No political analyst or polling group predicts Pakatan Harapan victory in the Cameron Highlands by-election tomorrow.
In fact, as of noon on eve of Cameron Highlands by-election, Barisan Nasional has the upper hand and will win the by-election unless a miracle happens tomorrow with an unexpected influx of outstation voters defying normal trends to save the seat for Pakatan Harapan.
The expected victory for Barisan Nasional in the by-election is also the reason why Najib had chosen Cameron Highlands by-election as the launching-pad for his “Save Najib” campaign to plan a political comeback and return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister, and not in the three previous three Selangor State Assemby and the Port Dickson parliamentary by-elections.
Without an unexpected influx of the some 5,000-odd outstation voters of Cameron Highlands to undo the Barisan Nasional advantage in Cameron Highlands, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is sailing to victory in his selection of Cameron Highlands to launch his “Save Najib” campaign for a political comeback and return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
It is now clear that Najib is not only the campaigner-in-chief in the Cameron Highlands by-election, he was the one who decided that MIC should relinquish its traditional seat in Cameron Highlands, who selected Ramli Mohd Nor as tne BN candidate, and roped in PAS President, Hadi Awang, to secure PAS support in the by-election so that it would be worth his while to make the greatest gamble in his life – to use the Cameron Highlands by-election as a launching-pad for his “Save Najib” campaign for a political comeback and return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister of Malaysia in the 15th General Election by 2023.
Undoubtedly, if Barisan Nasional loses in Cameron Highlands, which was so impregnable that when the Najib government fell in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018, Cameron Highlands still did not fall into Pakatan Harapan hands, then all hopes and possibilities of a Najib political comeback will be crushed into smithereens, and he can say a final goodbye to Malaysian politics.
It is now in the hands of the outstation voters whether Najib can use the Cameron Highlands by-election to launch off his “Save Najib” campaign for a political comeback and return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister of Malaysia in the 15th General Election by 2023.
The 14-day Cameron Highlands by-election had been marred by the vicious and toxic politics of lies, fear, hate, race and religion perpetrated by both UMNO and PAS.
The tragic death of the firefighter hero, Mohd Adib was exploited by both UMNO and PAS to target the Pakatan Harapan candidate. M. Manogaran, with flyers distributed with the title “DAP Hindu/Hindraf bunuh Adib” (DAP Hindu/Hindraf killed Adib) virtually accusing Manogaran as a murderer.
I was accused in a WhatApps allegation which contained downright lies and falsehoods, with the WhatsApp message stating: “Lim Kit Siang mengusulkan didlm Dewan Rakyat supaya perkataan Islam Dan Melayu digugurkan dlm Perlembagaan”. In actual fact, in my 45 years in the Dewan Rakyat since 1969, I had never submitted such a motion.
The latest attack on me in Jelai, Cameron Highlands by-election was that I had alleged that the Orang Asli are not citizens of Malaysia, when I had in fact acknowledged that the Orang Asli are the first inhabitants in the country but asked how they could be regarded as full citizens of the country when the Orang Asli are denied the most basic infrastructures whether proper access road, clean water, electricity; deprived of the most elementary needs whether education, health and medical care, housing and economic opportunities; and most important of all, denied of their traditional land rights!
The latest attack of baseless falsehoods against Manogaran alleged that he had paid Orang Asli witnesses in the election appeal which resulted in the Election Judge declaring the election of MIC National Vice President C. Sivarraggh as Cameron Highlands MP last May as “null and void”, requiring a by-election to be held.
Manogaran has instantly these lies and falsehoods. In fact, other Orang Asli witnesses who were to testify in the election appeal last year about vote-buying and money politics were spirited away by some Tok Batins to Golok to enjoy a free holiday trip.
A BN victory will be a blow to the New Malaysia objective to transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity, for Najib will then be able to crow that he and his policies have the support of Malaysians – including the 1MDB scandal and a host of other kleptocracy and abuses of power which affect Felda, Felcra, Tabung Haji and MARA.
Be that as it may, Malaysians throughout the country will await the outcome of Cameron Highlands by-election to see whether Najib could now launch his “Save Najib” campaign to make a political comeback and return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister in the 15th General Election by 2023.
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Tringkap, Cameron Highlands on Friday, 25th January 2019)
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Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Tringkap, Cameron Highlands pada Jumaat, 25 Januari 2019: Setakat tengah hari menjelang hari pengundian esok, Barisan Nasional dilihat mempunyai kelebihan untuk menang PRK Cameron Highlands, kecuali jika pengundi yang berada di luar kawasan pulang beramai-ramai untuk mengundi Pakatan Harapan Tidak ada seorang pun penganalisis politik yang meramalkan kemenangan Pakatan Harapan pada Pilihan Raya Kecil Cameron Highlands esok.
Malah, setakat tengah hari menjelang hari pengundian esok, Barisan Nasional dilihat mempunyai kelebihan untuk menang PRK Cameron Highlands, kecuali jika pengundi yang berada di luar kawasan pulang beramai-ramai untuk mengundi Pakatan Harapan.
Najib nampaknya begitu pintar dan licik memilih Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Cameron Highlands, dan bukannya empat PRK sebelum ini, untuk dijadikan batu loncatan buatnya melancarkan kempen “Selamat Najib” yang bertujuan untuk melunaskan cita-cita politiknya, iaitu kembali ke Putrajaya sebagai Perdana Menteri.
Beliau membuat keputusan itu kerana tahu Barisan Nasional akan sekali lagi memperolehi kemenangan di kawasan itu.
Jika 5,000 pengundi Cameron Highlands yang berada di luar kawasan tidak pulang mengundi esok, tidak mustahil objektif “Selamatkan Najib” akan tercapai dan bekas Presiden UMNO itu akan kembali menjadi Perdana Menteri semula.
Sudah terang lagi bersuluh, Najib adalah ketua kempen BN dalam PRK Cameron Highlands. Beliau adalah individu yang mengarahkan supaya MIC memberi laluan kepada Ramli Mohd Noor untuk bertanding di Cameron Highlands, walaupun kerusi itu secara tradisinya ditandingi oleh MIC. Najib juga mengikat sokongan Presiden PAS, Hadi Awang, semata-mata untuk untuk meraih sokongan daripada pengundi parti Islam itu.
Tidak boleh dinafikan, jika BN tewas di Cameron Highlands, segala impian dan cita-cita Najib untuk kembali ke arena politik tanah air akan hancur lebur, dan beliau akhirnya terpaksa mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada pentas politik Malaysia.
Nasib Najib serta rancangan “Selamatkan Najib” bergantung kepada pengundi luar kawasan Cameron Highlands.
Hari ke-14 kempen PRK Cameron Highlands dicemari dengan politik toksik dan jahat berbaur pembohongan, ketakutan, kebencian, perkauman dan keagamaan yang dimainkan oleh UMNO dan PAS.
UMNO dan PAS menggunakan peristiwa kematian tragis wira, Mohd Adib, sebagai modal untuk menyerang calon Pakatan Harapan M Manogaran. Mereka menyebarkan risalah bertajuk “DAP Hindu/Hindraf bunuh Adib” untuk menuduh dan memfitnah Manogaran sebagai kononnya pembunuh anggota bomba tersebut.
Menerusi mesej yang tersebar di Whatsapp, saya juga dituduh kononnya mahu “mengusulkan di dalam Dewan Rakyat supaya perkataan Islam dan Melayu digugurkan dalam Perlembagaan”. Ini adalah fitnah berniat jahat kerana selama 45 tahun saya menghadiri sidang di Dewan Rakyat sejak 1969, tidak pernah sekalipun saya membawa usul seumpama itu.
Serangan terbaharu terhadap saya meletus di Jelai, di mana saya dituduh kononnya berkata bahawa Orang Asli bukan warganegara Malaysia, sedangkan saya mengiktiraf yang Orang Asli adalah penduduk asal negara ini. Saya hanya membangkitkan persoalan bagaimana Orang Asli boleh dianggap sebagai warganegara penuh Malaysia, sedangkan mereka dinafikan kemudahan asas seperti jalan yang baik, bekalan air bersih, bekalan elektrik; ditambah kekurangan keperluan asas seperti pendidikan, kesihatan, penjagaan kesihatan, perumahan serta peluang ekonomi, dan paling penting, dinafikan hak ke atas tanah adat mereka!
Terbaharu muncul pula tuduhan tidak berasas yang mendakwa Manogaran kononnya membayar saksi dari kalangan Orang Asli untuk memberi keterangan di Mahkamah Pilihan Raya, yang pada beberapa bulan lalu mengisytiharkan bahawa kemenangan Timbalan Presiden MIC, C Sivarrajh di Cameron Highlands dalam PRU14 adalah terbatal kerana terdapat unsur rasuah.
Manogaran menafikan sekeras-kerasnya pembohongan dan fitnah tersebut. Bagaimana boleh timbul tuduhan seperti ini, sedangkan saksi Orang Asli sendiri dipujuk dengan percutian percuma ke Golok oleh Tok Batin sebagai balasan untuk tidak memberi keterangan di mahkamah.
Kemenangan BN akan memberi tamparan hebat terhadap pembentukan dan objektif Malaysia Baharu untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai negara yang disengani dunia, setelah mendapat malu dengan gelaran kleptokrasi global ekoran pelbagai skandal yang melanda negara di bawah pentadbiran Najib, termasuk skandal 1MDB, Felda, Felcra, Tabung Haji dan MARA.
Apa pun yang terjadi, rakyat Malaysia di seluruh pelosok negara menanti-nantikan keputusan PRK Cameron Highlands dan ingin melihat sama ada Najib mampu melancarkan kempen “Selamatkan Najib” yang bertujuan untuk melunaskan cita-citanya, iaitu kembali menjadi Perdana Menteri selepas PRU15.