Today is last sitting of the 13th Parliament which was elected on 5th May 2013, as Parliament is expected to be dissolved tomorrow to pave the way for the 14th General Election although there is speculation that the dissolution of Parliament will only take place next Wednesday.
Since last Wednesday, I have attended Parliament daily, but for the last six parliamentary sittings, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker could not see me, and I could not participate in the parliamentary debates nor my votes counted in parliamentary voting.
After being elected to Parliament for 10 terms spanning 45 years from 1969 to 2018 except for the 10th Parliament, I have become a parliamentary “ghost” since last Wednesday, when I was suspended for six months for the second time during the present Parliament for asking the very legitimate question as to where the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, derived powers to impose an embargo on the Election Commission’s Constituency Redelineation Report after it was tabled in the House on 22nd March 2018 – denying MPs the right to consult constituents and the Malaysian people on the Election Commission’s Report and to get public feedbacks before parliamentary debate on the Report.
The Election Commission’s Constituency Redelineation Report is the most pernicious and monstrous exercise in gerrymandering in the nation’s history, completely subversive of the nation-building principles underlined in the Malaysian Constitution and the Rukunegera, as well as smashing into smithereens the Vision 2020 objective of a Bangsa Malaysia and Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia objective to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as a Malaysian first, and his or her race, religion, region or socio-economic status second.
This was why I became a parliamentary ghost after 45 years as a Member of Parliament in Parliament – for standing up for the Malaysian Dream that Malaysia can be a more united, harmonious, progressive and prosperous nation as envisaged by our forefathers, the Malaysian Constitution and the basic nation-building documents like the Rukunegara.
The passage of the Election Commission’s Constituency Redelineation Report and the Anti-Fake News Bill are the two ignoble acts of an expiring political coalition desperately seeking to retain power in Putrajaya in the 14th General Election, although the country is hurtling headlong in the trajectory of a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.
I have described the Anti-Fake News Bill as “Save Najib from 1MDB scandal” Bill, not to fight fake news to incite racial ill-will, hatred and enmity, but to proscribe reports about the 1MDB scandal as well as to give immunity and impunity to UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and quinoa cybertroopers to concoct and peddle “fake news” against Pakatan Harapan and civil society leaders.
Will the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 end the deluge of fake news, lies and demonization from UMNO/BN propagandists that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam; cause of May 13 riots in 1969; a communist; multiple agent of foreign powers including CIA, KGB, MI5, Australian Secret Intelligence; received RM1 billion from Mahathir, RM100 million from tycoon Robert Kuok and over RM1 from Israeli sources; given RM40 million to a news portal; offered PAS President Hadi Awang RM100 million to defy the Sultan of Selangor; that I dominate and run Pakatan Harapan; want to be Prime Minister when Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th General Election; disband Malay Regiment; destroy Malaysia-China relations, and a litany of incredible fake news, false information and downright lies?
Of course not! Once the Anti-Fake News Act becomes law, it will pave the way for an even more ferocious, baseless and immoral deluge of fake news, false information and lies against Pakatan Harapan and civil society leaders.
Such a malicious campaign has long been in the preparation and has even started before the Anti-Fake News legislation is on the statute books.
Yesterday, the opening salvo for the revival of the canard that I want to be Prime Minister of Malaysia when Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th GE was fired when the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, alleged in the New Straits Times that if Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th GE, I will be the pact’s main choice for prime minister and not Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
PKR President Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was even dragged into the picture, accusing her of being in the plot with me, as Hamzah claimed that “we just want Dr. Mahathir to be the prime ministerial candidate so that Dr. Mahathir will attack Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak”.
When UMNO/BN Ministers are capable of such pernicious and monstrous fake news, false information and lies, then the time is long overdue for a change of government to Save Malaysia from hurtling along the trajectory towards a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.
(Media Conference Statement in Parliament on Thursday, 5th April 2018 at 11.30 am)