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Rahim Noor should crawl back into the woodwork

by P. Ramakrishnan
1 November 2011

A man who infamously trampled upon the rights of others has no right to speak on human rights. He is the least qualified to speak on this subject.

Yet, the former Inspector–General of Police, Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor, emerging as it were from the dead, expressed some startling views on human rights.

He is quoted as having said that the coming of a “human rights wave” would threaten the principles on which this country was founded. Continue reading “Rahim Noor should crawl back into the woodwork”

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Electoral fraud – part and parcel of our election process

By P Ramakrishnan, Aliran president | 31 October 2011

If anything, these allegations have become credible because irrefutable evidence of fraudulent registrations have been unearthed in the electoral roll. What we have seen exposed are not few and minor incidences that may be explained away quite easily. Clearly, these are rampant and, therefore, disturbing.

Dubious voters

The late P Patto who lost to Samy Vellu in the Sungai Siput contest in 1990 by a narrow margin of 1763 votes revealed why he lost that year during a forum at the Penang Chinese Assembly Hall. He explained that Indian voters were registered at Chinese residences when there were no tenants living there; others were registered at non-existent addresses and some addresses attributed to certain voters turned out to be at the cemetery! He also revealed that voters were brought from Klang in buses to cast their votes in Sungai Siput. These are serious cases of electoral fraud.

This is a story that goes back to 1990 – 21 years ago! But the pattern persists even today.
Continue reading “Electoral fraud – part and parcel of our election process”

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Yang Berhormat Ipoh Timur menggesa agar tuntutan Bersih 2.0 diambil perhatian oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Berhubung Dengan Penambahbaikan Proses Pilihan Raya.

Jawapan Bertulis YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri semasa Menggulung Perbahasan Bajet 2012 (Peringkat Dasar) di Dewan Rakyat pada 24 Oktober 2011

Untuk makluman Ahli Yang Berhormat, SPR senantiasa responsif terhadap perubahan-perubahan semasa dengan melakukan proses rekayasa menerusi usaha pengupayaan dan penambahbaikan di dalam pengurusan dan operasinya demi untuk memantapkan lagi sistem pilihan raya, sekali gus demokrasi di Malaysia. Walau bagainmanapun, sebarang usaha tersebut perlu berpandukan kepada asas Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan lunas demokrasi Negara.

Untuk makluman Ahli Yang Berhormat, berhubung dengan “BERSIH 2.0” yang menuntut 8 perkara yang terdiri daripada:

  1. SPR perlu melaksanakan Pembersihan Daftar Pemilih;
  2. SPR perlu melaksanakan Pembaharuan Sistem Undi Pos;
  3. SPR perlu melaksanakan Penggunaan Dakwat Kekal;
  4. SPR perlu memperuntukkan Tempoh Berkempen Tidak Kurang dari 21 hari;
  5. SPR perlu menjamin adanya Akses Media Yang Bebas dan Adil;
  6. Memperkukuhkan Institusi Awam;
  7. Memberhentikan Amalan Rasuah; dan
  8. Memberhentikan AMalan Politik Kotor,

Continue reading “Yang Berhormat Ipoh Timur menggesa agar tuntutan Bersih 2.0 diambil perhatian oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Berhubung Dengan Penambahbaikan Proses Pilihan Raya.”

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Political ploy or genuine democratisation?

2. The undemocratic clampdown on July 9 peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally for fair, free and clean elections.

Democratic and political transformation must be furthest from the mind of a government which could mount the undemocratic clampdown on the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally for free, fair and clean elections, launching mass arrests, locking down the Federal Capital and irresponsibly, indiscriminately and recklessly firing tear gas and chemically-laced water cannon at peaceful and patriotic demonstrators, including Pakatan Rakyat and Bersih 2.0 leaders.

The weeks before and after the historic Bersih 2.0 rally were undoubtedly the worst period for Datuk Seri Najib Razak since becoming the sixth Malaysian Prime Minister 27 months ago in April 2009 – his greatest failure of leadership which made him the object of ridicule and scorn not only in the country but also internationally, and forcing him to cut short his overseas trip.

Are Malaysians to believe that it was during this period that Najib had a sudden change of heart as to be converted to the agenda to democratisation and political transformation resulting in the establishment of the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms and the announcements on the repeal or amendment of repressive undemocratic laws like the Internal Security Act? Continue reading “Political ploy or genuine democratisation?”

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Cops fired tear gas directly at demonstrators, witness tells Bersih inquiry

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 11, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Riot police fired tear gas directly at a crowd of peaceful and “non-hostile” Bersih supporters, a witness told a public inquiry into the July 9 protests today.

Lawyer Nor Syazwani Muharam, a Bar Council representative who had monitored the rally, said that the incident occurred along Jalan Masjid Jamek where the police had told Bersih supporters to disperse and rang a warning bell three times.

“I did not see any violence by the Bersih supporters. There was no hostility from the public, I did not see any provocation from them,” she told the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry here.

Nor Syazwani said the crowd was about “one block” away from the riot police before tear gas was fired directly at them.

“Police fired directly towards the crowd,” she said. Continue reading “Cops fired tear gas directly at demonstrators, witness tells Bersih inquiry”

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Is PSC a one-man show?

Patrick Lee
Free Malaysia Today
October 6, 2011

Pakatan Rakyat members tick off Ongkili for making decisions without consultation and barring Bersih from attending the meetings.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat MPs in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for electoral reforms have rapped its chairman for making decisions without consulting the group first

PAS Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli said that PSC chairman Maximus Johnity Ongkili jumped the gun by announcing nationwide public hearings, and also barring Bersih 2.0 from attending the PSC’s meetings.

“This may not be a big issue, but (the fact remains) that the decision was made by him without consultation. The first meeting hasn’t even been held… decisions should have been made then, but he seems to have decided himself.”

“Is this a one-man-show or a committee of nine people?” asked Hatta, when talking to reporters at the Parliament lobby here today. Continue reading “Is PSC a one-man show?”

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Pressure on Najib to change or be changed, says Time

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 06, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — International weekly Time has likened Datuk Seri Najib Razak to other authoritarian leaders in Southeast Asia and foresees sweeping reforms led by a media-savvy youth will shake up the entire region.

But the magazine said the prime minister has taken heed of the need for change and has begun initiating changes that include the repeal of outdated laws covering security and the media.

“Southeast Asians… know what it’s like to live under authoritarian regimes and rulers. The latter range from brutal autocrats (Burma’s recently-retired General Than Shwe) to self-styled strongmen (Cambodia’s Hun Sen) to leaders who benefit from repressive laws that safeguard the predominance of a single party (Malaysia’s Najib Razak),” the influential news magazine said in its latest issue dated October 1.

It observed too there is a rising number of youths who are social-media-savvy who are is fed up with authoritarian rule and have grown bolder in saying so. Continue reading “Pressure on Najib to change or be changed, says Time”

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Police fired tear gas, broke rules in Tung Shin incident

The Malaysian Insider
Oct 04, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Riot police broke their own standard operating procedures (SOP) by firing tear gas when dispersing Bersih 2.0 rally marchers at the Tung Shin Hospital on July 9, a Health Ministry investigation has concluded.

Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam said tonight that errant policemen would be referred to the police’s disciplinary board.

“The investigation results concluded that there were unethical actions which were beyond the SOP of the Royal Malaysian Police when enforcement was performed on rally participants who were wrongly using the hospital premises,” Mahmood said in a statement.

Putrajaya and police had earlier denied any wrongdoing despite proof given by Bersih and those at the rally. Continue reading “Police fired tear gas, broke rules in Tung Shin incident”

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RM2m spent on 11,000 cops to stop Bersih rally, Parliament told

By Melissa Chi
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 04, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — The government spent more than RM2 million to “handle” the outlawed rally by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 in July, it was revealed today.

More than 11,000 police officers were also deployed in the days leading up to the rally on July 9.

In a written reply in Parliament to Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh), Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today the total amount spent by the police to “handle” the rally was RM2,018,850.06.

He added that a total of 11,046 police officers from all over the country were stationed in the Klang Valley area, including 2,600 who were on standby outside the city. Continue reading “RM2m spent on 11,000 cops to stop Bersih rally, Parliament told”

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DAP supports PSC on Electoral Reforms with reservations

The DAP welcomes the setting up of this Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms though we have many doubts and reservations.

Since 70s in Parliament, DAP MPs had been calling for free, fair and clean general elections, making proposals such as the following:

• a clean, honest and comprehensive electoral list where every eligible voter is on the list which could be simply achieved with an automatic voters registration system for every citizen who comes of voting age and the cleansing of phantom and illegal voters;

• eradication of postal vote abuses;

• Reduction of eligible voting age from 21 to 18 years;

• fair campaign period to allow voters adequate time to make informed decisions on their choice from competing candidates and political parties.

• eradication of electoral offences and corrupt practices, as money politics to buy votes;

• introduction of the concept of caretaker government to carry out day-to-day administration of the country between dissolution of Parliament and polling day where the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers are legally barred from abusing and misusing their public offices, resources or funds for any party electioneering campaigning on pain of disqualification despite election – like the case of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi whose election to Parliament was declared null and void in 1975 on grounds of electoral malpractices because she had used government resources including helicopter for campaigning.

• An independent, credible and professional Elections Commission to carry out the constitutional duty to conduct free and fair elections, and not one which claims that its responsibility is to conduct elections with no powers to ensure it is clean, free and fair.

• Free and fair access to media;

• Fair and democratic redelineation of constituencies to give meaning to the principle of “one man, one vote, one value”.

For four decades these calls for a free, fair and clean electoral system had been ignored by UMNO and Barisan Nasional because they have been able to perpetuate their political power through such an undemocratic, unfair and even corrupt electoral system.

Is there now a genuine “change of heart” by the Prime Minister, UMNO and BN represented by the formation of the PSC for electoral reforms before Parliament today? Continue reading “DAP supports PSC on Electoral Reforms with reservations”

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Stop the charade of claiming to want to be the “best democracy in the world” – what Najib should do is to immediately end Malaysia’s ranking as a “flawed democracy”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is outdoing himself every day with taller and ever incredible claims – yesterday claiming that no one else but Barisan Nasional should take credit for the repeal of the Internal Security Act and other law reforms he announced in his Malaysia Day message and today reiterating that the repeal of the ISA is not due to pressure from any quarter but an effort to make Malaysia the “best democracy in the world”.

Najib should stop the charade of claiming to want to be the “best democracy in the world” when what he should do is to immediately end Malaysia’s ranking as a “flawed democracy” before Malaysia could qualify to rank among the full democracies in the world.

The third edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index 2010 released early this year categorised Malaysia as a “flawed democracy” due to “a gradual erosion of civil liberties and political culture in the past year” with Malaysia’s aggregate score dropping 0.17 to 6.19 out of 10 from the previous index in 2008, and the overall country ranking falling from 68th to 71st out of 167 countries. Continue reading “Stop the charade of claiming to want to be the “best democracy in the world” – what Najib should do is to immediately end Malaysia’s ranking as a “flawed democracy””

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Will repeal of ISA and slew of other legislative changes be completed before next general elections or will they be “work-in-progress” trotted out as BN election “goodies” ?

I had said at the Sabah Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kota Kinabalu last evening that the Pakatan Rakyat has begun to chalk up victories even before the 13th general elections, citing as example the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s announcement to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) which is one of the specific promises made by Pakatan Rakyat in the Buku Jingga manifesto.

This has been quickly rebutted by Najib today who said that no one else but Barisan Nasional should take credit for the repeal of the ISA and the slew of other law reforms which he announced in his Malaysia Day message on Wednesday night.

Najib claimed that “these are not the fruits of their struggle” but was a decision made by the Barisan Nasional government “because we listened to Malaysians who want this change”.

Najib even said the decision to scrap the ISA was part of his promise to amend the controversial law when he took office in 2009.

Not to mention Malaysians at large – but even leaders and members of Barisan Nasional parties would require enormous capacity of self-deception to believe such tall tales. Continue reading “Will repeal of ISA and slew of other legislative changes be completed before next general elections or will they be “work-in-progress” trotted out as BN election “goodies” ?”

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Slide began before Bersih

— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 12, 2011

SEPT 12 — Sorry but I don’t buy this attempt to blame the slide in the prime minister’s rating to his mishandling of Bersih 2.0 rally.

What happened on July 9 and the twisting and turning of words after that by the PM (I offered the stadium and no I didn’t and yes I did) is just symptomatic of an administration which lost its direction and a leader who is afraid of his own shadow.

Long before Bersih happened, the country was in a drift towards worsening race ties, upsurge in the power of the right wing and flip-flops in policy reforms. Sad to say but Najib has become Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: good with slogans and rhetoric but very elastic with implementation.

Abdullah had Islam Hadhari and Najib has 1 Malaysia but under the umbrella of those two “concepts” is the same rubbish which has been stinking up Malaysia since the Mahathir administration: corruption by politicians, worsening race relations, abuse of powers, widening gap between the haves and have-nots, talent drain, inflated privatisation contracts, cronyism and nepotism and a complete hijacking of the Bumiputera agenda by Umno politicians and the decaying state of institutions. Continue reading “Slide began before Bersih”

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PM’s blame game

— The Malaysian Insider
Sep 10, 2011

SEPT 10 — So far the only people not blamed for the mishandling of the Bersih 2.0 rally are Al-Qaeda, Chin Peng, Kermit the Frog and Ayah Pin.

You get the drift, right. It seems that the order to turn Kuala Lumpur into a war zone and treat ordinary Malaysians like criminals was everybody’s fault but that of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In the short time following the rally on July 9, Najib’s operatives and aides spent considerable time convincing journalists and pundits that he was all for offering Bersih organisers the use of a stadium but was persuaded otherwise by

a) Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein;

b) Information Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim;

c) Deputy IGP Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar;

d) Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa; and

e) Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yassin Continue reading “PM’s blame game”

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Lip service laced with poison

— Douglas Tan
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 11, 2011

SEPT 11 — Ever since I was young, my father has taught me that when you tell lies, it is far more difficult to remain consistent. You have to tell a lie to cover up the original lie, and you also have to remember what the original lie was in the first place.

I believe that once you enter into politics, you should know that the truth always catches up on you, and when you begin to flip-flop, people will hold it against you.

Right now, consumers across the nation using pre paid mobiles will experience a six per cent government tax now charged directly to them. The BN government cried out that the telcos should absorb the cost, but as a government supposedly committed to putting the people first, passing the buck back to the finance ministry agreement places their sincerity to actively manage our cost of living into serious question.

During the whole Bersih fiasco, Najib had promised a stadium for the rally to be held, despite the fact that Bersih is an outlawed entity that happened to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Continue reading “Lip service laced with poison”

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Military personnel’s husband registered as female voter

G Vinod | September 6, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

The DAP has detected 22 more cases of discrepancies in postal votes in Negri Sembilan.

KUALA LUMPUR: The DAP detected 22 more cases of discrepancies involving fresh postal voters registered at an army camp at the Rasah parliamentary constituency in Negri Sembilan.

One that stands out is a female military personnel, Yuzina Nodin, who had registered her spouse also as a female postal voter with an almost similar name, Yuniza Nodin.

“I never knew the Malaysian army allowed same-sex marriages. This is a joke,” DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters here today. Continue reading “Military personnel’s husband registered as female voter”

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Merdeka! Are we truly free?

Jeswan Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
August 31, 2011

Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Aug 31.

COMMENT

Aug 31 is a day of reflection, of taking cognisance of the fact that the country’s independence or Merdeka can no longer be taken for granted, that too by the “keepers” of this nation.

Regrettably, it is the “powers that be” that have marred the meaning of Merdeka. Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Merdeka, especially for the younger generation.

Instead of imparting profound meaning to Malaysians, Aug 31 had been reduced from the sublime to the ridiculous by the power-hungry and “self-first” politicians-leaders of this country.

The fact is Malaysia is “independent” but only in name, not in act. The existence of draconian laws that are continuously abused by the “powers that be” to safeguard its position have turned the understanding of Merdeka into a laughing stock. Continue reading “Merdeka! Are we truly free?”

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Quo Vadis Malaysia

Never in recent decades had Merdeka Day on August 31 been marked with a greater sense of angst and disquiet by Malaysians than yesterday because of incessant disunifying developments not only over the past several months but also the past few days.

Malaysians flew the national flag yesterday but most of them have a common disquieting question – Quo Vadis Malaysia?

The third National Day of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should have been celebrated as a high-water point of his administration, coinciding with Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities, but this was not the case.

In actual fact, many of National Day messages intended to inspire greater national unity and to exhort moderation and tolerance among Malaysians fell flat, failing not only to inspire the people but merely achieved the opposite of evoking alienation and disaffection because they were so empty and hollow, shouting out the loud contrast between word and deed of those in power. Continue reading “Quo Vadis Malaysia”

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What is Merdeka without free and fair elections?

by Ashvin Raj
Malaysiakini
Aug 26, 11

As we draw near to Merdeka Day, I begin to reflect on the real meaning of Merdeka. We may have gained independence from the British in 1957 but have we gained true freedom from our colonial masters?

Have we grown as a nation united with one common goal or vision? Or have we become more disunited since 1957, having lost our direction as to where we are heading to as an independent nation.

Despite 54 years of independence, are we really free when we have oppressive laws in place, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Emergency Ordinance and The University and University Colleges Act (UUCA)?

For me, the real meaning of Merdeka is achieved when we have freedom to determine our destiny through a free and fair electoral system. As a young Malaysian, I realise the importance of being an agent of change, not because we want change for the sake of change, but because we want real change that will transform this nation to be an Asian tiger once again. Continue reading “What is Merdeka without free and fair elections?”

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Bersih says vindicated by new poll

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 30, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — Bersih 2.0 has said it had expected the overwhelming two-thirds support for free and fair elections published by a local research house yesterday, adding it was inspired to ramp up its campaign to educate Malaysians nationwide on polls ahead of the 13th general election.

The electoral watchdog’s chief Datuk Seri Ambiga Sreenevasan said she had expected the overwhelming support from Malaysians polled by the Merdeka Center and published yesterday.

“That accords with our stand and the reason for that is because our demands are so wholly reasonable,” she told The Malaysian Insider. Continue reading “Bersih says vindicated by new poll”