Report those using govt resources in campaign: DAP


Malaysiakini
Yeow Boon Kiat | Feb 14, 08 5:36pm

DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang has urged voters to lodge a police report if they find any candidate utilising government resources in their election campaign.

“Whenever you see the prime minister, deputy prime minister, ministers or deputy ministers arrive in government vehicles or using government funds to campaign, lodge a police report immediately and call the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to investigate”, he told a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

dap islamic state roundtable 100807 lim kit siang”This is a blatant abuse of power and money politics,” he declared, adding that all Malaysians should help to ensure that ministers are behaving as caretaker ministers so that the elections will be clean, just and fair.

Lim described the recent ‘ang pows’ and ‘goodies’ dished out by the BN in recent weeks as electoral abuses and the people should consider them as such.

He also cited the incident in which MCA president Ong Ka Ting made use of a Fire and Rescue Services Department helicopter to campaign in Johor in 2004 as an example of the abuse of government resources.

A right step by EC

Lim called on the government to ground all its vehicles during the campaign period.

However, the veteran oppositionist surprisingly praised the Election Commission (EC) for allowing a longer 13-day campaign period (Feb 24 to March 7) in the coming polls.

“At least, this is a small step in the right direction towards a more fairer and cleaner election as candidates from all parties have more time to prepare”, he said.

Lim also called on EC chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman to go an extra mile to prove Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrong by making sure that the 12th General Election will be cleaner than any elections during Mahathir’s rule.

The former premier had predicted that the coming polls will be the dirtiest ever, a prediction which Lim has also been reiterating of late.

Asked on his outlook on DAP’s performance in the coming elections, Lim said the party would perform better.

“We should do better than 2004 but the macro picture should be whether the opposition could win 75 seats collectively to deny the BN a two-thirds majority”.

  1. #1 by a-malaysian on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:36 pm

    Quote:
    However, the veteran oppositionist surprisingly praised the Election Commission (EC) for allowing a longer 13-day campaign period (Feb 24 to March 7) in the coming polls.

    YB, I am sure this longer campaign period is to faciliatate umno and not the election in general. They know they are fighting for their life and they the extra time – PERIOD.

    There are report that opposition banners are taken down by thecouncil who claimthat they are just doing their jobs. But at the same time bn banners are not taken down. In Penang you can see bn flags flying in many areas for this week but they are not taken down. Is the EC fair in not taking action against bn?

    50 years is ENOUGH
    Vote For A Change
    Vote For Any Opposition
    Give Them A Chance To Change For A Better Malaysia
    Remember bn Is A Useless Grouping Of Self Serving, Corrupt, Dictator, Power Crazy, Racist, Kris waving, etc, etc type of parties.

  2. #2 by a-malaysian on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:37 pm

    Miss out a word:
    They know they are fighting for their life and they needed the extra time – PERIOD.

    50 years is ENOUGH
    Vote For A Change
    Vote For Any Opposition
    Give Them A Chance To Change For A Better Malaysia
    Remember bn Is A Useless Grouping Of Self Serving, Corrupt, Dictator, Power Crazy, Racist, Kris waving, etc, etc type of parties.

  3. #3 by undergrad2 on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:41 pm

    Now that Parliament has been dissolved, Ministers are only Ministers in name only and should not be using the resources available to them when they were Ministers to campaign for the elections. That is an abuse of process, of the principles of free elections. If such resources which belong to the people are made available to these Ministers in their capacity as “caretaker” Ministers, they should also be made available to the opposition and to others competing in the elections.

  4. #4 by ktteokt on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:46 pm

    Do these people know the difference between “private property” and “public property”? They have been treating Public Property as their private property all these while!!!

  5. #5 by Malaysian citizen on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:55 pm

    BN has abused their power in whatever they do.

    For example , they get to advertise in the TV news on what good they did almost everyday now. Please do not get cheated by these ads.

    I don’t see these advertisements for the past 4 years and suddenly election is just next month and every single news is about what good they did.

    How about treating every citizens fairly whether they are Malays , Chinese or Indians.

    How about taking away that special rights for Malays and stop categorizing us as Non-Bumis. I felt really sad being called that way as I am born in Malaysia.
    I am not born in China or India.

    How about helping the poor whether they are Malays ,Chinese or Indians.

    Why only Malays get help from the government? .

    What happened to the poor Chinese and Indians?.

    Why so many rich Malays can enjoy these special rights and I thought they are only for the POORs.

  6. #6 by BlackEye on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 8:57 pm

    Undergrad is right of course.

    Imagine the sight of a group of opposition supporters holding placards in front of the Prime Minister’s Department demanding that the same resources be made available to their leaders. Imagine the impact that could have with the international media correspondents who are there to cover the GE.

  7. #7 by smeagroo on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 9:27 pm

    WHilst it is easy to know if they are using govt vehicles it would be tougher to identify if they are using govt funds. How will we know or find out?

    And report to ACA? What can they do when they can even gv KJ the green light to go ahead to be a candidate. And even if we were to report, ACA might take years to close the case and by then GE already come n gone.

    Might as well jeer them just like how schoolboys jeered Semi Value.

  8. #8 by arifabdull on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 9:34 pm

    Untuk para blogger,
    Sempena Pilihanraya Umum ke-12 ini, anda boleh sediakan kemudahan menyemak senarai pengundi dari blog anda tanpa perlu melawat laman web SPR. :P

    Sila dapatkan kod Semakan Daftar Pemilih Widget untuk blog anda.

    Untuk contoh widget, sila lawat http://arifabdull.wordpress.com (Widget ini terletak di sebelah kiri, atas sekali).

    Terima kasih.

  9. #9 by House Victim on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 10:28 pm

    Should Phantom Voter be reported as well?
    http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2008/02/clean-electoral-roll.html
    And, will DAP tale any action against EC?

  10. #10 by undergrad2 on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 10:38 pm

    Nobody expects the ACA or the police to do anything more than receive those reports. Aren’t the ACA and PDRM, the courts mere appendages of the ruling party?

    It is part of the BN war machine during times like this.

    But filing police reports etc whilst they may not produce results that could make a difference to the outcome of this GE, still serve to remind the ruling party that they are still accountable to the people for their actions, that they cannot just ignore popular demands for justice and fair play and ride rough shod over our rights.

    It serves to give notice to the ruling party that this a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

  11. #11 by k1980 on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 11:09 pm

    Behold the holy man of malaysia
    http://www.umno-reform.com/liar-soul-plane.jpg

  12. #12 by scorpian6666 on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 11:52 pm

    No need to report .. just get your camera ready .

  13. #13 by KanNinNeh on Thursday, 14 February 2008 - 11:54 pm

    Uncle Kit,

    What about AAB just urged the Rakyat to support BN through RTM News ? Should we report Police ?

  14. #14 by mendela on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 1:07 am

  15. #15 by damianyeow on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 2:02 am

    The BN candidates have been using gomen resources for ‘donkey years’ it is no secret, all illegal so what?, they are above the law, report to ACA, EC or even worse the Police..? They are all in cahoots equally corrupt, equally unethical, equally bias, so why waste time… There is only one & only solution, when they give u goodies take, when give u $$ take, after all it’s your tax money, but come election time ‘BOOT’ their sorry a_se out…..

  16. #16 by justice6 on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 2:20 am

    report to police for what.. same gang.. can any of you get them to stop using RTM to campaign? izzit that using govt resources?

  17. #17 by grace on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 8:37 am

    Mr Lim,
    Whom do the public report to?
    There is no one in the government who can be trusted now!
    ACA??? Police- just as bad? Judges- with the ongoing RCI, looks like it is equally rotten!
    I guess we have no choice but to live with the rots if the people still vote BN.
    I DO HOPE THE PEOPLE ARE WISE ENOUGH THIS TIME AROUND.
    FROM THE INQUIRY IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE RICH AND POWERFULL WHO GOT AWAY WITH THEIR WRONG DOINGS!
    VOTERS MUST BE AWARE THAT THEY ARE MANIPULATED BY BUSINESSMAN AND POLITICIANS TO RETURN BN WITH A BIG MANDATE SO THAT THEY CAN CONTIUE ROBBING AND BULLYING THE HELPLESS WITH IMPUNITY!

    TO SAVE THE SITUATION, VOTE FOR OPPOSITION!

  18. #18 by KampongBoy on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 8:51 am

    Will keep on eye on this… get the camera ready (video cam even better), take a good shot. Otherwise, they will claim that, that person looks like me, the wig looks like mine, they way he/she walks look like me… but I am not saying it si 100% me…

  19. #19 by Libra2 on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 8:52 am

    Kit,
    I suggest the public note the offense (e.g number of vehicle, time and place) and email/phone the details to the nearest DAP office. At the end of the day a DAP representative will lodge a report.
    Get DAP local leaders to attend BN gathering and note down monetary donations given by Ministers.
    Honestly, I hate, I mean really hate, walking into the police station. Do you know how cumbersome it is. The waiting and sickening rigmarole in making a report — only to find nothing happens at the end of the day.
    You may provide here all the contact numbers/email addresses of all the DAP offices in the country.

  20. #20 by Bigjoe on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 9:41 am

    They spend $4,000 ringgit on a single poster for tiny little Kepala Batas UMNO office. Imagine the kind of money they got sloshing around…

  21. #21 by helpless on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 9:43 am

    I guess the best thing is to report the EC chairman for corruption for no take the necessary action to protect the interest of the people.

  22. #22 by helpless on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 9:51 am

    I love those practical comment which make sense.

    Report to police – police take statement – next action ?
    1. Wait
    2. Report to Chief Inspector and then report to nobody ?
    3. Act according to EC law ?

    There is no law in Malaysian even the police cannot be trusted.

    Increase the no of police station to counter crime? Bullshit…

    I guess the better idea is to tell the police that if opposition parties won the election, their welfare will be review for doing the right job.

  23. #23 by bahkuteh on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 10:10 am

    my my,rm200 million is spent for an GE,i dun noe how much the Rashid had pocketed,maybe rm100 million!

    schools are used,no rental,they only spend on printing materials and payroll for 200,000 staff,of course some helicopters and boats were rented to carry voters ,but if from the track records,your area majority were casting oppositions,you dun hv to wait even for sampan,you have to swim on your own to the poll’s venue,right?

  24. #24 by helpless on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 10:28 am

    I am sick reading newspaper which continue to report PM, DPM,MB and all idiot … have to be removed for negligence, corruption and no integrity.

    Can someone comment if it is right to claim the position before next election?

    I guess misuse of position and misrepresentation are equally punishable.

  25. #25 by Cinapek on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 3:16 pm

    “……urged voters to lodge a police report if they find any candidate utilising government resources in their election campaign.”

    Report to the police? The mata mata cannot appreciate the finer legal definitions of the Govt. in power and differentiate between the BN campaigning and the Govt. that has been dissolved. In their eyes, they are one and the same.

    As for the ACA, they report to the PM and as far as they are concerned, they still report to AAB even though the Parliament has been dissolved. And I would not put much trust into a body that pays RM3000 to Jeyanthi (according to her testimony to the RCI) to keep her mouth shut.

    No, just collect the evidence and take them to court – though some may say with the tainted judiciary, what justice can be served? Never mind. The evidence will convict them in the court of public opinion and shame them for the whole world to see the BN Govt for what they really are.

  26. #26 by KampongBoy on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 4:04 pm

    Did Pah Lah just go to Johor by plane and Limousine to meet the Sultan of Johor? Was that part of the Election Campaign? Was that on his personal expenses? General Auditor, could you please find this out for rakyat Malaysia? We want the answer. Thanks.

  27. #27 by stk on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 5:28 pm

    Dear YB Kit,already made a small contribution for a big cause via credir card.approval code 732603. RM200.00 collected from my drinking kakis forgoing the drink for the night and juices on the house by the club owner.
    I think it is a good idea we do that,where during friends CNY gathering collect some funds for a good cause and the same time remind them of the corrupt govt we have now.

  28. #28 by ktteokt on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 7:22 pm

    Maybe it is time to write a book, “The Non-Malay Dilemma”?

  29. #29 by shortie kiasu on Friday, 15 February 2008 - 7:48 pm

    Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The BN government knows full well about this.

    People can bring up and definitely they will. But from past experience, it will be just another futile exercise.

    Who is there to check the abuse instantly?

    Tax payers money is just squander anyway in the name of people’s benefit. Benfits yes, just for that few privileged in the BN caretaker government.

  30. #30 by ktteokt on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 12:32 am

    You know the famous saying, “What is yours is mine, and what is mine remains mine!!” That is the spirit of BN, be it during election time or otherwise!!!

  31. #31 by pwcheng on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 1:52 am

    DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang has urged voters to lodge a police report if they find any candidate utilising government resources in their election campaign.

    Brother Kit, you are telling us to lodge a police report. I reserved my comment on that advice, but from records and precedents, I am not sure how many can trust them.

  32. #32 by AhPek on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 1:55 am

    ‘But filing police reports etc whilst they may not produce results that could make a difference to the outcome of the GE, still serve to remind the ruling party that they are still accountable to the people for their actions,that they cannot just ignore popular demands for justice and fair play and ride rough shod over our rights.’.Undergrad 2.
    Haven’t they been doing it for years riding rough shod over our rights with impunity, made even worse by Mahathir when he muzzled the Press and made both the Judiciary and Legislature subservient to the Executive.The Election Commission which is supposed to be neutral does their bidding and in fact its chairman has unwittingly revealed that the 2004 GE BN has spent 110 million ringgit on posters alone which exceeded the limit set by the Election Offence Act and is such illegal under Section 27.
    These group of scumbags are so drunk with power that they have also become so shameless that fair play and justice means nothing to them.They do not bet an eyelid in employing foul play to get what they want.
    Such is the state of affairs that this country has descended, something akin to the goigs-on of a Banana Republic.

  33. #33 by AhPek on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 1:59 am

    Correction: ‘Such is the state of affairs this country has descended into, something akin to the goings-on of a Banana Republic.’.

  34. #34 by undergrad2 on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 7:18 am

    “Haven’t they been doing it for years riding rough shod over our rights with impunity, made even worse by Mahathir…” AhPek

    True. But not with impunity. It is our duty as citizens of a free and democratic Malaysia to hold them accountable.

  35. #35 by firstMalaysian on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 7:48 am

    The lucky number for PM is 13. The dissolution of parliament was 13 February. Election commission gave 13 days for campaign after nomination day. I smell a big ‘RAT’ here.

  36. #36 by Loh on Saturday, 16 February 2008 - 11:56 pm

    From NST online Sat 16/2/08
    ///Abdullah and his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, were accompanied by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum in the special aircraft from Kuala Lumpur.

    They were greeted by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin, state executive councillors and state government officers upon their arrival at the Sultan Abdul Halim airport in Kepala Batas at 9.50am.

    Abdullah is scheduled to open a Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) road in Yan in the morning and meet with Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders at the Kelab Cinta Sayang in the
    afternoon.///

    Does the road in Yan longer than other toll ways reuire a PM to open it. Even if it is, why can it be open a week earlier, or a few weeks later. A caretaker PM is to take care of ordinary administration, and opening a road is not duties expected of PM of a caretaker government, at least that would never have happened to any caretaker government in the world. Surely UMNO has enough money to send AAB to Yan for campaigning, as the trip was clearly meant to do just that.

    What is role of the PM’s wife in opening the road in Yan? She causes more fuel to be burnt by the aircraft. Does AAB reimburse the government, even if arguably that he was on official duty. His wife had no offical role in that duty he performed.

  37. #37 by kappikappu on Sunday, 17 February 2008 - 3:30 pm

    There is a Chinese saying about the Police force ‘ If the Police can be trusted, the female boar can climb a tree’. This is especially true with our Police force. I have seen patrol car with policemen sleeping in their car on an isolated car park in a shopping complex instead of patrolling the streets.

    This Pak Dollah says rent more shops, beef up more Police personnel to combat crime etc, etc. My question is, do we need more policemen ?. What we need is honest and dedicated policemen, not corrupt and lazy bumps taking gaji buta at the Rakyat’s expense.

    If you have studied Economics before, you will know this Pareto ratio 80 : 20 rule. 80% of the people does 20% of the job and 20% of the people does 80% of the job. The Police belongs to the 1st category of 80% of the people doing 20% of the job. No wonder our crime statistics have skyrocketed ! Quality and not quantity is what we need in the Police force.

    Birds of a feather flock together. As long as the corrupt BN govt is in power, there is little the people can do about it. The people have the power to change to a new Govt. this coming GE. I urged all the citizens to exercize their right and vote BN out forever.

  38. #38 by Loh on Tuesday, 19 February 2008 - 3:08 am

    Hindraf demonstration aims at discrediting the BN government. That is political. The police roadblock serves to teach Indians a lesson on what they can expect if Hindraf continues with the activities. They think that in harassing the Indians in private cars, anger might be directed at Hindraf organisers, and demonstration could stop. Whether the strategy would work or not is not of concern. What is obvious to all and sundries is that the police is serving BN interest to discourage Hindraf. So, the neutral force of the Police Department has been misused by UMNO-led government to victimise Indians. The caretaker government is making use of Police Force to serve party interest. Worse still, UMNO is demonstrating that Indians are undesirable elements in the society. They have to be subject to public humiliation where they have been deprived of the right to free movement without being questioned by the police force. Their legitimacy in the country has been made to be much below illegal immigrant workers, or visitors to this land.

    Had the Police Force been performing their duties, there would not have been the need to direct water cannons against a group of unarmed peaceful demonstrators. It is because the stupid top government leaders hoped to stop all demonstration to give impression to the world that all is well in the country , that the unthinking Police Chief had carried out the order obediently and that ended the ugly scenes for all to see. CNN and BBC have shown them and people in developed world are surely having a good watch at all the barbaric acts being carried out in the 21 first century in a country which had reached the civilisation to the extent of being able to create a new religion sect called Islam Hadhari. So the new brand of religion is demonstrated in the graphic scenes of how Malaysian Police chase after Hindraf followers who wanted to send roses to PM AAB. Talking about PM for all races when he can’t even bring himself to accept views different from his, with the compensation of roses to boot.

  39. #39 by bokiasee on Wednesday, 5 March 2008 - 10:45 am

    I read with tremendous surprise that candidate from Kepong under Gerakan NEVER shame to tell people who stay here with overwhelming support for him. Instead he knows very well people stay around here had been suffering so much of the development of SMART project under BN GOVT which directly cause big damages and loss to people around whose business had suffering like nightmare due to the slow and disorder work, nobody knows when it will finish; causing traffic chaos ,inconveniences and damages to public tax payers until today. DO we need a strong mandate to check balance at Parliament level ?……. or we need a MP very ‘STRONG’ in looking the longkang and pot holes!!!!!!!

    How could we vote and trust a party who can’t even nominate a competent mandate for CM of Penang who had been ruling past 18 years .

    So, timing is very important for us to grasp and make full use of this opportunity to deny 50 years of prejudice and discrimination and to deny 2/3 majority in parliament and to help those less fortunate regardless of race; religion and origin to provide a level playing field for our future generation.

    Throwing eggs to a YB is shown that the opponent still using dirty and ganterism. This is only a low standard tactic campaign way back to 50s.

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