seat -- Party President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's seat of Permatang Pauh. The PKR Deputy President, Abdul Rahman Othman, not only lost but lost his deposit as well -- a huge embarrassment for the party. And PAS, who had hoped to add Perlis and Kedah to their list, lost Terengganu and got reduced to a three-seat majority in Kelantan. Two more seats for Barisan Nasional and Kelantan would have fallen as well. We then compiled evidence of 'irregularities' and filed Election Petitions in court (as Wan Ahmad Wan Omar mentioned in the news report above). Then the 'other side' also filed Election Petitions. Hence, while the opposition may have been successful in some of its Election Petitions, there was a danger that Barisan Nasional too would win some of their cases. And that may mean that Kelantan may fall to Barisan Nasional. One Election Petition that may work against PKR was the one filed against Dr Wan Azizah -- their sole candidate. Dr Wan Azizah actually lost on the first count but won on the second count. She was then declared the winner when they should instead have done a third count and take the two-out-of-three result. Clearly Dr Wan Azizah was in trouble, as the court would agree that it must be two out of three unless both counts are the same. When the first and second counts differ, then you must do a third count (unless you win both counts). PAS then struck a deal with Umno that they would withdraw their Election Petitions if Umno also does the same. So both PAS and Umno withdrew their Election Petitions but the deal was only between PAS and Umno. PKR was not included in the deal so the Election Petition against Dr Wan Azizah proceeded in court. Luckily the court ruled in Dr Wan Azizah's favour or else PKR would have got zero seats. Hence there were allegations by Umno that the court was unfair and biased while PKR said that the court was just and fair. Why did PAS agree to a deal with Umno to withdraw the Election Petitions? Well, PAS also committed some 'irregularities' and they were worried that while they may succeed in getting some Umno seats declared null and void, Umno may also succeed in getting some PAS seats declared null and void and the result would be they would lose Kelantan. Dr Wan Azizah, however, was left as the sacrificial lamb to make this deal possible. So why are we now screaming? Back in 1999 we already warned the opposition about this. In fact, we even urged the opposition to boycott the 2004 election unless the Election Commission gives us a level playing field. Furthermore, we took the case to court and went to all that trouble of compiling the evidence to support our Election Petitions so that we can win our cases in court. Then they make a deal with Umno and abandoned the court action -- except the one that Umno filed against Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. I have been saying for years that Umno does not need to win 50% of the votes to win 50% of the seats. In 1969, the Alliance Party of Umno, MCA and MIC won only 49.3% of the votes but 65.97% of the seats -- less than 1% short of two-thirds. And that involved only three parties mind you -- Umno, MCA and MIC. The opposition, which won 50.7% of the votes, won only one-third of the seats. So stop screaming. You people sound pathetic. We have been telling you for four general elections that the gerrymandering is stacked in favour of the ruling party. Unless we can get the government to agree to the plus-minus 10% variance for seats, Pakatan Rakyat is never going to win the election. How many times must I keep repeating this? 
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| The changing political dynamics Posted: 06 May 2013 02:56 PM PDT 
Contrary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's arguments in his victory speech, the '2013 tsunami' wasn't merely racial. There are also powerful socio-economic and political forces at work. Indeed, by the year 2000 it was estimated that two out of every seven persons resident in Selangor were migrants who had been born elsewhere. This makes it very hard to win voters, including Malay Muslims, using or working through the traditional means of social organisation: for instance, the kampung networks. This is to say nothing of the fact that urban voters tend to be better educated and more in-tune with the Internet – ergo the alternative media with its freer news coverage and analysis. Karim Raslan, The Star ON May 5, Malaysians went to the polls. We lined up patiently outside schools, civic halls and other polling stations in our millions, swamping the Election Commission's preparations. Indeed, the final turnout was 80% of all eligible voters, or 12,992,661 out of 13.3 million – the highest in Malaysia's history. I arrived outside the Sekolah Rendah Agama Masjid Saidina Omar Al Khattab in Damansara Heights at 7.15am and was amongst the first 20 or so to secure entry to vote at 8am. By the time the voting booths opened, there were hundreds waiting behind me in a queue that snaked like a corkscrew in the school's car park. We were a fairly motley crew, bleary-eyed but enthusiastic. There was Uncle Wong, a 71-year-old pensioner and now inveterate traveller, Pak Cik Mahmud, a 67-year-old Malayan Railways retiree and his 30-year-old son Abdul Khalid, both residents of Damansara Heights. Another writer, Dina Zaman, was a few steps behind me. The crowd was thoroughly multiracial and lively, the way our cities are and because we couldn't remain silent for long we soon started talking though not about politics. Instead, we chatted about friends, family and where I should head to next with Ceritalah Malaysia. To my amazement, Uncle Wong had already followed in my footsteps and visited Keningau in Sabah. After I voted, the feeling was of exhilaration and relief. However, the endless wait for the results was much longer and far less fun. Honestly, the Elections Commis-sion (EC) really needs to buck up in releasing results – to say nothing of alleged problems with the indelible ink and phantom voters. The delays and the lack of information only served to fuel speculation and distrust. Still, the 13th general election will help us understand how Malaysia's political battle lines are being drawn. Contrary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's arguments in his victory speech, the "2013 tsunami" wasn't merely racial. There are also powerful socio-economic and political forces at work. Basically, Malaysia's cities, suburbs and towns are establishing their way of doing politics and the issues that matter to their residents and voters. Malaysia's urban areas have different views as to how the country should be governed. They want change, even if this does not necessarily mean a change in government. Moreover, it's not surprising why this is so. Our cities and towns are wonderfully eclectic. There are countless communities and sub-communities embedded in our various Taman's and Jaya's – families who were born and grew up in isolated long-houses on the Baram and Limbang rivers, or other villages in Pasir Mas, Mentakab and Kuala Kedah. Internal migration now means those resident in Johor's booming south or the Klang Valley are more likely to have been born elsewhere. Indeed, by the year 2000 it was estimated that two out of every seven persons resident in Selangor were migrants who had been born elsewhere. This makes it very hard to win voters, including Malay Muslims, using or working through the traditional means of social organisation: for instance, the kampung networks. This is to say nothing of the fact that urban voters tend to be better educated and more in-tune with the Internet – ergo the alternative media with its freer news coverage and analysis. As a result these voters are very performance-driven. They like Hannah Yeoh because she works phenomenally hard and is sincere and approachable. The fact that she's a DAP cadre is secondary. In fact appeals to particular exclusive ethnic or religious affiliations have limited traction – witness Zulkifli Noordin's failure to win in Shah Alam. Underperform as the out-going Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak did and you're out. Deliver as Perak Mentri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir did and you'll scrape through. Indeed, Zambry, a thinker with a self-deprecating and witty turn-of-phrase, is exactly the type of leader Barisan Nasional needs if it's serious about reclaiming the urban voters. Because let's face it: Pakatan Rakyat has largely beaten Barisan in the cities. Barisan can continue to govern on the back of the rural vote in the short-term, but the fact is that the cities are the source of ideas and energy it desperately needs to keep reinventing itself. Pakatan may not have made the gains it had hoped but it clearly has the most dynamic parts of Malaysia on its side. Like it or not, this gives it an edge in the long run. This is what Najib needs to work on in the weeks and months ahead if he truly wants to leave a legacy. |
| Khalid and Azmin in tussle over Malaysia’s richest state Posted: 06 May 2013 02:45 PM PDT 
PKR's Azmin Ali has made no secret of his ambition of becoming Selangor mentri besar. But many attribute the Opposition's gains in the state to the popularity of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. It's common knowledge that the younger generation of Pakatan supporters are split between Team Izzah and Team Azmin. PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, too, is said to have issues with Azmin. Rumour has it that Dr Wan Azizah was not fielded in Selangor because of this. Tashny Sukumaran, The Star WHO will be Selangor's next mentri besar? Although Pakatan Rakyat swept to power in the state, gaining eight seats for a total of 44 out of 56 in the state assembly, there might be instability as the previously dominant PKR is now the junior partner. While both PAS and DAP scored 15 state seats each, PKR won one less with 14. Those aligned to incumbent Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim point to the massive gains as a sign of approval. But Pakatan has not decided who will lead the nation's richest state and indeed, whether he will be from PKR. Khalid has assured the rakyat that Pakatan's top leaders will make a decision within a week. "The decision has not been made (yet)," he told reporters. However, it is expected to be a straight fight between two men Khalid and PKR firebrand Azmin Ali. Azmin, the party's deputy president, has allegedly been gunning for the mentri besar post for years. The highly-publicised spat between him and Khalid's political secretary Faekah Husin who is fiercely protective of her boss is touted as proof of the rivalry between Khalid and Azmin. There was further controversy last October when Azmin told a Malay daily that Khalid would be made a minister if Pakatan seized Putrajaya and would be vacating the mentri besar's position. Azmin is very much Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's man but whispers of friction between him and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar only serve to add fuel to the fire. It's common knowledge that the younger generation of Pakatan supporters are split between Team Izzah and Team Azmin. PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, too, is said to have issues with Azmin. Rumour has it that Dr Wan Azizah was not fielded in Selangor because of this. Despite his clashes with Anwar's wife and daughter, Azmin still has the Opposition leader's ear. And thanks to Anwar's backing, the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman may take on Khalid. Behind closed doors, elected representatives and candidates make no secret of their allegiances. A source close to Khalid said Azmin had picked candidates he could control. "He chooses his own people to make sure everyone is in his pocket. But Azmin needs to realise the rakyat accept Khalid." The source accused him of putting his candidates in safe seats. The source said it was an open secret Azmin frequently meddled in Selangor matters for his own political mileage. When Khalid, who won the Port Klang state seat in GE13, first entered the scene, he was viewed as a political novice but a seasoned corporate leader. A member of the National Productivity Council, he was also chief executive of state-run investment fund Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and CEO of what is now Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad. Azmin has been close to Anwar since the age of 23, serving as his special officer in 1987 when the Permatang Pauh MP was Education Minister. When Anwar was convicted of sodomy and corruption, Azmin was one of PKR's founding members. His loyalty knows no bounds, to the extent of being convicted for lying in court during Anwar's trial. He was later acquitted. However, the court proceedings effectively ensured he could not participate in the 2004 general election. Some have questioned if Azmin can and should be mentri besar as he was born in Singapore, not Selangor. But according to a national-level PKR leader, Azmin is allowed by the Selangor constitution to become mentri besar. "Pakatan did well in Selangor thanks to Khalid. The rakyat retained us because they thought they'd continue with him as mentri besar." The leader said that as PKR's seats had been reduced, the party would have to consult DAP and PAS closely. "DAP and PAS are both very much behind Khalid. Azmin will make an attempt to grab the post but he doesn't have the popularity." However, there have been whispers that PAS is eager to submit a name for consideration although sources say the party will not push for it for the sake of preserving Pakatan's unity. But the PKR leader confirmed that in closed-door meetings, Khalid had support. The caretaker mentri besar also met the Selangor Sultan yesterday. "It will probably be Khalid. Azmin may have had a chance before but now the political landscape is different." |
| Will BN court DAP? Posted: 06 May 2013 02:37 PM PDT 
If the Chinese community wants proper representation in the federal government, it will not come from MCA or Gerakan right now. Athi Shankar, FMT No doubt it was a Chinese tsunami that swept across Penang on Sunday's polling day. Pakatan Rakyat retained this island-state with an increase of one state seat to 30 against Barisan Nasional's 10, all won by Umno. BN compensated its one seat loss in Seberang Jaya by regaining Balik Pulau parliamentary seat, also by Umno. Like the 2008 general election, MCA, Gerakan and MIC have all been wiped out yet again. Predictions that BN may give a closer fight this time was a false alarm. It was a worse defeat for BN than in 2008 looking at size of majority gained by Pakatan winners, especially in Chinese areas. With just a stroke of a pen, the Chinese have sent a clear message to BN that they wanted the coalition out of their political system. Humiliated state BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow, who lost in Bukit Tengah state constituency, took responsibility for the defeat and resigned immediately from his position. He had also quit as Gerakan secretary-general, noting that the Chinese had rejected his leadership and his party in Penang. It is amazing to see the change of fortune of a party that once ruled Penang for 39 years. It is true that the Chinese tsunami wiped out Gerakan and MCA, enabling the DAP to emerge as champion of the community. The main reason for the ethnic Chinese community to back Pakatan, especially the DAP in Penang, is their hatred against Umno and BN. It was clear in the run in to the election, Pakatan supporters, dominated by Chinese were in uncompromising mood. Their drive for "Ubah … Ini Kalilah" was beyond reasons. One can't talk to them with justified reasons. They were simply not listening. They didn't want to listen. They had made up their minds. They were unmoved no matter how much one exposed flaws, shortcomings and wrongdoings of Pakatan. They were confident that Anwar Ibrahim and company would capture the central government, and they were single-minded to change the central power. What's next? Former Gerakan and MCA assemblyman Lim Boo Chang said the Chinese got carried away and went for overkill after putting false hopes on Anwar. "Chinese voters believed Pakatan would capture the federal government," he said. Some blamed the overdose of "IMalaysia" parties for two weeks for BN's electoral debacle. But the Chinese tsunami was national phenomena, not just in Penang. The Chinese were feasting themselves, eating freely all food items, receiving angpows, goodies and lucky draw prizes at these parties. But on polling day, they voted against BN, and cast their ballots for DAP and company. Many are proud that they have outsmarted BN this time, fully satisfied with their revenge. But, what now after this? Some suggested that everyone put the election behind them and concentrate on national unity and socio-economic growth. They said winners and losers should never be carried away with the results. "Don't over politicised the results. Stop the blame game. Don't waste time and government resources in politicking," were their wishes. Some expressed concern that Penang may not be able to survive with an "opposition" state government for another term without the support of the federal government. Naturally those who backed Pakatan hopes that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak government would not discriminate, isolate and sideline Penang. They are praying that Putrajaya would not resort to "punitive actions". If Putrajaya punished Penangites, especially on fiscal policies, the Chinese here can be crippled. The economically vibrant Chinese and "privileged" Malays may be able to survive for few more years but the downtrodden Indians would be the biggest victims. Some said BN should do some soul-searching if it wants to win back the Chinese voters. They want BN to accept the people's verdict and, be fair and just in its future policies. At the same time, some observers said the Chinese should also wake up and reflect on what they want. They said Chinese must see on what were their actual needs than mere material needs. It is also amazing and amusing to notice the anti-graft stance among Pakatan supporters who before the polls were hitting hard at BN as a corrupted entity that should be wiped out from the earth. After polls, they suddenly and surprisingly expressed hopes that the DAP join the same "corrupted" BN to provide Chinese representation in the federal government. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Chinese tsunami’ hits Malaysian politics Posted: 06 May 2013 02:33 PM PDT 
"For the very first time in Malaysia's political history… the Chinese have decided to vote as a bloc and they have decided to vote the opposition," said James Chin, a lecturer with Monash University. (AFP) - Malaysia's Chinese minority has for decades gone about its business and left leadership to a Malay-dominated regime, but in weekend polls they deserted it in what the premier called a "Chinese tsunami". Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's term has since gone viral, touching off a debate over whether Sunday's bitter election battle presages a deepening divide between increasingly assertive urban Chinese and the country's majority Muslim Malays. "Overall, the results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government," Najib said after declaring victory Monday, ruefully noting a "tsunami from the Chinese community." Malaysia has enjoyed relative harmony among its main ethnicities for decades under the authoritarian template of the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, but the mere mention of racial tension remains a sensitive issue. The political and economic system is built on decades-old policies that prop up Malays to prevent dominance by the Chinese, who immigrated under British colonialism and control much of the economy despite making up just a quarter of the 28-million population. Umno, which has towered over Barisan and the country since independence in 1957, routinely refers to deadly 1969 racial riots as a warning against minorities threatening this status quo. But minority Chinese and Indians increasingly reject their "second-class" status, egged on by an opposition that made its best showing ever Sunday. "For the very first time in Malaysia's political history… the Chinese have decided to vote as a bloc and they have decided to vote the opposition," said James Chin, a lecturer with Monash University. Chinese are angry about Barisan corruption and feel "marginalised", he said. After an often racially divisive campaign by Barisan, which the opposition says was tainted by massive fraud, the regime largely held firm in the 222-seat parliament, retaining a solid majority as core rural Malay support held. But several urban, Chinese-heavy seats tumbled to the three-party opposition, whose Chinese-dominated DAP was the alliance's big winner, gaining nine seats to end at 38. The results were a snub to Najib, who reached out to minorities after a 2008 election setback with a much-touted racial-unity programme that is now in tatters. It is considered imperative in Malaysia for government to project at least a facade of diversity, and Barisan's mix of 13 parties, several ethnic-based, were its claim to legitimacy. But voters continued to desert its minority parties, which political analysts said increasingly reveals Barisan as a Malay camp under Umno's thumb. "We're lucky to still be in government at the federal level," said Saifuddin Abdullah, a Barisan reform voice who lost his seat Sunday, citing the "Chinese tsunami." "There needs to be a new BN (Barisan)," he told online media, adding it was worrying that Barisan won with only a minority of the popular vote. It held power thanks to a system of seat allocations that, critics say, unfairly favours Barisan strongholds. But analysts said Najib faces an uphill task wooing back a Chinese community that Umno has routinely made a bogeyman to shore up Malay support. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has for years called for reform of policies that give Malays advantages in business, education and home-buying, which he says are abused by a rich Malay elite. Sensing the public mood, Najib also has promised some reforms. But top opposition figure Lim Kit Siang, an ethnic Chinese who heads the DAP, said the country was set for deeper racial trouble if Najib does not fundamentally change the regime's ways. "So long as he refuses to admit that, so long as he wants to polarise and racialise (the vote results), then they themselves are guilty of a racist outlook and they are incapable of any national reconciliation," he said. |
| Crouching concern, hidden dagger Posted: 06 May 2013 02:22 PM PDT 
The national reconciliation proposal thrown this time around sounds astonishingly similar exactly 40 years on, like an alchemy to be unleashed passed from father to son. By Syed Nadzri Syed Harun, FMT Tun Daim Zainuddin was brutally right again and by now should already be Malaysia's No1 political pundit. His main predictions of the 13th general election (GE13) actually came true — that Kedah would be back with Barisan Nasional (BN) and that the Chinese would lose crucial representation by totally choosing to desert BN. After a mind-boggling forecast that was spot on regarding the political tsunami of the last round, the former finance minister got everyone talking when he turned out to be convincingly accurate about BN regaining Kedah after five years and especially about the shaky Chinese ground. While Kedah is quite straightforward, the "Chinese tsunami" phenomenon that lashed through the Malaysian political landscape when the results came in the wee hours yesterday requires deep thinking on all fronts. The scenario: BN won 133 parliamentary seats, 88 through its Malay affiliate Umno. And on the other side, a large chunk of the seats secured by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was through DAP, a mainly-Chinese party. The MCA and Gerakan, the Chinese-based partners in BN, were nearly wiped out. Coupled with MCA's assertion that it would not accept any Cabinet posting since it has fared worse than 2008 (seven parliamentary seats this time against 15 in the last round), it may all come to this now: a predominantly Malay federal government against a Chinese dominated Opposition. Exactly what Daim had cautioned against. A very unhealthy situation. Even Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wore that worried look when he spoke about this at an early morning victory press conference yesterday. He underlined the need for the BN government to embark on a national reconciliation process as part of a move to heal the racial and political divisions that have sparked in the wake of GE13. "We (BN) are still trying to absorb the results, but we will be looking forward to reject political and racial extremism, and work towards a more moderate and accommodating environment," he said. Deja vu? The talk of national reconciliation brings back uncanny parallels of the past involving no less than Najib's father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, when he became prime minister not long after the milestone 1969 elections that brought in similar situations about Malay-Chinese and urban-rural divides. With so much challenges before him, Abdul Razak rode on a "national resilience" (ketahanan rakyat) agenda then to bring together adverse forces to drive the country forward. The national reconciliation proposal thrown this time around sounds astonishingly similar exactly 40 years on, like an alchemy to be unleashed passed from father to son. DAP in federal government? Back then, daddy fortified Alliance, the ruling coalition, in forming the BN by bringing in the Opposition Gerakan, a mainly Chinese- and urban-based party, and the Islamist PAS into the fold. Gerakan, despite going through internal problems at that time, appealed to the young middle-class intellectuals. But in one master-stroke Abdul Razak, it was reported, institutionalised coalition politics in Malaysia to reduce undesirable communal politicking. On June 1, 1974, the BN was formally registered to gear up for the forthcoming elections. READ MORE HERE |
| Jeffrey’s groundwork gave Pakatan victory Posted: 06 May 2013 02:17 PM PDT 
STAR contested 69 seats and won only Bingkor through its leader Jeffrey Kitingan. Luke Rintod, FMT Sabah's maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan, who captured the imagination of young KDM professionals across Sabah with the historic truths about the 20 points and Malaysia Agreement, and stoked their desire for change, is a sad and "baffled" man today. His two-year long charismatic work on the ground while empowering minds about the Borneo Agenda, delivered seats to Pakatan Rakyat's PKR and DAP instead of his own political brand – State Reform Party (STAR). The Pakatan pact won 11 seats. STAR won one. Sabah has 60 state constituencies. The Pakatan pact also won three parlaimentary seats – Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Sandakan. Confident STAR contested in 70 seats across the state. But only Jeffrey managed to wrest his Bingkor seat. Everyone else lost badly with many only registering votes in the hundreds and losing their deposits. In a text message to FMT, a shocked Jeffrey said: "I was surprised at the overall results of STAR candidates…I am still baffled. "My reading is that it has been put into the voters' mind that only BN and PR (Pakatan) can make the difference. "Most didn't understand the strategic importance of Sabah and Sarawak as the third force." He also blamed BN money and the uneven political playing field for STAR's candidates. "Of course the lack of financial resources, the uneven playing field, cheating and "pengundi luar" (outside voters) continue to be BN's forte," he said. Jeffrey himself won the Bingkor state seat with a majority of 456 in a four-cornered fight. He chalked up 5,350 votes, beating Kennedy John Angian of BN who garnered 4,894 votes. Ahmad Shah Tambakau of PKR got 2,368 votes while the sole independent candidate Ricky Sedomon only managed to get 111 votes and lost his deposit. The 64-year-old however again failed to unseat his elder brother Joseph Pairin in an interesting three-cornered fight for the Keningau parliamentary seat. On his Bingkor victory, Jeffrey said: "As for Bingkor, they gave me their votes because I have always been there for them. "They understand and support my "perjuangan" as being important to Sabah and I had a committed and effective election machinery". READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Umno must initiate talks with PAS’ Posted: 06 May 2013 02:14 PM PDT 
It is imperative for these two parties to come together and lead the way towards restoring race harmony in the country, says Penang Malay Congress. Hawkeye, FMT A Malay NGO has come out in support of a proposal by a Kelantan Umno leader that the nationalist Malay party initiates goodwill talks with PAS. The talks can be held under the name of the national reconciliation proposed initiative by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, said Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak. "This is something which should be pursued as it is clear from the results of the 13th general election that the non-Malays have rejected Umno and to a degree PAS," said Rahmad. PAS may not be have been rejected outright because it contested under the Pakatan banner, but the non-Malays are uneasy over its struggle for an Islamic state. However, it is clear that after evaluating the outcome of the election, Umno is struggling with the non-Malay vote, said Rahmad. MCA and Gerakan, the main Chinese components parties of Umno-led Barisan Nasional, were almost wiped out in the polls. Rahmad said it is no longer a consideration but a must for PAS and Umno to come together and study the option of pursuing goodwill arrangement between the two parties. For two decades, since the expulsion of Anwar Ibrahim from Umno, the Malay political voice has nosedived in certain states and because their leaders are at loggerheads, he added. "This must change if the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's mooted idea of national reconciliation is to take place," Rahmad. Malays rejected by their own community In Penang for example, the Malay ground continues to side with Umno despite the presence of PKR and PAS as alternatives. "Racial ties are polarised. Malays are hestitant participants in a DAP-led state government while Pakatan's Malay leaders have been rejected by their own community," said Rahmad. READ MORE HERE |
| Analysis: Malaysia - It was Never About the Election Posted: 06 May 2013 02:12 PM PDT 
Najib could be saved from a sudden political death, as there is really nobody within close range to the current leadership who has the necessary charisma, innovation and goodwill to make the necessary reforms. Going against all pundits, Najib may survive. Toppling him now for his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, could lead to very costly rifts in UMNO, which the party may not be able to afford. Murray Hunter, Asia Sentinel It was always about what would happen afterwards It is extremely difficult to find any real winners in the results which dripped out from Malaysia's Electoral Commission late Sunday night and early Monday morning - although, somewhat surprisingly, one could be Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who ran ahead of his party and who managed to preserve majorities in Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Pahang against an opposition onslaught, and to win back Kedah through the clever tactic of sending Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of the long-serving Prime Minister into the fray as a candidate for the chief ministership.
The United Malays National Organization, the biggest ethnic* party in the Barisan, needs reform and there is no one in sight who can drive it. Failing to reform will lead UMNO to inevitable extinction within two general elections. The biggest problem is that the party may not want to reform itself. It is evident that Najib over the last few years hasn't been able to firmly steer UMNO into the directions he wanted to go, and his agenda has been hijacked by the likes of the Malay nationalist NGO Perkasa, doing great damage. For these reasons perhaps he should not take total blame.
In this light, Najib could be saved from a sudden political death, as there is really nobody within close range to the current leadership who has the necessary charisma, innovation and goodwill to make the necessary reforms. Going against all pundits, Najib may survive. Toppling him now for his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, could lead to very costly rifts in UMNO, which the party may not be able to afford. Any change in the current leadership would most probably signal that UMNO will steer to the conservative right, counterintuitive to what the electorate might be saying. It was UMNO moderates such as Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahrir Samad who profited in the election.
Federally, the opposition gained a net seven seats, with the new Parliament comprising 133 Barisan Nasional to 89 Pakatan Rakyat seats. However at the same time Pakatan lost ground, losing federal seats in the northern state of Kedah, as well as the state government.
Notably Parti Islam se-Malaysia Vice President Mohamad Sabu, considered to be a modernizer for PAS, lost the Pendatang parliamentary seat in Kedah. Pakatan Rakyat also failed to make any gains in neighboring Perlis, even though it believed it had a chance of doing so. The opposition coalition narrowly failed to regain the Perak state government which it lost through defections in 2009, with the Barisan winning 31 to Pakatan 28 seats. In addition the opposition just failed to win the state government in Terengganu where many commentators believed that Pakatan would have to win if it had any chance of winning the Federal government. Pakatan Rakyat also failed to wrest Negri Sembilan from the BN, with PAS losing all of the 10 seats it contested.
The Barisan had a number of casualties. DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang trounced Johor Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman in Johor, and the Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam, trying to move to the federal parliament was defeated. Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin failed in his bid to win the urban seat of Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur from the PKR incumbent Nurual Izzah Anwar. A cabinet minister in Sabah Bernard Dompok, and VK Liew in Sandakan both lost. Yong Koon Seng in Sarawak also lost his seat of Stampin. This has given Pakatan Rakyata a new front in East Malaysia where they now hold three parliamentary seats and 11 state seats in Sabah, and picked up six parliamentary seats in Sarawak.
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) went from 15 seats to 6 federally, and to only 10 state seats, although they contested 37 parliamentary and 90 state seats. Gerakan now only has one seat in the parliament. The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) won only four out the nine seats it contested. The Barisan is effectively a bumiputera government with little Chinese or Indian representation.
The two ultra Malay Perkasa candidates, Ibrahim Ali in Pasir Mas Kelantan and Zulkifli Noordin in Shah Alam, Selangor both lost to Pakatan Rakyat candidates, indicating that the electorate is not in favor of extreme politics.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP) is probably the exception. It has made massive gains both state and federally, making great inroads and winning many seats in the urban areas of Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Melaka and in Johor. It has consolidated its position in holding Penang, and is now the biggest party in the opposition with 38 seats. This is in contrast to both PAS and PKR, which both lost federal seats.
From the Pakatan perspective, winning government from the 2008 base was probably too ambitious. Rarely can any opposition in a Westminster system make such gains in one election, and it is easy to forget the dissatisfactions back in 2008 with the Barisan that led to that result. Therefore making further electoral gains was not going to be easy, except perhaps in areas like Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak, which hadn't been focused upon before.
From this reasoning perhaps Pakatan lost the election back in 2008 by not choosing to consolidate what it had won, and to pursue gaining government so vigorously. Where Pakatan ran effective and efficient governments they gained, in Kedah, where internal problems were perceived, the state was lost, just as Pakatan lost Terengganu back in 1999.
In retrospect Pakatan's strategy of running a continuous election campaign since 2008 may not have been the wisest. Pakatan's dealing with all the corruption issues arising during the last five years within the Barisan government did little to win over the voters they needed. The issues of good governance and corruption appeal to the middle class urban constituency, but the rural constituency has little interest in those issues.
And this is a problem for the Barisan. This traditional constituency, which has voted according to their prosperity and sense of stability, is shrinking. The demographics of Malaysia are rapidly changing where the rural/urban ratio has turned 180 degrees from being 70/30 to 30/70 over the last three election periods although because of malapportionment rural votes are effectively double the value of urban ones.
Therefore for Pakatan to rule, it must win the hearts and minds of the rural constituency, and for the Barisan it must determine how it can win the hearts and minds of the urban constituency. This is the basic dilemma facing both fronts, providing different and specific challenges to each. Read more at: http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5395&Itemid=178 |
| Tiada Gangguan Elektrik GE13 Posted: 06 May 2013 01:43 PM PDT 
Kami memohon kerjasama semua pihak agar menghentikan dakwaan ini. TNB CareLine Pelanggan yang dihormati,
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) ingin memberi maklum balas kepada beberapa dakwaan di dalam sosial media mengenai gangguan bekalan elektrik ketika proses pengiraan undi Pilihan Raya Umum ke 13.
Berdasarkan maklum balas pasukan tunggu sedia TNB, kami mendapati semua pusat pengiraan undi tidak mengalami sebarang gangguan bekalan elektrik semasa proses pengiraan undi berjalan.
Justeru, kami memohon kerjasama semua pihak agar menghentikan dakwaan ini.
Bagaimana pun jika anda mempunyai sebarang maklumat mengenai gangguan bekalan yang berlaku, sila nyatakan tempat dan masa kejadian supaya siasatan lanjut dapat dijalankan.
Terima kasih menggunakan perkhidmatan TNB CareLine |
| Response to "How the Malay Vote was Lost" Posted: 06 May 2013 01:24 PM PDT 
Q I was a PA from one of the salurans in Shah Alam. I don't claim to be an expert in crunching data, but the statistics below is based on my rudimentary understanding of math and also common sense. Just for argument's sake, I did a brief analysis on the list of voters I was given (youngest voters) and here are my findings in response to the blogger whose post "How The Malay Vote Was Lost" http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/from-around-the-blogs/56539-how-the-malay-vote-was-loston Malaysia Today. He hints that BN will triumph if the ethnic Malays show more enthusiasm in participating in the elections. With all due respect, I disagree. Please bear with me here as I try my best to crunch the numbers. Observation:*I will spare you the raw data while presenting the information in terms of percentage.Although this sample is far from perfect for the Shah Alam Parliament seat According to Undi.info, P108 Shah Alam has a registered voter racial breakdown of: MALAY 69%, CHINESE 15%, INDIAN 14% (leaving Lain-lain with 2%). Take into account that the registered Malay electorate has actually increased from 66% in 2004 to 69% in 2013, reflecting the growing Malay population and the shrinking Non-bumi population. The sample from my 'saluran' (of registered voters) was: Malay 79.6%; Chinese 18%; Indians 2.3% Lain-lain 0.1% Turnout percentage for all races are as shown below: Malays 77.8%, Chinese 91%, Indians 71.4%, Lain-lain 100% Result- PAS won with a 20% majority in this saluran
Analysis:
ASSUMING the extreme estimate that 90% of the non-bumi votes went to PAS, Malay votes that went to PAS still stands at 50.1%. ASSUMING 85% of the non-bumi votes went to PAS, the party's votes from the Malays would be higher at 52.2%
(If it's worth mentioning, the middle-age salurans have results similar to this. Not so in the older electorate salurans, where PAS won by smaller margins. So if we assume that these middle-age and young voters will form the bulk of votes - including voters who will register between now and the next election - the effect will multiply.)
Judging on the premise that 90% non-bumis voted PAS, slightly more than half of the Malay electorate gave their votes to the Islamist party. Hence, based on my amateur analysis, even if the blogger gets his wish to have ALL
registered Malays out to vote, assuming that the voting pattern for Malays is roughly constant, PAS will still win albeit with a reduced majority. This is due to the even split of the Malay electorate. 50:50.
The reduced majority may be bad news for PR on the surface, but if you look ONLY at the Malay votes - 50:50, is it not safe to assume that whoever wishes to take this seat must earn at least SOME Chinese/Indian votes? If I
may, I think this shows that the electorate, from this saluran at least, rejected the hardline approach by Zulkifli Noordin and certain quarters of BN (not unlike what this blogger represents).
Moderation is the key.
Although there may be other issues at play, the extreme-right stance taken would be the focus of my post. The blogger, I suggest, should focus LESS on the "divide and rule" strategy, but more on inclusiveness and better
governance should BN really want to wrest back the urban Malay-majority seat of Shah Alam. Yes, you will lose with a smaller majority if you increase Malay participation, but heck, losing by 1000 and losing by 10000 is still losing right? (Unless you're a PR candidate, whereby winning by 100 is also losing). If BN wants to WIN the seat, it might be a good idea NOT to alienate the "others" as suggested by this particular blogger.
Looking at the larger picture, if this is reflective of the voting pattern for urban seats in the Klang Valley, yours truly is of the opinion that they should step back to the middle and promote an inclusive Malaysia accepted by all while cleansing themselves of the baggage of corruption. (Fielding a candidate who's NOT-aligned to Perkasa would be a start). Perhaps only then will the urban non-bumis return to BN's fold. In other words, PR will be in trouble if BN manages to covince the people that the days of NFC and PKFZ are over. A big 'IF' indeed. Saying that it is a Chinese Tsunami (again playing up racial sentiments) isn't helping them. Although the Chinese did have the biggest and most consistent swing across the board, it is, in my honest opinion, more of an "Urban-Tsunami" if Shah Alam is anything to go by.
Off tangent: PR on the other hand, despite the overwhelming win in mostly-urban Selangor, has some soul-searching to do with regard to lower rural support. They also need to educate the foul-mouthed minority (especially the loud
Chinese supporters flooding comment sections) who aren't mature enough to understand the sensitivities of a multicultural society. They are an unfortunate misrepresentation of the silent majority. My hope is for the young and hot-blooded to ... 1) grow up and stop uttering racist statments no better than those uttered by Perkasa leaders and
2) cease the bullying on personalities who have different political leanings, i.e. accept that everyone has the freedom to chose who they like; it is up to us to convince those across the political divide, through civil, informed
discussions/debate, that our side is better. I predict that the pent-up anger and release via anonymous comments on newsportals and websites like this will subside gradually as we mature as a society. As RPK once responded to my comment, taking me to task for not speaking out when so-called "kins" of mine stepped over the line, I have since taken it upon myself to not remain silent anymore. |
| Democracy - Malaysia, do you still believe? Posted: 06 May 2013 01:22 PM PDT 
We may have been inadvertently led to believe that there is only one chance left for change but this is not the case. I pen this letter to assure you that there is so much left to fight for and in light of the 13th General Elections, here are thirteen reasons why democracy isn't dead but instead far from it. A Malaysian Who Still Believes The last forty-eight hours have been grueling to say the least, what with supposed news of electoral fraud and underhanded tactics employed to win the most closely fought elections since independence, one could almost be forgiven if an abstinence from politics is all that lingers on a weary mind. However, the message coming out thus far has been discouraging and I fear for Malaysia if her citizens are losing hope. We may have been inadvertently led to believe that there is only one chance left for change but this is not the case. I pen this letter to assure you that there is so much left to fight for and in light of the 13th General Elections, here are thirteen reasons why democracy isn't dead but instead far from it. 1) On the 5th of May, the Election Commission reported that 80 percent of voters braved the sun and rain to leave the comforts of their home to come out and vote. It did not matter who their support went to, what mattered was the sense of responsibility instilled within Malaysians that they needed to contribute, to speak up both for this country and its future children. This to me is democracy. 2) Despite all the issues of phantom voters, "houdini ballots", blackouts and gerrymandering, the fact is 51.3% of the electoral voted for Pakatan Rakyat while 49.7% voted for the Government. The Barisan Nasional coalition knows this, you know this and I too know this. The system must be changed and in the coming years leading up to the election, expect the common man to resonate strongly against every policy, every decision and every contract that is made or given. 51.8% of the electoral roll are angry that they are not justly represented and are willing to sacrifice even more to contribute to this change in system. This to me is democracy. 3) For the second successive election, the Government is once more denied its two third majorities. In fact, the opposition has seen an increase of seven seats leaving them with 89 Member of Parliaments. Malaysia not only will have an under pressure incumbent but a strong and capable opposition who will fight for us. This to me is democracy. 4) The Prime Minister, in the weeks leading up the 13th General Elections realized the fact that Malaysians no longer concern themselves with racial issues but rather on the progress of the country as a whole. This in large attributed to the fact that our country appeared to be practicing the format of a Presidential Election. The banner of MIC and MCA has almost been nearly wiped out and their leaders too have admitted that the need for reform is real. The move away from racial politics is heartening and given the trend thus far, in time, will totally evaporate. This to me is democracy. 5) Perkasa will never again see the light of day in Parliament for both Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin lost. The government knows now that Malaysians are truly united and will not tolerate racist bigots who were supposedly 'winnable candidates'. As a citizen of a multi-racial country, the drastic change in embracing a more secular approach gives me hope. This to me is democracy 6) In a predominantly ethnic Malay constituency, a Chinese won and in a predominantly ethnic Chinese constituency, a Malay won. You only need to look at Pandan, where Rafizi Ramli thumped Gary Lim with a 26,700 majority. Malaysians understand that capability is what makes a candidate successful regardless of their race. This to me is democracy. 7) Incapable candidates within Pakatan Rakyat will not be shown mercy and will be purged out. There is no evidence bigger than the loss of Kedah to Barisan Nasional. The state has witnessed poor results and several cases of in-fighting and the people simply got frustrated and wanted better. This to me is democracy. 8) Money politics will no longer work and you cannot buy our votes – this is probably the biggest lesson for the incumbent after spending millions on handouts. The fact stands, despite reports of electoral fraud in her constituency, Nurul Izzah won and she won against a minister known for his splurge in handouts. This will send out a deafening cry to all that transparency and justice will always prevail. This to me is democracy. 9) This election was also historic because for the first time, both the opposition and incumbent presented a populist manifesto with the people's best interests at heart. Without knowing it, we have successfully undergone issue-based elections where the focus has been on key areas such as economy, education and cost of living instead of the usual ethnic based agendas. This paradigm shift also comes at a time when Malaysia finds itself only seven years away from Vision 2020. The time is now and the promises made will not be so easily forgotten. This to me is democracy. 10) It was reported that mainstream media has taken a heavy hit in the last five years and another five years will see many crippled. This is to be expected since media and press freedom is at its worst in our country. However, the rise of our own 'clictivists' in various social media platforms has seen millions of Malaysians engaged and well informed prior to the elections. Alternative media is the way forward and any form of bluff can now be called within minutes. This to me is democracy. 11) People Power. The common man arose to walk for a cause they believed in, Bersih or Anti-Lynas, UKM4 or even the "Walk for Freedom" campaign. We made sure our voices were heard, our angst and displeasure shared through peaceful protests with the people who could make a difference. We no longer sat back and passed the responsibility to others with indifference but instead took control of our fate and reclaimed our country with conviction. This to me is democracy. 12) Put aside the criticisms of Barisan Nasional for a moment and you will realise that the party has changed albeit not yet sufficient. As mentioned earlier, the winds of change is now knocking on their doorstep, it is up to them to embrace it or to be left in its wake. The party has been given a rude awakening in some sense in that corruption and abuse of power will no longer be tolerated but fought against with our votes. If the 2008 general elections was a political tsunami, 2013 is the rakyat's final warning, change or be changed. This to me is democracy. 13) Finally, the biggest positive to come out of all of this is the sense of belonging each of us has for each other and country. I saw naught of Malay, Chinese or Indian for I only saw Malaysians. Yes, this election has been tiring and divisive at times but when the dust settles, we return to our schools and work desks, working together for the greater good with the knowledge that tomorrow will bring a renewed sense of optimism and hope for change. To me, this above all is what democracy is about. The reasons above are only some of the truly inspiring outcomes of this election. As citizens of this blessed country, our role comprises of far more than just a simple tick at the ballot box once every five years. Noam Chomsky got it spot on when he said that to "some degree, it matters who is in office but it matters more how much pressure they're under from the public". It is in my humble view that citizen activism is the only way forward and the time has come for us to take matters into our hands, for after all, are they not problems which matter to us most? If memory serves me correctly, Nelson Mandela spent twenty seven years in prison, what then is one election if not the beginning? For now however, we have sent out a clear and strong message, that we will not be silenced; and long may that continue. Democracy is not dead; it is merely plagued with sickness and the cure to this sickness is all of you, the future generation of Malaysia Sincerely, A Malaysian Who Still Believes |
| Article by a PKR volunteer Posted: 06 May 2013 12:34 PM PDT 
I was a volunteer working last night for PKR. I acted as an observer then later as an 'escort', and I am here to tell you that it was almost impossible to smuggle in additional ballot boxes. http://www.facebook.com/mun.foong.14 I was a volunteer working last night for PKR. I acted as an observer then later as an 'escort', and I am here to tell you that it was almost impossible to smuggle in additional ballot boxes. For every constituency there was a fixed number of ballot boxes. To give you an example, for my area there were 23 JDMs, 3 saluran, 1 parliament seat and 1 state seat, with a total of 138 boxes, plus additional 4 postal ballots, that would make 142 boxes. Hence if SPR dared to show us a 143th box then they must be really stupid. Even if the lawyer for the candidate did nothing the candidate himself would surely have made a big scene out of it. I mean, the candidate couldn't be that moronic as well, right? Of course, there might be ways to change the ballot boxes during transportation, but both candidates would have to sign a Borang 14 before delivery. Hence if the PACA forgot to retain the carbon copy and the boxes reached the counting center then he had only himself to blame. I do not know about other constituencies, but there was 1 saluran in my area who forgot to get the copy then he had to run back to the ketua to ask for one, and the KTM gave the copy to him. Furthermore, there could not be that many representatives in the entire Malaysia 'forgetting' to retain the copies, right? The KTM would then use their own cars to transport the boxes to the counting centers and they would be escorted by policem. I asked the policemen if we as the representative for the candidate could follow them, guess what I got for reply? The police actually said : "Macam in lebih baik!! We are already late for the night (there had been some disputes when counting the votes at school, plus our school was far from the counting center, when we reached there it was almost 11pm) and there will be a lot of supporters there. They may think that we are trying to cheat and may attack us. Can you please ask more Keadilan volunteers to join us? That way when there is a dispute you can help by explaining to the penyokong." They were speeding all the way, fearing that we were the last to arrive at the counting center. I even laughed at the police for worrying too much. But when I saw on YouTube that someone actually surrounded the cars carrying the boxes I was totally speechless. As for the power-shortage ruse, I am really pissed! It has been the same trick used in every election, didn't they fucking know how to prepare for that? You know what happened in our area? I have been telling my counting agents to bring a torch light, just in case. Guess how many turned up with one? NONE! I don't mean to blame them, but the team leader of our volunteers team had already spent so much money buying us food, why couldn't he just spend another few ringgit buying the team some torch lights? Luckily our area was blessed with a functional power generator that power shortage was not a problem for us. But if they played the trick and we came unprepared then who could we blame? We have only ourselves to blame! For the past few days I had been telling our candidate and the PA where the pitfalls might be and they had better ask DAP for advice. After all, DAP has more experience than PKR and PAS. But he told me: "Without hantu we are sure to win! Just focus on keselamatan team to watch out for hantu,". But the thing was, the team came back with only a handful of hantu. Some Malay comrades came back reporting that the voters in Malay Kampungs were actually not as enthusiastic. Guess what our boss (a Chinese) said? "Tak apa, kita banyak support dari taman orang Cina". The Malay comrade actually looked very worried. Later he came to tell me that there were actually many people calling him stupid, "Anwar itu janji saja, tapi Najib sudah bayar cash, bodoh yang percaya sama yang janji dari yang bagi..." When we were busy submerging ourselves in the Ubah chant during ceramahs, had we actually stopped to think that the Ubah wind was actually not as strong among the Malays? Only after we lost do we start blaming others for a dirty election? There were 60000 plus votes in one constituency; had we given more attention to the Malay areas the win would have been a landslide that even the Bangla hantu would not change! To give you an example, let's say all Chinese supported DAP, but even as little as 50% of the Malays supported BN then we would face a 50:50 tie. In this case, if we could so much as garner 1.6% or 1000 Malay votes, that would give us a 2000-vote advantage over BN which we could then use to nullify the Bangla votes. Now you tell me, have you seen any constituency with over 1000 bangla hantu? Lastly, I would admit that there was indeed fraud in our election system, but I would urge that we do some reflection ourselves to know what we did wrong. I would especially urge my PKR comrades to do so..... 昨天我帮公正党监票兼sukarelawan，在外面顾着算票员keselamatan到最后escort都做的我来说，加票箱是不可能发生的... 一个区有几个票箱其实已经fix好的，好像我负责这一区，23个JDM，3个saluran，1国1州，共138箱，加postal 4个箱共142... 送到的时候，如果SPR真的那么白痴敢敢拿出第143箱，候选人的lawyer如果不做工的话，连候选人也是白痴的... 当然，半路换掉票箱不是不可能，不过送过去之前已经签好borang 14，就是双方确认算票结果，双方候选人代表会拿一个大家都签好的form，如果PACA忘记拿carbon copy，去到机票中心，赢变输，输变赢就要吃自己了，别的我不懂，我那边就一个saluran的忘记拿，还好跑回去跟Ketua拿的时候，KTM也steady给他，我不敢想象全马有几个区的人"忘记"拿... 送票箱去计票中心的时候，其实是用KTM的私家车的，然后police会escort去，然后我们问我们可以以候选人代表的身份跟尾去吗？你猜警察说什么？他说，macam ini lagi baik，因为我们晚了(因为算票的时候有点dispute,加上我们学校离总计票中心很远，大概一个小时路程，送到去大概11点多了)，很多在那边的penyokong会以为我们后面加票然后打我们的，对了，你可以叫多几个Keadilan和PAS的人一起跟吗？如果我们被围攻你帮忙跟penyokong解释... 他们飙很快，怕死我们最后一个送到，到最后安全送到，我还笑那个警察多心了，结果过后看到那么多youtube video人民包围那个送票车我真的无语了... 停电的我更没话说，那么多年同一招，他妈的你们不会带手电筒啊？我这边你知道发生什么事吗？交待了几个负责算票的counting agent记得带torch light，结果猜猜看几个带来了？一个都没有！我也没怪他们，义工团team leader花了那么多钱在请我们吃饭上面，为什么不花几块钱买几支手电筒或portable lamp交给每个算票员?还好我们这里发电厂quality比较好，不会停电，不然算到一半停电被人换票能怪谁？怪自己啦！ 前几天，我有跟候选人的PA反映了一些弱点，请PKR和PAS的志工向DAP取经... 论规划，论经验，DAP做得比PKR好太多太多了... 结果他说，只要没有鬼，赢定！专注在keselamat team去抓鬼好了，结果鬼就抓了那么十几个，马来志工回来feedback说马来乡村的反应有点冷淡，猜猜我们的头(华人)说什么？tak apa, kita banyak support dari taman orang cina... 我看得出当时那个马来人一脸无语... 那个马来同志有后面跟我说，很多人笑他笨，Anwar itu janji saja, tapi Najib sudah bayar cash, bodoh yang percaya sama yang janji dari yang bagi... 当我们沉醉在关子角的ceramah的ubah声时，有没有人看到其实马来人的ubah风气其实并没有那么强烈？最后输了，才来乖选举不公？ 一个选区60000多票，如果大家有稍微关注马来区的话，多数票就会是landslide，多多bangla都没有用！举个例子，就算华人一面倒支持火箭，马来人只要有一半支持国阵，大家50:50，不用做很多东西，如果大家肯争取到多1.6%或者1000张马来人票，国阵少1000，民联多1000，会变成2000票差距，就能够平衡bangla票了，那一个区有抓到1000个bangla的你现在跟我讲... 到最后要说，虽然的确，我们的选举存在很多不公，可是同时，请大家反省一下自己，尤其是公正党的... |
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