Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, region or politics, have a rendezvous with history at the Bersih 5 rally outside Dataran Merdeka on Saturday, November 19, to send a clear, united and unmistakable message to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Malaysians and the watching world of their resolve to reclaim Malaysia as a land of democracy and not to become a land of kleptocracy.
The conviction and jail sentence of one of the most outspoken leaders in Malaysia against corruption and abuses of power, Rafizi Ramli, MP for Pandan and Secretary-General of PKR, on two charges under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972 for trying to unravel the multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocracy scandal, and his disqualification to stand for election as an MP in the forthcoming 14th General Election, has highlighted the special pertinence and importance of Bersih 5 rally this Saturday.
Today, November 14, 2016 is a black day for democracy in Malaysia. It is however a great day for kleptocracy in Malaysia.
Let November 19, 2016 be a great day for democracy and a black day for kleptocracy in Malaysia.
Malaysians regardless of race, religion, gender, age, region or politics must reclaim the country as a democracy and not a kleptocracy – and let this begin on Bersih 5 on Saturday, culminating in the 14th General Election expected next year.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak called for the rejection of hypocrisy in public policy and politics.
Is the Malaysian government led by the Prime Minister guilty of hypocrisy in public policy and politics, especially with regard to the greatest question confronting Malaysians today – whether Malaysia should be a democracy or a kleptocracy?
Singapore over the weekend saw the first criminal conviction linked to the multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic scandal when former managing director of BSI in Singapore, Yak Yew Chew, 57, pleaded guilty to four charges relating to forgery and failure to disclose information.
Yak was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail and a S$24,000 fine after he agreed to disgorge S$7.5 million and to co-operate with Singapore investigations into the multi-billion dollar international 1MDB kleptocratic, embezzlement and money-laundering scandal.
In Malaysia, our first criminal conviction is not to uncover and penalize culprits and criminals responsible for the multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic scandal, which has caused the nation to suffer the international infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”, but against a person who had patriotically and valiantly stood up for full accountability and transparency in the 1MDB kleptocratic scandal!
Is this what justice and the rule of law have degenerated to, reflecting the deep hypocrisy of Malaysian public policy and politics?
Rafizi’s conviction for trying to unravel the multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic scandal should be a priority agenda in Parliament, but no one expects this to be the case when the Speaker could make the unprecedented ruling invoking and mis-applying the sub judice rule to censor and outlaw question, debate and discussion not only about the US Department of Justice (DOJ) largest kleptocratic action for the forfeiture of US$1 billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland, but anything concerning the 1MDB scandal.
Even the most senior UMNO/BN parliamentarian, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, had spoken up against the Speaker’s unprecedented ruling, saying that MPs should not be barred from discussing active cases in other countries as the sub judice rule only applied locally.
Let Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, region or politics come out in unprecedented numbers on Saturday for Bersih 5 to stage a massive Gandhian peaceful and non-violent demonstration for the sake of our children and children’s children.
I am 75 and have been in politics for 50 years. I do not expect to gain anything personally from Bersih 5 but only to fight for a better Malaysia, a land of democracy and not kleptocracy, for future generations of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, region or politics.
There are agent provocateurs out of create fear and hate to sabotage Bersih 5, like UMNO’s Red Shirts.
In this connection, Malaysiakini must be commended for its latest frame-by-frame footage of the Jamal Yunos red-nose incident during the latest Red Shirts’ thuggish anti-Bersih outing at Ampang Point shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The Red Shirts leader, Jamal Md Yunos had sustained injuries to his nose during a scuffle when the police prevented members of the red-shirts movement from trailing PKR activists at the Ampang Point shopping mall.
Video footage showed Jamal shouting repeatedly, “Polis tumbuk saya (police punched me)”, but he later claimed that the assailant was linked to PKR Wanita chief and Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin and subsequently lodged a false police report that he was struck by someone in a yellow Bersih T-shirt. From the video footage, the alleged assailant appeared to be wearing dark blue.
This is the morality, quality and character of agent provocateurs who are trying to sabotage a peaceful, non-violent, Gandhian and democratic Bersih 5 rally on Saturday.
Let Malaysians unite as one people for Bersih 5 at Dataran Merdeka on Saturday, November 19 to start a national, democratic, peaceful , non-violent, Gandhian movement to reclaim Malaysia for democracy and reject the kleptocrats and their ilk in Malaysia.
Najib had asked how I could work with Tun Dr. Mahathir despite our decade of political differences.
Let me tell Najib, that if he is prepared to join the movement to Save Malaysia, to reclaim the country for democracy and to reject kleptocracy, I am prepared to work hand-in-hand with him for the national cause despite our political differences!
(Speech at the “Bersih 5 – Ke Arah Malaysia Baru” Ceramah at Kompleks Sukan Pandamaran in Klang on Monday, 14th November 2016 at 10 pm)