Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) chairperson Paul Low has conceded that the Election Integrity Pledge (EIP) signed by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last week is not legally binding.
However, TI-M will hold the signatories, including Najib, responsible by publishing their wrongdoings on its website and social media such as Facebook and Twitter to put pressure on violators of the pledge.
I thank Paul Low for being frank about admitting that there is no legal way to enforce Najib’s signature of the EIP but what should be troubling for TI-M is that the EIP also lacks moral, ethical and persuasive force as its strategy of “name and shame pledge violators online” is unlikely to strike fear in the hearts of hardened violators.
This is why Najib could be a serial violator of the TI-M EIP in the 15-day Chinese New Year of the Snake, including the following instances:
• Broke the pledge to uphold the principle of “Truth, integrity and ethical conduct and accountability” when Najib campaigned in Kuala Terengannu perpetrating the falsehood that “a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Muslims”;
• Violated the pledge of “good governance and transparency” when Najib issued the racist and divisive directive to exclusively screen the May 13 film, Tanda Putera, to 3,000 Felda settlers although the Cabinet decided last November that the film was “inappropriate” to be screened because of “bias” in the portrayal of the May 13 riots in 1969.
• Guilty of the corruption of “money politics” in the run-up to the 13GE with the lavish expenditure of over RM3.5 million to invite Korean K-Pop superstar to Penang for BN Chinese New Year Open House on Feb. 11 to perform Gangnam Style – when money politics in the run-up and during general election campaigns is the mother of rampant corruption in Malaysia.
How can TI-M’s “name and shame” strategy ever work with Najib and Umno/BN when they do not feel any tinge of shame over the 18-year annual TI Corruption Perception Index (CPI) series which has given the four-year Najib premiership the dubious record of being even more corrupt than all the previous five Malaysian PMs, namely Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak, Hussein Onn, Dr. Mahathir and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi?
How can TI-M’s “name and shame” strategy with regard to its Election Integrity Pledge ever work or has any chance of success when so far Najib has ignored the worst and most ignominious “name and shame” strategy over a series of unresolved and long-standing international scandals, whether it be the C4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, the RM7 billion Scorpene submarine purchase from French defence company DCNS when Najib was Defence Minister and a series of mega defence procurement financial scandals like the RM400 million Defence Ministry privatization scam involving the Selangor Wanita UMNO chief Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah?
This was why I have posed the following questions in the past week following the fanfare of the Prime Minister signing the TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge:
1. If Suharto or Marcos, the two persons who have elevated ASEAN to global status in the company of the “most corrupt leaders in the world” like the notorious and infamous kleptocrats Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire and Sani Abacha of Nigeria, had signed an Election Integrity Pledge at the height of their power and office, would it enhance or discredit such a pledge?
2. Has TI-M any mechanism to receive and investigate public complaints that signatories have violated the four principles enshrined in the Election Integrity Pledge to uphold “truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability” – whether in the run-up or during the 13GE campaign?
3. Are there any provisions for TI-M to delete and disqualify signatories to its Election Integrity Pledge who blatantly violate its four principles in the run-up to and during the 13GE?
4. Is TI-M agreeable to an addendum to its Election Integrity Pledge to ensure that signatories are signing a meaningful document to usher in a new era of integrity, which should spell out among other things the following commitments by the signatories:
(i) Public Declaration of Assets by all present Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers and Mentris Besar (a) before they held political office and (b) at present.
(ii) “No money politics” pledge in the 13GE.
(iii) Pledge not to raise the spectre of May 13 or use the politics of fear, blackmail or hatred to intimidate or frighten voters;
(iv) Commitment to free, fair and clean elections; and
(v) Pledge to accept the verdict of the voters of the 13GE and to facilitate a peaceful transition of power in Putrajaya if this is the will of the electorate.
Malaysians do not want an Arab Spring involving bloodshed and revolution.
Instead of inviting Psy to Malaysia with his Gangnam Style, Malaysia should emulate the South Korean democratic transformation in 1997 when South Korea took the crucial step to become a mature democratic country when it effected a peaceful transition of power with Opposition presidential candidate Kim Dae-jung elected and sworn in as South Korean President.
Can Malaysia achieve a South Korean Spring which that country underwent in democratic transformation 15 years ago and witness a peaceful transition of power in Putrajaya in the 13GE?
I am prepared to sign TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge but it must be a meaningful event not a meaningless exercise serving to “whitewash” rampant corruption and gross abuses of power by hardened violators of integrity, transparency and accountability!
I invite Malaysians to give their views whether I should sign TI-M’s Election Integrity Pact after the signature by Najib, whether through the social media or through other direct channels.
Shame has no value if you are desperate. That is why Najib has no problem signing it and also why he did sign it.
For all the money spent on PR by Najib, its clear his and UMNO/BN strategy is based on their parties establishment – their machinery, their brain-washing, their organisation. The money Najib spent on PR is completely detached from their basic reality.
THIS GE is a class-warfare. Between the political class and their business partners and the rest of the people. Some may argue there is a religo partner somewhere but I argue no because their religo-partner are politicians not people of religion.
BN’s messaging is so detached from the real political fight because it is a class-warfare – its never about the real ideas, its really about just raw self-promotion because the class in power has ran out its relevancy, unable to renew itself.
Its no about rich-poor. Its about politicians and their type of business and people vs free people, free ideas and rest of us.
LKS, no way any PR leaders should sign the EIP.
In fact, it is a complete waste to have such things!!!
As it is, most any UMNO/BN leaders have tons of baggage in tow.
And they are willing to even swear this and that and had in fact done so!
So, what?
The question here is: WHO IS GOING TO BELL THE CAT???
The whole exercise is just eyewash and hogwash combined!!!!!
Don’t waste time on it!
Spend whatever that’s left before the GE to wisen up the people regarding the many hand-outs of the crooks to gather votes, especially those living in the interior.
Go full steam ahead to win the GE and don’t be distracted by ANYTHING!!!!!
Election Integrity Pledge…..’not legal binding”….just for show…to fish for votes by Najib.
That’s what it is all about.
Keep on fishing….reeling …and that EIP to fish PR leaders to fall into their traps.
Najib does not support BERSIH walks.
He is a compulsive liar.
Signing a noble pledge with crooks????
I think PR leaders should NOT sign TI-M’s Election Integrity Pact as the Pact is already “CONTAMINATED” after signature by Najib.
If LKS does sign then the other PR leaders should not sign as well in order to show solidarity within the PR coalition.
Oops!
“If LKS does sign” should be “If LKS does NOT sign”.
Najib has smeared the pledge, so it is better not to sign.
Really, you should. But since jibby & gang + umno & crooks made a monkey of it, you now should not.
The countdown seems too fast …too soon for Najib’s liking.
39 days…with a blink of an eye…..29 days…and once it reaches 10 days….it is like launching DAP rocket…10..9…8…7…6…5…4..3..2..1….IGNITION!!!…..balls of fire…HENTAM TETAP HANTAM.
LKS, don’t SIGN:
Thieves may pledge their faith to each other.
But there is no honour among thieves.
Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar”:
‘No, not an oath. If not the face of men (Read: Suffering Malaysians),
The sufferanace of our souls, the time’s abuse;
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed.
So let high-sighted tyranny range on
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am sure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women: then countrymen,
What need we any spur but our own cause
To prick us to redress?..
..And what other oath,
Than honesty to honesty engaged,…
Swear priests and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions and such suffering souls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt. But do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise.
Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,
To think that or our cause or our performance
Did need an oath..”
Dear LKS
You have stipulated all the good reasons and justifications against signing the Pledge. And I fully concur with you! It’s silly to sign a piece of paper that’s not binding on all the signatories.
But if the MSM were to play up this issue negatively for PR, is there a way to counter the MSM? Not many people read blogs, at least not as widespread compared to MSM readership. I believed BN has their hidden agenda to sign the Pledge.
Is BN trying to score point in their rural GE campaign by highlighting that PR dared not sign the Pledge. Your arguments against signing the Pledge could not be easily understood by the less learned folks. Some of your reasons are quite technical and wordy.
Your repute for unwavering in just principles and values is iron clad rock solid. No need to associate nor dignify the dishonourable signatories.
Mr. Lim, I agree that to put your signature for the pledge, beside the signatures of those who have blatantly disregarded their pledges to be demeaning to both the pledge and yourself. However it cannot be disputed that there are noble intentions, by some parties at least, to make the elections as clean as it can. I would humbly propose that Pakatan Rakyat also come up with a pledge themselves, but with the addition of the 10 points that you had mentioned in your 45-day countdown post (http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/02/25/45-day-countdown-to-13ge-proposal-for-a-10-point-addendum-to-tis-election-integrity-pledge-to-ensure-signatories-are-signing-a-meaningful-document-to-usher-in-a-new-era-of-integrity/). All pakatan members running for any seat, be it parliamentary or state seats, should sign this Pakatan pledge. So that if any of these people should breach this pledge, the pakatan top council can take disciplinary action, such as forced resignation of seats or forced withdrawal from contesting.
MW
Don’t sign it. It’s a farce. TI’s backpaddle to save its reputation by mentioning that it will name and shame, has already been rendered ineffective, because Najib has already reneged on his pledge over several occasions.
If TI is serious about free and fair elections, it would already put one huge blackmark on BN for hoarding the mainstream media. For me, it is absolutely unforgivable that we Malaysians feel so little outrage when BN gets to lie in broad daylight day after day for the past 55 years – with some even cynically thinking that it’s a natural part of democracy.
What Pakatan leaders can do is to quickly collectively sign a separate pledge which is far more comprehensive and give it to TI to monitor. Signing this pledge will negate BN/EC propaganda, and will up the ante on BN.
Kit, do not sign the Integrity Pact lest DAP being labeled as “belonging to the same ugly type” or in Chinese, 蛇鼠一窝.
TI-M has offered to be part of problem rather than solution to sliping standing of our CPI.
The only objective of EIP is for BN to whitewash and sell it thru MSM. TI-M has no guts to shame the pm, trust me!, this org is ran by cowards.
You sign it or you don’t sign it, for BN, they have stories prepared for the MSM.
Maybe you should sign it, but ask the TI HQ or other country to help monitor and shame those signed, but not TI-M, they are hopeless.
Well, well, well.
Looks like the scums don’t have much time left to play footsie!!!!
A document is a document !
When signed is legally bindding !
Well, TI is a stooge in the first place, what to expect – ie, TI may “TOKOK” not legally bindding, DOESN’T MEAN IS NOT SO ! WHEN ENDED UP IN Umno/bn’s court / jurisdiction ! it’ll become a TOOL TO HASLE AT BEST, WORST TO HANG !
Unless, one can convince one do not know a thing of what one had signed , under the sword.
Or, unless one IS MaMak Kutty. Or, try Mikky Tarzarn act ” i do not know Enylich at all ” – try your luck on that and Good Luck !
When TI can say that, best can do is ” name and shame ” TI IS A GONNA ! without knowing it at all, first ! TI si a STOOGE !
NOW AH-C-4 HAS SIGNED THEN USED / TEST IT ON HIS PAST WRONGDOINGS ! SCORPENE CASE eg.! THROW IT ALL BACK TO HIM ! ( AS ABOVE,#14 )
HOW CAN PR NOT SEE THIS ! HE ALREADY SIGNED !!! IS A DOCUMENT AND LEGALLY BINDING IN RETOSPECT ! NO MATTER WHAT !
PR WAKE UP !!! DO NOT BE PART OF THE SANDIWARA BUT BE EFFECTIVE ! eh ! WAKE UP !!!
Advice fr Dr LohSiMah: Yep, NOT ONLY sign but also RESIGN mah
don’t have to
by the way all the old man of Pakatan still do not willing to be dropped eh , i mean anybody above 62