Malaysians must thank former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir for furnishing the fifth evidence of the highest-level campaign to vilify and demonise Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat and why the Hanif Omar “independent advisory panel” to investigate into Bersih 3.0 violence is totally unacceptable and should be scrapped altogether.
The four evidence were earlier provided by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and two former Inspector-General of Police, viz:
• The wild and baseless allegation by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak that Bersih 3.0 rally was coup attempt by the Opposition to topple the government;
• The instant public support for Najib’s coup allegation by former Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar who said he identified pro-communist individuals at Bersih 3.0 from demonstrations in the 1970s with futher allegation on the use of provocateurs and children in the Bersih 3.0 rally as tactics of the communists!
• The equally instant public support for Najib’s coup allegation by another former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor who went on to allege that Bersih 3.0 had used “Marxist” tactics as well as accusing the Opposition of wanting blood shed as it was not confident of taking over Putrajaya.
• The allegation by Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein in an interview with Sunday Star on May 20 that “democracy was hijacked” on April 28.
Mahathir’s blog two days ago that the Bersih 3.0 rally was a “preparation” and “warm-up” by Pakatan Rakyat for violent demonstrations to reject the results of the 13th general election should the opposition fail to win it is the fifth evidence of the highest-level campaign of vilification and demonization of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat involving the current and former Prime Minister, two IGPs and the current Home Minister, although they have not furnished one iota of evidence to substantiate their serious allegations in the past month.
What they have done is to collectively stack grounds to justify the case why the Hanif “independent advisory panel” should be scrapped altogether as nobody expects the Hanif panel to be able to independent, impartial and objective when there is the highest-level involvement in the campaign of vilification and demonization of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat.
In fact, Hanif, together with Najib, Mahathir, Hishammuddin and Rahim Noor should be required to appear as star witnesses to substantiate their preposterous allegations before a truly independent and credible inquiry into what went wrong at Bersih 3.0 on April 28 as to cause the deplorable incidents of violence and brutality, regardless of whether the victims are police personnel, media representative or peaceful protestors.
If the five – Najib, Mahathir, Hishammuddin, Hanif and Rahim Noor – are unable to produce any evidence to substantiate their allegations against Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat, then these five VVIPs should have the decency to publicly retract their preposterous allegations and tender public apologies.
In this connection, is Mahathir telling the world that his daughter Marina is naïve to be a pawn of Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat to topple the Najib government by violence?
Is he using the same brush to tar the 200,000 to 300,000 Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, gender or age who had performed a supreme act of patriotism and national service in coming out peacefully on April 28 in support of a common national cause – a clean election and a clean Malaysia?
Mahathir should be commending Marina for her commendable public-spiritedness and patriotism in participating in both Bersih 3.0 on April 28 and Bersih 2.0 on July 9, 2011 instead of throwing brickbats as her and Malaysians who had rallied to the Bersih cause.
Mahathir should ask Marina WHY she took part in the Bersih 3.0 rally.
First the young Malaysian Muslims read and think what an extreme smart man ..this old man is.
The don’t own computers and read newspapers to up date their knowledge.
Before Oppositions can topple his party…out come stones….eggs and rocks…to teach Oppositions a lesson.
Mahathir can tell lies with his eyes wide open.
His dirty politics never ends….bu to millions of smart Malaysians who know him too well…Mahathir is an evil man.
In contradicting Dr Mahathir, let’s not (even if its a good and tempting point of argument) bring Marina into picture & by so doing pitch familial (father-daughter) loyalties against political (Pro vs Anti Bersih) loyalties. Mahathir alleges that Bershi 3.0 is “warm up” of “violent demonstrations” if Opposition loses in GE 13. It suffices to contradict him by pointing out: (1) the violence on 28th April Bersih’s rally was preponderantly from the side of the authorities; (2) most of the throwing of projectiles, stones, eggs and acts of intimidation (overt or subtle) and rising political violence that have happened so far were perpetrated by pro government sympathizers against opposition / Bersih’s officials as victims with authorities in acquiescence or not doing enough to stop these and (3) the protestors, no matter how large in numbers compared to authorities, have neither the mindset nor the means to indulge in “violent” demonstration. In Bersih 3.0 the smaller number of riot police/security personnel were able to disperse and send helter skelter more than 300,000 protesters. Mahathir should be taken seriously if what he implied (as not so unusually) is the opposite – that there would be violent demonstrations (with tacit complicity of those in authority) from pro government side – to stop regime change – if the ruling coalition loses in next GE).
The opposite of what Mahathir said -if it occurs- is that which determines us (to borrow PM’s words) a third world “demo-crazy”. First of all, I am not sure that 13th GE (without Bersih’s demands being acceded) will herald a new dawn of regime change but even if by factors unexpected it does, the odds seem heavily stacked against an un-resisted or peaceful one. Firstly it is not easy for a ruling party/coalition of over 50 years to give up power and the immense national wealth that it has its tentacles all over. Secondly opposition leaders have come out with no amnesty guarantee for incumbent office-holders at the government’s helm if the opposition wins federal power. On the contrary there is much talk of accountability and prosecution for corruption etc Who that have enjoyed perks of office and abused them would willingly play fair and concede electoral defeat? And thirdly a “regime” is larger than just the slate of ministers/office-holders at the government’s helm. Even if they were willing to concede electoral defeat, will the hundreds of thousands that benefit from the BN’s gravy train and ethnic patronage policies (not to mention those within civil service, security apparatus and arm forces) allow them?
This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in Heaven;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
Some old men just don’t fade away,
they play knick-knacks up to heaven.
For decades, the country has always simmered with underlying ethnic divisions due to ethnic communal politics and policies. When Anwar galvanises opposition around the broader axis of class divisions and cleavages (ie conflict between the privileged and the common, the rich and the poor, Umnoputras and other Malays as well as Non Malays etc). When UMNO determines that its BN component parties cannot recover non malay votes, it fights the challenge of a resurgent opposition by falling back on its raison de etre of fighting exclusively for support of the community it holds claims to represent and thus exacerbates the national divisions even further. So what is at stake in GE 13 is more than just a small group of Opposition politicians trying to displace a small group of incumbents/political office holders and elites trying to thwart it.
It is about one big group of Malaysians who will support any opposition leaders (credible or not credible) accept any ideological compromise just so in order to achieve as 1st step, the removal of an incumbent in power in order to give their and their children’s lives an opportunity of change for the better, even without guarantees or evidence that the new regime will be a whole lot better. It is about another big group of Malaysians who will be prepared to do anything to preserve the incumbent in power in order to preserve for themselves family and their children the pre-existing benefit largesse and privileges bestowed by the UMNO’s patronage system over ½ a century. And there huge numbers of supporters from either side of the political divide who are neither inclined towards nor have any special talent to resolve conflicts by civilized dialogue, debate or legal engagement. These are not conditions conducive to a peaceful regime change based on electoral or constitutional rules.
This old man, he played eleven,
He ain’t going up to Heaven;
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give this old dog a bone,
This old man has lost his way home.
This guy is evil.
He knows BN could lose even without changes demanded by Bersih.
If PR lose by a photo finish, it will complain the election is not fair…..petty incidents could be used to implement emegency rule.
BN retains power for another term for them to clean up the decades of ” mess ” from gross mismanagement.
Mamakthir is irrelevant, it is waste of time talk about him.
I remember during in the 2005 French youth protest against the death of 2 young break in suspects who were electrocuted while trying to run away from the police by climbing over a sub power station. The pockets of protestors burnt some 10000 cars plus numerous buildings to vent their anger.
Compare that with the quater million Bersih 3.0 protestors that even after being so brutally treated by the police, yet there were close to none untoward incident. And for that Mahathir had the nerve to call Bersih violent.
Violent yes, but not on Bersih’s part, its the police acted like fools under instruction from the evil top!!!
He has a daughter that loves her father like all daughters should….but when come to country and people…they are more important that personal love.
The fact that Mahathir feels no shame at all that the daughter is supporting BERSIH 3…shows the fact that keep playing dirty politics is more important to Mahathir than his daughter.
With due respect sir, stay away from the personal relationship of your opponents especially someone like Marina who even a ally. Although Mahathir has attacked you and your family a million times with lies rather than the truth in your case, its still not wise.
Mahathir personally spreading fear and wild speculation is a personal failure on his part – at this age, he is behaving more like a unrepentant spoilt-rotten child and and no wonder Lembah Pantai UMNO Youth blame their violence on their victims, ‘butt and burger’, Ibrahim Ali’s Bersih ‘lebih kotor’.
Its interesting to note how Mahathir is actually leading the spread of these lies and demonistion. Najib is following in actuallity. Its all desperation of someone seeing his self-worth being torned apart before his life after savouring great success. He is simply losing it.
You don’t need to Marina to counter the wild allegations – ANY VIOLENCE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF UMNO-PERKASA/BN. Its simply the sentiment of the nation at this point.