The 13GE has proved to be the most historic of all general elections in the nation’s history, chalking up several new records on Nomination Day yesterday in including:
But the most historic dimension of the 13GE is that for the first time in the nation’s 56-year history, there could be a democratic transition of power with the establishment of a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government in Putrajaya, ending the 56-year rule of Umno/BN with Datuk Sdri Najib Razak as the last Umno/BN Prime Minister as predicted by the RAHMAN prophecy.
The first day of the 13GE has also highlighted certain political realities in Malaysian politics of 2013:
Dare the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek protest against the BN candidacy of Zulkifli Nordin as well as the dishonourable stratagem where BN’s candidate for Pasir Mas did not file his nomination papers to allow Ibrahim Ali to have a one-to-one fight against Pakatan Rakyat?
Is Chua prepared to tell Mahathir that the former premier was very wrong to declare publicly that Malaysia would be saved if there were more people like Ibrahim Ali, when the opposite is true, i.e. if there were more people like Ibrahim Ali, this country is doomed!
The past week has furnished spectacular examples of the virtual irrelevance of MCA in Malaysian politics, failing both to defend the interests of the Chinese in Malaysia as well as that of all Malaysians, which is why the country is plagued with so many problems from corruption, cronyism, gross abuses of power, violation of democracy and human rights, shocking decline in educational standards and the country’s international competitiveness, worsening racial and religious polarisation, etc.
The MCA surrender of its fortress, GelangPatah, to UMNO and the surrender of the ultimate right of the MCA President on who should be the MCA candidates in elections (succumbing to the new UMNO principle of “winnability” of a candidate even if it means the dropping of MCA President from the BN candidature list) is the last straw to break the camel’s back as far as the final irrelevance of MCA in the UMNO/BN scheme of things is concerned.
Yesterday, Mahathir was on the campaign trail in Kedah as the No. 1 UMNO campaigner in Malaysia (relegating Najib to second place) purportedly urging the people of Kedah to “Return to BN” when in actual fact, what the former Prime Minister meant was “Return to Mahathir”!
The 13GE has shaped up as a double referendum on the 22 years of Mahathir premiership from 1981 – 2003 and Najib’s four-year premiership on probation from 2009 – 2013.
The 13GE is a battle of the inclusive politics of the future based on Malaysian nationalism and patriotism for all Malaysians versus the communal politics of the past based on the British “divide and rule” formula, keeping the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans divided and separate, so that they are easy victims of the politics of lies, falsehoods and irresponsible playing of the race and religion cards. Pakatan Rakyat offers hope and the Malaysian Dream while Barisan Nasional stands for the politics of the past and “more of the same” of the rampant corruption, cronyism, uses of power, violation of human rights and lack of good governance.
Finally, my chances in Gelang Patah have risen as a result of use of Rocket symbol but it is still an adverse 45:55 in favour of Ghani.
Whether I can reverse the odds in the next 14 days of campaigning will only be known on Polling Day on May 5, but let me reiterate my invitation to Ghani to join me in making Gelang Patah an example for the whole country of clean, free and fair general elections in 13GE where there will be no lies and falsehoods, character-assassinations, money politics or playing of the race and religion cards to sow racial and religious distrust and hatred.