Archive for category Elections
‘Dubious’ voters may decide GE13
By Ong Kian Ming | Apr 8, 2012
Malaysiakini
ANALYSIS In the first part of this article, I highlighted five problems with the electoral roll which were not addressed in the report by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reform.
In this second part, I will highlight five additional problems with the electoral roll, all of which concern the highly problematic area of postal voting among army and police personnel.
5. Postal voters who are registered using their regular ICs
Army personnel, who are postal voters, have IC addresses beginning with T. Police personnel, who are postal voters, have IC addressing beginning with R, G and I.
If any of these army or police voters were previously registered as voters using their civilian IC numbers, their civilian registration entries should be deleted from the electoral roll.
Read the rest of this entry »
10 major problems in EC’s electoral roll
By Ong Kian Ming | Apr 7, 2012
Malaysiakini
ANALYSIS The Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform report, which was released earlier this week, highlights 22 recommendations on how to improve the electoral process.
I will not go through each and every recommendation or discuss the overall quality of these recommendations since others including the Bar Council chairperson and the Bersih steering committee have already done so.
bersih announcing 3rd rally 040412 ong kian mingWhat I will focus on in this two-part article is the many problems which are to be found in the electoral roll. To summarise, the report fails to acknowledge significant problems that have to do with the electoral roll, many of which are already well known, and seems to limit the scope of checking the accuracy of the electoral roll to a few not very useful parameters.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 3.0, the fear factor
— Thomas Fann
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 24, 2012
APRIL 24 — As I write this, we are just four days away from April 28, 2012. It is the day which the Bersih 2.0 steering committee has chosen to have Bersih 3.0, a sit-down protest called by its BM name Duduk Bantah. It is late at night and I am sleepless. As I lay awake, I reminisced about Bersih 2.0 held last year on July 9.
However, this time round, Bersih 3.0 is no longer an option for me for I found myself roped into the committee organising it simultaneously with the KL event, in my city. The band of us was crazy enough, probably foolish as well, to even consider doing it. Probably the experiences of July 9, 2011 have hardened our resolve to push for change and we didn’t want our beloved city to miss out on it.
But I am realising that it is one thing to risk your own life and another to be in a position where you may also be risking the lives of others. It is a fear that is multiplied by the number of those who will be coming out to sit down and protest.
Wait a minute! We are just talking about we, the citizens, wanting to say that we think the present electoral system and roll needs to be improved and cleaned up. All we are asking is two hours to sit down in a public space to voice our concerns. Why should we be afraid? Yet, we are. Read the rest of this entry »
How do you discern?
— May Chee Chook Ying
The Malaysian Insider
April 24, 2012
APRIL 24 — What do you pray for when you pray, as when you speak to God? I was educated in a convent. So, from young I was “exposed” to the Catholic faith. So, I learnt how to pray, at least I think I know how to pray. Apart from the set prayers, I learnt how to talk to God.
My first and only gift I’ve asked from God since my primary years has been this — a conscience. A heavy conscience can be so inconvenient but that was what I asked for and that was what I got. I asked for it, so to speak!
So, what’s a conscience? The Oxford dictionary defines a conscience as a moral sense of right and wrong. I guess it means that when you have a conscience, simply put, you do know when you are doing right or wrong. When it’s right, you feel good and liberated. When it’s wrong, you feel lousy and imprisoned by guilt, fear, doubts, etc.
Please bear with me when I speak of conscience from the viewpoint of a Catholic. The size of the world depends on your conscience. Conscience can make the world bigger or smaller. It was the Lord Himself who said this: Two men can look at the “lily in the field” and the one sees more than the other. The first sees the stem and the petals of the flower. The second sees this and something beyond: the Providence of the Father who clothes it more magnificently than “Solomon in all his regalia”.
For the second man, his conscience is something more than a “still, small voice” at the back of his head. His world is bigger and he is too big a person to be crippled by the chilling fear of punishment when he does wrong or a feeling of guilt when he dares to be unconventional. Such a man can see the whole stage and not just part of the scenery. His conscience is what we, Catholics, call “the Vision of the Whole”. Read the rest of this entry »
Peaceful transition of power: Open letter to all political parties
Posted by Kit in Elections, Lim Teck Ghee, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 24 April 2012
by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
With the general election imminent, one key question remains yet unanswered: Will the Barisan Nasional respect the outcome of the polls and ensure a peaceful transition of power?
This is the sixty four thousand dollar sensitive question – unasked in our repressed mass media, largely unexplored by political analysts, never-to-be-publicly wondered but lurking in the mind of many concerned Malaysians.
One exception to the unwritten rule of never posing such a politically incorrect question took place in a private lunch talk organized by the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) for its members early this year. The January 12 event featuring Prime Minister Najib Razak as speaker had attracted an audience of more than 200.
An RSC member (who identified himself as the son of a former long-serving staff of Najib’s father, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein) asked the following towards the end of the talk:
“Mr Prime Minister, would you make the transition of the government for Pakatan a smooth one if the opposition wins the next general election?”
According to some of those present, after some hesitation the prime minister responded: “I do not have to answer that question” or words to that effect; following which he abruptly left, ostensibly for another function. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Malaysians 0verseas are joining Global Bersih 3.0
– Yolanda Augustin
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 24, 2012
APRIL 24 – My name is Yolanda Augustin and I left Malaysia 14 years ago to study in the UK, where I now live and work as a doctor. I’m writing to explain what inspired me to get involved in the Bersih movement and global solidarity work for Malaysia.
For many years, I felt a sense of helplessness and frustration as I followed Malaysian current affairs and saw the country I grew up in stuck in a downward spiral of poor governance and deteriorating civil liberties and human rights. What really got to me was the complete waste of potential – Malaysia was and remains a beautiful country – rich in natural resources, great weather, fantastic cuisine and diverse culture. It has a small population of 28 million people that could enjoy a world class healthcare and education system if the money spent on hapless vanity projects and siphoned off to fund the multimillionaire lifestyles of government ministers was spent on improving the lives of the rakyat.
I was also struck by the vast number of Malaysians I met living overseas – many of them doing interesting and inspiring things – writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, chefs, bankers, lecturers, lawyers, nurses, town planners, engineers, actors, the list goes on. Many of them still with strong roots and a sense of connection to their place of birth. Many of them wanting to contribute something good and positive towards Malaysia but not knowing what, where or how. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno’s looming end (Part 2)
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
APRIL 22 — Some of my readers will recognise that my previous article borrowed its title from Fukuyama’s hugely popular book. I am sceptical, however, that someone who writes of Najib Razak as being the prime minister of this blessing land instead of this blessed land has read Fukuyama’s book.
I haven’t got the time to enter into useless polemic with this fellow as it would only serve to dignify his blog, which isn’t widely read anyway.
One admission. My blog nowadays does not pretend to be a forum for unbiased debate. Since I joined the DAP, while I try to present an objective viewpoint, I am functioning increasingly as a pamphleteer with a specific political objective. I don’t have to explain myself as many know what I am inferring of.
Back to Fukyuma’s “End of History”. It tells the end of totalitarian and undemocratic rules all over the world. Whether it has brought about the emergence of liberal democracy in exact terms as described by Fukuyama remains to be seen.
What is happening all over the world is this: ALL totalitarian and undemocratic rules in the world have had to adjust to the new realities brought about by the empowerment of people. This is what is happening in our country too.
As a result, despite the shamefaced claim of the rise of the PM’s popularity, of promises of development that they have failed to deliver for so many years, there is an unmistakable sense of nervousness in the ruling government that this time; it’s not going to be business as usual. Read the rest of this entry »
How to steal an election
— Faizal Tajuddin
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
APRIL 23 — Step One: Pretend you’re reforming and making changes. For the better, of course. And make sure people notice it, and to make doubly sure they don’t forget, don’t make the changes too early. Do it late. Very late. A month or two before General Election late. Then you can appear on mass media and go “See? See? It was a struggle and a sacrifice and it was tough but we did it for you. For the people!”
Step Two: Real reform can be dangerous. Especially if one is too comfortable holding on to power. The power is practically a permanent mandate now. An entitlement. And real changes might mean you’d lose that power. So don’t really change anything, appear to change something. A little bit of window dressing or a new coat of paint, something along the lines of: Telling people you’re going to scrap the ISA, but then replace it with something just as nasty. Or tell people they can protest peacefully now, no need for permits, freedom of assembly is upheld etc, blah blah blah, but then designate practically everywhere as non-assembly zones.
Step Three: Really change something. Only this time, something of benefit for powers that be and not for people, then slip in that tiny, innocuous real game-changer along with the big pronouncements and make the necessary amendments at the parliament. Rush all those bills in one day, get it all done and announce it to the media. With any luck, everybody would concentrate on the big public relations “reforms” and ignore that one tiny innocuous nothingness that really changes a whole lot.
Step Four: Celebrate. You just won the election again. Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s just get back to basics
— May Chee Chook Ying
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
APRIL 23 — Let’s forget about trying to break into the Guinness Book of World Records and stuff. Let’s just get back to basics. Let’s just go back to square one; what it means to be a democracy, what it means to uphold the constitution. Let’s remember the pledge of the Rukunegara, first mooted in 1970. For those who have forgotten about it and for those who do not know anything about it, it goes like this:
“Our Nation, Malaysia, is dedicated to: Achieving a greater unity for all her people; maintaining a democratic way of life; creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably distributed; ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural tradition, and building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.
We, the people of Malaysia, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends, guided by these principles:
Belief in God
Loyalty to King and Country
Upholding the Constitution
Sovereignty of the Law and
Good Behaviour and Morality”
Seen or felt any of the above lately? Am I the only one sorely missing the spirit of the Rukunegara? Can we drown out the din, please, and get back to living with dignity, the way decent human beings deserve to? Read the rest of this entry »
3.1m dubious voters on list for a decade, says Bersih
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Bersih accused the Election Commission (EC) today of failing to investigate 3.1 million voters whose identity card (IC) addresses differ from that in the electoral roll despite having the information since 2002.
Speaking at a press conference called by the electoral reform movement, independent polls analyst Ong Kian Ming said the EC was given this information for all states in the peninsula and also Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and the figure made up 37 per cent of the 8.3 million voters registered then.
The project director for the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) said he has had the information given by the National Registration Department (NRD) to the EC before the implementation of the new registration system where all voters have to be registered according to the constituency indicated by their IC addresses.
“The EC has failed to act on this… to clean up the electoral roll even though the presence of these non-resident voters contravenes Article 119 1(b) of the Federal Constitution which says a voter must be a resident in the constituency he is voting in,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Testimonial siapa yang lebih baik? Tunku dan Hussein Onn atau yang lain-lain?
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 23 April 2012
—Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
23 APRIL — Semalam PM Najib di Pulau Pinang, negeri yang telah begitu maju dan telah pun menjadi negeri yang mendahului negeri-negeri lain dalam pelaburan pembuatan tahun lepas. Pulau Pinang diikuti rapat oleh Selangor dalam sektor yang sama dan kedua-duanya adalah negeri yang ditadbir oleh Pakatan Rakyat. Najib kali ini menjanjikan bulan dan bintang kepada negeri P. Pinang jika BN kembali memerintah negeri itu.
Janji pemimpin BN itu adalah janji dari parti yang telah jatuh ke dalam gaung dan kali ini ia memberikan janji kepada orang-orang yang telah mencampakkan BN ke dalam gaung itu. Lawatan ini adalah lawatan dalam siri kempen pilihanraya ke13 nanti dan Najib masih melagukan lagu-lagu lama yang sudah tidak masuk “carta lagu popular mingguan” lagi.
Lagunya yang dinyanyikan di Pulau Pinang semalam bertajuk “Ingat kepada jasa lama” dan “Jangan tinggal daku” yang telah dinyanyikan oleh pemimpin Umno setiap kali pilihanraya sampai. Lagu ini serupa seperti lagu “Selamat Hari Raya” nyanyian biduawanita negara Saloma. Lagu “Selamat Hari Raya” hanya berkumandang semasa kita menghampiri Hari Raya Puasa. Lagu-lagu ini datangnya bermusim. Bila habis Hari Raya hilanglah lagu selamat Hari Raya. Begitu jugalah lagu nyanyian Najib.
Tidak ada modal lain selain dari meminta rakyat dan orang Melayu khususnya untuk berterima kasih kepada BN dan mengenang jasa-jasa pemimpin-pemimpin terdahulu seperti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Dr Mahathir serta Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Najib menggunakan nama-nama pemimpin yang terdahulu sebagai “testimonial” untuk mendapatkan sokongan yang berterusan dari rakyat. Najib dan Umno pimpinannya sedang kepanasan kerana dalil-dalil yang jelas telah dilihat yang BN akan menghadapi pilihanraya yang paling getir dalam sejarah negara merdeka kita.
Tetapi Najib tidak pula nampak yang “testimonial” nama-nama pemimpin yang disebut beliau itu tidak boleh meyakinkan rakyat untuk menerimanya bulat-bulat. Setidak-tidaknya dua dari nama yang disebutnya itu tidak berada didalam Umno semasa mereka meninggal dunia. Tunku Abdul Rahman sehingga akhir hayat beliau tidak mahu menyertai Umno kerana parti itu tidak lagi mempunyai “attribute” sebagai parti yang mempunyai intregiriti untuk memerintah. Begitu juga Hussein Onn. Kedua-dua bekas pemimpin besar Umno ini tidak mahu menyertai Umno sama sekali. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno’s looming end
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 23 April 2012
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 22, 2012
APRIL 22 — It is already happening. The people in the mainstream media and “mainstream new media” do not have a clue about what is happening. They are seeing ghosts at every corner. Umno is in total disarray. In desperate times, Umno resorts to desperate measures.
Umno knows the Malay mindset. They know Malays have this addiction to horror stories, sex and other bizarre tales. That is why readership of the Mastika Magazine far outstrips that of Utusan Malaysia. In Utusan Malaysia, only two pieces of news are true; (1) the Islamic prayer times and (2) 4-digit numbers. Can it be that more Malays now patronise the gaming shops? Everything else in Utusan is deceit.
So, now, they concentrate on the horror of horrors — all else will die with the demise of Umno. The hard truth is, if Umno dies, the ones who will suffer most will be the parasitic leeches and the anointed rent-seekers, the licensed rajahs, the ones given licences to plunder, and the corrupt politicians. It’s the end of civilisation, but it’s the end of the plundering civilisation as Umno knows it.
Let me hasten to comfort Malays and Malaysians; nobody dies if Umno goes under. Especially not the Malays. The tide and ebb of Malays do not absolutely depend on Umno. We progress through education and through our efforts. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Unwise for Umno to axe Najib after GE’
Posted by Kit in Elections, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 22 April 2012
Nigel Aw | Apr 21, 2012
Malaysiakini
Even if the BN wins the next general election but losses more seats, it would still be unwise for Umno to unseat Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as they did with his predecessor, says prominent author Barry Wain.
This, he said, is because the premier is popular among the people and the ruling coalition and government are dependent on his star power.
“In the event if Najib still wins the election but drops say a dozen seats, he could come under pressure, but it is difficult because Najib is personally popular.
“He is extremely popular, far more popular than Umno, the government and the BN.
“What they have going for them now in terms of electoral appeal is Najib,” Wain said at a talk organised by the Foreign Correspondents Club Malaysia (FCCM) in Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
City shenanigans over Bersih 3.0
— Justice Seeker
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 22, 2012
APRIL 22 — The mayor of Kuala Lumpur, or the man who heads the KL City Hall (DBKL), is a political appointee.
He is appointed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, and he takes orders from Putrajaya. It is not an independent DBKL, as Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein would have us believe, that the people at DBKL make decisions independently or without fear or favour.
DBKL listens to Najib, Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, or any other Barisan Nasional power broker.
So Hishammuddin can save his act about hoping DBKL will offer the organisers of Bersih 3.0 the alternative of Stadium Merdeka, now that DBKL has denied approval for the use of Dataran Merdeka.
The Cabinet, in which Hishammuddin is a member, decided that Dataran Merdeka is off limits and wants to confine Bersih 3.0 to Stadium Merdeka and this information has been communicated to DBKL.
But here is the minister trying to hoodwink Malaysians into thinking a) that he is a reasonable chap; b) that the Datuk Bandar is some independent-minded chap and c) that the BN government is really unconcerned about Bersih 3.0. Read the rest of this entry »
Ambiga: ‘Whirlwind’ of law reforms pointless without clean polls
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights, ISA, Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 21 April 2012
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 21, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The sudden “whirlwind” of legislative reforms to the country’s restrictive laws has left Malaysians both elated and disappointed in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government ahead of the 13th general election, Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan has said.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his team may have earned plus points for daring to slacken the government’s leash over civil freedom, a historical point in Malaysian politics, but the prime minister’s failed attempt at electoral reform had hurtled him back to square one, she said.
The vocal civil society leader added that although crucial restrictive legal provisions were removed in recent months, they were forced down the throats of Malaysians in a rushed manner, drawing suspicion over the government’s true motive for reform.
“To me, the speed at which new laws and amendments were suddenly being pushed through Parliament, without consideration at all for consultation and opposition viewpoints, I think, reeks of suspicion.
“All it shows is that the elections are close,” Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider recently.
“We are in a bit of a whirlwind, really, with these legislations being passed through in such a rushed manner.
“Some people say it’s a good thing… but to many, you (the government) are only doing this because of the elections.
“This how it would just enforce the insincerity of the government,” she said. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 3 to herald Bersih Spring to bring about vital changes for an united progressive and prosperous Malaysia
by Dr. Chen Man Hin
DAP life advisor
BERSIH 3 will herald the Bersih Spring which will sweep throughout the country and bring about the changes to create a free, just and democratic multiracial, multilingual and multireligious society.
The people have long hungered for a new society where all Malaysians are equal, and have equal opportunities to be educated and to be prosperous.
The people will all be Malaysians who are equal under the Malaysian sun. There will be one people – who are all ketuanan rakyat, all equals whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and others, allowing for Malays and the indigenous peoples to be the first among equals.
The Bersih Spring will promote unity and solidarity among the people. We shall be one and our political, economic and social progress will advance rapidly. We shall become one the main players of the new Asian Century.
It is therefore of the utmost importance that on April 28, all Malaysians must unite and gather together by the hundreds of thousands throughout the country and demand for clean, free and fair elections. Read the rest of this entry »
Beyond bare minimum — From a Reformasi Mum to her Boy Named Justice
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 21, 2012
APRIL 17—My dearest son:
We all know that when taking care of a healthy child, the bare minimum required is proper food and shelter. And of course, where possible, lots of love and care.
When the child is sick, the bar of bare minimum is raised to include proper medication and tender care. In most cases, it is the usual Panadol, anti-histamine and cough syrup.
But if the child’s sickness is prolonged, the bar is raised again to include a doctor’s attention.
Any thing further than this and the child will need to be taken for diagnostic tests and observation which may even include hospitalisation and other extensive/aggressive medical attention.
Anything less and the child may run the risk of lifelong impaired health, or even death.
In every step of the way, the attending adult caregivers are duty- bound to properly raise the bar of proper and adequate response; failing which he/she is in danger of dereliction of duty as a responsible caregiver. Such an offence is grievous to natural justice.
Similarly, as responsible citizens of this country, to register ourselves to become voters and then to do the necessary in order to cast our votes on polling day is the bare minimum anyone of us can do. Read the rest of this entry »
I am joining BERSIH 3.0 because I want my vote to count
by Mok Chuang Lian
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 21, 2012
APRIL 21 – I do not have confidence in the Malaysian electoral system. I am not confident that my vote will count, and that my voice will be heard. In a genuine, open democracy, each vote has equal value – every vote counts.
There are currently 42,051 known dubious names in the electoral roll and further irregularities: 79,098 voters are registered at a mere 354 addresses. Although relatively small given the Malaysian voting age population, these numbers can make a huge difference in the outcome of elections. Marginal seats can swing very easily with small numbers of votes.
The Election Commission’s response to these questionable electoral roll figures has been unimpressive. The Chief of the Election Commission reportedly said that the Commission’s ‘hands were tied’ on cleaning up the electoral roll, and downplayed the importance of an accurate electoral roll.
For a democracy to function effectively there must be absolute faith in the electoral system, so that citizens will exercise their right to vote and make their voice heard. Read the rest of this entry »
Parti yang busuk sampai ke usus …
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 20, 2012
20 APRIL — Kadang-kadang saya rasa jurublog yang menyokong Umno ini terdiri dari orang tongong. Mungkin itu sebabnya, Dr Mahathir kata yang tinggal dalam Umno orang bingung dan half-past six. Adakah munasabah jika saya hendak menentang Umno dan BN, saya tidak di beri bercakap mengenai Datuk Najib dan Dr Mahathir atau mana mana pimpinan Umno? Bukankah mereka ini semua manusia, kalau kentot pun, busuk juga?
Ini macam mengajak saya bergocoh tapi nak ikat tangan saya di belakang. Bolehlah kamu belasah orang yang tangan diikat di belakang. Geng dan gerombolan Umno ini apa yang tidak mereka kata kepada Nik Aziz, Haji Hadi, Guan Eng, Kit Siang dan Anwar Ibrahim? Saya rasa istilah dalam kamus perkataan jijik dan kotor pun sudah tidak ada. Kita kena buat kamus special untuk pendukong Umno. Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s send Hishammuddin a message
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Hishammuddin, Police, university on Thursday, 19 April 2012
— Gomen Man
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 19, 2012
APRIL 19 — So the man who believes that it is birth right to become prime minister has decided to speak more often.
See, Hishammuddin Hussein after being blamed by his cousin for the Bersih 2.0 fallout decided to maintain radio silence. He figured that with 40 per cent of the voters in his Sembrong constituency Chinese, he needed to slip under the radar and make sure he actually retains his seat in the coming polls.
He and his advisers figured that if he kept quiet and didn’t antagonise anyone, then people would forget about the keris, about his handling of the cowhead protest and his demonisation of Bersih rallygoers as thugs.
So he said little about the replacement ISA law but you can’t keep someone who believes in noblisse oblige down too long.
This smug man today is belittling Bersih 3.0, saying that it will not have much traction. This is the Umno man talking, the arrogance of incumbency.
He even said that the students at Dataran Merdeka who were beaten up early this morning should not be believed. I suppose the beating was “self-inflicted”. The pattern of thuggish behaviour by Umno, Perkasa and Pekida has been evident over the last few months. Read the rest of this entry »
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