The UMNO/Barisan Nasional propagandists have been working overtime to forecast various doomsday scenarios for DAP, Pakatan Rakyat and the country in the run-up to the 13th general elections, as for instance, warning of a repetition of May 13 racial clashes, chaos and even Malaysia becoming bankrupt and be like Greece in three years if UMNO/Barisan Nasional is replaced by Pakatan Rakyat in Putrajaya.

It is almost five years since the Pakatan Rakyat formed the state governments in Penang, Selangor and Kedah and over 22 years since PAS captured the Kelantan state government. Have there been May 13 racial clashes in the Pakatan Rakyat states or have they gone bankrupt?

If Pakatan Rakyat rule is such a disaster, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would not have to undergo the two-year agony of repeatedly postponing the date for the 13th general elections because of his lack of confidence that UMNO/BN would get a renewed mandate to continue to govern Malaysia.

There would also have been no need for Najib to resort to undemocratic and unconstitutional means to mount an illegal coup d’etat to grab power from the duly-elected Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak in February 2009, a result which the people of Perak are determined to reverse by restoring Perak state to Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general elections.

The UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists must be told in no uncertain terms to stop their various false doomsday scenarios for the people and the country if they truly love Malaysia.

Just as Kelantan had not gone bankrupt after more than 22 years of PAS rule and Penang, Selangor and Kedah have not gone bankrupt after nearly five years of Pakatan Rakyat state governments, but in fact chalking up a better record than Barisan Nasional both in good governance and promoting the people’s welfare, Malaysia will not become bankrupt after three years.

On the contrary, under PR governance, Malaysia will be set on a new growth path to lead to greater prosperity and justice for all Malaysians for the country, not only because of an end to corruption, cronyism and abuses of power but because Malaysia will be governed by leaders whose first priority is the best interests of all Malaysians and the country rather than of themselves and their cronies.

There cannot be another repetition of May 13 racial clashes in the country, for if anything untoward and unfortunate happens after the 13GE, it will not be clashes between Malays and Chinese, but Malays versus Malays or even Malaysians versus Malaysians with each side led by Malays.

Is Najib prepared to come forward to give an assurance to the nation that such an eventuality would not happen, as Malaysia is wedded to the system of parliamentary democracy and UMNO/BN committed to the goal of making Malaysia the “world’s best democracy” – which must be preceded by the onset of a two-party or two-coalition democratic system?

Najib’s most quoted saying since becoming Prime Minister is that “the era the government knows best is over”, but this is also his most violated pledge.

Up to now, despite repeated questions in Parliament and outside, Najib has refused to give a public pledge that he would fully honour the spirit of “the era the government knows best is over” and that if it is the verdict of the 13 million electorate in the 13GE for a change of federal government in Putrajaya, he and UMNO would respect the verdict as well as giving a solemn undertaking to ensure a peaceful transition of power to Pakatan Rakyat.

If Najib truly believes that “the era the government knows best is over”, he should issue a directive to all UMNO/BN leaders to stop their various false doomsday scenarios for the country and people and end all their politics of lies, hate and fear against Pakatan Rakyat.

In the “100 Days to Putrajaya”, as the 13GE will fall in the next 100 days, DAP and PR must dismantle and debunk the various false and nefarious doomsday scenarios foisted by the UMNO/BN propagandists to frighten Malaysian voters from exercising their historic right and responsibility to usher a change of federal government for the first time in the nation’s 55 year history.

The demolition and debunking of the doomsday scenarios must begin from the 16th DAP National Congress this weekend – with the first task for DAP delegates to prove UMNO/BN prophets of doom wrong with a ringing and powerful endorsement for the Karpal-Guan Eng leadership to lead DAP in the PR battle for Putrajaya in 13GE and to put to rest the lies and falsehoods spread by UMNO/BN propagandists in their attempt to split the DAP national leadership.