The relentless day-by-day approach of the 13th general elections has injected not only increasing urgency but also sparked a growing sense of desperation among UMNO/BN propagandists because of the lack of credibility of their propaganda.
While government departments like Department of Special Affairs (Jasa) of the Ministry of Information are being roped in to pump the UMNO/BN propaganda line that UMNO/BN can win the 13GE with a two-thirds parliamentary majority, nobody – not even UMNO/BN leaders – really believe that such an outcome is on the cards in the 13GE.
Malaysian parliamentary democracy will be healthier and more mature if a two-thirds parliamentary majority becomes a virtually impossible goal for any coalition, for this will be the surest safeguard to ensure that there can be no repetition of the bane of UMNO political hegemony imposing the “Listen, listen, listen” political culture on the other political parties in the Barisan Nasional.
In fact, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the top UMNO/BN leadership provide the best proof that they have no confidence that they could improve on their performance in the 2008 general elections, or the 13GE would have long been held already.
Instead Najib has now gone into the history books for being the longest Prime Minister in Malaysia without an elected mandate of his own.
But Najib wants to avoid making another dubious history, of being the first Prime Minister to be voted out of office in the 13GE or even to be another Tun Abdullah of being forced out by Mahathir as Prime Minister after the 13GE because he could not improve on the UMNO/BN results in 2008 and regain two-thirds parliamentary majority.
The 13GE is going to be a toss up for the federal government in Putrajaya could be won either by Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, largely depending on what happens during the election campaign period.
The latest University of Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (Umcedel) polls conducted between Dec. 26 and Jan 11 is most interesting, as it shows that the difference between those who believe BN can beat PR in the 13GE has been slashed from 25% in Dec. 2011 to 5% in January 2013.
Respondents who believe that Pakatan Rakyat can take Putrajaya in the 13GE have steadily climbed from 18% in December 2011 to 21% in April 2012 to 30% in Sept. 2012 and 37% in Jan 2013.
In contrast, respondents who believe that Barisan Nasional can win the 13GE had fluctuated from 43% in Dec. 2011 to 49% in April 2012 to 44% in Sept. 2012 and 42% in Jan 2013.
Respondents undecided or unsure who could win the 13GE fell from 39% in Dec. 2011 to 30 per cent in April 2012 and 26% in Sept 2012 and 21% in Jan 2013.
On this Umcedel scenario, all that is needed for PR to beat BN in the race to Putrajaya in the 13GE is to win over more than five per cent of the undecided or unsure respondents, which stands at 21% in January 2013.
Although Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said in Kuching yesterday that Barisan Nasional is confident of retaining “almost all” of the parliamentary seats in the 13GE, the fact is that Sarawak is one the three “deposit states” together with Sabah and Johore where BN could lose more than one-third of the parliamentary seats totaling 83 seats, i.e. PR winning at least 28 seats which would be the “magic number” to effect a change of Federal government in Putrajaya in the 13GE.
With the UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists more and more desperate in the run-up to the 13GE, they will increasingly resort to the politics of lies and falsehoods to incite distrust and hatred against the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat, turning the 13GE into a battle of Pakatan Rakyat’s Clean Politics of Truth and Justice versus UMNO/BN’s Dirty Politics of Lies and Falsehoods.
The recent instances of the politics of lies and falsehoods perpetrated by UMNO/BN propagandists in the social media of facebooks, twitter, blogs and news portals include the following:
• the wicked lie and falsehood concocted from non-existent interviews/conversations alleging that Irene Chang, the wife of Sarawak DAP Chairman and MP for Sibu, Wong Ho Leng, had attacked the DAP leadership for being heartless over Ho Leng’s undergoing medical treatment for a brain tumour;
• the lie that I had blamed the government for the tragic death of six-year-old William Yau, when I tweeted: “6yr William Yau’s tragic death – apart from UMNO/BN Ministers/leaders, Msia just not safe even 4children like William!”. I did not accuse anyone for William’s death but pointed out the deplorable fact highlighted by William’s case, that Malaysia has become increasingly unsafe for Malaysians, tourists and investors because of the spike in crime and fear of crime – where only UMNO/BN Ministers/leaders are safe because they have security protection.
• The lie that I had uttered anti-Malay slogans in the streets in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 1969 causing the May 13 riots of 1969, when I had stated both in Parliament and outside that I was never in Kuala Lumpur whether on May 11, 12 or 13, 1969.
BN needs only to look at Singapore’s Punggol East by election – in which opposition politician Lee Li Lian bucked the norm and wrested the seat from PAP – to draw a hint whether it (BN) can win the 13th GE with a two thirds parliamentary majority.
LKS, Malaysians already know long, long ago who is the liar!
That’s why the die is already cast!!
That’s why UMNO/BN dares not call for the GE until their hands are forced!!!
The more they lie, the more nails they are hitting into their coffins!!!!
And the faster they die!!!!!
Now you know what you, the DAP and PR are up against. It will be tough given the gomen has a lot of resources at its disposal.
What are you all going to do to neutralise all the falsehoods?
Umno/BN is stuck in a time warp, unwilling to change or move with the times. Surrounded by warlords of the past living in the era of Mahathirism, they are more concerned with the politics of patronage and gravy trains than what that is needed to move the country forward. Their brand of gutter politics will lead the nation to self-destruction.
They lied and they are going to lie even more.Only idiots and those who can derive immense monetary benefit from them believe their lies.Even in Singapore the wind of change is blowing.What about in Bolehland ?Not just wind,but typhoon,hurricane and tornado will sweep them clean.
WP won in d little red dot’s by-election cos PAP no know how 2 cheat blatantly at polls mah
Here, different story mah, UmnoB/BN veri smart 1, all systems geared 2 favor UmnoB/BN what
U no C d beast mooooing confidently abt Umno/BN going 2 win big big 1 in GE13
Y so cork sure 1, go figure out lor
The biggest lie and falsehood is already in place and yet to be revealed or rather exposed – that this GE would anywhere be decided by Malaysian..
Historically, UMNO/BN has NOT always driven away electoral observers. Whenever they have been confident in fact, they have EVEN encourage inspection and observation. THIS time around its clear we have a backtracking of accountability that has not been this bad for DECADES and the reason is simply because they have done many underhanded things that too easily something will be observed if too many prying eyes. Why the need to change rules of voting for returning overseas voters at the last minute – is it that a priority over the dubious electoral IN THE HEAT of Sabah RCI? Why the changes in rule to drive away International Observers from previous years AND add obviously-pro-gov-observers that has NOT existed before?
The stealing of the rights of citizens had already begun and set up to grab as much as possible at the end-game. Voters rights are stolen already if they just hesitated for a little bit. The fence-sitter is already the foolish victim, not the cautious innocent.
M’sian live under the shadow of ‘race and religion’ since the reign of mahatirism.
Many, especialy the majority malay and muslim, fell into this trap, can’t see through the shadow. If they could, they can’t see malay nor islam, it is plain umno. The ultimate winner is only umno elites, not malay nor muslim.
Since, we live in the shadow, we incapable to differentiate what thruth, what lies.
Public rallies by the ppl are in fact peaceful, but for the unnecessary provocations by umno carried out through the police. In other words, the common ppl of malaysia – the ah bengs, the joe ahmads, the muthus and the johns etc, are all peace loving and law abiding ppl. And and and coupled with what has uncovered in the ongoing sabah RCI, errrr umno, is the BERSIH movement still illegal?
And who are the anti-BERSIH ppl? Can you pls stand up?
We want clean politics and we want clean and fair election so that we could kick you umno out of putrajaya in GE13 cleanly and properly and lawfully.
These lies and propaganda are again to hoodwink the kampong folks USING UTUSAN to spread the falsehood.
Is also the start of mind games as G13 approaches. UMNO/bn intend to cheat to win and they have to postulate that they can win first. Just say in a group of 12 voters, 2/3 ie.8 voters voted PR but still lost ! Unless all these 8 voters can verify, confirm they voted for PR , no one will know and it is this ‘grey area’ that UMNO/bn – MMKutty had been capitalising TO CHEAT.
Hence, they have to project the possibilty first otherwise all will be wandering ( like before ) how come STILL lost when most seemed to vote ‘ABU’ ie, the propotion of cheating will depend on factors in each constituent then.