Archive for category Pakatan Rakyat

62-Day Countdown to 13GE – Fulfil Bapa Malaysia’s dream in 1990 general elections to promote a two-coalition system and lay the basis for Malaysia to close the gap with South Korea

Today is the 110th birthday anniversary of Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman – two days before the 2013 Chinese New Year of the Snake and two or three weeks before the dissolution of Parliament for the holding of the 13th General Elections.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 11, South Korea’s global pop sensation Psy whose “Gangnam Style” is the first video to be watched over 1 billion times (latest record: 1.27 billion times) on YouTube, has been invited to Penang to make Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s CNY Open House a historic and unprecedented event.

I am on public record as saying that Malaysians should enjoy Psy’s show, but before and after the fun and entertainment, Malaysians must conduct a soul-searching as to why there had been a reversal of national fortunes in the past half-a-century, with South Korea now two to three times richer than Malaysia and ahead in all fields of human endeavour when this nation was twice as rich and developed as South Korea when we achieved Independence in 1957.

I have no doubt that if Tunku is still with us today, this will be topmost in his pre-occupations, as he would feel even sadder than anyone at Malaysia’s regression instead of progress when comparing Malaysia with South Korea.

Not only in the field of democracy and good governance, economic progress, technological advance, human resource development, art and culture, but also in the field of sports, South Korea has shot well ahead of Malaysia in the past half century. Read the rest of this entry »

5 Comments

63-Day Countdown to 13GE – Can Psy and Gangnam Style salvage BN Government’s popularity among the Chinese voters, which plunged from 17% to 6% in ten months from February to December last year?

The war of nerves to shape voters’ perceptions in the run-up to the 13th General Elections has entered into its final lap, with Parliament expected to be dissolved in the next two to three weeks.

The latest script of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional spin-doctors and mind-benders is three-pronged:

• to concoct false and baseless reports and allegations to defame DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders especially through faceless, nameless and soulless sites on the social media and the UMNO/BN mainstream media;

• to foment distrust and suspicion intra-party in DAP, PKR and PAS and to provoke animosity and tension inter-party in Pakatan Rakyat, with the ultimate aim to cause the break-up and disintegration of Pakatan Rakyat especially the co-operation between DAP and PAS to save UMNO/BN from their “life or death” challenge in the 13GE; and

• to create the perception that UMNO/BN under the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has finally succeeded in turning the tide of popular support in favour of UMNO/BN, whether among the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban voters.

This is the rationale for the highlight of Najib’s Chinese New Year Open House in Penang on February 11 – the multi-million ringgit performance of the South Korean superstar and his global hit Gangnam Style.

But will the sensational appearance of Psy and Gangnam Style in Penang be a “wish come true” for Najib as far as turning the tide of popular support among the Chinese voters for UMNO/BN in the 13GE? Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment

Pengiraan Detik 67 Hari ke PRU13 – Jangan hanya memuja Psy dan Gangnam Style tetapi fahamilah pengajaran paling penting bahawa UBAH dalam PRU13 adalah prasyarat untuk Malaysia melakukan peningkatan besar menjadi sebuah negara maju seperti Korea Selatan

Perkara yang sedang hangat diperkatakan hari ini ialah senjata rahsia PRU13 Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk menarik 60,000 orang hadir ke Rumah Terbuka Tahun Baru Cina di Pulau Pinang di sekolah Han Chiang pada 11 Febuari dengan menjemput bintang Korea Selatan, Psy untuk mempersembahkan Gangnam Style.

Jemputan kepada Psy akan mengakibatkan kos yang besar buat UMNO/BN dan akhirnya rakyat Malaysia sendiri, termasuklah Najib dan pemimpin UMNO/BN, dan terlepas titik paling penting jemputan buat Psy untuk Rumah Terbuka Tahun Baru Cina Najib di Pulau Pinang.

Malaysia tidak seharusnya cuma memuja Psy dan Gangnam Style tetapi fahamilah pengajaran paling penting bahawa UBAH dalam PRU13 adalah prasyarat untuk Malaysia melakukan peningkatan besar menjadi sebuah negara maju seperti Korea Selatan.

Pemimpin UMNO/BN telah cuba untuk menakut-nakutkan pengundi Malaysia dengan memberi amaran bahawa sekiranya berlakunya perubahan pada Kerajaan Persekutuan di Putrajaya dalam PRU13, akan berlaku huru-hara seperti negara yang mengalami “Kebangkitan dunia Arab” dan Malaysia akan muflis dalam masa lima, tiga atau dua tahun – bergantung pada pemimpin mana yang mengatakannya!

Mengapa rakyat Malaysia mahukan perubahan ketika PRU13? Adakah pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dan pengundi Malaysia yang menyokong diakhiri hagemoni 55 tahun UMNO dan kerajaan satu perikatan BN mahukan huru-hara di dalam negara dan Malaysia muflis dalam masa dua, tiga atau lima tahun lagi? Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

Pengiraan Detik 68 Hari ke PRU13 – Penyimpangan dan histeria Chua Soi Lek yang kian menjadi-jadi ketika semakin hampir dengan PRU13 amat menyedihkan

Amat menyedihkan untuk melihat menjadi-jadinya penyimpangan dan histeria Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek ke tahap beliau perlu merayu ahli MCA untuk memberikan tepukan kepada ucapannya dan pemimpin MCA lain dalam acara terbuka MCA seperti “makan malam mega” MCA yang diadakan di seluruh negara.

Chua membuat rayuan ini ketika majlis makan tengah hari sambutan ulangtahun MCA ke-64 Wilayah Persekutuan di Kepong semalam akan tetapi apa yang beliau dapat daripada ahli MCA yang hadir hanyalah sambutan yang dingin dan tidak sepenuh hati meskipun berkali-kali merayu tepukan untuk ucapannya.

Malah Chua cuba untuk mengelirukan ahli MCA untuk mengukuhkan rayuannya – meminta ahli MCA untuk mencontohi DAP dengan mendakwa bahawa apabila pemimpin DAP bercakap atas pentas, ahli DAP di bawah akan menyambut tanpa henti dengan tepukan untuk memberikan gambaran apa yang dikatakan adalah betul. Begitu juga, beliau meminta ahli MCA untuk melakukan perkara yang sama dengan memberikan tepukan gemuruh kepada pemimpin MCA ketika mereka bercakap atas pentas untuk mewujudkan keyakinan buat MCA.

Pertama sekali, izinkan saya nyatakan sepanjang 47 tahun di dalam politik, saya tidak pernah merayu supaya ucapan saya diberikan tepukan dan sorakkan – dan begitu juga dengan semua pemimpin DAP yang lain.

Kedua, jawapan mudah kepada Chua adalah bukan sahaja orang biasa, tetapi juga ahli MCA yang berasa marah dan terasing dengan lakonan yang dimainkan oleh kepimpinan MCA sebagai penyebar pembohongan dan ahli nujum malapetaka bagi membantu UMNO untuk menakut-nakutkan pengundi Cina bagi menyokong Barisan Nasional dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13. Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

67-Day Countdown to 13GE – Don’t just idolise Psy and Gangnam Style but learn the most important lesson that UBAH in 13GE is a prerequisite for Malaysia to make the quantum leap to become a fully developed country like South Korea

The talk of the country today is the 13GE secret weapon of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to attract 60,000 people to his Chinese New Year Open House in Penang at the iconic Han Chiang High School on Feb. 11 by inviting South Korean superstar Psy to perform Gangnam style.

The invitation to Psy is going to cost UMNO/BN and eventually the Malaysian people a “bomb” but most Malaysians, including Najib and UMNO/BN leaders, have missed the most pertinent point of the invitation to Psy for Najib’s CNY Open House in Penang.

Malaysians must not just idolise Psy and Gangnam Style but learn the most important lesson that UBAH in the 13th General Elections is a prerequisite for Malaysia to make the quantum leap to become a fully developed country like South Korea.

UMNO/BN leaders have been trying to scare Malaysian voters by warning that if there is a change of Federal Government in Putrajaya in the 13GE, there will be chaos like the “Arab Spring” countries and Malaysia will become bankrupt in five, three or two years – depending on which BN leader is talking!

Why do Malaysians want change in the 13GE? Is it because Pakatan Rakyat leaders and Malaysian voters who support the notion of ending the 55-year UMNO hegemony and one-coalition government want chaos in the country and for Malaysia to become bankrupt in two, three or five years’ time?

It is only the politically mendacious or the mentally retarded who could believe in such nonsense and garbage. Read the rest of this entry »

7 Comments

68-Day Countdown to 13GE – Chua Soi Lek’s increasing irrelevance and hysteria with the approach of 13GE is really pathetic

It is really pathetic to witness the increasing irrelevance and hysteria of the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, to the extent that he has to publicly plead for MCA members to give “claps and applauses” to his speeches and those of other MCA leaders at MCA public functions like the recent MCA “mega dinners” held all over the country.

Chua made this plea at the Federal Territory 64th MCA anniversary celebrations luncheon in Kepong yesterday but to little effect, as all he got from MCA members attending the luncheon was a very tepid and half-hearted response despite his repeated pleas for applauses to his speech.

Chua even tried to mislead MCA members to fortify his plea –asking MCA members to emulate DAP by claiming that when DAP leaders speak on stage, DAP members on the floor would respond with ceaseless applauses to give the impression that what the speakers said were right. Similarly, he asked MCA members to do the same by giving warm applauses to MCA leaders when speaking on stage so as to create confidence in MCA.

Firstly, let me state that in my 47 years of political work, I had never pleaded for claps and applauses for my speeches – and that goes for all other DAP leaders as well.

Secondly, the simple answer to Chua is that it is not only the ordinary public, but also MCA members who are antagonized and alienated by the present role played by the MCA leadership as purveyors of falsehood and prophets of doom to help UMNO to frighten and stampede the Chinese voters to support the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general elections. Read the rest of this entry »

18 Comments

The dominoes in Johor

– Liew Chin Tong
The Malaysian Insider/Rocket
Jan 31, 2013

JAN 31 – Johor is the last bastion of Barisan Nasional but the coming general election may prove that the fortress may turn out to be merely a sand castle. If Pakatan Rakyat gets the support of 35 per cent Malay, 80 per cent Chinese and 50 per cent Indian voters in Johor, 20 parliamentary seats will fall like dominoes. Hence, Pakatan may gain the much-needed 112-seat threshold to form the next federal government with just seats from Peninsula Malaysia.

In the two rounds of seat re-delineation exercises in 1994 and 2003, many multi-ethnic mixed seats were created for Barisan Nasional to maximise its multi-ethnic appeal and to make the most out of the opposition’s inability to win across ethnic boundaries.

PAS was made to be seen by the Barisan-controlled media to non-Malays as an anathema to their interests while DAP as a threat to the Malays. Before 2008, PAS supporters rarely vote for DAP and vice versa.

The 2008 general election saw PAS benefiting from outpouring Chinese and Indian support for the “anything but UMNO” call while some urban Malays voted for DAP for the first time in their lives. Many multi-ethnic seats in the states north of Negeri Sembilan on the west coast of the Peninsula fell to the opposition. Read the rest of this entry »

16 Comments

Once a pushover, Pakatan sniffs power

By Dan Martin
AFP/FMT
January 30, 2013

Speculation is rife that Pakatan could win enough in the polls to lure ruling coalition defectors and form a government.

KUALA LUMPUR: After bloodying the government’s nose in 2008 elections, a more experienced and organised Malaysian opposition is eyeing the once-unthinkable: toppling one of the world’s longest-serving governments.

Malaysians vote soon with the formerly hapless opposition buoyed by a new track record of state-level government, signs of growing voter support, and what its leader Anwar Ibrahim calls a sense of history in the making.

“I am convinced, Inshallah (God willing), that we will win government,” Anwar told AFP, evoking the winds of change that powered the “Arab Spring” elsewhere in the Muslim world.

“Of course we call it a ‘Malaysian Spring’, but our method is elections (not uprisings).”

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to call a fresh vote in weeks, pitting his Malay-dominated Barisan Nasional coalition against Anwar’s multi-ethnic opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat.

The 57-year-old ruling bloc enjoys deep pockets, mainstream media control, an electoral system the opposition says is rigged, and a record of decades of economic growth under its authoritarian template.

Few expect the opposition to win the 112 parliamentary seats needed to take power. The three-party alliance won 82 seats in the 2008 polls, up from 21, stunning the BN with its biggest-ever setback.

But speculation is rife that Pakatan could win enough in the polls — which must be held by late June — to lure ruling coalition defectors and form a government.

“Before this year, many were in denial about Pakatan’s potential. Today, we see society beginning to accept that the possibility (of a BN defeat) is real,” said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who runs the independent Malaysian think tank IDEAS.

The country’s stock market has trembled recently over the uncertainty as opinion polls suggest the vote will be tight. One recent survey put Najib and Anwar neck-and-neck as prime ministerial candidates.

In a Jan 12 show of force, the opposition held a rally that drew clsoe to 100,000 people.

“I think it’s very close, and the party that makes the least mistakes will be the party that wins,” said S Ambiga, , head of Bersih, an NGO coalition that has organised large public rallies for electoral reform. Read the rest of this entry »

7 Comments

Pengiraan Detik 77 Hari ke PRU13 – Senjata terakhir untuk menyelamatkan perikatan UMNO/BN daripada dihantar ke bangku Pembangkang ialah dengan mewujudkan perpecahan di dalam Pakatan Rakyat dengan memisahkan PAS dan DAP

Senjata terakhir untuk menyelamatkan perikatan UMNO/BN daripada dihantar ke bangku Pembangkang ialah dengan mewujudkan perpecahan di dalam Pakatan Rakyat dengan memisahkan PAS dan DAP

Tindakan itu mencerminkan tahap terdesaknya pemimpin, propagandis dan tukang putar UMNO/BN mengenangkan peluang mereka untuk mempertahankan Putrajaya dalam PRU13 yang semakin hampir sehingga keterdesakkan itu terpapar di dalam harapan dan strategi mereka.

Salah seorang tukang putar media UMNO/BN semalam menganjurkan bahawa “Pakatan parties may go own way”, berdasarkan andaian “Dengan peluang menawan Putrajaya semakin tipis, PAS dan DAP mungkin mahu merampas negeri yang mereka suka”.

Beliau menyatakan:

“IS there a case to be made that DAP and Pas may be privately ditching the idea of taking over Putrajaya and are preparing themselves to keep the spoils of March 2008 instead?
Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

Pengiraan Detik 78 Hari ke PRU13 – UMNO/BN akan menghidangkan “Penipuan, penipuan dan banyak lagi penipuan” menjelang PRU13 tetapi rakyat Malaysia janganlah dialihkan perhatian daripada Isu Penting Reformasi dan Pembaharuan Nasional dalam PRU13

Tiada tanda penyesalan atau keinsafan pada pemimpin, propagandis dan media perdana UMNO/BN dalam menghujani parti-parti dan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dengan penipuan dan pembohongan, tanpa sedikit pun rasa hormat kepada kesengsaraan dan kesedihan keluarga yang berpunca daripada kesakitan dan kesukaran seperti yang terjadi pada Pengerusi DAP Sarawak dan Ahli Parlimen Sibu Wong Ho Leng, isterinya Irene Change dan lima anak mereka.

Benar-benar keji dan hina apabila walaupun Irene tidak pernah diwawancara atau merungut tentang parti dan pemimpin parti, namun sebuah kenyataan palsu telah diterbitkan kononnya mengatakan beliau bertindak menyelar parti dan pemimpin parti sebagai tidak berhati perut berkenaan rawatan “tumor otak” Ho Leng, malah mendakwa Ho Leng mengumpul RM10 juta belanja pilihan raya tetapi Cuma RM4 juta yang dibelanjakan sementara RM6 juta dirampas oleh DAP Sarawak dan ibupejabat DAP.

Seperti yang telah Ho Leng katakan berkenaan kenyataan yang palsu dan rekaan berkenaan Irene, “tiada satu ayat pun yang benar”, dakwaan RM10 juta itu pula sama seperti dakwaan tidak munasabah bahawa DAP membelanjakan RM1.3 juta untuk menghasilkan video klip Gangnam baru-baru ini, semuanya rekaan semata-mata.

UMNO/BN akan menghidangkan “Penipuan, penipuan dan banyak lagi penipuan” dengan menjelangnya PRU13 tetapi rakyat Malaysia, termasuklah pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat, jangan dialih perhatian daripada Isu Penting Reformasi dan Pembaharuan Nasional dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13, memandangkan kini Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak sukar untuk menangguh lagi pilihan raya ke suatu waktu yang tidak pasti. Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

78-Day Countdown to 13GE – UMNO/BN will dish out “Lies, lies and more lies” with approach of 13GE but Malaysians must not be distracted from the Big Issues of National Reform and Renewal in 13GE

There is no sense of remorse or contrition by UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and their mainstream mass media (MSM) at the deluge of lies, falsehoods and invectives directed at Pakatan Rakyat parties and leaders, without regard for the most basic human decencies to respect family sufferings and sorrows because of private pain and hardships as in the case of Sarawak DAP Chairman and MP for Sibu Wong Ho Leng, his wife Irene Chang and their five children.

It is really despicable and contemptible that although Irene never gave any interview or complained against the party or party leader, a totally false and fictitious account had been published quoting her as castigating the party and party leaders as “heartless” over Ho Leng’s “brain tumour” treatment, even claiming that Ho Leng collected RM10 million for election expenses but only RM4 million were spent while RM6 million were hijacked by DAP Sarawak and DAP Hq.

As Ho Leng has said about the totally false and fictitious account about Irene complaint, “there is not even one sentence in there which is true”, the RM10 million allegation like the equally preposterous claim that the DAP spent RM1.3 million to produce the recent Gangnam video, are complete fabrications.

UMNO/BN will dish out “Lies, lies and more lies” with approach of 13GE but Malaysians, including DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members and supporters, must not be distracted from the Big Issues of National Reform and Renewal in the 13th general elections, now that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has come up against the wall against any indefinite postponement of the polls. Read the rest of this entry »

15 Comments

Nation’s destiny in our hands

KJ John
Malaysiakini
Jan 22, 2013

In an earlier column I had postulated that the nation may be moving in the right direction after the last general election, but I had questioned whether we were moving at the right speed.

I still believe that Najib Abdul Razak has tried his absolute best to move our ‘Titanic’ in the right direction, but unfortunately his own team has been his worst enemy to date.

Even Dr Mahathir Mohamad plays wayang kulit with Najib, although in less public ways than he did with Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Actually, the opposition and NGOs have been better friends to him. At least they do not seem to shoot him below the belt, other than to highlight the unfortunate legacies that already surround and continue to haunt him.

Therefore I do think it is time to give the other side a chance regardless of how many uncertainties there in our minds and hearts. Yes, maybe we have to even let things slide a bit more before they can really improve. What other choice do we have as a people who have been told to “listen, listen, listen” for almost 54 years. Read the rest of this entry »

11 Comments

KL112 and a new Malaysian identity?

— Greg Lopez
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 21, 2013

JAN 21 — The symbolism of the Malaysian people’s uprising on January 12 or KL112 cannot be underestimated for its importance in myth-making. In facilitating this “people’s uprising”, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has not only created new myths that would solidify its presence in the memories or “imagery” of Malaysians in a positive manner, but more importantly, PR has also moved decisively in dismissing myths created by Umno and its subordinates in the Barisan Nasional (BN) that have been the grand narrative/s in Malaysia for the past 55 years.

Myths — stories, memories and symbols — provide the basis for the narratives that create, forge or reaffirm identities. These are especially crucial in periods of critical transformation and/or when societies are undergoing a crisis of identity. Jose Luis Borges noted that the past and the future inhibit the present. In the context of the KL112, PR is representing the present by connecting to a more glorious Malaysian past and the promise of a more glorious future.

But why is PR now the purveyor of hope, a realm that was firmly in the hands of Umno with visions of grandeur and Malaysians, Malays and Muslims being world beaters. The reasons are multifaceted and many are known with incompetence, mismanagement and corruption by the ruling regime being often touted as the main reasons. It could also be that Malaysia and Malaysians are undergoing an identity crisis. Read the rest of this entry »

12 Comments

Why I will vote Pakatan

by KJ John
Malaysiakini
Jan 15, 2013

In 2007, I wrote a column entitled, ‘Why I will not vote for BN’. No one then really took me seriously, although I was told that MCA circulated that column during the MCA central committee meeting. Even later, a representative of the then chief secretary told me, but after the fact, that the man was not too happy with my column either.

My retort: Well, he could have easily called me to understand my reasons and explanations, if he was interested to listen. If they could listen, then the government maybe could have addressed those reasons well before the general election. Finally, PM Najib Abdul Razak is trying, but is it too late?

This time around, allow me to state positively why I have no choice but to still vote for Pakatan Rakyat again. I will record three reasons in this column. Neither is this because I love BN any less, it is just that given our real choices and options, the unknown angel is better than that of the known devil.

My first reason is the ‘Allah’ issue and how it has been so badly handled by the BN government, and why they need to better understand the real issues about the true and real etymology of the ‘Allah’ word. My good friend and fellow writer to Malaysiakini, Bob Teoh, has documented the core issues quite well for all those interested to know the truths about this word. His book is entitled, Allah: More than just a Word.

I will not explain all the reasons involved here, which the High Court judgment by Lau Bee Lan has argued rather well. Citizens should read this judgment before talking about this issue. Read the rest of this entry »

9 Comments

LKS: KL112 – Many Historic Firsts

By Martin Jalleh

3 Comments

Pengiraan Detik 85 Hari ke PRU13: Najib – Listen, Listen, Listen!

Fenomena terbaru di internet apabila klip video teguran “Listen, listen, listen!” seorang aktivis 1Malaysia, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen kepada pelajar tahun dua undang-undang Bawani KS tersebar luas mencerminkan dua kegagalan dasar paling penting Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak sepanjang empat tahun menjadi perdana menteri:

  • Pertama, program “transformasinya”, sama ada kerajaan, ekonomi, politik, pendidikan atau sosial yang semuanya bersandarkan prinsip ”Era kerajaan tahu semua telah berlalu”.
  • Kedua, dasar 1Malaysia beliau untuk mewujudkan Malaysia yang mana rakyatnya melihat diri mereka rakyat Malaysia dahulu kemudian barulah kaum, agama, tempat atau latar belakang ekonomi.

Sekiranya pelbagai program transformasi Najib berharap untuk berjaya, ia haruslah bersandarkan komunikasi dan dialog dua hala antara pemerintah dengan yang diperintah dan bukannya “Listen, listen, listen!” secara satu hala dipaksakan ke atas yang diperintah oleh pemerintah.

Najib dan kerajaan UMNO/BN bersedia untuk “Listen, listen, listen”?

Jelas sekali tidak. Jika benar bersedia untuk mendengar pastinya Ketua Ekonomi Bank Islam, Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin pasti tidak akan digantung berikutan laporan media berkenaan pembentangannya di Regional Outlook Forum Singapura Khamis lepas yang meramalkan kemenangan tipis Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya ke-13. Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

Pengiraan Detik 86 Hari ke PRU13: PR tidak perlu bermain permainan menaikkan nama sendiri dengan menjatuhkan orang lain bersama BN kerana KL112 tanpa ragu lagi adalah peransang semangat untuk UBAH dalam PRU13 yang semakin hampir dan PR cuma perlu bergerak terus

Selepas tergamam dan membisu pada hari Sabtu sesudah berlangsungnya perhimpunan KL112 yang bersejarah melihatkan ratusan ribu rakyat Malaysia daripada berbilang kaum, agama dan tempat berada di Stadium Merdeka, dan juga membisu sepanjang hari Ahad, pemimpin UMNO/Barisan Nasional telah memapu bersuara kembali dan kelam-kabut mahu meminimakan gelombang politik yang terhasil daripada KL112.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak jelas kelihatan tertekan dengan kejayaan dan kemananan KL112 sehingga menumpang nama terhadap kejayaan perhimpunan mega Pakatan Rakyat sewaktu menjadi tuan rumah Malam Penghargaan Media perhimpunan agung UMNO 2012.

Selepas berbincang dengan strategis beliau sepanjang hari Ahad untuk mengira kos politik kepada UMNO/BN terutamanya bagi PRU13, Najib kembali dan mengisytiharkan secara terbuka semalam bahawa KL112 menunjukkan kejayaan reformasi politik dan kerajaan yang beliau telah lakukan sejak menjadi Perdana Menteri selama empat tahun.

Najib dilihat mengelak untuk menerangkan mengapa perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 dan Bersih 3.0 yang diadakan juga semasa beliau menyandang jawatan perdana menteri menjadi tragedi polis dan kerajaan BN, memandangkan KL112 telah membuktikan tanpa ragu bahawa rakyat Malaysia adalah manusia yang cintakan keamanan yang hanya mahu melaksanakan hak mereka untuk berhimpun dan meluahkan secara bebas serta kedua-dua perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 dan Bersih 3.0 boleh menjadi model antarabangsa perhimpunan aman jika tidak kerana kesombongan dan tekanan daripada polis serta kerajaan. Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments

85-Day Countdown to 13GE: Najib – Listen, Listen, Listen!

The latest Malaysian Internet phenomenon when the video clips of “Listen, listen, listen!” diatribe of a 1Malaysia activist, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen rebuking second-year law student Bawani KS went viral is in fact a reflection of the double failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s two most important policies in his four-year premiership:

• Firstly, his “transformation” programmes, whether government, economic, political, educational or social which are all predicated on the principle that “The era where the government knows best is over”.

• Secondly, his signature 1Malaysia policy to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second.

If Najib’s various transformation programmes are to have any hope of success, they must be based on a two-way communication and dialogue between the government and the governed and not on a “Listen, listen, listen!” one-way traffic imposed by the government on the governed.

Is Najib and the UMNO/BN government prepared to “Listen, listen, listen”?

Clearly not so. Or the chief economist of Bank Islam, Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin would not have been suspended following media reports on a presentation he made at the Regional Outlook Forum in Singapore last Thursday predicting a narrow victory for Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general elections. Read the rest of this entry »

12 Comments

86-Day Countdown to 13GE: PR does not have to play the game of one-up-manship with BN as KL112 is undeniably a major morale booster for UBAH in 13GE which is around the corner and PR should just move on

After being dumbstruck and eerily silent on Saturday after the historic KL112 rally of over a hundred thousand Malaysians of all races, religions and regions at Merdeka Stadium and the whole of Sunday, UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders have suddenly found their voices and are stumbling over themselves to minimise and play down the political tidal waves released by KL112.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was clearly too distraught by the success of the peaceful holding of KL112 to claim credit for the Pakatan Rakyat mega-rally when hosting the UMNO general assembly 2012 Media Appreciation Night on Saturday night itself.

After closeting with his strategists the whole of Sunday to calculate the political costs to UMNO/BN particularly in the forthcoming 13GE, Najib has sufficiently recovered from the political setbacks to publicly declare yesterday that the KL112 exemplifies the success of the political and government reforms he had initiated since becoming Prime Minister some four years ago.

Najib conspicuously omitted to explain why the Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0 rallies held also during his premiership were such police and BN government disasters, as KL112 has proved beyond a shadow of doubt that Malaysians are peace-loving people who only want to peacefully exercise their right to free assembly and expression and both Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 3.0 rallies would have been international models of peaceful assemblies if not because of high-handed and repressive police and government actions. Read the rest of this entry »

7 Comments

KL112 rally: We gave each other courage

By Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 15, 2013
FMT

Last Friday night as I came back from a ceramah in Sabak Bernam, I stopped over at the Sungai Buluh Restoren Jejantas. There was an unusually large number of vehicles in the parking bays.

In the surau, there were many people sleeping and resting. How come there were so many people, I asked at this late hour (it was 2am).

When a friend asked a passerby where are these people from, he said they were from Perak and some from Penang. They have come to participate in the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (KL112) rally at Stadium Merdeka on Saturday (Jan 12).

The whole country, it seemed, was galvanised and geared to participate in the KL112 assembly.

Now, that’s all that matters as we inch closer to the 13th general election.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s time is running out.

The tens of thousands who rallied at KL112 on Saturday was proof of Umno’s end. What we achieved and celebrated at KL112 was the coming together of the various races in Malaysia, something which Umno and Barisan Nasional did not want us to achieve.
Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments