TMI

Thousands of Malaysians voted abroad during the 13th general election. Many more returned from Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, London and Taiwan, traditionally places with large numbers of Malaysians, to exercise their right to suffrage on May 5th.

This is a peculiar phenomenon.

Why do Malaysians who have found greener pastures abroad feel compelled to return to the country to cast their ballot? This certainly goes against the thesis of Albert O. Hirshman — who argued in a famous treatise in 1970 that when people have the chance to leave, they will, especially if they have found the entity to be increasingly dysfunctional and inefficient.

Concurrently, those who decided to ‘stay back’ would attempt to improve the country by voicing out. Be that as it may, those who have left the country are not expected to express their voices anymore let alone to vote. Yet, vote they did.

The quick and short answer to the above phenomenon is that they care. Indeed, not only do they care about the future of their immediate and extended families still in Malaysia, but they care about Malaysia, period.

And that is where Malaysia draws its greatest pride from — Malaysians and their sense of belonging, of camaraderie.

Beyond caring, they also know, through their collective exposure in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, if not as far away as United Kingdom, Japan and Australia, that Malaysia has been back-pedaling, especially on issues like corruption and crime let alone in building a vibrant democracy.

Take corruption, for example. The national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio at 54 per cent, it is one per cent shy of the constitutional limit; and this figure is a conservative estimate. When one lumps in the debt of the government linked companies (GLCS), often with the element of corruption still at work, the ratio is easily in the range of the mid-70s.

While many do not like to use the B word (i.e. bankcruptcy), the next generation is expected to foot the financial profligacy of the present one. Malaysians abroad share the same concern and anxieties with those at home.

Not surprisingly, up 75 to 85 per cent of the voters abroad, almost without fail, voted for the opposition according to exit polls.

Like the 51 per cent of the people in Malaysia, they chose to throw their lot with Pakatan Rakyat, this despite the fact that Pakatan Rakyat did not have any offices or representatives outside the country.

In fact, one may even wonder if they did so purely to register their disgust with Barisan National, rather than due to any objective attachment to Pakatan Rakyat; a trend that was discernible across all racial groups in urban areas from 2008 onwards.

Even in rural places ostensibly ‘won’ by the government, the establishment is not out of the woods, if ever they can be, due to their indulgent attitude to corruption and sheer exploitation of the natural resources that impacts rural communities directly.

My PAS colleague, Dr Dzukefly Ahmad, noted in a Malay op-ed that of the 11 constituencies with Dayak majority in Sarawak, all of them had experienced a dip of 10 per cent or more in the votes for the government.

This is unprecedented in areas that are customarily the vote banks of the state government. Thus, if Sabah and Sarawak are the ‘fixed deposit’ of the government, the yield is only decreasing, not enlarging.

Yet, this election, has allowed a minority government to be in Putrajaya, the seat of the Malaysian government. Like many in the country and abroad, the opposition is not so much shocked as it is outraged by the ‘enforced limitations’ of the electoral system; some of which are now being legally challenged by Pakatan Rakyat.

The limitations were ‘enforced’ because the Electoral Commission, which was under the Prime Minister’s Office, failed to reform the electoral system in the more than four years available ahead of the recent 13th general election, the ‘disappearing’ indelible ink fiasco included.

Electoral reforms were all the more imperative after repeated rounds of feedbacks from non-governmental groups like Bersih I, II, III, Tindak and Transparency International. But, whether by design or default, they chose to sit tight indifferent to the loud calls for free and fair elections. Even to the extent of allowing tainted electoral rolls to remain on the register, especially in my constituency that is Lembah Pantai.

In moments like these, it is easy to hate the arbitrary nature and high-handedness of the ruling government too. This is all the more the case when the ruling establishment, once again, is showing signs of attempting to remain in power on the sly.

Instead of seeking ‘national reconciliation’ advocated by the Prime Minister, the very first things that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Inspector General Police did was to arrest opposition figures and dissidents. A dragnet was imposed on those who spoke out against the unfairness of the election.

Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, the co-chairperson of Bersih, was right to affirm that “the government has been using words (such as national reconciliation), which it doesn’t even understand”; this when the Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is also a patron to a Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) whose rhetoric is not even echoed by his own immoderate party at home.

But Malaysians near and abroad must not fall into the temptation of blind hate, just as I am reminding myself too. To do so would be to stoop to the level of extreme jingoistic and mirror the narrative of such rabid malicious press likeUtusan Malaysia - the UMNO mouthpiece.

On the other hand, Pakatan Rakyat’s demand for substantive action such as the immediate removal of the Election Commission’s leadership before participating in the Prime Minister’s offer of a Parliamentary Select Committee to manage the Election Commission, which now falls under the Prime Minister’s Department will test the government’s readiness for reforms.

Indeed, revamping the Electoral Commission is urgently needed, especially on boundary redelineation which have to be completed over the next two years which once again will determine the next election’s fairness.

Beyond electoral petitions and all, the opposition has to govern well  in Selangor and Penang, too, without which they would not be able to arrest the growing skepticism of politicians emerging through out the country.

Pakatan Rakyat will continue to push for legislative reform in Parliament, as we have done since Malaysians gave us their mandate. The opposition mandate is to stay vigilant, alert and efficient, even as it is confronting a set of legal electoral challenges. Failure is not an option in the face of an increasingly hawkish and change-resistant minority government of Barisan National.

Indeed our march of history towards democracy will go on even if it is slightly bumpy, facing temporary roadblocks. For a mandate is still a mandate and should be the fodder for continued fortitude, determination and sacrifice for greater democracy in Malaysia.

Tempo

Pemimpin oposisi Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, bertandang ke Indonesia. Dalam kunjungannya di Jakarta, Anwar mengundang sejumlah media di Hotel Crown, Ahad, 16 Juni 2013, untuk berbincang soal kecurangan pemilihan umum di Malaysia yang diselenggarakan April lalu.

Anwar menceritakan “serangan” partai koalisi pro-pemerintah, Barisan Nasional, yang digawangi Partai UMNO, terhadap kelompok oposisi, Pakatan Rakyat. Saat masa kampanye, kata Anwar, partai oposisi diserang melalui media massa yang dia klaim sudah dibeli oleh partai penguasa. “Selama 24 jam kami diserang melalui siaran di televisi, isu-isu diembuskan,” kata Anwar.

Contohnya, menurut Anwar, adanya isu jika Anwar Ibrahim terpilih sebagai perdana menteri, ia akan mengkristenkan Malaysia. “Bagi masyarakat yang tahu isu itu bakal ketawa, tapi masyarakat yang di pedalaman banyak yang termakan, mungkin mereka khawatir,” ujarnya.

Lantaran partai penguasa menguasai media massa, kata Anwar, partai oposisi tak punya sarana kampanye. Satu-satunya cara kampanye dengan menyebar pamflet. Namun upaya ini sering kali menuai petaka. Beberapa kader Anwar ditangkap polisi saat menyebarkan pamflet tanpa tuduhan jelas. “Setidaknya ada 25-30 anak muda kami ditangkap,” kata Anwar.

Kecurangan berlanjut hingga pemilihan umum tiba. Anwar mengaku menemukan praktek politik uang saat pemilihan umum berlangsung. Dia menemukan sejumlah masyarakat mendapat duit 500 ringgit. Dia juga menuding Komisi Pemilihan Umum Malaysia tak netral sebab terlalu membela partai penguasa. Dia menyebut KPU Malaysia tak profesional. Sebagai contoh, tak ada pengawasan yang jelas saat pemilihan dan penghitungan suara dilakukan, sehingga rawan terjadi kecurangan.

Bahkan Anwar menyebutkan bahwa tinta tanda peserta pemilu dipalsukan KPU Malaysia. Tinta yang seharusnya permanen diganti menjadi tinta biasa yang mudah dihapus. “Bahkan lucunya di tengah pemilu ada yang mati lampu, ini, kan, rentan kecurangan,” katanya.

Akibat kecurangan itu, partai penguasa dinyatakan menang. Sementara data yang Anwar punya menyatakan partai oposisinya menang lebih dari 50 persen. Anwar dan partai oposisi berjanji tetap kukuh mempertanyakan pemilihan umum Malaysia. Dia meminta lembaga pengawas pemilu Malaysia untuk mengusut dugaan kecurangan ini. Termasuk meminta pejabat KPU Malaysia untuk lengser dan bertanggung jawab. Berita internasional tentang Malaysia lainnya klik di sini.

Tempo

 

Pemimpin oposisi Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat, Anwar Ibrahim, akan menggelar demo besar pada 22 Juni 2013, menolak pemilihan umum yang dianggap penuh kecurangan. Rencananya demo besar itu akan dipusatkan di Padang Merbuk, Kuala Lumpur.

“Kami minta komisi pemilihan umum Malaysia mundur dan bertanggungjawab atas kecurangan ini,” kata Anwar saat menemui wartawan di Hotel Crown Plaza, Jakarta Selatan, Ahad, 16 Juni 2013.

Anwar mengaku pihak oposisi sudah pernah mengajukan keberatan serupa ke KPU Malaysia. Namun dia mengaku KPU menanggapi dengan arogan dengan mengatakan partai oposisi tak punya hak menggugat hasil pemilu.

Namun upaya demo besar tanggal 22 Juni mendatang, diakui Anwar mendapat halangan. Sekitar 15 pemuda kader Anwar ditangkap oleh polisi Malaysia, Sabtu, 15 Juni 2013, karena menyebarkan pamflet ajakan demo masal. “Ini tidak ada semangat bawa perubahan demokrasi,” kata Anwar.

Meski begitu, dia melanjutkan, tak akan membatalkan rencana demo besar tanggal 22 Juni mendatang. Anwar pun berjanji demo besar nanti partai oposisi tidak akan berujung aksi anarki. “Kami sudah nyatakan demo kami damai.”

detikNews

Tokoh oposisi Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, menyambut baik tawaran Jusuf Kalla untuk menjadi penengah di kemelut Pemilu Malaysia yang melibatkan Anwar dan kontestan pertahanan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Saya hormati inisiatif Pak JK. Tetapi komisi belum selesai dan isu Pemilu belum selesai,” kata Anwar Ibrahim dalam jumpa pers di Hotel Crown Plaza, Jl Gatot Subroto, Jakarta Selatan,Minggu (16/6/2013).

JK, menurut Anwar, dianggap mampu menjadi penengah dalam kemelut diantara kedua kontestan Pemilu tersebut. Hal ini karena JK merupakan teman akrab kedua pihak. Selain itu juga, dia menilai JK memiliki rekam jejak dalam meredam konflik, tidak hanya di Indonesia, namun juga di kawasan Asia Tenggara seperti di Myanmar.

Anwar yang mengenakan stelan jas abu itu menyatakan telah bertemu dengan Presiden SBY dua hari lalu di Bali. Dalam pertemuan itu dia berbincang mengenai permasalahan-permasalahan yang ada di Malaysia, khususnya terkait proses Pemilu Malaysia, dan beberapa kebijakan bilateral kedua negara.

“Saya juga mengutarakan tentang peranan Indonesia dan semangat idealisme demokrasi tentang kebebasan dan keadilan,” ujar Anwar.

Anwar menampik rumor yang berkembang selama ini bila ada agenda dirinya bertemu dengan PM Najib di Jakarta membahas isu-isu seputar Pemilu 2013.

“Saya jelaskan, tidak ada pertemuan. Tidak ada rencana peremuan,” kata Anwar.

Meski demikian, dirinya akan membuka pintu pertemuan bila sewaktu-waktu pihak dari PM Najib hendak bertemu membicarakan persoalan Pemilu. “Saya pikir harus lebih terbuka,” katanya.

Keadilan Daily

Pilihan raya umum ke-13 masih belum selesai dan pemilihan semula perlu dibuat di kawasan berlaku penyelewengan dan salah laku, tegas Ketua Umum KEADILAN, Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Tak selesai pilihan raya yang lalu. SPR perlu letak jawatan. Yang jelas tipu, yang khianat mesti dibetulkan. Walau apa alasan pun, (kita perlu) pilihan raya semula.

“Kita tidak akan tolak ansur. Kalau (mereka) padam lampu, hilangkan peti undi, (kita) betulkan, itu tuntutan kita,” katanya di hadapan lebih 15 ribu hadirin di Himpunan Black 505 Kelantan malam tadi.

Lebih 15,000 hadirin di himpunan ‘Black 505? Kelantan di Padang Majlis Daerah Ketereh

Anwar berkata, selagi SPR belum dihukum, rakyat tidak akan bertolak ansur dan himpunan Black 505 di Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur 22 Jun depan sebagai manifestasi kemarahan rakyat.

“Rakyat bukan hamba, rakyat punya hak, bagaimana nak suarakan? Najib takkan dengar, Umno juga tak nak dengar, bekeng (ganas), agah (sombong) tak tentu pasal.

“Sebab itu 22 haribulan ini kita berhimpun. Ini peluang terbaik untuk rakyat suarakan secara aman dan teratur. Kita nak betulkan keputusan pilihan raya di Padang Merbok,” tegas Anwar.

Malaysiakini

Penafian beberapa syarikat pengeluar kereta bahawa mereka menurunkan harga kereta, sebagai sebahagian memenuhi janji pilihan raya BN, dilihat memalukan parti itu, kata Pengarah Komunikasi PKR Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Menurut Nik Nazmi lagi, ia sekali gus mendedahkan betapa terdesaknya parti pemerintah dalam berhadapan dengan kempen turunkan harga kereta oleh Pakatan Rakyat.

“Episod memalukan ini mendedahkan betapa terdesaknya Umno-BN dalam berhadapan dengan kempen #TurunkanHargaKereta Pakatan,” kata Nik Nazmi dalam kenyataannya hari ini.

Pada 10 Jun lalu, akhbar Umno Utusan Malaysia melaporkan, kerajaan memenuhi janji menurunkan harga kereta secara berperingkat apabila lima syarikat pengeluar kereta mengumumkan penurunan harga 10 model kereta keluaran mereka.

Harian itu juga melaporkan, penurunan antara RM449 hingga RM12,775 (dari 0.7 hingga 11 peratus) dalam tempoh Januari hingga Mei tahun ini membabitkan kereta keluaran Peugeot, Proton, Perodua, Volkswagen dan Honda.

Penurunan fasa pertama harga kenderaan itu merupakan sebahagian daripada pelan kerajaan menurunkan secara berperingkat harga kereta sebanyak 20 hingga 30 peratus sehingga 2007.

Bagaimanapun, sebuah portal berita hari ini melaporkan, Volkswagen dan Peugeot menafikan perkara itu.

Volkswagen dilaporkan berkata, harga modelnya Golf tidak diturunkan dari RM169,888 kepada RM157,888, sebaliknya memang dilancarkan daripada awal dengan harga RM157,888.

Manakala Peugeot pula dilaporkan berkata, mereka tidak dirujuk dan tiada kaitan dengan artikel itu. Menurut pengeluar kereta Perancis itu juga, harga yang ditunjukkan 308 Turbo pra- facelift dan 308 VTi sebenarnya merupakan dua varian berbeza dari Peugeot 308.

Malaysia-Chronicle

Whitney Houston’s song “One Moment in Time” perhaps best sums up the gargantuan momentum that is being showcased in the Blackout 505 rallies – with tiny Perlis being its latest ‘wow’ phenomena.

Up to this day, since the close of GE-13, we are witnessing the undeniable swelling crowds of tens of thousands at these rallies all throughout the country. Certainly there is a BIG picture taking root. And this, no force can rule out, suppress or even attempt to annihilate. And if they do, it will be at their own loss.

The spirit of the masses can best be alluded to in Whitney’s song:

Each day I live

 

I want to be

 

A day to give

 

The best of me

 

I’m only one

 

But not alone

 

My finest day

 

Is yet unknown

The citizens are emerging and converging all across the country – come pelting rain, or roaring thunderstorm, to express their hope for this nation. To miss out this BIG picture ‘meaning’ behind the gatherings is to deny citizens their rightful role in patriotism for King and nation.

I broke my heart

 

Fought every gain

 

To taste the sweet

 

I face the pain

 

I rise and fall

 

Yet through it all

 

This much remains

As they make the time to be out in droves when they could be huddled in the comforts of their homes, couched before the idiot box, it means sacrifice for the good of all citizens, king and nation. It means the kind of hope that Whitney tried to capture in the lyrics of her song:

I want one moment in time

 

When I’m more than I thought I could be

 

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

 

And the answers are all up to me

 

Give me one moment in time

 

When I’m racing with destiny

 

Then in that one moment of time

 

I will feel

 

I will feel eternity

Yes, the Blackout 505 will have to be (not by maneuvered force but by volition) a full blown experience that must at some point culminate in crowning glory. In all likelihood, the mega-Blackout 505 planned for 22 June might just be the one significant moment – that “One Moment in Time”.

In fact the entire nation is already abuzz pregnant with hopeful talk from warongs to corporate corridors similar to the sentiments as captured in the song, i.e. When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away.

I’ve lived to be

 

The very best

 

I want it all

 

No time for less

 

I’ve laid the plans

 

Now lay the chance

 

Here in my hands

When you chat up with the people gathering at these rallies, you cannot miss that common thread of thinking and feeling that seems to draw each and every one of them out into the open – wearing some black on them, and standing up attention to sing the national anthem with such passion and magnetic connectivity. It appears to be a commitment to be a part of a future that they can all be proud of for generations to come – just like our forefathers who earned Merdeka for us.

But unfortunately there are still forces-that-be that cannot recognize that the people all across the country, cutting across race, religion and socio-economic class and age divides are converging with those sentiments as best expressed in Whitney’s lyrics:

Give me one moment in time

 

When I’m more than I thought I could be

 

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

 

And the answers are all up to me

 

Give me one moment in time

 

When I’m racing with destiny

 

Then in that one moment of time

 

I will feel

 

I will feel eternity

However if the UMNO-BN party alliances want to be a part of that tidal wave and be also crowned as You’re a winner for a lifetime then they must race against time to seize that “One Moment in Time” if they too want to “Make it Shine”.

But let honesty prevail – can they be contrite enough to face up to it? However, it appears that the prince and politician, Tengku Razaleigh’s recent sojourn with the protesting BN MPs might just give UMNO lama that last saving grace.

Why?

Because as in that song One Moment in Time, the spirit of the people says it all very clearly:

Give me one moment in time

 

When I’m more than I thought I could be

 

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

 

And the answers are all up to me

 

Give me one moment in time

 

When I’m racing with destiny

 

Then in that one moment of time

 

I will be

 

I will be

 

I will be free

 

I will be

 

I will be free

Yes, the BIG picture of the Blackout 505 rallies is all about being FREE – about freeing this nation from corrupt ways; about returning democracy in all its pristine glory untainted, beginning with clean and fair general elections; about returning to the Rulers their Constitutional glory and our loyalty uncompromised; about being a one nation for one people called Malaysians.

If the power brokers and their paid peddlers continue to see Blackout 505 as a threat and keep attempting to give it unwarranted labels like ‘security threat’, ‘opposition ploy’, ‘chaos’, ‘foreign agents’, ‘out to topple the government’ and the likes, then the Blackout 505 will only get tougher for the enemies of the citizens of this country.

A defining day

In a nutshell, Blackout 505 on 22 June 2013 is bound to be a defining phase for this nation. If we try to deny that reality, we are fools blinded by our own insecurities.

For certain, Malaysians are a peaceful lot, disciplined and able to bite the bullet when the situation demands. This has been proven time and time again throughout all the previous rallies involving tens of thousands of citizens congregating against all odds – be it imposed by man or nature.

It is no more a pre-election campaign fever. It is about honor, integrity and determination to make this nation a model for the region, an inspiration for the troubled world.

And so, Whitney Houston’s song One Moment in Time would serve most edifying for the doubters, skeptics, blinkered fools and of course for all those who are dead bent in continuing with the legacy of fast fading regimes around the world.

Malaysia-Chronicle

What I found surprising about the Bersih 3 rally last year is that the crowd consisted of about 60% young people. Some maybe not even old enough to vote. But there they were, bangsa Malaysia. All 3 races fighting for a good cause, united in purpose.

It was the same at Kelana Jaya stadium last month. The crowd was huge but the unity was simply amazing. Old Chinese men lining up at the PAS booths to buy and then to wear Tshirts that said Hudud with a facebook styled “like” symbol. Young Chinese and Indian youth making head bands and capes out of PAS flags, young Malay guys waving DAP flags. It’s amazing the way the young have completely judged UMNO’s institutionalised racism as outdated and made a sincere effort to showcase it last night.

When Mat Sabu, Sivarasa, Tian Chua, Fauziah Salleh, Dr Michael Jeyakumar and all the other leaders of the Pakatan pact took the mike and after they said their short address, the crowd roared in approval.

When Lim Kit Siang took the mike, the roar of the crowd shook the air. I kid you not! I thought that was the best 50,000 humans could do. That is, until Anwar took the mike. I don’t think a popular rock star could enjoy such a high approval.

Look of guilt on Najib’s face

Anyway, the reason I’m writing this is to share what I learnt that night. Barisan National’s victories in 30 parliamentary seats are in question. Most of the stories we heard about blackouts are not true. But what actually happened that night is that the polling agents in the various stations were sending their numbers to the Pakatan operations center, who were then tallying up the numbers to determine the winner for each seat. Bu 11pm, the Pakatan portals were announcing that they had won.

But Bernama, Astro Awani and all the other TV stations were still reporting 40BN, 30DAP, PKR and PAS 2 each. This alone was an attempt at inciting some problem.

Something I’ll never forget is the look of guilt on Najib’s face when he took the mike after the EC’s Wan Ahmad announced that BN had obtained 112 seats. The look on the PM’s face and on those around him told us everything. They knew even at that time that all of Malaysia and the entire world would know that they cheated. Not one of them had the guts to look the camera in the eye. I suppose the thoughts running through their heads must have been images of Tunisia, Egypt, Thailand and all the other Govts that were recently overthrown after they cheated at the elections.

You could almost smell the gloom and heart break in the air all over the nation on the morning of the 6th of May. We expected BN to win and could only dream of a Pakatan victory. But as we watched the numbers come in, the joy was building up within. WE HAD WON!!! Tyranny was defeated by the people of Malaysia!!! Then, along comes Wan Ahmad.

Too much evidence to ignore

Many videos evidencing electoral fraud have been posted on Face Book and YouTube that stone walling and ignoring the outcry in the hope that it will go away is just too arrogant and is simply not going to work. I’ve seen videos of people being paid cash after voting, one of voters lining up to demand their pay after casting their vote, one of “phantoms” being escorted by Police to cast their vote after the crowd chased them away, and I’ve also seen one with EC officials picking up 2 ballot boxes from the road side while driving to the main counting center. And THIS, folks, is probably why the numbers counted at the polling center and numbers during the recount differ.

Does Najib really realise how much he has hurt us? Badawi had the same problem as Najib. Both PMs realised that the cheating, fraud, corruption, rent seeking, racism and the bullying of minorities had to end. And they asked the electorate for the mandate to make those changes. But both were unable to stop the rot. In fact the corruption and theft of public resources have gotten much worse under Najib. Creating MASSIVE fraud and then going to the people and humbly saying “Sorry lah, kami memang korup,” and then saying “Hey, heres $500…. Oh, and heres another $100 for books.” Didn’t work the way it was intended. Does Najib realise exactly why we were so very disappointed when they stole this election result from us?

Did we get our hopes up when he promised a lot of transform and reform? Were we shocked at how shallow his promises were when the corruption cases kept coming in? Were we surprised when the Pakatan MP’s periodically revealed more evidence of phantom voters in their constituencies? I admit though, that I was very happy when the EC finally agreed to implement the indelible ink to prevent people from voting more than once. But we know how that went. It’s not been 7 days, but I haven’t seen anyone with the ink still on. What I did see though is that 2 of the foreign banglas working at my place had the indelible ink on their indexes the next day. Even after bersih 2 and 3 under Najib’s watch, NOTHING changed!

Another 5 years of the same BN ‘shit’ (pardon the language!)

So what made us sad is waking up on the 6th of March to the realisation that BN is here to stay. Another 5 years of being inundated with stories about Anwar Ibrahim’s sexual escapades. Of young men visiting Mekah to swear stuff. Another 5 years of pointless propaganda in the mainstream media, and producers of pornography in full gear.

Are we looking at another 5 years of stupid issues like some rectums going around trying to copyright the name of God? Will the churches be attacked and burned? will bibles be seized and desecrated ? Will new cases of multi billion ringgit corruption involving the Barisan National be reported every week in the alternative media? Will foreign media produce movies about the high level of corruption in Malaysia while the Govt locally makes promises after promises to “ACT?” Will we see another 1,500 suspects of crime dying while in custody? Will the Federal debt continue to skyrocket? In the 4 years under Najib, the Federal debt has doubled. Is he going to double it again? Will ALL the money stolen from the people of Malaysia ever be returned? Will BN leaders be allowed to perform acts of bitter provocation while young students be handcuffed and charged in court for stepping on pictures. Will we have to endure more incidents of political violence by young men?

Is Malaysia’s Bumiputra population going to double with more and more foreigners being given bumi citizenships? Will the illegal/illicit outflow of funds exceed 300 billion ringgit this year? Are we still going to remain the most corrupt nation on the face of the planet?

We rejected all of these when we cast our votes but we were outdone by electoral fraud. We have to stand behind Anwar Ibrahim this time and support his efforts to right this fraudulent electoral result. In the course of demanding re-elections in the 30 constituencies in question, some may fall back to BN and some may fall to PR while some judges may just throw them out.

Although Pakatan Rakyat’s chances of actually taking over the Govt is slim, we must by all means demand that the electoral rolls be cleaned up, or deleted and replaced with a new one, requiring every Malaysian to re register.

Wouldn’t that be a good place to start?

1.  Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sebulat suara bersetuju menamakan mantan Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan Dato’ Haji Abdul Kadir bin Sulaiman sebagai Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat bagi ParlimenKetigaBelas.

 

2.  Penamaan Dato’ Abdul Kadir sebagai Yang di-Pertua telah dikemukakan atas nama Ahli Parlimen Bandar TunRazak merangkap Menteri Besar Negeri Selangor sebagai mewakili pendirian PR pada 10 Jun 2013.

 

3. Satu pemberitahu bersurat mengenai penamaan itu telah dikemukakan kepada Setiausaha Dewan Rakyat mengikut kehendak Peraturan-peraturan Majlis Mesyuarat Dewan Rakyat 4(1).

 

4.  PR bertegas bahawa Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat mesti dilantik dari kalangan seorang yang bebas, berkecuali tanpa parti, berwibawa dan berkelayakan untuk berkhidmat.

 

5.  Dato’ Abdul Kadir memenuhi semua criteria yang selayaknya sebagai Yang di-Pertua. Beliau telah menabur bakti kepada negara selama lebih 50 tahun dalam pelbagai Jabatan, Kementerian, Negeri, Suruhanjaya, Kehakiman dan Majlis DiRaja Negeri.

 

6.  Beliau bersara sebagai Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 28 Mac 2006. Kemudiannya dilantik menjadi anggota Suruhanjaya Siasatan DiRaja (RCI) mengenai kematian Teoh Beng Hock, anggota Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Transformasi SPRM dan Ahli Majlis Penasihat Pemangku Raja Terengganu.

 

7. PR berkeyakinan penuh bahawa pemilihan Dato’ Abdul Kadir Sulaiman sebagai Yang di-Pertua akan meningkatkan lagi penghormatan rakyat terhadap institusi Parlimen dan melonjakkan kewibawaannya di persada antarabangsa.

 

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh

Malaysiakini

PKR mendakwa Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi membelanjakan lebih RM2 juta, sepuluh kali ganda perbelanjaan yang ditetapkan untuk kempen di peringkat Parlimen, iaitu RM200,000, dalam pilihan raya umum lalu.

Parti itu memfailkan dua petisyen pilihan raya, mendakwan Zahid terlibat dalam pembelian undi dan berbelanja lebih dalam kempennya sebelum ini.

Dua petisyen itu merujuk kepada video yang dimuat naik oleh Zahid sendiri dalam laman rasmi, yang menyebut beliau merekrut 24,000 penyokong BN yang juga pengundi tempatan di Badan Datoh, sebagai pekerja kempen ketika bertanding kerusi Parlimen itu.

Beliau juga dalam video itu mengakui memberikan mereka RM100 dan 5kg beras setiap seorang.

“…dia kantoi,” kata Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli dalam sidang media di Petaling Jaya hari ini.

 

Malaysiakini

PKR candidate for Setiawangsa Ibrahim Yaacob has claimed in an election petition that the Election Commission (EC) had failed to check on the existence of double voting in the parliamentary constituency.

Setiawangsa is a parliamentary seat where the Defence Ministry and several army camps are located.

Ibrahim, who lost by 1,390 votes in the May 5 general election, also claimed in his election petition filed yesterday that there is duplication in that eight people having the same names were found in the postal voters list, and he went on further to list them.

In addition to this, Stream 4 in the early voting for army personnel showed that 650 people had cast their votes against 690 ballot papers which had been issued, and this raises questions about the remaining 40 ballot papers as stated in Form 14.

Similarly in Stream 8, there is a discrepancy as there is an excess of 41 ballot papers cast, whereas it is stated in the form that 650 people had cast their votes. He went on to list similar grouses in other streams.

Ibrahim further claimed that together with doubts over the performance of the indelible ink which can be washed off easily, this had resulted in the threat of double voting to be real.