Malaysians have been waiting for the past two years for the 13th General Election but the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been dilly-dallying as he hunts for the best timing for the dissolution of Parliament not so much for UMNO and the Barisan Nasional, but to ensure that he could remain ensconced in Sri Perdana after the polls.
Whether Najib likes it or not, its countdown for the 13GE as the 12th Parliament which was elected in the political tsunami of 8th March 2008 has a life-span of less than six months before it is automatically dissolved followed by the “mother of all general elections” in Malaysia.
There is just four months left if we take into account the polling day on 8th March 2008.
However, as Article 55 (3) provides that “Parliament unless sooner dissolved shall continue for five years from the date of its first meeting and shall then stand dissolved”, the 12th Parliament’s tenure will only end on April 27, 2013 as its first meeting was held on 28th April 2008.
Najib has already created two “history” – firstly, being the longest Prime Minister without an elected mandate of his own, compared to any of his predecessors which would include his father, Tun Razak, as well as the ensuing three Prime Ministers Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah.
His second “history” is to be Prime Minister of the longest Parliament to be dissolved, now entering into the last six months of its tenure.
The question is whether Najib will achieve a “triple” in making Malaysian history – of being the last UMNO Prime Minister in Malaysia.
It is because of this fear of making this “triple” history that has caused Najib to keep changing his mind as to when is the best timing for him to call for the 13th General Election in the past two years.
This is also the reason why UMNO and Barisan Nasional under him have become so desperate as to resort to the most irresponsible and unprincipled politicking, disseminating contradictory lies and falsehoods when campaigning to different racial groups, causing UMNO and Barisan Nasional to lose all credibility, legitimacy and moral authority to continue to rule in Malaysia after 55 years.
To the Malays, UMNO leaders and propagandists spread lies and falsehoods as warning that DAP will be the real power if Pakatan Rakyat forms the federal government in the 13GE, that the Malays will lose political power and become “beggars in their own land”, the position of Islam as the official religion of the country would be displaced with Malaysia becoming a Christian state, the Rulers would be abolished and Malaysia become a Republic.
Even the MCA leaders do not believe these UMNO lies, falsehoods and deceit about the DAP – as for instance it is not Malays but UMNO leaders losing political power – but the MCA leaders kept their silence as it served their ulterior objective of frightening the Malay voters not to vote for Pakatan Rakyat.
To the Chinese, MCA leaders and propagandists spread lies and falsehoods as warning that PAS will be the real power if Pakatan Rakyat forms the federal government in the 13 GE, that the Chinese and non-Muslims will lose even more of their political, economic, educational, religious and citizenship rights.
Even UMNO leaders do not believe in such MCA lies, falsehoods and deceit but again, they kept their silence as it is all part of their nefarious ulterior objective to scare the Chinese and non-Muslim voters from voting for Pakatan Rakyat.
Undoubtedly, UMNO and Barisan Nasional component parties are indulging in the most irresponsible, unprincipled and anti-national politicking, seeking to further polarize Malaysians along racial and religious lines just to gain short-term electoral advantages for themselves while utterly heedless and reckless of the great harm to Malaysian nation-building.
This is where Pakatan Rakyat differs from Barisan Nasional. DAP, PKR and PAS do not send out different messages to different groups of Malaysians, whether racial, religious or geographical.
Pakatan Rakyat and the component parties of DAP, PKR and PAS have only one and the same message for all Malaysians – to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance and to uphold the fundamental features of the Malaysian Constitution. In short, to save Malaysia from the excesses of UMNO/BN.
In continuing their divisive and destructive role to perpetuate their “divide and rule” tactics, UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders are sowing the politics of hate and conflict with contradictory messages for different ethnic and religious groups in the country.
How can the Barisan Nasional component parties reconcile the lies, falsehoods and deceit spread by UMNO among Malays with the lies, falsehoods and deceit spread by MCA among the Chinese?
This is why UMNO and Barisan Nasional deserve to be defeated and replaced by Pakatan Rakyat as the new federal government in Putrajaya in the 13GE as they have lost all credibility, legitimacy and moral authority to continue as the national government of plural Malaysia when they are prepared to act in such an irresponsible and anti-national fashion.
[Speech (2) at Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat in Seremban on Saturday, 3rd November 2012 at 10 pm]