53-Day Countdown to 13GE: Xenophon’s 15-hr detention and deportation – international confirmation that BN govt “authoritarian” and Najib a “false democrat”


In the run-up to the 13th General Elections, Malaysians are seeing the full flowering of the Greek saying, “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad”.

Last month, former and longest-serving Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir flaunted his treasonous deeds in the “citizenship-for-votes” scams in Sabah in Project M and Project IC in the eighties and nineties, resulting in true Sabahans becoming a minority in their own land – and who added insult to injury when he alleged that Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman had given one million citizenship to “unqualified” non-Malays before Merdeka.

As if not enough damage had been done, Mahathir has compounded it by advocating a two-thirds parliamentary majority for Barisan Nasional so as to be able to revoke the citizenship of Bersih co-chairperson S. Ambiga for her patriotic campaign for free, fair and clean elections.

Last week, as if the three resounding “Yes for Psy, Noes for BN” at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Penang Chinese New Year bash featuring Korean K-Pop superstar and the indignity of the Prime Minister, former Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers waiting on stage forlornly and in vain for Psy to join them for a “yee san toss” were not embarrassments enough, four days after the event and without an iota of evidence, Penang Barisan Nasional leaders spun the tale that there had been attempts on the lives of Psy and the Prime Minister. At least, Najib had the sense so far to keep mum on the tall tale.

The latest evidence of the workings of the Greek saying, “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad” is the 15-hour detention and deportation of Australian Senator, furnishing a national and international confirmation that the Barisan Nasional government of Malaysia is “authoritarian” and Najib a “false democrat”.

The claim by the Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad that Xenophon is on the Immigration “blacklist” because he had tarnished the country’s image, such as calling the Malaysian government “authoritarian” in handling the Bersih 3.0 rally for free and fair elections last April, is most puerile and infantile, as on this basis, Malaysians would be persona non grata to many countries that they had criticized with former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir as the Top Malaysian who could not travel to the most number of Western countries!

But what takes the cake is the deplorable and most questionable endorsement of Xenophon’s detention and deportation by the Election Commission, whose deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said it was unjust to judge the fairness of the 13GE based on Xenophon’s expulsion.

Apart from highlighting its utter lack of independence and impartiality, the Election Commission cannot be more wrong.

The “authoritarian” and undemocratic expulsion of Xenophon has now put the whole question of the integrity of the electoral process, whether the 13GE will be free, fair and clean, on the international radar.

The whole world are now asking – what has the Election Commission and the UMNO/BN government got to hide that they are so afraid of independent foreign observers to the 13GE as having to strain foreign relations and brave international condemnation and opprobrium as to detain and deport Xenophon?

The world is also waiting and watching whether Najib is indeed the “false democrat” as depicted by Mark Mackinnon, the award-winning journalist of the Canadian The Globe and Mail in his article of June 8, 2012, in particular with reference to his definition of a “false democrat” who is one who “hold elections but have no intention of giving up power” and whose “serious political rivals are jailed and their parties are outlawed on legal technicalities”.

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday that DAP had not submitted its party election returns within 60 days as required by law and the Registrar of Societies will start investigations into the DAP.

Yesterday, I had in my tweet asked: “What will Hishammuddin do as Home Minister if DAP can prove that DAP has submitted elections returns to 2ROS b4 CNY?”

May be Hishammuddin and Najib are seriously thinking of declaring DAP illegal and unlawful because they are desperate about the UMNO/BN prospects in the 13GE, despite all the boasts that they can win big in a free and fair elections, even regaining two-thirds parliamentary majority and retake the present Pakatan Rakyat states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.

Let them ponder the Greek saying: “Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad”.

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 10:04 am

    Yes a false democrat and false reformist Najib is AND the key adjective is ‘false’. In science we call it a ‘false positive’ – all it tells us, its not something – it does not tell us exactly what the problem is or help in finding a solution. All it tell us is that there is no solution there.

    That is exactly what Najib is – HE IS NO SOLUTION – when we needed a solution, and have said so as far back as 2004 and again in 2008. What does it take for UMNO/BN to get it through their thick head?

    The time to be neither this nor that is LONG OVER..ITS LONG OVERDUE to be on a path of BEING WHO WE ARE – We are Malaysian – we have started out with a grandvision – some people hijacked it because of our own foolishness and we were faultily denying it for too long, now its time to go back to being who we are..We have to be who we are, not what a small group of malicious overprivilleged, mediocrities says what we should be..

  2. #2 by Sallang on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 10:40 am

    a “false democrat” who is one who “hold elections but have no intention of giving up power” and whose “serious political rivals are jailed and their parties are outlawed on legal technicalities”.

    You mean like in Myanmar?

    No wonder our ministers are always saying, we are still not so bad, when compared to 3rd world countries.
    By the way, are we out of the 3rd world group already or falling back in?

  3. #3 by gofortruth on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 11:14 am

    Najib is at his wit’s end he is getting all things wrong. He is simply thumbling through in motion.
    His latest “sick joke” is “Chinese owe success to BN” http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/chinese-owe-success-to-bn-says-najib/

  4. #5 by gofortruth on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 11:52 am

    The 1st Prime Minister in 50 years, Najib made HISTORICAL visit to Dong Zong CNY open house…… EMPTY HANDED! So, no “Ang Pow” no gift.
    Did he also visit Gaza recently empty handed?
    http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/221566

  5. #6 by yhsiew on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:01 pm

    By doing silly things, BN is good at making the country a laughing stock to the world.

  6. #7 by Cinapek on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:10 pm

    “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad”.

    Never a truer statement applicable to Najib and BN at this stage of the runup to GE13.

    BN was mad as shown by their handling of the Bersih protest. They were mad when they massively screwed up the PSY concert in Penang. They were mad when they detained and deported the French lawyers who came here about the Scorpene submarine scandal. They are are now mad in detaining and deporting Nick Xenophon. It is incredible how BN can shoot themselves in the foot time and again. Any rational person can see that these are the despicable, desperate and defensive acts of a drowning person lashing out at all and sundry.

    All these acts of madness, if BN had the sense to handle them properly instead of knee jerk lashing out, could have been turned to their advantage. And by what criteria or authority does the DG of Immigration has to determine who is a “security risk”? Obviously someone higher up must have made that decision.

    As for the 100 armed men who landed in Lahad Datu and demanded they be allowed to stay, they must have heard about Project IC and decided that now is a good time to visit as they could offer to vote for the very people who had been dishing out ICs in the past in exchange for votes.

  7. #8 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:17 pm

    Yup. Those are the final desperate kicks of a dying umno.

  8. #9 by yhsiew on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:23 pm

    Hishammuddin is not qualified for the Home Minister’s post. Instead of focusing on the real security threat in which 100 foreign gunmen intruded Sabah last week, he branded Nick Xenophon as “an enemy of the state and a security risk”. How can a Home Minister be so blindly mixed up as to which is the real security threat?

  9. #10 by Winston on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:25 pm

    Well, well, well.
    It also like the government has also come out with some goodies for GE13.
    Including changing the use of pencils to ball-point pens for marking the ballot paper!
    Sounds too good to be true!
    And if that’s the case, Malaysians should be even more wary!!!!!

  10. #11 by limkamput on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 12:43 pm

    It is more than a false democrat; this is a most biased and corrupt regime we have ever seen. Have you read the Home Minister’s statement talking about “praying and hoping” the armed men in Sabah will leave amicably? The Home Minister is managing the ministry and the security of this nation by praying and hoping. How can a sovereign nation engage in endless negotiations with a group of foreign armed infiltrators if this is not biasness and incompetency to the core? But in the meantime, this same renegade regime could detain and expel a law maker from a respected Commonwealth country in double quick time. Do you think they care two hoots of their reputation and the image of this country? Far from it, they care for their gravy train and how to avoid the likelihood of some of them going to jail. Fellow Malaysians, please don’t compare and refer to North Koreans or Zimbabweans again. I am asking all of you not to insult them.

  11. #12 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 1:34 pm

    It was the work of the ‘Little Napoleons’. Yes, blame them.

    • #13 by cemerlang on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 4:52 pm

      oh wau…Little Napoleons so great…then Big Napoleons how lay ?

  12. #14 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 3:56 pm

    You’re quite right that if Xenophon’s castigation of the M’sian govt as “authoritarian” (based on the manner authorities treated Bersih 2.0 participants) could justify as reasonable legal grounds for his expulsion as “enemy of the state”, then many Malaysians esp former premier TDM could, if the same standards be applied, be labeled “enemies of the state” by the many countries that our leaders have criticized, Australia S’pore and the US included. EC defends Xenophon expulsion saying that it should not be a basis to doubt electoral process of Election 2013. If that were so – no basis to doubt- then what is the worry about Xenophon entering an observer, and why is EC so quick in aligning with the decision to expel ? EC should be saying our electoral process is above board and Xenophon is welcome to observe and verify!

  13. #15 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 3:57 pm

    Xenophon is also right that it has all backfired (esp when election is imminent), that the our authorities have shot themselves in the foot by this knee jerk overreaction : this incident has potential to escalate into a larger bilateral diplomatic row in the international stage where countries, even friendly ones, will ask, “if the electoral process is above board and has nothing to hide, why the need to expel a senator from a friendly democratic country in the region which is here merely as an independent observer?” YB Kit, I think the first question you should ask of he PM is whether he knew beforehand the official decision to stop Xenophon from entering? Why is TDM accorded the spokesman role to say “Putrajaya does not need to entertain Canberra’s criticism for expelling Xenophon Tun; the Australian government was free to criticise but Malaysia’s government had the right to enforce its laws…If he comes here with no good intentions might as well not come here…If they want to criticise they can criticise We don’t have to entertain them…”-(The MalaysianInsider 17th )

  14. #16 by chengho on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 4:13 pm

    you don’t need Kanggaro to teach you a lesson; their record on their Abo and Indian student was so bad

  15. #17 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 4:18 pm

    This time Dr M is recalcitrant.

    No man is an island to himself, except Mahathir.

    It is clear Dr M is behaving like the PM and Najib, his peon.

  16. #18 by boh-liao on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 4:51 pm

    Did Dong Zong ask d first peeM 2 have attended its Chinese New Year celebration: Where’s your keris? Show us your keris

    UmnoB/BN r xenophobia, hence Xenophon kena detained n expelled, lucky 4 him, otherwise might kena C4 n entry record erased

  17. #19 by yhsiew on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 4:56 pm

    Our de facto PM, Tun M (Najib’s big boss), said there is no need to heed Canberra censure over Xenophon’s expulsion.

  18. #20 by boh-liao on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 5:00 pm

    It’s not about hard work or good business skills, the Chinese owe their success to BN – Najib”
    What a big fat INSULT 2 all Chinese M’sians!
    Perhaps UmnoB-owned BN Chinese M’sians owe their success 2 UmnoB/BN
    But all other Chinese M’sians certainly succeeded IN SPITE of adversity, ketuanan Melayu, NEP promoted by UmnoB/BN
    Rakyat n voters: pls remember dis big fat insult when casting votes in GE13, ABU

  19. #21 by Loh on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 5:41 pm

    ///May be Hishammuddin and Najib are seriously thinking of declaring DAP illegal and unlawful because they are desperate about the UMNO/BN prospects in the 13GE, despite all the boasts that they can win big in a free and fair elections, even regaining two-thirds parliamentary majority and retake the present Pakatan Rakyat states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.///–Kit

    When DAP is declared illegal and thus cannot take part in the coming elections, then we will hear protest, not necessarily son the streets. The government would then declare that it will not be safe to carry out the election and the country would be in emergency and Najib would make the King declare a state of emergency. Then Najib will continue to rule beyond one term of five years as unelected PM.

    The above would not happen in a country where the leaders have a sense of pride and self respect. But starting from the citizenship-for-votes scam, no one has any respect for Mamakthir, and he is despised more for declaring that his sin is not as serious compared to Tunku when Tunku was in fact most honourable inimplementing agreement he promised. Mamakthir agreed to the 83 points request by SuQiu prior to the 1999 election but negated immediately after the election. It appears that Najib has taken Mamakthir as his spiritual leader, and so he might just act without self respect.

    In Malaysia the Election Commission cannot be trusted to ensure free and fair election, as it is partial to the ruling parties’ interest by including phantom voters in the list. When the ruling party is not sure that it had enough phantom votes to win, it resorts to non-democratic means. Malaysia is entering military rule soon.

  20. #22 by sotong on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 6:05 pm

    Afraid of one independent foreign MP?

    To prevent further similar behavior and action causing embrassment or shame to the people and country, including its impact on foreign investment & tourism, it is time to complete overhaul the whole system.

  21. #23 by Noble House on Sunday, 17 February 2013 - 10:24 pm

    Listening to this bunch of hypocrites is an insult to the intelligence of right-thinking Malaysians. All mouth and no trousers! Malaysians deserve better than their present government.

  22. #24 by SiCool Tan on Monday, 18 February 2013 - 2:08 pm

    “Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad”….how true !!! Pm, Dpm, Hm, Idg, Ec n etc all getting “MAD”.

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