Let the 13th General Elections tomorrow mark the coming-of-age of the Malaysian Dream, uniting Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region, in a common national vision and destiny to build a more united, democratic, free, just, competitive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens.
In my 47 years in politics, I have always regarded myself as a Malaysian first and last. I have never regarded myself purely as a Chinese, but as a Malaysian of Chinese ethnic descent whose loyalty is unswervingly to the Malaysian nation, having common cause with all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region to build a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.
Loyalty to the Malaysian nation is however not the same as loyalty to the government of the day.
It is a complete misunderstanding and misperception of the meaning of “loyalty” for the caretaker Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional leaders to equate support of the government-coalition of the day with loyalty to the nation.
Najib talks of wanting to make Malaysia the best democracy in the world, but he does not understand that it is sheer heresy in any meaningful or accepted democratic nation to equate support for the ruling party with loyalty to the country – for it negates the very meaning of the right of the electorate to periodically choose the government they want in general elections.
Malaysians who reject UMNO and the Barisan Nasional are not disloyal to Malaysia but are patriotic Malaysians exercising their constitutional and democratic right to vote and help decide the political future of the country because they have a different but very legitimate vision on what is best for Malaysia from those of UMNO/BN.
When will Najib and the UMNO/BN leaders learn and accept this rudimentary understanding of a parliamentary democracy?
In the 15-day 13GE elections, Pakatan Rakyat campaigned on hope and the politics of the future in contrast to Barisan Nasional campaign to instil fear among the the different races with completely different messages to perpetuate the racial and corrupt politics of the past.
The three trump cards of the BN campaign in the 15-day campaign period are:
1. Money, Money, Money.
2. Lies, Lies, Lies.
3. Fear, Fear, Fear.
Fifty-six years after Merdeka in 1957 and 10 general elections, the time has come for Malaysians to say good-bye to the UMNO/BN politics of the past.
Najib boasts of “transformation” but he has taken the three Umno/BN trump cards of “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear” to a new level, with the politics of money, lies and fear in the 13GE putting previous general elections to shame!
Yesterday, Betty Chew wife of Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister, led 100 Penangites in a “going bald” ceremony to express their anger, outrage and disgust with Najib’s “Money Money Money” campaign outsourced to individual tycoons and today 55 persons in South Johor (signifying 5th May, Polling Day) went bald in support of the Penang protest and to register a clear message – that not just Chinese and Penangites, but all Malaysians regardless of race and religion all over the country are angry and outraged by the indecent, disgraceful and disgusting “Money Money Money” campaign of Najib in the 13GE.
The Umno/BN triple campaign of “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear” have still to reach their full climax of show their full deviousness and evilness.
It has been bruited, for instance, that financiers of UMNO/BN have prepared a special fund to tempt and buy over successful Pakatan Rakyat candidates in the 13GE tomorrow – RM10 million for each PR MP elected and RM5 million for each PR State Assemblyman elected.
Has the UMNO/BN’s “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear” plumbed to a new low in the 13GE in the next 48 hours?
This itself justifies the call for “UBAH” in the May 5 general elections!