The Greek saying: “Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad” came into me when I saw the a letter from the MCA Secretary General Ong Ka Chuan sacking a former Johore village chief for nine years as a MCA member for being photographed with me during my visits around the Johore state.
This is utterly mad, devoid of moral principles and standards, and something no sane or rational party or leader would do.
I call on the three MCA Ministers and leaders, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (MCA President), Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (MCA Deputy President) and Datuk Ong Ka Chuan (MCA Secretary-General) to publicly apologise for the crazy, irrational and morally unjustifiable expulsion of the former Johore village chief for nine years as a MCA member for being photographed with me.
Both Tiong Lai and Ka Siong had been photographed with me at some function or other. Are Tiong Lai and Ka Siong going to be expelled from MCA as happened to this former Johore village chief for nine years, and who had a longer MCA membership history than Tiong Lai, or are there obviously double-standards in the MCA, one for the MCA leaders and Ministers and another for the MCA rank-and file?
I believe that the people in Paloh state assembly seat and Sembrong parliamentary seat in Johore are waiting impatiently for the coming 14th General Election for two reasons:
Firstly, for Johor to be the frontline state to bring about the greatest change in Malaysia’s political landscape in 60 years by ensuring a change of government both at the Federal level in Putrajaya and in Johore State; and
Secondly, for Johoreans, regardless of race, religion, region or even politics, to unite as Malaysian patriots together with Malaysians all over the country to save Malaysia from being a global kleptocracy, and to reset nation building directions and policies so that we can become a successful, harmonious, progressive and prosperous plural nation as was our initial Merdeka Dream.
Great changes are afoot in Malaysian politics, and it is these political waves which are accelerating in the state and country which will see Pakatan Harapan win the Paloh State Assembly seat in Johore and even the Sembrong parliamentary seat currently held by the Johore UMNO strongman, Datuk Seri Hishamuudin Hussein, the Defence Secretary and cousin of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
I was at a kopitiam dialogue at Taman Universiti in my parliamentary constituency in Gelang Patah this morning. We had with us the Chairman of Amanah in Gelang Patah, Dzulkefly Ahmad, who had been a PAS member for 30 years since he was 22 years old.
But he left PAS for AMANAH because he found that PAS under the leadership of Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is very different from the PAS under former Mursyidul Am Datuk Nik Mat Nik Aziz or former PAS Presidents Datuk Fadhil Noor and Yusuf Rawa, as the present PAS President has lost the “inclusive” Malaysian vision and become the greatest apologist and defender of the UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s global kleptocracy.
This morning,we also had with us as a speaker Sdr. Samad Atan, the Gelang Patah Bersatu Chairman. Samad was in UMNO for 45 years, joining UMNO when he was 18 years and he is now 63 years old.
Why did Samad leave UMNO to join Bersatu, although he had to a pay a heavy price for the decision – as he was sacked as Councillor and Whip of Majlis Perbandaran Johor Baru Tengah for the decision.
Samad left UMNO because UMNO under Datuk Seri Najib Razak is very different from UMNO of the past, as none of the five previous UMNO President and Prime Ministers – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and even Tun Abdullah – would have allowed Malaysia to be regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy and suffer the indignity, ignominy and infamy of such an appellation.
Tonight, we have with us Sdr. Onn Abu Bakar, the PKR candidate for Sembrong in the 2013 General Election, Datuk Osman Sapian, Johore Secretary of Parti Pribumi Bersatu and Malacca Pakatan Harapan Chairman as well as Malacca Amanah Chairman, Adly Zahary.
Osman Sapian was formerly a three-term UMNO Assemblyman for Kempas. He joined UMNO in 1979 and had been with UMNO for 38 years.
Why are so many UMNO veterans who have been in UMNO for decades leaving the UMNO?
This is among the political change and revolution taking place in Malaysia, especially in the rural areas, today.
There was a political tsunami in the urban areas in the 13th General Election in 2013, resulting in the majority of the national voters (some 53%) voting for a change of government in Malaysia.
But without a political tsunami in the rural areas, this was not enough to effect a democratic change of government, as the present electoral system was so unfair and undemocratic that with only 47% of the popular vote, Najib could still win 60 per cent of the 222 parliamentary seats, allowing him to continue in power although as the first minority Prime Minister of Malaysia.
In the next 14th General Election, there is a great likelihood of a political tsunami among the Malay voters in the rural areas, to match the political tsunami of the urban voters – Chinese, Indian and urban Malays.
If there is swing of 10% of the Malay voters and 5% of the non-Malay voters from UMNO/Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Harapan in the 14GE as compared to the 13GE, Pakatan Harapan would win 113 of the 165 parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia, leaving 50 to BN and two to PAS.
Together with support from Sarawak and Sabah, Pakatan Harapan would have 125 to 130 out of 222 parliamentry seats – and possibly more – to form the new Pakatan Harapan Federal Government.
If Malaysians miss this golden opportunity to save Malaysia and reset nation building policies and directions so that Malaysia can be a united, harmonious, successful, progressive and prosperous plural nation, Malaysia will be heading for greater setbacks in the years ahead.
There are therefore two conditions we must fulfill if we want to see a new Pakatan Harapan Federal Government in Putrajaya and a new Pakatan Harapan State Government in Johore in the 14GE: firstly, a political tsunami among the Malays in the rural areas, which means the message “Sayangi Malaysia Hapuskan Kleptocrasi” must be able to reach the 3.5 million UMNO members and one million PAS members for them to understand that the highest UMNO and PAS leadership have reached an unholy alliance to defend Najib’s kleptocracy, which is not in the interests of the nation and people; and secondly, to sustain and even enlarge the political tsunami among the Chinese, Indian and urban Malay voters in the urban areas.
I call on the people of Paloh and Sembrong, and from all over Johore and Malaysia, to meet in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 14 for the Pakatan Harapan “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptocrasi” gathering to demonstrate our resolve, commitment and love to save Malaysia from kleptocracy and return our nation firmly and solidly to the path of democracy.
(Speech at the “Save Malaysia, Destroy Kleptocracy” Pakatan Harapan Dinner in Paloh on Friday, 22nd September 2017 at 9 pm)