Archive for category Election
The day when the people rise up: July 9
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Human Rights, nation building, Police on Thursday, 7 July 2011
By Kim Quek
July 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 7 — That’s it! Bersih finally has had enough of the treacherous conduct of a shameless government which has lost all sense of decency!
In a firmly worded statement released late last night, Bersih effectively said “come what may, we will have our rally at the Stadium Merdeka on July 9 at 2 pm!”.
This is Bersih’s final answer to a battery of ridiculous obstructions, warnings and excuses put up by the Najib government to obstruct a Bersih rally in the stadium.
This is despite Bersih having made a major concession to shift the rally from the streets to a stadium under the unprecedented intervention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and after Prime Minister Najib Razak’s offer of a suitable stadium for the purpose. Read the rest of this entry »
Why am I not surprised?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Hishammuddin, Police on Wednesday, 6 July 2011
By Shanker
July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 6 — So, the Home Minister remains adamant that Bersih is an illegal outfit, notwithstanding that the highest Ruler in the land has implied his acquiescence by meeting with Bersih representatives yesterday.
Sigh … what else can we say about Umno that hasn’t been said already? The whole world has taken flight at an unimaginable rate in this 21st century; changes are happening all around the globe — just witness Thailand’s maturity in the democratic process … Read the rest of this entry »
Protestors in pro-Bersih clothes will be arrested, warns Deputy IGP
By Clara Chooi
July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Despite being allowed to hold a stadium rally this Saturday, protestors found with pro-Bersih 2.0 materials will still be arrested, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said today.
This, he said, was because the coalition was still deemed an unlawful organisation and any item, whether “songkoks or T-shirts” are still disallowed.
“On clothing or items with Bersih motifs on them, as far as we are concerned, Bersih 2.0 has been gazetted as illegal so anything to do with Bersih 2.0 will be wrong, will be disallowed and we will take action,” he told a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters this afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »
A royal rebuke for Umno, says Aussie don
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, nation building, UMNO on Wednesday, 6 July 2011
By Stephanie Sta Maria
July 6, 201 | Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Bersih earned a spot on Australia’s airwaves today with an Australian sociologist describing the royal intervention as a “rebuke” to Umno and the government and an acknowledgement of the organisation’s legitimacy.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Abidin issued a statement on Monday saying street demonstrations would do more harm than good.
This prompted Bersih to request an audience with him, which he granted with rare speed yesterday. Bersih afterwards announced its decision to move the rally off the streets and into a stadium. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia: A police state
By Tommy Thomas
July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 6 — Death Threats. Bomb Threats. Warning on Revocation of Citizenship. Preventive detention. Arrest of hundreds for wearing Yellow T-Shirts. Banning of Organisations. Prohibition of Peaceful Marches.
Is one describing Burma? Or Zimbabwe? No: this is Malaysia in July 2011, in its 54th year of independence.
Has paranoia gripped the decision-making elite in Kuala Lumpur? But for its grave repercussions, one would have to laugh at the disproportionate overreaction and incompetence of government agencies in recent weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih: Grave concern over the deepening political crisis
Press statement by concerned academicians on the Bersih march (KUALA LUMPUR, 5 July 2011)
We, the undersigned academicians, wish to express our concern at the deepening political crisis in the country. It is unfortunate that such a crisis is emerging out of a legitimate campaign, initiated by a large number of non-governmental organizations, to institute reforms through their campaign, Bersih, to ensure the conduct of truly free and fair elections in Malaysia. Since the pursuit of such a campaign is undeniably noble, and timely, we are extremely perturbed that the government has resorted to harsh measures and use of draconian legislation to prevent the organizers from mounting a public rally.
We see the need for the leaders of Bersih to persist with dialogue with the bodies responsible for overseeing free and fair elections. However, we also appreciate the argument by the campaign’s leaders that such an assembly is necessary since discussions have long taken place, with little progress – thus the need for the government to take serious heed of the campaign’s recommendations for free and fair elections for which there is considerable support from the country’s citizenry. Read the rest of this entry »
Bring about a healthy democracy
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 5 July 2011
By Kee Thuan Chye
Jul 5, 11 | MalaysiaKini
The King has issued a statement on the developments surrounding the proposed Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections. What do we make of it?
It is quite clear that he is not in favour of the rally proceeding on July 9, although he does say that the original intentions of street demonstrations can be good. This, read together with his acknowledgement of “the political fervour of a section of the people to bring about a healthy democracy (menyuburkan demokrasi) in our country”, indicates he is not condemning Bersih 2.0.
He is aware that the people are involved (even though it constitutes “a section”), and what they desire is something positive, i.e. menyuburkan demokrasi. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2.0 is Najib’s biggest challenge
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Najib Razak on Monday, 4 July 2011
By Ooi Kee Beng
July 04, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 4 — As July 9 looms closer, the administration of Malaysia’s Premier Najib Abdul Razak feels itself more and more pushed into a corner.
This coming Saturday threatens to be a day of reckoning for his administration, which from the beginning preferred tweaking the system to reforming the system. Now, two years after he took power from Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, another leader who failed to live up to his own reformist image, he is running out of options. Read the rest of this entry »
Patriot and Bersih: A tale of two rallies
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Human Rights, Perkasa on Sunday, 3 July 2011
By Hazlan Zakaria
Jul 3, 11 | MalaysiaKini
COMMENT Growing up, Charles Dickens was my favourite author.
He still is.
His stories are exciting, insightful, witty and rich of sobering social commentary.
His tales tell of the wealthy and poor alike, of the arrogant all-powerful and the disenfranchised powerless.
But for all his seriousness, he had a great sense of humour, if a little moribund. Nothing perhaps illustrates his dry tongue-in-cheekiness than the first paragraph of one of his most revered classic, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on it being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
Ambiga: Bersih is the rakyat, ban has little impact
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Hishammuddin, Human Rights, Police on Sunday, 3 July 2011
By Melissa Chi
July 03, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — The Home Ministry ban on Bersih 2.0 will not have the impact it had aimed for as the electoral reform movement has captured the people’s “hearts and minds”, says its chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
The former Bar Council president also disagreed with the Najib administration’s rationale for outlawing the movement, saying Bersih 2.0 was a coalition of established groups and does not need to be registered.
“More important, above and beyond that, Bersih now means more than just a group of organisations to Malaysians. Bersih is now a concept that has captured the hearts and minds of the rakyat. Read the rest of this entry »
Hisham outlaws Bersih 2.0
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Hishammuddin, Human Rights on Saturday, 2 July 2011
The Malaysian Insider
July 02, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Electoral reforms movement Bersih 2.0 has been declared illegal by the Home Ministry effective July 1 for causing “an atmosphere of unrest,” a week before its planned July 9 rally.
The ministry issued a four-paragraph statement outlining the reasons for the ban by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
It gave three reasons for the banning of the movement, adding it was an unregistered group despite fulfilling all criteria to form an organisation under the Societies Act 1966.
The reasons given for the ban are: Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih T-shirts seized, seven activists held in raid
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011
By Shannon Teoh
June 29, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, June 29 — About 20 policemen, at least one of whom was armed with an assault rifle, raided the Bersih secretariat here today, confiscating hundreds of the movement’s iconic yellow T-shirts and bringing seven in for questioning.
Seven staff members of women’s rights non-governmental organisation Empower, which hosts the secretariat for the group pushing for electoral reforms, were initially questioned at the premises that had been blocked by about 10 police vehicles, including a Black Maria.
Police then seized several items contained in seven plastic bags and five boxes as well as five banners before taking the workers to the Petaling Jaya police district headquarters. Read the rest of this entry »
Release the 30 PSM members, DAP demands
By Melissa Chi
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — The DAP has demanded for the immediate release of the 30 Parti Sosialis Malaya (PSM) members, including Sungai Siput MP Michael Jayakumar, who were arrested in Penang, and has dispelled claims that they were trying to revive communism.
“I call on the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to ensure that good sense prevails in his government despite facing the mortal challenge of a peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 calling for free, fair and clean elections — as such a proposed peaceful rally cannot, under any stretch of the imagination, be equated to a ‘war against the King’,” said the DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang at the DAP Ubah Dialogue organised by the DAP Socialist Youth of Johor (Dapsy) at Hotel Li Gardens in Masai, Johor Baru, tonight. Read the rest of this entry »
Walk with the rakyat, not against us, Bersih tells Najib
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Najib Razak, Police on Monday, 27 June 2011
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Bersih 2.0 told Datuk Seri Najib Razak today the next two weeks leading to its July 9 rally will define his leadership, saying any further crackdown is a “tragic reflection of the failure” of his government in handling the issue.
The group also said it was disappointed in the prime minister’s declaration that Bersih 2.0 supporters are to be held responsible should chaos ensue during the July 9 rally, noting that it was against any form of violence.
“We once again make an open, sincere and heartfelt call to the prime minister to walk with the rakyat, not against us,” Bersih 2.0 said in a statement issued tonight. Read the rest of this entry »
Hisham says cannot rule out ISA for July 9 rallies
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Hishammuddin, ISA on Sunday, 26 June 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
HULU SELANGOR, June 26 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has not ruled out using the Internal Security Act (ISA) against the July 9 rallies, but said today the Home Ministry will use other security laws for now.
Election watchdog Bersih plans to hold a mass rally on July 9, while Perkasa and Umno Youth plan to hold counter-rallies on the same day. Police arrested 30 Bersih activists yesterday on grounds of waging war against the King.
The Home Minister stressed that action would be taken against anyone who causes havoc on July 9, and said that the police were impartial in the matter. Read the rest of this entry »
Police: PSM ‘communists’ waging war on King
By Hazlan Zakaria
Jun 26, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Penang deputy police chief Abdul Rahim Jaafar today said the 31 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activists arrested yesterday while aboard a bus at the Sungai Dua toll plaza have been charged under Section 122 of the Penal Code.
The activists were participating in the northern leg of the party’s “Udah La Tu Bersaralah” roadshow campaign which kicked off on June 24 as part of the work-up to the upcoming Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 for electoral reform.
Those arrested included Sungai Siput parliamentarian D Jeyakumar. One was subsequently released as he was under-aged. Read the rest of this entry »
Intelligent politicians, please
By Ali Kadir
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 26 — Wanted: some individuals with some modicum of intelligence and competence to lead Malaysia.
Muhyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal (among Umno’s best and brightest judging by fact that one is the second in line to govern the country and the other is the third in line) need not apply.
The two senior ministers are evidence of how hollow the ranks of leaders in Umno are. Today, Shafie Apdal gave credence to the line that it is best to keep silent and keep up the illusion of competence rather than open your mouth and shatter it. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan aims for 11 states in GE13, says Kit Siang
Posted by Kit in Election, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 26 June 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is targeting to control 11 states in the upcoming general elections, says Lim Kit Siang.
The DAP parliamentary leader said the coalition has targeted on retaining Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan and winning back Perak. He also said that PR is planning on taking over Negri Sembilan, Johor, Malacca, Pahang, Terengganu and Perlis from Barisan Nasional (BN).
“The forthcoming 13th General Election will be the battle of the century as at stake will not only be the state governments of all the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia but federal power in Putrajaya as well,” said Lim at a dinner in Teluk Intan last night. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat’s 3 state targets in next general elections
Posted by Kit in Election, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 26 June 2011
Pakatan Rakyat has three targets for the states in the next general elections, viz:
Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Muhyiddin Yassin on Saturday, 25 June 2011
By Melissa Chi
June 25, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has deemed the July 9 Bersih rally as politically-motivated and a threat to national security as well as the country’s reputation.
Apart from calling in the organisers for questioning next week, police also insist they will not issue permits for at least three rallies planned on the day. Read the rest of this entry »
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