Why I’ll be at the Bersih 3.0 sit-in

KJ John | Apr 10, 2012

Malaysiakini

Prime ministers make promises. Prime ministers sell to the nation the future into which they want to lead the country. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has in fact promised and set us on a different route, with an improved trajectory through his leadership.

Usually, if such change is begun at the centre, even if the change is just one degree, it is enough to facilitate a large change down the line. Therefore, when he made his first promise, and when I believed he was serious, I wrote, ‘Right direction, slow speed!’ in Micah Mandate of April 20, 2009.

Therefore, as part and parcel of ordinary citizens who are seeking improved governance of this democracy we call Malaysia, which my friend AB Shamsul still calls “a state but not yet a nation,” I will be at the sit-in so that the PM will fulfil the promises he made about many things, but most importantly for this general election (GE); the promise of clean and fair elections.

I did march with Bersih 2.0, but clean elections cannot be done without a valid and above-board voter list. Bersih’s primary objection is now about a corrupted voter list; and, it is not even yet about the weighted size of different constituencies.

Furthermore, as a public servant who has worked closely with those issuing the new identity card (MyKad) and working with the research group behind the original design, but fully aware of the technical capabilities and weaknesses of the 64k chip embedded in the new MyKad, I find their so-called inability to clean up the list absolutely unacceptable.

To prove my point I would like to name my counterpart in the MyKad project who made the MyKad into the only Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) success story to date. The media should therefore invite Azizan Ayob to give a complete briefing on why such checking and cleaning-up of the list can be done quite easily with our current sophisticated and integrated system.

At the time he was the director-general (DG), there was no integrated capability, but today even banks are connected to the National Registration Department (NRD) database. He was in fact the director-general of the NRD who made both the MyKad and the MyKid happen; a first in the world and a global success story.

I realise that I may be even embarrassing him a little, but to me it is all about truth and revealing the truth of this simple, straightforward but technical matter. It is totally unacceptable that such “backdoor gerrymandering of the list of registered voters can happen when we already have a chip-based ID card,” for which we have already spent millions to develop an almost fool-proof authentication system.

Even IRIS, the public-listed company which makes these cards, can just as easily verify such a simple and straightforward truth. I also call upon them to deny or disagree with me publicly, if needed.

Perkasa Youth chief’s indefensible thesis

Bersih 3.0 is a totally NGO-driven group of individuals and groups who can now speak with one voice and our leaders are both Ambiga Sreenevasan and A Samad Said (Pak Samad). They speak in unison and were designed to appeal to all groups without making Bersih 2.0++ an ethnic-based or partisan movement. Behind them are many more individuals and members of all shades and colours who are all Malaysians First and foremost, and quite unapologetically.

Therefore, I find it personally very offensive that the Perkasa Youth chief has uttered the words, “anti-Christ for Muslims” and a “traitor” to the nation against our leaders. For one, he cannot be much of a Muslim if he does not both understand and believe that Jesus the Christ will return for the second judgment.

Therefore, by ‘prophesying’ about Ambiga without either knowledge or substance, he makes a fool of both himself and abuses other Muslims by abusing Muslim theology appreciation.

Finally, it must be a weak person who has to resort to such theological ideas and ideals to support his false and indefensible thesis about a grassroots leadership movement.

So, let me reiterate: Bersih 3.0 is a Malaysians First movement of citizens and civil society activists to improve the performance of our democratic system in Malaysia. It may or may not have the support of particular political parties, but that simply means that they choose to be part of this movement of the people of Malaysia for improved, clean and fair elections which we believe will also lead to improved governance of this nation.

Therefore, Perkasa’s reputation of making and branding everything with a racial or ethnic overtone convoluted with a religious brush is not appreciated or supported here. Bersih 3.0, much like Himpunan Hijau, is a group of Malaysians, and, yes, supported by Malaysians overseas, and other international supporters, but with a focused goal of improving governance of this nation so that ordinary citizens of Malaysia can experience an improved quality of lived life.

Bersih 3.0 is only a means; the goal is improved governance of this nation. This time it is also a sit-in so that we can dispense with water-cannons and red trucks. Please keep them at bay, somewhere nearby if you insist, but do not use every excuse to use them all in the name of protecting citizens and consumers.

It is also designed for a Saturday afternoon so that few offices are open and most Malaysians are at home resting; other than the thousand who want to show their cry ‘enuf is enuf;’ to say that we can change the 54 years of abuse of power and much mis-governance.

Reigniting the passion of our Founding Father

Finally, the reason we want to hold it in the Dataran Merdeka is because that is how we want to “reignite the passion of our Founding Father of the nation and his call for a single united Bangsa Malaysia” born out of Merdeka being celebrated at that very spot. Yearly and regularly, this location is used for all kinds of public purposes and therefore we do not see a reason to go anywhere else.

In fact we would like to invite all ordinary Malaysians who want to see improved governance of this nation through free, clean and fair elections to join us. We are only helping Malaysia’s transition into a more mature democracy and strengthening our system of general elections which will soon go into the 13th one. Surely the 13th can be lucky for Malaysians; we can pray for this.

2012 is also a very auspicious year in many senses. Without going into the Mayan prediction, I would like to recognise that on Sept 15, 2012, Malaysia will end our 49th year of existence as a united and commonly shared vision of a nation. On the next day, or Malaysia Day, many younger Bansga Malaysians who were born on Sept 16, 1963 or later will actually turn and begin living their 50th year of existence.

If one is in the public service it means you have nine more years of full and public service, because on the last day of the 59th year you will have to compulsorily retire. Then the next day is your 60th year, and therefore the 1st day of your retirement.

May God bless Malaysia.

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KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at [email protected] with any feedback or views.