I want to announce the DAP/Pakatan Harapan candidate for the Johor State Assembly seat for Perling (new name for Pengkalan Rinting) will be the incumbent DAP State Assemblyman Cheo Yee How.

The DAP decision not to use the Rocket logo, which had appeared in the ballot papers for eleven general elections from 1969 to 2013, was not an easy one, but a most painful and heart-wrenching decision for all DAP leaders.

For some five decades, the Rocket symbol had been identified with the uphill struggle, with many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, for an united, just, democratic, progressive and prosperous Malaysia.

DAP leaders have not abandoned the DAP principles and struggles with the decision to use a Pakatan Harapan common logo, which will not be the Rocket logo, because the 14th General Election is probably the only opportunity in many decades for a change of Federal government and for Malaysia to take the first step to become a normal democracy where voters can change the government peacefully and democratically through the ballot box, without the threat of violence, chaos or catastrophe.

We want to ensure not only individual candidates and DAP can win in the 14th General Election, we want to ensure that all Pakatan Harapan candidates and all the four component parties in Pakatan Harapan – DAP, PKR, AMANAH and Bersatu – can win over a simple majority of the 222 Parliamentary seats in Malaysia in the 14GE so as to form the next Federal Government in Malaysia to Save Malaysia from becoming a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.

The suggestion that the other three political parties of PKR, AMANAH and Bersatu use a common Pakatan Harapan logo while DAP keeps its Rocket logo in the 14GE is not really an option, for we must be able to convey to Malaysian voters the inspiring message that the four Pakatan Harapan parties are united as one political force to Save Malaysia to resolve the economic problems of the people as well as to undertake the formidable task of reforming national institutions.

The preparedness of DAP leaders to undergo the pain and heart-wrenching associated with the decision to use a common Pakatan Harapan logo which is not the Rocket symbol is a game-changer, sending out a loud and clear message that the time has come for all Malaysians to rise above race, language, religion and even political parties so that Malaysia can have a second chance to reset nation-building policies and directions by returning to the fundamental principles laid out in the Malaysian Constitution and key nation-building documents like the Rukunegara and save Malaysia from the fate of a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.

Does the Najib and the UMNO/BN government believe in Malaysia becoming an open, transparent, accountable and democratic government?

Clearly not, or the several shameful democratic episode which happened in the past ten days would not have taken place, like the worst constituency gerrymandering in the nation’s history through the Election Commission’s Constituency Redelineation Report which was bulldozed through Parliament without any benefit of public consultation or feeback; the Anti-Fake News legislation which is nothing but an insidious censorship to impose a clampdown on reports about the 1MDB scandal and other case of corruption in Malaysia; and most recently, the 30-day provisional dissolution order which had been issued to Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s PBBM by the Registrar of Societies to bar the new political party from contesting in the 14GE.

As the former Wanita UMNO chief and former Cabinet Minister, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz had asked, why is Najib so afraid of Mahathir that Najib had to resort to all underhand tactics against PPBM?

Beginning from midnight, Parliament stands dissolved – and the 14th General Election is on, with power returning to the 15 million voters to decide whether there is going to be a change of the political coalition running the Malaysian Government in Putrajaya, with Tun Mahathir as the Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the Deputy Prime Minister, while Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will take over the reins of power to become Malaysia’s eighth Prime Minister.

(Speech at the Pengkalan Rinting DAP Kopitiam Ceramah in Johor Baru on Friday, April 6, 2018 at 3 pm)