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Najib will be biggest loser in prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul, first case to be charged under Peaceful Assembly Act, as it will totally discredit his various transformation programmes

(Speech at the opening of the new Triang DAP branch building in Triang, Pahang on Tuesday, 22nd May 2012 at 3 pm)

I was in the Kuala Lumpur court complex this morning where the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR leaders Azmin Ali and Badrul Hisham were charged in connection with the Continue reading “Najib will be biggest loser in prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul, first case to be charged under Peaceful Assembly Act, as it will totally discredit his various transformation programmes”

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BN refusing to accept calls by Opposition and Bersih for reforming the Electoral Rolls

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor
22nd May 2012

Yesterday, Anwar, Azmin and Badrul were served with charges by police claiming that they incited the crowd to crash the Dataran barricade.

Unable to counter the rising tide of dissatisfaction of the people, and scared by the gigantic crowds at Bersih 3 demonstration, they are resorting to police harassment and fabricating baseless charges, like the ones against Anwar, Azmin and Badrul.

Najib and UMNO are refusing to listen to the demands of Bersih 3 and the Opposition.

They refuse to admit that the Malaysian Spring has erupted as shown by the gigantic gathering of some 300,000 demonstrators in the streets around Dataran Merdeka. The demonstrators were represented by all the races of this country, by young and old and by friendly smiling youths and the common people who are honest, simple Malaysians who want to show that they love their country, and they want clean and free elections at the coming elections.

PM Najib is best advised to listen to the voices of the Malaysian Spring. Arrests and fabricating false charges will not quell the unrest and dissatisfaction in the country.
Continue reading “BN refusing to accept calls by Opposition and Bersih for reforming the Electoral Rolls”

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Fallacies spun by critics of the Bar

— LoyarBurokkers (loyarburok.com)
The Malaysian Insider
May 22, 2012

MAY 22 — The Bar Council and the Malaysian Bar (“the Bar”) have been criticised recently as being pro-opposition. This is because of the Bar’s press statements and its extraordinary general meeting resolution regarding the police brutality shown at the Bersih 3.0 sit-down rally. The common theme adopted by critics of the Bar is that the Bar was not fair, or even-handed, as the Bar were more critical of the police than it was of the other parties involved.

Some of the more popular criticisms were summarised in Roger Tan’s article “Unswayed by fear or favour” which was also published in the Sunday Star on May 20, 2012. In summary, he says the following:

1. The Bar in condemning the police brutality must be equally aggressive in its condemnation against the protestors who “behaved like rioters and anarchists”.

2. The Bar had prejudged the issues by passing the resolution because by doing so “the Bar had already come to a conclusion that all those acts listed therein had been committed by the police”.

3. The Bar should have demanded an apology from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim because “it was his men who were reportedly the ones who removed the barrier” which was “the trigger point”.

This statement is written immediately in response to Roger Tan’s article, but also addresses others who have been critical of the Bar on this issue. We intend to address the second criticism first, then the third and first criticisms. Our reason for this will become apparent as our reply develops. Continue reading “Fallacies spun by critics of the Bar”

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Dr Mahathir and the selling of oxymoronicracy

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
May 22, 2012

MAY 22 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reiterated his advice for Umno leaders to discard self-interest and acts of sabotage to ensure a Barisan Nasional (BN) victory in the next general election.

There are two things that stuck out as very sore thumbs in the above statement. Both are never the hallmarks of Umno. Indeed if they are practised, Umno ceases to be Umno. They are the elimination of self-interest and absence of acts of sabotage. Asking Umno people not to sabotage and to disown personal interest is like asking a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

Dr Mahathir does not only walk on water, he is also the chief spokesman for oxymoronicracy.

Since the creation of Umno Baru in 1988, every Umno leader who has assumed the mantle of leadership has been motivated by self-interests. What’s more, they are motivated by the desire to perpetuate the self-interests, where self-preservation is top of the list. It will be interesting to investigate these fellers’ bank account when they are no longer in power.

Sabotaging is second nature to Umno people, by incumbents who are no longer chosen to stand or by aspiring candidates scheming and plotting to overthrow incumbents. What is absent from Umno? A sense of purpose and a cause to fight for. So if we want an example of oxymoronicracy, Dr Mahathir is its foremost spokesman. Continue reading “Dr Mahathir and the selling of oxymoronicracy”

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Act of utter bad faith to charge Anwar, Azmin and Badrul for breach of Dataran Merdeka barricades

It is an act of utter bad faith for the Najib administration to charge the Leader of the Opposition, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR leaders Azmin Ali and Badrul Hashim for breach of the Dataran Merdeka barricades during the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 when this should be one of the major terms of reference of a full and impartial inquiry into the Bersih 3.0 violence promised by the Prime Minister.

Did Anwar and Azmin give the signal for the crowd to breach the barricades, as the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein maintained in his interview with Sunday Star “The search for the real story” two days ago?

But the views of Hishammuddin (who has often confused his role between Home Minister responsible for security regardless of political party or persons and that of UMNO Vice President whose primary task is to demonise the Opposition however baseless and unprincipled) cannot be the basis or reason for the prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul, especially as Hishammuddin has given the country the assurance that an impartial and comprehensive inquiry into the Bersih 3.0 violence would be established to find out the truth of what happened on April 28.

The sudden and abrupt prosecution of Anwar, Azmin and Badrul in connection with the breach of the Dataran Merdeka barricades smack of mala fide on the part of the Najib premiership because it is clearly designed to pre-empt and avoid any independent, impartial and comprehensive inquiry into this important issue. This is all the more deplorable when the trio had strenuously denied giving the signal to breach the barricades, as borne out by video testimony. Continue reading “Act of utter bad faith to charge Anwar, Azmin and Badrul for breach of Dataran Merdeka barricades”

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We will not be cowed, says Bersih

S Pathmawathy | May 21, 2012
Malaysiakini

Bersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections, will continue with its nationwide roadshow despite a recent threat, co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said today.

“It was targeted at me, but nothing will change. Our campaign is about voter education and it will go on,” she said when contacted today.

Ambiga had been told to stay away from an event in Merlimau, Malacca, last Saturday after a number of local pressure groups lodged police reports objecting to her presence.

A group of angry individuals later pelted two DAP state assemblypersons and supporters with eggs and stones.

“In fact, acts like this are also part and parcel of voter education – it allows voters to make decisions as to whether this is the kind of Malaysia they want to live in. (It) allows them to decide if this is the kind of institution they want to vote for.” Continue reading “We will not be cowed, says Bersih”