PR – SeaDemon Says

January 9, 2018January 9, 2018

Reformasi Untuk Mahathir

Mahathir’s return to politics in 1973 was watched closely by other races, in particular the Chinese and Indians. His meteoric rise to the Deputy Prime Minister’s post in 1976 was of grave concern by many. His imminent Premiership caused a large number of migration by Malaysian Chinese. Despite the economic growth in the late 1980s through 1997, some 42,000 Malaysian Chinese opted to work elsewhere. This number includes some 14,000 Malaysian Chinese who were working illegally in Japan in 1993 (Shimada, 1994).

”If citizenship is conferred on races other than the Malays, it is because the Malays consent to this,” wrote Mahathir in his book ‘The Malay Dilemma‘.

“The Chinese and Indians coming from countries with vast populations are less concerned about good behavior and manners. In their lives, nobility, which is always associated with breeding, was totally absent. Age and riches are the only things they defer to,” he added.

Calling for reforms such as the mandatory use of tamper-proof scales, Mahathir wrote of scales that can be used to shortchange customers and said, ”The small-time Chinese retailer is adept at this practice and unscrupulous enough to use it as a weapon in competition.”

Mahathir was the ultra-Malay to many including the Malays themselves. Fears of race clashes haunted the voters during the run-up to the 1982 General Elections. I remember being sent to Mimaland in Gombak with Datuk Latt Shariman (President, E-Sports Malaysia) on polling day in case something bad happens. It was the first General Elections under Mahathir and it was called more than a year before the then-mandate ended. Public rallies were banned citing ‘security’ reasons and only indoor gatherings and house-to-house canvassing were allowed (Lim Kit Siang, 22 March 1982).

Even though Malaysia’s economic growth peaked at 8 percent in the mid 1990s, it was mired in scandals involving the practice of cronyism and nepotism. Lim Kit Siang wrote that Mirzan, Mokhzani and Mukhriz Mahathir – acted as companies’ directors, and that according to searches the DAP had made at the Registry of Companies at the end of 1994, Mirzan had interests in 98 companies, Mokhzani in 48 companies and Mukhriz in 67 companies (Lim Kit Siang, 16 June 1998). Compared to the 213 companies his sons were directors in back in 1994, 488 is the number of companies Mahathir, daughter and sons are directors in as at end of 2016 (Wakeup Malaya, 6 January 2017).

The calls for Mahathir to resign in 1998 for practising nepotism and cronyism culminated in the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as his deputy in September of the same year, accusing the latter not only of being a tool for George Soros’s attacks on the country’s financial system but also for leading a morally-corrupted life. Lim Kit Siang and other Opposition leaders were quick to embrace Anwar, acccepting him into their fold when it was just a year earlier that the late Karpal Singh had made mention of allegations of sexual misconducts against Anwar in a Parliamentary sitting – a scene not much different to Lim Kit Siang’s immediate acceptance of Mahathir after decades of mudslinging the latter.

20161218-reformasi-1998-undur-mahathir

Anti-Mahathir demonstrations were held almost daily and then held every Friday afternoon at the National Mosque. These demonstrations were quelled using brute force. The ‘Reformasi’ movement was born, and the likes of theatre-practitioners such as Jo Kukathas were seen on the streets and interviewed by Maria Ressa saying “Enough is Enough” to Mahathir. Anwar and several other pro-Reformasi and UMNO leaders critical of Mahathir were arrested without trial under the ISA including current DPM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat, then known by its acronym ADIL, was born out of hatred towards Mahathir, with the aim of toppling him and installing Anwar Ibrahim. The 1999 General Elections saw how Mahathir suffered a pyrrhic victory, losing grounds in Kelantan and his homestate of Kedah, while losing Terengganu to PAS. Mahathir-loyalists such as Ramli Ngah Talib, Megat Junid Megat Ayub and Sanusi Junid lost their seats. That was the beginning of the sounding of the death knell for Mahathir’s virtually unchallenged reign. During the UMNO General Assembly of 2002, he announced his resignation from party posts as well as Malaysia’s Prime Minister.

Ever since then, with the more open administrations of Pak Lah and Najib Razak, Mahathir became one of the targets of the Opposition in their blog posts, press statements as well as ceramahs.

In June 2012, Mahathir’s newly-made best friend even suggested that Mahathir is tried for his part in the BNM Forex scandal, hinting Egyptian Hosni Mubarak’s imprisonment as a comparison (Lim Kit Siang, 3 June 2012).

Screen Shot 2018-01-09 at 14.13.11

But all is forgotten and forgiven now, even when Mahathir admitted that his apology was only customary and not sincere. Despite veiled objections from Anwar and Azmin Ali’s camp, Mahathir was named at a Pakatan convention as their Prime Minister of choice albeit interim. This underscores the fact that the leadership of Pakatans parties do not trust the younger generation to lead the coalition as the position of the elders and powers that come with the position, may be undermined by the younger ones.

The signal of dissent is clear. Azmin only attended the convention for a while, not waiting for the announcement to be made while Karpal Singh’s daughter, Sangeet Kaur Deo, has hit out at Pakatan which probably is suffering from a dearth of capable young leaders. Even Mahathir once quipped that Anwar, who is 22 years his junior, may be too old to become a Prime Minister.

On Facebook, we are seeing people in their 40s and 50s voicing out their concern over Pakatan’s choice of Prime Minister, alarmed that the monster they have put behind them, could very well jump out from underneath the bed and into their lives again.

But it does not stop Mahathir from wanting to become the Prime Minister. He once hinted that he may have to consider becoming the PM again, underscoring the fact that he does not trust anyone else.

“I may be 93 but at 71 Anwar is much older!”

Wan Azizah may be blind to the fact that Mahathir had once denied the Premiership to her husband and went as far as making sure Anwar went to jail to keep him out of the way, while Lim Kit Siang is only friends with Mahathir because he needs the Malay votes to ensure Pakatan’s seats are sustained after the departure of PAS from the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

Will Mahathir be willing to step aside for Anwar Ibrahim or whoever else younger who would be more acceptable to the younger and middle-aged generation aware of his antics? I doubt. But as Sangeet mentioned above, it will be a return to Mahathirism, an era of abuse of power, cronyism and nepotism that the Reformasi movement was totally against.

Somehow, it seems that the Reformasi movement has become a tool for what it was totally against – ushering Mahathir into the premiership and welcoming again abuse of pwer, nepotism and cronyism.

ST_20170522_NRPKR22_3156926 — Anwar is NOT going to be MY PM

October 31, 2015

The Pakartun’s Poltroon

I cannot really make out what Tony Pua really is. What, not who. Either he is showing one of the early signs of dementia, or he truly is a retard.

Mr Puaka, as he is fondly referred to with a hint of sarcasm on social media, mentioned to the press that the DAP should contest in all the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat seats held by former partner, PAS. That has brought about negative responses from PAS office-holders who still cling to the past and forgetting that DAP has welcomed PAS splinter-group PAN, as its partner in the recently announced Pakatan Harapan that has replaced the Pakatan Rakyat (except in Selangor).

The only reason for the Pakatan Rakyat to still exist in Selangor is because the Menteri Besar, Azmin Ali, knows if PAS is excluded then he would have to face the possibility of being ousted from office by the real holders of Selangor political power – the DAP. That is why I used the term Pakartun to describe the loose political cooperative.

Of course Mr Puaka talks big only when he is in Selangor, or when protected by immunity in Parliament.

Puaka has been using his privilege as a member of the Public Accounts Committee to hit out at 1MDB’s Arul Kanda. He dared Arul Kanda to an open forum or debate bit received no response from the latter. Now that Arul has turned around and accepted the debate challenge without terms and conditions, Mr Puaka has seemed to chicken out, giving all sorts of excuses not to debate, including saying:

“It should be a question-and-answer session and not a debate because I am asking the questions. There’s nothing for him (Arul) to ask me.”

He said the above to Pakartun’s unofficial media, Malaysiakini.

Like I said, I don’t know what to make out of Mr Puaka. He surely suffers from short-term memory loss. It was he who dared Arul Kanda to an open debate, but now wants to protect himself from being scrutinised by the latter. Lest we forget:

He is a bright spark from the DAP. Therefore he can’t be suffering from dementia. But it sure proves that he is nothing but a yellow-bellied, milksop!

N.B: for some reason I can hyperlink the NST story on Puaka and PAS but cannot hyperlink Malaysiakini’s story. So you can copy the URL here and paste into your browser’s address bar.

https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/317903

August 8, 2014August 8, 2014

Khalid Ibrahim Replies

The Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid Ibrahim has replied in writing to the PKR Disciplinary Board after being given only THREE DAYS to reply to a show cause letter issued to him:

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014

PKR: The Big Fat Joke – Part 2

I received this just now:

KENYATAAN MEDIA

PENYERAHAN SURAT JAWAPAN NOTIS TUNJUK SEBAB

Lembaga Disiplin ingin memaklumkan bahawa kami telah menerima surat jawapan tunjuk sebab YAB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim pada 6hb Ogos 2014.

Dengan ini dimaklumkan juga bahawa YAB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim diminta hadir ke sesi pendengaran Lembaga Disiplin pada:

Tarikh: 8hb Ogos 2014 (Jumaat)
Masa: 3.00 petang
Tempat: Ibupejabat KEADILAN

Sekiranya masa dan tarikh tersebut tidak sesuai, Lembaga Disiplin turut mencadangkan masa dan tarikh lain iaitu sebelum jam 12 tengah hari pada 9hb Ogos 2014 (Sabtu).

Selain isu kenyataan media yang dibuat Tan Sri Khalid pada 22hb Julai 2014, beliau turut akan diminta memberikan penjelasan berkenaan perkara-perkara berikut:

1. Penstrukturan Air Selangor
2. Elaun Baru Menteri Besar Selangor
3. Kenaikan Cukai bagi Lesen Perniagaan
4. Pinjaman YAB Tan Sri Khalid dengan Bank Islam
5. Cadangan Lebuhraya Baru KIDEX

Dato’ Dr Tan Kee Kwong
Pengerusi Lembaga Disiplin KEADILAN

7 Ogos 2014

I am surprised that the Menteri Besar’s new allowance is also being questioned. Yet no one is interested to ask why has the allowance for the Speaker as well as ADUNs also gone up at the same time; mind you both Menteris Besar in-waiting, Wan Azizah and Azmin Ali also benefited from this increase.

Talking about Wan Azizah, it has definitely been more than 100 days since she “won” the Kajang seat. What promise has she fulfilled or begun to fulfill? Apart from being that puppet she has been since 1999, and reportedly being a punching bag for whoever it was that made her fled to her sisters house in November 1993 or around about that and calling up four people seeking their help, what has she done?

There has also never been any show-cause letter to Azmin for that press conference stunt he made when someone reportedly broke a certain promise made to him if Selangor is retained by the Pakatan Rakyat during the GE13?

Why is there also no show-cause letter issued to Elizabeth Wong who reportedly fought tooth and nail to wipe out notions that Selangor was going to run out of water come 2014?

PKR is a big fat joke. During its conception in September 1998, it was about fighting for a man who claimed he was wrongfully dismissed.

Now in 2014, it is fighting to dismiss a man wrongfully.

A big fat joke PKR is.

Khalid should just dissolve the state assembly and mean business. It would shut his opponents up.

August 6, 2014August 7, 2014

PKR: The Big Fat Joke

Whoever controls water supply, wins the war. And Muslim soldiers based in Madinah went to war during the Battle of Badr with the Meccans by first denying the latter access to water supply.

In the modern world, water is costly to produce but yields great returns to those who control it. For that reason, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is confident it could unseat itself in Selangor and win Selangor.

The whole fracas began with the incumbent Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim, making a deal with the Federal government for improving treated-water supply and the supply of raw water from Pahang to Selangor via the Langat 2 project. There is money to be made, therefore everyone wants to lay their hands on Selangor’s water assets despite the dwindling supply of treated water. Khalid received flak from his PKR counterparts for making the deal while Selangor voters were fuming mad over the water rationing despite assurances made by the Selangor state government that there would be enough water supply until 2019, and PAS claimed it would be sufficient until 2022.

Immediately after, Anwar Ibrahim via Rafizi Ramli, initiated the “Kajang Move”, a bid to oust Khalid and appoint Anwar as the Menteri Besar. Fate had it that Anwar was sentenced to a five-year imprisonment for committing sodomy. Enter Wan Azizah, his subservient wife, to contest on behalf of him and again to serve as his seat-warmer. The reason given was Wan Azizah could serve Kajang voters better, an unintentional hint that the Kajang voters were given a short-changed candidate by PKR in the 13th General Elections. Wan Azizah initially said that her becoming a state assemblywoman has nothing to do with the plans to oust Khalid as the Menteri Besar, but of course only idiots believed that.

So, now it is a free-for-all scramble for the Menteri Besar post with the embattled Khalid stuck in the middle of it all. Azmin Ali, Anwar’s lieutenant and Principal Private Secretary to Anwar when he was a Finance Minister, feels that he is the most capable person to govern Selangor. However, I was told that Rafizi as well as non-Malay representatives in PKR, as well as Selangor DAP representatives believe that Azmin is an UMNO person at heart (strangely they also say Khalid is an UMNO agent but still picked him as the Menteri Besar) and should not be allowed to become the MB.

Today, we see letters coming out from the various PKR camps championing both Azmin Ali or Wan Azizah on the other side as the most suitable candidate to become the MB. Below is the letter from the supporters of Azmin:

Then we have one by those championing Wan Azizah:

Meanwhile, Khalid Ibrahim was issued a show-cause letter giving him only three days to reply to asking why should they not remove him for going against party directives:

While this circus show is taking place, the former mining pools used to provide water to the Selangor river dam are quickly running dry, with the dam level close to 30 percent of its capacity, a mandatory rationing level.

PKR is a big fat joke, and the only Keadilan they are fighting for is to fatten up their pockets. And PKR is championing the exact thing Anwar claimed to have fought against: Nepotism and Cronyism.

June 23, 2014June 23, 2014

Ephialtes of BN

If you have watched the movie “300” and are familiar with the Battle of Thermopylae, you would know that for two days the Spartans held off the Persian army under Xerxes bravely; that is until a farmer called Ephialtes of Trachis showed Xerxes of a mountain path that would bring the Persian army behind Spartan lines. Trapped, the Spartans fought to their death and gave the Persians a pyrrhic victory.

Ephialtes found notoriety as one of the greatest traitors in the history of mankind, and as usual: history teaches us nothing.

Sometime late last week, a former BN Parliamentarian gave a speech to a group of possibly drunk lawyers and their clients during the latter’s firm’s cocktail cum dinner event I was told by one of the attendees. In his fear-mongering speech, he spoke against Barisan Nasional. In the words of my friend who attended the event:

He is a perfect candidate for the Pakatan Rakyat who can work from inside the Barisan Nasional to push as many people as possible to the PR side.

Apparently, under the guise of the National Unity Consultative Council, this BN-appointed member spoke about HIS middle-ground approach that really is the Pakatan Rakyat’s approach, damaging BN’s effort in reaching out to people “on the other side.” He made fun of JAIS on the confiscated-Bibles issue as well as the Barisan Nasional that night.

For me, this politician is a well-known Judas Iscariot, another famous traitor, who has both feet firmly planted on the PR side, leaning with one finger to hold his weight on the BN side, yet refuses to leave BN despite being rejected by both the voters of his constituency and losing his position in his own UMNO homeground.

For whatever reason that Najib continues to keep this rat, I am truly baffled; but even rats are known to have brought mighty airplanes down.

January 28, 2014January 28, 2014

By Allah! Another By-Election, Another Waste of Taxpayer’s Money

The PKR state rep for Kajang has resigned paving way for another by-election. The reason given was “to enable to strengthen Pakatan rakyat’s ability to service the constituents.”

I do not know who is dumb or who is dumber. The former Kajang rep for making that statement, or Pakatan Rakyat for nominating a self-confessed non-performer to contest the seat during the last general elections. Or maybe it is the people of Selangor themselves who love being duped time and time again. I am not saying that Barisan Nasional is all good, but imagine how much does a by-election cost. Serve for less than a year and you suddenly feel it would be better for someone else to replace you.

But if you ask me, this has been orchestrated by the those with real political power in Selangor.

Photo of a tweet by Philip Golingai.

Some people say this sudden exit by the ADUN is because of the spat between Khalid and Azmin Ali. I say it is about the confiscated bibles. If you read carefully this article by a pro-opposition mouthpiece hiding behind a legal body condemning Khalid for inaction towards the confiscated bibles.

There is a list of 25 or so items, words if you may, that cannot be used in non-Muslim publications. The only person in the state with the power to drop this list is none other than the Menteri Besar himself.

It took Khalid six days to issue a statement on the confiscation of the bibles, and then did nothing further, especially after the State Exco for Islamic Religious Affairs urged the people to abide by the decree issued by the Sultan of Selangor regarding the issue.

Enter Sivaji himself who asked for the return of the bibles. Two weeks later, he was named as Pakatan Rakyat’s candidate to contest the Kajang state assembly seat, possibly paving his way to become the MB. This could also be paving the way to allow changes in the state’s Syariah enactment and possibly allowing the 25 words including Allah to be used in non-Muslim publications.

Last year in Kajang, the Chinese votes were solid behind PKR, while the Malays were split to the core. It would be interesting, especially for Islam, to see how the Malays would vote in this by-election.

September 5, 2013

Malaysia: Fatigue At 50

Photo by Patrick Coston

As Malaysia approaches its 50th year, I cannot help but think that while being in its infancy this nation is ageing far too fast and is fast being tired of itself. The cohesiveness of its people in the run up to the events on the 31st August, 1957 and 16th September, 1963 is fast coming undone. Many a times have I written on how far more cohesive we were immediately after the 13th May, 1969 tragedy than we are now, despite claims of how far more mature we are in the political sense. That may be true, but we behave like immature kids behaving like we are politically mature.

Elements once found destructive, such as Communism, is now being looked up to. A few days ago, left-leaning students were audience in a forum that had a former member of the all-but-defunct Communist Party of Indonesia, and students were seen wearing t-shirts glorifying Tan Malaka, a Marxist who once lived in Indonesia. To add insult to injury, Karpal Singh has also been reported as supporting the move to allow former leader of the Communist Party of Malaya, Chin Peng, to return to Malaysia. Of course, humanitarians would argue that there is nothing wrong with allowing an octogenarian back to the land he was born in, and liberals would think the same. I hope these same people would also condemn Israel for still hunting former Nazis and tell the people of Cambodia they should forgive the Khmer Rouge.

For whatever reasons too did the police not act previously on criminal elements. The removal of the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance rendered the police virtually helpless in its fight against crime, let alone be able to maintain peace and order and breathe at the same time. Kudos to the good teamwork of the present Inspector-General of Police and the new Minister of Home Affairs. We have not seen this kind of teamwork since the days of Tun Dr Ismail – Tun Salleh, and Tun Ghazali Shafie – Tun Haniff days.

I have read comments from politicians from both sides of the political fence who are against giving the police emergency powers and say that the police should learn from their British counterparts on how to police the law without having firearms. Britain, for those who did not study geography, is an island, unlike Malaysia that has land borders with neighbours. A simple ferry or train ride from the European continent requires passengers and luggages to be scanned. My former college mate who is now a Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police lamented how he sometimes wish he was given a gun, especially in the wake of the two incidents where two women constables were gunned down by armed criminals. Imagine our police fighting crime with porous borders.

The introduction of the proposed Criminal Prevention Act should hopefully allow the police to conduct interdiction strikes on hardcore crime gangs. This Act will allow the police to hold criminal elements for up to 70 days pending trial. I have not seen the draft in full but I am sure it will uphold the rights of those who want peace.

Was there political interference in the police’s operations before the new Minister and Inspector-General came into office? I would leave that to the former Inspector-Generals to answer. But I know a gangster was awarded one of the highest Federal titles. How his name had made it through police vetting definitely puzzles me.

I know for sure there are politicians from both sides of the political fence whom have been seen with criminal elements, and photographs of these politicians meeting with criminals exist. These are prominent politicians and I know the police has full knowledge of this. Whether their presence with the criminals is for political or for personal reasons, only they and the police can answer this.

Former IGP Tun Haniff Omar once remarked that the BERSIH rally had communist elements involved. I would not be at all surprised if there are members of the CPM whom have made it into political parties, as they did before 13th May, 1969. Today, we have former police Director of CID Tan Sri Zaman Khan saying that an ex-convict who was a triad chief is also holding a lower office in a political party in Penang (NST, Nation page 25, 5th September 2013).

I particularly like Ben Tan’s article “Youth gangs today lack ‘basic values’.” (NST, Comments page 18, 5th September 2013). Ben, NST’s Johor bureau chief wrote:

GANGSTER’S LIFE: The members just crave money and power.

Ironically, the same can be said of the young politicians mentioned above, and of most politicians too. I certainly hope the Home Minister will give all the support the police needs in making this nation a safer place to live in.

At 50, Malaysia is already more divisive than it should be. Political fanatics are to be blamed. With the underworld and subversive elements making a breakthrough, it will not be long before our children begin to face the mistakes we have all made. Criminals, subversive elements, politicians with links to the underworld should never be allowed to represent the people of Malaysia, and I urge the Malaysian people to reject them and reject those who protect them. If we don’t, we won’t see Malaysia living past 100.

May 20, 2013May 20, 2013

Moving On

When the late Tun Razak saw a swimming pool at a friend’s house, he thought he should have one constructed at his official residence, Seri Taman, located on Venning Road (now the Tun Razak Memorial on Jalan Perdana). He asked his friend how much did it cost to get it built and was told something to the region of RM26,000, well within his budget. Since the “Seri Taman” belonged to the government, he had to go through the Public Works Department, more known here as the JKR (Jabatan Kerja Raya). He gave the JKR the contractor’s details for them to get a quote.

When the JKR came back with the quote, he had the shock of his life: in excess of RM100,000! He immediately told them to get another quote. The final quote was at RM56,000. Still higher than the quote he received directly from the contractor. He never got the swimming pool built. As the Prime Minister, he could easily have asked the JKR to pick up the tab, but as a man with integrity, he did not.

The late Tun was very careful when it came to spending money, personal and the government’s. He did not come from a rich family and was always aware of his origin. What the story above tells us is that when one mentions corruption and kickbacks in the government, one should be able to distinguish between the government machinery and the political party that forms the executive branch of the government. It also tells that although he was the Prime Minister, he did not abuse his position, something not many politicians let alone Ministers can brag about nowadays.

While the Barisan Nasional has formed the Federal government and in all but three states, it has failed to wrestle Selangor and Kelantan from the clutches of the Pakatan Rakyat. This despite the feel good reports that were given to the so-called BN War Room by the respective state’s BN leadership. For some weird reason, BN has fallen yet again to feel-good reports as it did in 2008. This is actually as bad as the one in 2008. Factions in Selangor and Perak were not checked, candidates were put based on how well they can talk (and in the case of Shah Alam, what the person has on Anwar Ibrahim) rather than what the ground feels like or prefer. Some were moved from where they were strongly supported, to a seat that they are not familiar with, or voters not being familiar with them (as in the case of the former DUN Anggerik assemblyman being contested at DUN Batu Tiga and lost). In that sense, Selangor BN lost twice: the seat contested, and the seat it held previously, in a classic case of Pakatan Rakyat killing two birds with one stone.

The Pakatan Rakyat had had a good running in the cyberworld; they made full use of blogs and SMS in 2008, and then Facebook and YouTube for 2013. BN, with the various internet media units was never able to keep up with the allegations thrown. There was no strategy employed by the BN team. UMNO in particular, had groups of bloggers reporting to various people. It is no guess what these people they reported to wanted, other than the recognition by Najib. Pakatan had one strategic director: all came from him. Some would blog allegations (offensive), while the rest would be on the defensive; all structured and “think” in unison.

BN’s on the other hand had everyone on both the offensive and the defensive. When one person blogs about an issue, everyone else jumps into the bandwagon either re-writing and re-phrasing the first blog, or outright Copy and Paste, or the lazy ones would just have a catchy headline and paste the URL of other blogs to read about the issue.

But never do I see people answering to allegations made by the Pakatan bloggers save for some who are not part of the BN cyberwarriors’ teams! I blame this on the “strategists” these BN cybertroopers report to, and also their lack of knowledge on institutional memory as well as current affairs. Not one person from the BN cyber units dared engage people on the issue of Budget Deficit, Economics, History, Law, Constitution etc. Most are contented with ridiculing Pakatan and their figureheads while fighting for ratings using scandalous headlines and sometimes even add scandals of artistes in their blogs just to keep their ratings up!

In short, BN failed to manage the perception of voters, especially the younger ones by not fully utilising the world wide web. No one wrote about how BR1M for example is good, not as a political tool, but in spurring economic activities. All I see written about BR1M is it is a gift from BN and the rakyat should appreciate it. Well, they should put themselves in the shoes of the voters: the voters turned and said it is their money anyhow so why is BR1M a gift?

The other reason of course is the Chinese swing (since they cannot accept the term “Tsunami”). For the past three elections it took me less than twenty minutes from parking my car at 9am, to casting my votes, to starting my car again. This time around, it took me more than two hours! And all around me were faces of Chinese people I never knew lived in my neighbourhood! Let us face the fact that the Chinese have found a bargaining chip in the Pakatan Rakyat. I think Annie’s summed it up real good.

Having won five states in 2008 which we all know was beyond the expectation of the then Barisan Alternatif, the Pakatan Rakyat representatives went on a spree of ceramahs virtually every night since March 2008 until the 2013 elections. This is because they were not sure of repeating the same success, and had to win the perception of the people. And it is probably because of that they did not focus so much on work, but rather on roadshows. Penang, while managed to reduce its debt, saw a substantial increase in deficit, and decrease in investment (BN/UMNO cybertroopers, please learn here):

All the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states have formed their respective government which means that all have accepted the results of the GE13, save for Anwar Ibrahim and his band of “boys” who still harp on the fact that the Pakatan Rakyat had won the popular votes. Well, that may be true but this is not a reality show. The formation of the government follows a set of law – the one with the most electoral votes forms the government!

Else, would the Pakatan Rakyat want to concede defeat to a government formed by UMNO alone? UMNO as an individual party won 29.3% of the popular votes, and on its own won 88 electoral votes! DAP came in second very far behind with only 15.7% popular votes and only 38 seats! Maybe Anwar would like to see an UMNO-DAP coalition government instead! How much did PKR get?

Remember, in Malaysia, Parliament is not paramount; it is the Constitution that makes Parliament! Therefore, respect the Constitution and move on, or find another country that employs popular votes to live in!

April 25, 2013April 25, 2013

A Shah Alam Voter versus Lim Guan Eng’s Crocodile Tears

The following was written on Facebook by one Azmi Arshad, a voter from Shah Alam, and has been reproduced here with permission and many thanks:

This is my reply to Lim Guan Eng’s speech/email which was described by his ardent supporters as “touching” and “full of energy”. I’m not sure which parts were touching but my responses aren’t tear-jerkers either. I personally wish for the elections to be behind us so that we can get on withour normal lives again. Until then I feel obliged to respond, when able, to uphold the truth (menegakkan kebenaran) and debunk lies, allegations, deception and half-truths.

My responses are not intended to offend anybody but to rebut LGE’s insinuations, allegations and accusations. And that’s all his “touching” speech was; there was not a single mention about any of the government’s positive achievements. I know, that’s politics. But we the people cannot trust leaders who do not know where to draw the line or do not bother about lines drawn.

I have not removed any part of his speech/email to ensure it remained “touching” and “full of energy” from beginning to end:

LGE said: “Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia . It is time that we don’t live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We should look to the future filled with hope and harmony between all Malaysians.”

There are many different reasons why people migrate. People from different countries migrate to other countries. Not just Malaysia. There are those who prefer the Western lifestyle, there are those who want to earn higher income, there are those who want to make quick money, there are those who enjoy living abroad, there are those who follow their spouses, there are those who look for soul mates, there are those who prefer other education systems, there are those who do it for political reasons, there are those who want to run away from Ah Longs, while some are simply extroverts or wanting a change of scene and there are those who want to capitalise on business opportunities and so on and so forth. (Try googling for reasons). Irregardless, whatever their own personal reasons and preferences it is very sad that you give the impression to your fellow Malaysians as well as foreigners that people leave Malaysia as though it is because they are doomed to perish in their birthplace. That is very misleading and dishonest. Indeed many leave because you have succeedeed in instilling such hatred and fear in them.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.”

Yet you, Sir, are the one who re-ignited the kalimah Allah issue after the atmosphere had returned to calm, despite knowing fully well the sensitivities and sentiments of the muslims. Why do you insist on this? Why is it not acceptable to use”tuhan” instead of “Allah” in the malay translation of the bible? Why do you ignore the plea of the muslims? Why do you choose to offend muslims? I find it incredible that you are calling for “a stop on politics of race and religion”, when it is the strategy deployed by none other than your party, after which you then try to point the finger at BN/UMNO when they are compelled to defend against your provocative attacks.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.”

I totally agree with you that we must prevent corruption. BN also agrees with you, as declared in their manifesto, and you can see MACC working overtime. Why do you not encourage the government instead of merely condemning and refusing to acknowledge their efforts? And why have you done nothing on the alleged corrupt practices of DAP in Selangor linked to the tragic death of Teoh Beng Hock? Why won’t DAP allow for DNA samples to be obtained from the suspects linked to your party? The government has been investing a lot of time and effort cleaning up and DAP also needs to act on the blatant corruption under its own administration (of which allegations come from its own members against your own high ranked members). I’m sure you have seen the allegation by Tony Tan, who is still waiting for Teresa Kok to sue him for defamation, and the allegations against Ronnie Liu (with documentary evidence at that). I am not saying you personally had anything to do with it but you could not prevent corruption either and furthermore you have subsequently done nothing. While changes are taking effect towards a cleaner and more efficient government, you keep sounding like a broken record.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms.”

Are the Opposition’s political leaders in jail? Is there shortage of food? Are people being kidnapped and tortured for opposing the government? What basic rights and freedoms have been violated? Is it because the police had to do their job to stop the rioting by your Bersih hooligans? Is it because the country does not allow same sex marriages? Is it because the government tries to help the poor by giving them some preferential treatment which is contrary to your “equal opportunity” concept? It is very sad that you would blatantly lie about the situation in this peaceful country for the sake of wanting to rule it while Anwar Ibrahim has the audacity to compare himself to Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King. You freely abuse your freedom of speech by spreading lies and deception. On the other hand you suppress the dissenting voices in your own CEC elections and try to distract attention from your unethical practice by trying to blame and demonise the ROS. You are not being truthful to yourself, to your party members and to the people.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers.”

Yes sir, I agree with you. BN demands the same and is very much ahead of you on this, not least with Idris Jala doing a great job implementing KPI systems for ministers and government.

LGE said: “To attain peace Malaysians must stand united and reject those who wish to divide us by preaching racial and religious hatred.”

Yes sir, I totally agree with you. That is why most of the people are rejecting DAP. You and your party are the true culprit in inciting racial and religious hatred and I had published my views on your mischief well before you gave this “touching” speech.

LGE said: “If we want to benefit from equal opportunities and realize our human potential we must stop extremists from continually degrading others as inferiors so as to uplift ourselves.”

Yes sir, I agree with you to a certain extent. I just do not know what you mean by “equal” because equal does not mean fair. For example, a disabled or poor person may need to be given more help to enhance his chances of survival. “Equal opportunities” is not an end in itself. But it seems “equal opportunities” to you means everybody, rich or poor, malay or chinese or indian, is given equal opportunity and if the result is that wealth is owned 100% by DAP supporters then the result is satisfactory by your definition because everyone was given “equal opportunity” and it’s too bad the others failed. Whereas what we should also be trying to achieve is fair distribution in balance sheet terms. And it goes without saying that it be done according to policies being honestly executed.

LGE said: “Why should Allah not be allowed to be used in the Bible when it is used in the Middle East ?

Sir, have you not been listening to explanations, justifications and arguments of the muslim community and Islamic authorities? Why are you asking this question again? It has been thoroughly explained, which means you have either not bothered to study the evidence or you choose to deliberately ignore it. Among other things, you know very well that the malay translation for god is “tuhan”, not “Allah”. I am very sad and depressed that you antagonise the muslims in this country and even more so in Penang. Before this “touching” speech of yours I made an appeal to our Christian bretheren to please use “tuhan” instead of “Allah”and that had nothing whatsoever to do with politics. Why do you wish to disrupt the peaceful religious harmony in this country and why are you so against the use of “tuhan”? And what does the Middle East have to do with the malay language?

LGE said: “We can only achieve harmony together. Despite our differences and diversity, Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom, justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember key values.”

Sir, we will achieve harmony again almost instantly if you would refrain from inciting races against each other. You are exploiting those differences and diversity for your own gain. Evidently you yourself do not hold “key values”. The values of Islam compel us to defend Allah’s name. Do your values, if any, compel you to use “Allah” instead of “tuhan” in the malay language bible? I appeal to you to please abandon your religious incitement. You don’t even have to apologise, just please retract your call and I will thank you sincerely and unconditionally — your previous stand on this matter will be forgotten.

LGE said: “That it is not who we are that is important, but what we are that is important; not the colour of our skin that is important but the content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the future.”

Yes sir, I agree with you. Islam is colour blind and the Holy Quran and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) are testament to this fact. And please know that muslims love Jesus (Peace be upon him). In the Hereafter we will all be accountable for how we lived our life in this material world. Yet it was your cybertroopers who tried to turn the malays against Tun Mahathir by “exposing” his Indian heritage, hoping the malays would then turn against him. Surely you must agree that kind of behaviour is racist and disgusting? They failed of course because not only Islam is absolutely colour blind but malays too are almost colour blind – that’s why, because of their past heritage, we also have malays who look like chinese (that’s me), indian and even european.

LGE said: “We can only be prosperous together. The time has come to focus on the economy, unemployment, education and business opportunities as the conditions for prosperity. We must build human talent and be performance-based.”

Sir, while I agree that material wealth is important, it would mean nothing and would be the cause of destruction of human values if that is your only measurement for prosperity. Prosperity in material wealth is meaningless if we do not pay alms to the poor, if we do not help others and if we are heedless of God (Tuhan). Please do not be overly obsessed with capitalism. Other than that, yes, we must work hard to earn a good honest living and in accordance with religious values. You will be pleased to know that the government has been focusing on all of the above.

LGE said: “For those who say that PR do not know how to govern, the 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven our ability by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia’s total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia , coming out top in 2010 with RM 12.2 billion.”

Sir, if PR has achieved good economic results, or even the best economic results as you proudly say, then I congratulate you. I also congratulate the federal government for making it conducive and attractive for those investments — in the case of Penang some seeds were of course planted by the previous state government before PR took over. It would be nice and sporting of you if you were to give credit where credit is due, instead of boasting as if you did it all on your own from zero, although we know you are sincerely trying hard for Penang to prosper and be independent like Singapore.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must end corruption. Barisan Nasional cannot reform to end corruption. Remember, if we do not end corruption, Malaysia dies. If we end corruption, BN dies. The choice is clear. ”

Sir, I understood you the first time. But now you are being deceptive again by trying to make corruption and BN synonymous. Your supporters will cheer and clap but to the rest of us it merely shows your consistency in indulging in character assassination. As a taste of your own medicine, we can not only replace ‘Barisan Nasional’ with ‘DAP’ in your quote but we can also say “Remember, if we do not end racism and oppression, Malaysia dies. If we end racism and oppression, DAP dies”. Not pretty is it? But it’s true. There is nothing I can add which is not already publicly known to show that BN is anti corruption (although your propaganda material shamelessly says BN menghalalkan rasuah), has implemented and enforced laws against it and has been achieving results. It is only that you refuse to acknowledge the achievements and are not capable of “sangka baik” of anyone who could be an obstacle to your quest to rule the country with PAP.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedom. How can we have a clean government when we do not have clean elections?”

Sir, very sadly you repeat in this “touching” speech of yours the baseless accusations of an event that has not yet occured and furthermore after seeing how SPR has implemented so many of DAP’s demands. On the other hand what do you have to say about your own CEC election fiasco? What kind of “clean” and “democratic” process was that? This is unbecoming of a leader. How would you expect the rakyat to trust a leader who does not practise what he preaches? How can we have a clean and honest Opposition when their own elections are a farce and full of dishonesty?

LGE said: “We do not want our children to live in fear of oppressive laws as we have lived. A Pakatan Rakyat government will abolish the UUCA, the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act and restore local government elections.”

Sir, we need laws to maintain social order and social harmony. Isn’t there already enough mudslinging, slandering and disrespectful speech going on in the social and alternative media? Why do you insist on being able to make seditious statements and carry out seditious acts that would cause chaos and social disorder in the country? What is your agenda? (Never mind, we already know your agenda). Aren’t you yourself already getting away with impunity with all your lies, deception, insults and false allegations while your supporters freely spread them? Local government elections will only result in more money and time being wasted in endless campaigning and slandering instead of just getting on with governing. Tolong lah… Enough of people jostling for power and fishing for votes please – this is too disruptive and unproductive. We want peace and quiet, stability and steady progress.

LGE said: “When can we find justice for Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A Kugan?”

Sir, as you well know, it was DAP itself that has prevented justice for Teoh Beng Hock by not allowing suspects linked to corruption in DAP to give their DNA samples, while the police and MACC officers (whom DAP accuses of being involved) had given theirs, to establish the two unidentified DNAs found on Teoh Beng Hock. I will put up a separate post on this another time to refresh your memory. While it is believed Teoh Beng Hock was murdered by at least two individuals and covered up by DAP, there was on the other hand clear evidence to show that Ahmad Sabari accidently fell to his death when he tried to jump from the ledge to the roof of the adjacent badminton hall but misjudged the distance. The investigation team even used a stuntman to re-enact what happened. Kugan’s death was also tragic and those involved have been punished, so what further justice are you seeking? I must say that in your insinuation, you were careful in ensuring that all three races are represented for whom to “find justice” so as not to be seen as racist. That’s clever of you and I won’t fault you for that.

LGE said: “When will we have Freedom of Information & Freedom of Speech? When can we have justice that is not only done, but is seen to be done.”

Sir, first of all I am already suffering from information overload of fact and fiction and stinging ears (and eyes) from seditious and obscene speech. I don’t know what more freedom you are seeking on information and speech. But then, you denied crucial information sought by the police when they were investigating Teoh Beng Hock’s death for justice to be done. The police were seen to be trying to have justice done for Teoh Beng Hock and DAP was seen to deny it. It does appear in this case that not enough information was given to the public for them to see the corruption in DAP that led to Teoh Beng Hock’s death. Nonetheless you still have an opportunity to ask their lawyers (Karpal Singh and Gobind) to allow those individuals to give their DNA samples to clear DAP’s involvement. Please come clean on this — you will be respected as a leader.

LGE said: “To put the past behind us, we demand good governance and performance from our ministers.”

Yes sir, I heard you, understood you and agreed with you the first time. My memory is not that short. It is nice to know that you and BN shares the same desire and perhaps you should read BN’s manifesto again.

LGE said: “Malaysia can be an international and intelligent country. We must have digital intelligence with broadband connectivity.”

Yes sir, I agree with you and I am sure BN does too and has evidently already achieved great success. Malaysia having the largest Facebook population is a good indicator of that success although we hope the international community does not use your cybertroopers with multiple fake accounts as a benchmark to measure the country’s intelligence.

LGE said: “We must also have integrity intelligence, so ensure that only honest people are the decision-makers. We must have institutional intelligence under the rule of law.”

Yes sir, I agree with you and I am sure BN does too.

LGE said: “We demand good governance and performance from our ministers.”

Yes sir, I heard you and agreed with you the first time and the second time. And I’ll respond for the third time, BN is all for it too. The difference is the Opposition has not delivered on most of their promises.

LGE said: “Has the Transport Ministry done its duty to run our airports and seaports well? Look at the Penang International Airport whose completion has been delayed more than 3 times. And the Penang Port is to be reduced to be a feeder port and privatized to a 3rd party at the expense of Penangites. Why is there no consultation with the people of Penang to restore the port to its former glory? Instead of looking after airports and ports, the Transport Ministry is more interested in vehicle registration numbers and wants to increase the maximum traffic fines to RM2,000.”

I don’t know sir. But delays in construction projects, especially renovation, are not uncommon. It happens in all countries. Reasons for the delay had already been explained. First you claim that the Transport Ministry is not running the airports and seaports well. Then you complain when the operations of the port is privatised to a licensed operator to improve the services. I suggest you swallow your pride and make an appointment with the ministry to give your views and suggestions to show your sincerity in wanting to “restore the port to its former glory”. If they reject your request, then there may be truth in what you say. I don’t like traffic fines either but aren’t you concerned about the deaths on the road caused by drunk drivers and reckless driving?

LGE said: “Director-General of Tourism is wrongly charged of corruption but the Tourism Minister finds nothing wrong with spending RM1.8 million in doing up her Facebook page, when we all know that it can be done for free.”

First you want the government to fight corruption. Then you say the accused is wrongly charged with corruption. There is just no pleasing you sir. In case you are not aware the DG was acquitted not because he did not receive the gratification but because (i) the prosecution could not prove criminal intent and (ii) the prosecution failed to call in the MACC officer, who was the key complainant. Now do you appreciate how it is not that simple to charge and convict someone for corruption? Would you want the government to lower the standards for conviction so that more can be found guilty and thrown in jail? So here’s the truth: MACC was correct to charge the DG for corruption and the court was also right in acquitting him; there is no need to politicise this. That’s why we have courts of law – someone gets charged and then he is found guilty or acquitted. Errr… Can you please give us the name and phone number of the person who will do Facebook pages for free (and web sites too)? I’d like to use the person’s free services, and I wish you had told us this much earlier.

LGE said: “The Health Ministry wants to privatise healthcare when it should be a public good given as an affordable right to all Malaysians. Why allow the wastage of public funds and affect the quality and affordability of drugs when drugs are bought through a middleman at higher prices when it could be bought cheaper direct from the manufacturers, some of which are operating in Malaysia.”

Let’s wait for the government to show us the pros and cons of the proposed privatisation. I can’t comment until I know the details. Whereas you oppose for the sake of opposing, true to your slogan “Lawan Tetap Lawan”. If privatisation means higher quality and more efficient services then that would be good but at the same time we would have to weigh the benefits against the cost to people. Whatever the decision and outcome, we know the government will look after the lower income group so that they will have access to healthcare in any case.

LGE said: “The Housing and Local Government Ministry opposes local government elections in Penang , denying our fundamental democratic right to elect our councillors and our mayors.”

I have to totally disagree with you. Local government elections are a waste of money, a waste of time and a major distraction from actually governing. Where do you get the idea that it is a fundamental democratic right to elect our councillors and mayors? Just because some countries practise it, it doesn’t mean Malaysia should xerox it. The state government should be given that responsibility and be accountable — just as in a company where shareholders appoint the board of directors who are then responsible for ensuring the company employs a competent CEO and management team instead of delegating those appointments to the employees by voting. The state government, mayor and local councillors should be one cohesive team. As I responded earlier, we want leaders who fear God and respect the people and not, as you believe, those who merely fear the people and job security. The present system is better, leave it be and get on with your job.

LGE said: “We believe that Malaysians deserve better. For the last 50 years, the wealth of the nation has been robbed. Let us protect the future of our children by ensuring we have a people-centric government that protects you instead of harming you, that rewards you instead of stealing from you, that respects you instead of abusing your rights. Let us clean up Malaysia to save our children’s future.”

Sir, I have to be honest that your constant ludicrous accusations and insinuations are tiresome. The corruption and “robbing” topic has already been addressed and rebutted time and time again. Why do you continue flogging a dead horse. The government is already showing that it is a people-centric government – where “Rakyat didahulukan” — and I am grateful and happy that the government has never harmed me, apart from being disgruntled over a few speeding tickets. On the contrary the government has peen protecting us from many threats including the West’s call to allow same sex marriages, riots caused by the Opposition and other external threats such as the Lahad Datu incident. While MACC is busy handling more than 400 cases, please also investigate the alleged stealing in your own party.

LGE said: “We must put the past behind us where profits matters more than our health. Lynas concerns all of us because if Lynas is allowed to operate, Barisan Nasional will proceed with building two nuclear reactors. If we continue to put health above profits, what is the use of having all the money in the world if you cannot enjoy it healthily?”

Since you already acknowledge the immense benefits to the country (i.e. “all the money in the world”), I need not say more on this. However you are still trying to deceive and mislead the public on the safety issue. Until today all the academics, geniuses, scientists, nuclear physicists and intellects (if any) of the Opposition have not produced anything tangible to doubt the safety of the project. The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has certified that it is safe. Do you doubt them? Were they bribed? Even your most hardcore online news portal FMT admitted to the truth: “We refer to the articles previously published by us which claim that the Lynas plant may be unsafe. We apologise for these publications as such claims do not have a scientific basis. The regulatory review of the Lynas plant has been thorough and diligent”. That’s nothing new is it; that the opposition tends to make allegations without basis. And even Saudara Anwar Ibrahim has changed his position. Your baseless allegation is dishonest and mischievious. I challenge you to issue an official statement that Lynas is unsafe instead of indulging in your usual “baling batu sembunyi tangan” antics. And please do an Anwar Ibrahim on this too i.e. complain to the foreign media.

LGE said: “The next elections shall be fought on the economy. We refuse to allow BN to use race as the issue in the next elections.”

The economy is indeed a major factor in the elections and it is DAP that has been using race as an election issue. However BN inadvertently gets tangled in race issues when they have to defend against your lies and deception to cause racial disharmony. DAP is in fact guilty of what they falsely accuse BN of. We have seen your cybertroopers posting comments saying they cannot understand why non-Malays vote for BN. We have also seen confessions by DAP’s former high ranking members on race-centric strategies. With DAP being hard core racist, this is also hypocrisy at one of its worst.

LGE said: “We need to increase the incomes of our poor or else they will fall victims to the Ah Longs. For example, Bank Negara’s Annual Report 2010 revealed that Malaysia’s household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia . In addition, the Malaysian household debt service ratio stood at 47.8 per cent in 2010, meaning that nearly half of the average family’s income goes to repaying debts. As a rule, banks would not lend money to those whose total servicing of loans exceeded one third of their income. In other words, we are spiralling into an indebted nation.”

Sir, enough facts and statistics have been given to explain the economy, including the national debt and improved poverty levels, but you conveniently choose to ignore them just as you conveniently ignore the facts and arguments of the muslims on the Allah issue. The man on the street is not interested in your macro-economic analysis. He wants to live in a peaceful country with food on the table while having opportunities to indulge in higher pursuits. One of the reasons we have the second-highest level of household debt in Asia is because Malaysia has relatively more property owners per capita compared to other countries. In other words, Malaysians take the opportunity to buy their homes with mortgages (resulting in household debt) compared to those in other countries with less affordable housing whereby they have to rent their accommodation (i.e. no mortgage therefore less household debt). You need to look at both sides of the balance sheet. Incidentally, Penang has performed the worst when it comes to the ratio of house price to household income. It has risen to 8 times since PR took over, compared to the internationally acceptable 3-4 times. Therefore you are in fact primarily responsible for the increase in household debt. Ironic isn’t it? That notwithstanding, facts and figures don’t lie: Malaysia has a strong and sustainable economy except that you try to mislead the public on the national debt while ignoring the fact that external debt has dropped to below RM17 billion. Please study the ETP to understand where our economy is heading and give constructive comments if you are sincere.

LGE said: “According to the New Economic Model documents, the bottom 40% of Malaysian households are living with a monthly average income of RM1,500 (and three-quarters of them are bumiputera) while 60% of the households (of four persons averagely) live with a less than RM3,000 income, which is near subsistence if one lives in the cities.These are families living in fear. We will help them live with dignity and not in fear, by increasing their incomes and cutting down their costs, with a minimum wage, getting rid of monopolies, expanding internet connectivity and encouraging creativity, innovation and productivity.”

Sir, perhaps you would, but the present government is already doing it and has steadily been achieving positive results. Nonetheless, let me introduce you to many malay families in that income group and you may ask them yourself whether they are living in fear and dignity. They do have dignity clinging to religious values but they fear DAP. This is the group who cannot compete under your demand for “equal opportunities” and yet you and your supporters condemn the government when policies are implemented to help them. Malays are not the only ones who need help; we must also help the chinese and indians at a disadvantage. It just so happens that most of the lower income group comprises the malays and DAP then accuses the government of being racist when they are given assistance. Please support the government in helping the poor of all races. At least Hj Abdul Hadi Awang was gracious enough to acknowledge the government’s efforts on 22nd April in front of more than 700 supporters at Kerteh: “Kita tidak nafikan apa yang dilakukan Kerajaan BN untuk kebajikan rakyat”. He then added: “Takkan tadok silap dan saloh selama 50 tahun BN memerintah dan Yang Maha Suci adalah Allah Taala, tetapi kita sebagai manusia tetap ada salah dan silapnya”. This is true. Surely you can also agree?

LGE said: “South Korea is a very good example of a nation that chose democracy, performance and freedom of opportunity to become a developed country. With a population of 48 million, its GDP per capita of USD20,000 is more than double Malaysia’s. But in 1970, South Korea’s per capita GDP was only USD260 compared to Malaysia’s USD380.”

That is interesting Sir, but you know very well that South Korea is an exception. Why don’t you also compare us to other neighbouring countries? How exciting is the GDP per capita when comparing home prices against disposable income? Yes indeed, Malaysia’s ratio is thankfully lower. In any case, I also would not want our country to be like South Korea, beholden to the US (which Tun M saved us from) and with North Korean missiles pointed at them. Please be thankful for what Malaysia is today while we continue to develop, especially now that the ETP is being implemented and showing positive results. Have faith.

LGE said: “We used to regularly beat South Korea at football. And now our children are fans of K-pop culture and their football team are regulars at the World Cup.”

One thing for sure is that all DAP, PAS, PKR and BN supporters will be united in cheering for Malaysia whenever we play football or badminton against South Korea. Even DAP cannot prevent that. Yes, I agree that our footballing standard is terrible and the government has failed miserably here. But please don’t be upset with the government or consider it tragic that we have not developed our own M-pop culture.

LGE said: “Only when we free ourselves of fear of change, can we be free to prosper. BN cannot change. They need to be changed, for BN wants to rule by fear. Thomas Jefferson said “When the governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny”. The choice is yours, my friends. I urge you – Let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity.”

LGE said: “*LimGuan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan”

Sir, we do not fear change. Indeed we have been going through changes under the present government (who themselves have gone through change), some we don’t like and most of which we embrace for the overall good. The government cannot please everybody all of the time (and neither can the opposition) but they do try to help those who may be adversely affected by policy changes. No sir, you are wrong: you may admire Thomas Jefferson and think that he is right since he was a US Pesident, but we do not want the government to fear the people because that won’t make them sincere. We want government leaders who fear God. We want the government to be sincere with the people, respect the people, listen to the people and make the country conducive for us to live in, having peace, social harmony, good business environment and an honest Opposition. We should also then respect and be loyal to the government and also respect the honest Opposition, whereas you clearly encourage anarchy and rebellion against the government for the sake of power and wealth. We already have liberty and live with dignity and if we do need more of those for greater social order and harmony then I don’t see how DAP can do any better then what the government is already doing. On the contrary DAP and Anwar Ibrahim themselves have acted without dignity in portraying Malaysia as a “suppressed, repressed and oppressed” country with a “sham democracy” where Opposition leaders are “threatened with murder”. Sir, before you demand change, you and your party first need to change. Indeed the reason I now support BN is because they have changed since PRU-12; when will you?

Saudara Lim Guan Eng, semoga mendapat petunjuk dan hidayah.

A. Arshad,voter for Shah Alam
April 2013