I have chosen Bukit Bintang as the first DAP parliamentary constituency to visit after the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday because this traditional DAP stronghold for over three decades has become a “danger” seat through dirty electoral tricks with the influx of over 6,000 postal votes since the 2004 general election.
DAP can lose the Bukit Bintang parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election, not because the people of Bukit Bintang have ceased to support the DAP and decided to abandon their historic role as the national political vanguard for justice, equality and freedom in Malaysia but because of electoral hanky-panky and the most lopsided playing field for Bukit Bintang parliamentary constituency in 50 years.
If the two-term DAP incumbent Fong Kui Lun loses Bukit Bintang parliamentary constituency on March 8, it is not just a personal or a DAP party loss, but a major setback of historic proportion for the long, hard and grueling political struggle to create a fair, just and equal Malaysia where all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, can have an equal place under the Malaysian sun.
If Fong Kui Lun is defeated in the traditional DAP stronghold of Bukit Bintang, it will be the triumph of all that is wrong with our country not only in the past quarter-century, but also in the past four years of Abdullah premiership.
In Kelantan on Friday, Umno deputy chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched Barisan Nasional battle cry in its bid to capture the state from PAS – “Heal Kelantan”!
In fact, the battle cry for all Malaysians in the 12th general election should be “Heal Malaysia” as never before had the country been plagued by so many divisive nation-building issues– with religious polarization the most serious and greatest new threat to national unity.
The battle cry of “Heal Malaysia” should start from the battle of Bukit Bintang focused on 5Cs –
• Crime – with Kuala Lumpur as the capital of crime in Malaysia where no one can feel safe any more in the streets, public places or even the privacy of their homes, in Kuala Lumpur and the major urban centres.
• Corruption – even worse than when Abdullah became Prime Minister four years ago when he promised to be the modern-dan Justice Bao to eradicate corruption.
• Cost of Living – the economic crisis especially from inflation and economic downturn as made life a daily struggle for ordinary Malaysians.
• International Competitiveness – the relentless decline of Malaysia’s international competitiveness illustrated by the plunge in international rankings of Malaysian universities, a unchecked brain drain and loss of national and international confidence in the rule of law and an independent judiciary have seen the country losing out to more and more countries when facing the challenges of globalization.
• Defend and uphold the Merdeka Constitution and 1957 Social Contract – that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state; and to smack down the rise of Little Napoleons and Little Mullah Napoleons in the schools, universities and public service who are increasingly insensitive of the rights of citizens and Malaysia’s character as a nation of diverse races, languages, cultures and religions.
Let the battle cry of “Heal Malaysia” emanate from the battle for Bukit Bintang in the 12th general election.