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Election Commission biased – if more proof is needed

Opposition slams 3-in-1 by-elections
Mar 4, 09 6:00pm
Malaysiakini

The decision to hold three separate by-elections on the same day showed the Election Commission was biased in favour of the government, charged veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

“If more proof is needed about the lack of independence on the part of the election body, this is one. There is no earthly reason for coinciding three by-elections,” Lim told AFP.

Lim said the opposition, which lacks funds and other resources, would be overstretched if it had to campaign for a constituency in Sarawak along with polls in Perak and Kedah – all slated to be held on April 7.

“Three by-elections on the same day makes it difficult for the opposition to campaign effectively. But it is convenient for the ruling Barisan Nasional which has the money, media and government machinery,” he said. Continue reading “Election Commission biased – if more proof is needed”

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Raintree Perak Assembly – Najib’s crisis of legitimacy as 6th PM

The historic “raintree Perak State Assembly” in Ipoh yesterday has captured the imagination of Malaysians longing for democracy and political change after the political tsunami in the 12th general election almost a year ago last March.

It has entered the folklore of the human struggle for democracy, freedom, justice and solidarity, not only in Perak and Malaysia, but of mankind itself.

This is why the “raintree Perak State Assembly” has had such en empowering, uplifting and even liberating effect on Malaysians, who have had enough of the sham and hypocrisy of Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders who had claimed that they had heard and understood, loud and clear, the message of the Malaysian electorate in the March 8, 2008 general election, that they would be leaders for all Malaysians and not just for any one race or group, even proclaiming the slogan of “Reform or Perish”! Continue reading “Raintree Perak Assembly – Najib’s crisis of legitimacy as 6th PM”

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The Parable Of The Rain Tree – A Personal Experience

By Goh Keat Peng

While some watch birds, I have always preferred trees myself. The best break I ever have always involves sitting where my eyes can behold the wonders of trees, unfailingly and truly a sight for my tired eyes, mind and heart.

Coming from Taiping, my favourite tree is the raintree, tall and sprawling. At the Taiping Lake Gardens, the branches of the raintree majestically bend down towards the water forming a manificent canopy of green archways over the road. You haven’t been to Taiping without cycling or driving under those archways, a singular sublime experience to cherish for a very long time.

Raintrees do last a long time. In Taiping, they were there long before I was born and no doubt will be there long after my time on this earth.

What better symbol therefore for the status of Perak democracy than the humble raintree!

Derogatory talk, therefore, of the extraordinary session of the Perak State Assembly convened on Tuesday 3 March 2009 at 10.20am under the raintree across the road from the Perak State Secretariat Building is completely misplaced, shortsighted and shallow. Continue reading “The Parable Of The Rain Tree – A Personal Experience”