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1-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Coming-of-Age of Malaysian Dream, with PR campaigning on “hope” while BN campaigning on “fear”

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. Continue reading “1-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Coming-of-Age of Malaysian Dream, with PR campaigning on “hope” while BN campaigning on “fear””

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DAP mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa Melayu; jangan terpedaya dengan fitnah UMNO-BN

DAP mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa Melayu; jangan terpedaya dengan fitnah UMNO-BN. Saya merayu kepada semua pengundi Malaysia, terutamanya orang Melayu, supaya menolak fitnah dan pembohongan tentang diri saya dan DAP.

Sebagaimana yang saya jelaskan sebelum ini, saya tidak terlibat dengan peristiwa 13 Mei 1969. Saya tidak pernah berada di Kuala Lumpur pada 13 Mei 1969 kerana saya berada di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah pada masa itu. Hakikat tentang perkara ini ada dalam rekod pihak berkuasa polis dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri.

Dengan itu, sebarang pembohongan tentang saya berada di Kuala Lumpur untuk mencetuskan rusuhan atau menjadi dalang peristiwa 13 Mei adalah fitnah semata-mata. Jangan percaya perkara karut ini, terimalah kebenaran yang hakiki.

Satu lagi fitnah yang terus dilemparkan kepada DAP ialah kononnya DAP mahu menghapuskan hak orang Melayu. Ini juga tidak masuk akal, tidak bertanggungjawab dan sangat rasis. Ia amat berbahaya untuk perpaduan kaum di Malaysia. Continue reading “DAP mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa Melayu; jangan terpedaya dengan fitnah UMNO-BN”

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After 56 years, will Malaysia finally get a new government?

by HARI RAJ
Former journalist for The Star in Malaysia
Crikey

Every four or five years since they won independence from British rule in 1957, Malaysians have shuffled off to the polls. Every four or five years, they have woken up the next morning with the status quo intact. The country’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, has been in power for every one of the past 56 years.

Malaysia goes to the polls again on Sunday. But many of the country’s citizens are buoyed by an unfamiliar sentiment: hope for change. Continue reading “After 56 years, will Malaysia finally get a new government?”

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Hail the Comrades for Change!

by Kee Thuan Chye
Yahoo! Malaysia

The purest and most heartwarming feature of this upcoming general election, predicted to be the dirtiest ever in Malaysian history, is the solidarity of the Malaysians who are calling for ubah (change) and proclaiming, “Ini kalilah!” (This is the time to do it!)

In the course of a year, it has swelled into a movement. Partly from the Bersih rallies that brought people closer together because they went through adverse circumstances together. Partly from the rallies organised by the Opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, that gave hope of a viable alternative to Malaysians disenchanted by 55 years of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule. Continue reading “Hail the Comrades for Change!”

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100,000 rally in Penang in wake of vote-buying claims

by Susan Loone
Malaysiakini
8:31AM May 4, 2013

PENANG Pakatan Rakyat held several gatherings in Penang yesterday, including a mammoth rally at the Esplanade which was swarmed by about 100,000 people who stayed until midnight.

This is the coalition’s biggest rally on the island where it managed to collect a record RM505,000 in donations from its supporters.

The carnival-like event, which included a stage and canopy, dozens of hawker stalls and DAP’s own merchandise sales corner, kicked off at 5pm while about 500 people watched a mini-concert by local bands such as Zombie Station, TUC, and Sweet Scream.

The open field facing the iconic British-styled Town Hall building was packed by 8pm, including youths and senior citizens, and the crowd spilled over onto the surrounding roads.

Several small separate rallies were held in front of the Town Hall and nearby Clock Tower with groups of supporters waving opposition party flags while blowing the vuvuzuela, wildly deafening to the ears. Continue reading “100,000 rally in Penang in wake of vote-buying claims”

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Elections in Malaysia: “Ubah” you can believe in?

The Economist
May 4th 2013 | PENANG |From the print edition

“NO TO racism, no to corruption,” bellows Anwar Ibrahim from a stage in front of 50,000 delirious supporters, braving heavy rain to acclaim their idol in Penang. It is the last week of campaigning before Malaysia’s general election on May 5th and the leader of the opposition has been criss-crossing the country to shore up his support and make inroads into government territory. The task before Mr Anwar (pictured) is one of the most daunting in the annals of modern democracy: to unseat the world’s longest continually elected governing coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN). It has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.

He will never have a better chance than now. In the latest poll, in 2008, Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat coalition won five out of 12 state contests and for the first time robbed BN of its two-thirds majority in parliament. This time it could be closer. Mr Anwar’s rallying-cry of “ubah”, meaning “change”, has captured a widespread feeling among younger, mostly urban and increasingly affluent voters that their country requires fundamental restructuring to break out of the “middle-income trap”, to move away from the race-based politics of BN, and to become a modern democracy. No fewer than 2.6m new voters have registered (out of a total of 13.3m). Their tweets and texts will have a vital say in the outcome of the election.
Continue reading “Elections in Malaysia: “Ubah” you can believe in?”

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Malaysia

— Farish A Noor
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2013

MAY 4 — It is close to midnight and I am typing this as I try to pack up my things and finish off the fieldwork that I have been doing for the past two weeks, covering the election campaign in three different places — Temerloh, Kuala Selangor and Kota Kinabalu.

Lugging an antiquated laptop that dates back to the Jurassic age made of granite has not helped, and my back is wrecked as a result. My eyes are failing me, so excuse the typos as you come across them, too.

I have been following elections in Malaysia for ages, in 1999, 2004, 2008 and now this one, in 2013. In the course of my work as a wandering academic I’ve also covered elections in Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

And I have since grown somewhat cynical about the promises that are made during campaigns, for I have seen them broken too many times as well. Continue reading “Malaysia”

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A changed Malaysia come May 6

By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2013

COMMENT, May 4 — No matter which coalition makes the government in the early morning of May 6, one thing is certain — Malaysia has changed and it is business unusual for the new administration.

With the respected Merdeka Center for Opinion Research’s latest survey showing a dead heat between both Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the winner’s first job is to respond to a populace that questions and demands more from its government.

Forget the docile and subservient citizenry that thought government always knew best. That worked for some 55 years but this is a new Malaysia where the people are more advanced and ambitious in thought than their politicians.

A population where pensioners and the bloated civil service are no longer a sure vote bank, where racial barriers have collapsed and people are one as Bangsa Malaysia — concerned more about the economy than the personal lives of politicians.

This single-mindedness and unity comes despite the overt racist tones in the campaign since Nomination Day on April 20 or the fear-mongering being played out by certain political parties. Continue reading “A changed Malaysia come May 6”

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13GE – Justice for Teoh Beng Hock

Malaysiakini

DAY 14 What’s happening during the election campaigns around the country today? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place.

11.15pm – Pasir Gudang: Soh Cher Wei, the wife of political aide Teoh Beng Hock who died mysteriously at the premises of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), asks the help of the audience of some 3,000 to “lend” her their votes to seek the truth behind Teoh’s death.

Speaking at a Pakatan function for the second time after yesterday’s ceramah at Kulai, the civil servant is unfazed that action could be taken against her for speaking at Pakatan ceramah.

“I would come (and speak at Pakatan ceramah) for the third, fourth or fifth time (if I’m asked to). I don’t think they would pardon me but at least I die (penalised) for a cause.”

Soh reminds the audience that the truth is still being denied four years after Teoh died. Continue reading “13GE – Justice for Teoh Beng Hock”

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2-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Hari Kebebasan Akhbar Sedunia pada hari ini 3 Mei 2013 dicemari di Malaysia dengan semua media arus perdana berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional serta menyebar fitnah dan pembohongan terhadap Pakatan Rakyat

Hari Kebebasan Akhbar Sedunia pada pada hari ini 3 Mei 2013 dicemari di Malaysia dengan semua media arus perdana berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional serta menyebar fitnah dan pembohongan terhadap Pakatan Rakyat.

Semua media arus perdana, sama ada Utusan Malaysia, The Star, TV3, RTM dan sebagainya, telah melanggar dan mencabul segala undang-undang, peraturan dan kod etika kewartawanan yang wujud. Dan tidak ada satu tindakan pun dikenakan oleh pihak berkuasa.

Media massa sepatutnya bersifat dan bersikap adil dan objektif. Ia tidak boleh berpihak dan ia hanya menyiarkan laporan yang benar dan berfakta tanpa rasa takut. Undang-undang tidak boleh dikenakan terhadap laporan yang tepat dan benar. Tetapi di Malaysia, semua ini telah dicabul oleh kerajaan UMNO-BN.

Saya sendiri telah menjadi mangsa fitnah dan pembohongan oleh media massa, terutamanya media berbahasa Melayu, yang menuduh saya sebagai anti- Melayu, anti-Islam dan sebagai pencetus rusuhan kaum 13 Mei 1969. Semua ini telah terbukti bohong.

Saya telah dituduh menjadi dalang 13 Mei, saya telah dituduh kencing di tiang bendera di rumah Menteri Besar Selangor dan saya dituduh menghasut rakyat pelbagai kaum untuk bergaduh. Semua ini juga telah terbukti fitnah. Continue reading “2-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Hari Kebebasan Akhbar Sedunia pada hari ini 3 Mei 2013 dicemari di Malaysia dengan semua media arus perdana berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional serta menyebar fitnah dan pembohongan terhadap Pakatan Rakyat”

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Gelang perkauman patah di Gelang Patah

Oleh Rahmat Haron | 12:56PM Apr 18 2013
Malaysiakini

Laporan maharaja lawak ‘April Fool’ yang lalu memberitakan khabar mantan perdana menteri Dr Mahathir Mohamad menyeru rakyat Johor menjadikan pertandingan PRU13 kerusi Parlimen Gelang Patah sebagai kubur kerjaya politik tokoh veteran DAP Lim Kit Siang.

Malah ke tahap melampau, Dr Mahathir membakar api perkauman dengan menyatakan kemenangan Lim Kit Siang akan mengakibatkan perseteruan antara kaum.

Menteri besar kerajaan sementara Johor Abdul Ghani Othman pula menambah rencah menjadi wira Melayu kununnya dengan berkata kemenangan Lim Kit Siang bakal menggugah keharmonian kaum di Johor.

Gelang Patah menjadi ‘kubur’ Lim Kit Siang merupakan suatu saranan yang teramat munasabah untuk politik tahun 1983. Di zaman kebenaran paling muktamad hanya didapatkan daripada tiga saluran tivi warna, dengan imej wajah ‘dewanya’ tidak lain dan tidak bukan ialah Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Tetapi pada tahun 2013 ini, di zaman pencerahan Internet, ia menampakkan sikap yang menggelabah. Kerana maklumat dan pengetahuan telah pun mematahkan gari ideologi, gelang perkauman yang merantai kita selama ini. Orang sudah tahu.
Continue reading “Gelang perkauman patah di Gelang Patah”

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3Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Jadikan 5 Mei sebagai hari menamatkan fitnah 13 Mei dan pembohongan perkauman UMNO-BN

Jadikan 5 Mei sebagai hari menamatkan fitnah 13 Mei dan pembohongan perkauman UMNO-BN. Hanya dengan memilih Pakatan Rakyat – PAS, PKR dan DAP – rakyat Malaysia dapat membuka lembaran baru untuk mendedahkan apa yang benar dan apa yang fitnah.

Golongan yang memfitnah saya dengan tuduhan menjadi dalang peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 masih terus berbuat demikian tanpa sebarang tindakan tegas daripada pihak yang berkuasa, termasuk daripada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan calon saingan saya bagi Parlimen Gelang Patah, Dato Abdul Ghani Othman.

Golongan yang memfitnah saya telah memutarbelitkan fakta untuk mengelirukan pengundi, terutamanya orang Melayu, dengan mengapi-apikan sentimen perkauman. Mereka menyangka rakyat Malaysia masih hidup dalam tahun-tahun 1960-an yang mudah terpengaruh dengan emosi kaum.

Oleh itu, saya dengan rendah diri, memohon agar semua pengundi Malaysia menjatuhkan hukuman berat kepada golongan penyebar fitnah ini bersama dengan para pemimpin yang merestui perbuatan keji mereka dalam PRU ini. Caranya mudah sahaja, semua pengundi perlu membuat pilihan bijak dengan mengundi mana-mana calon Pakatan Rakyat di seluruh negara pada hari mengundi 5 Mei ini.

Seperti mana yang saya jelaskan semalam, dengan mandat baru oleh pengundi Malaysia, saya akan mencadangkan kepada Parlimen dan Kerajaan Persekutuan di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat supaya menubuhkan satu Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar berlakunya tragedi 13 Mei 1969. Continue reading “3Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Jadikan 5 Mei sebagai hari menamatkan fitnah 13 Mei dan pembohongan perkauman UMNO-BN”

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Gerakan stalwart backs Hadi’s May 13 stand

Malaysiakini
May 1, 2013

A Gerakan veteran emerged today to back PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused Umno of masterminding the May 13 racial riots in 1969.

Hadi told a political rally in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, on Monday that the bloody racial riots 44 years ago were orchestrated by Umno to cling on to power.

“May 13 was not an ethnic phenomenon. It was a political occurrence,” former Gerakan leader Goh Cheng Teik told Malaysiakini.

“Only those who were members of Umno or associated with it were involved. PAS members had nothing to do with May 13.” Continue reading “Gerakan stalwart backs Hadi’s May 13 stand”

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4-day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Cadangan menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar tragedi 13 Mei 1969

Saya akan mencadangkan kepada Parlimen dan Kerajaan Persekutuan yang baru di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat supaya menubuhkan satu Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar berlakunya tragedi 13 Mei 1969.

Ini adalah penting kerana sampai sekarang tiada siapa yang tahu mengapa, apa dan siapa yang menjadi punca peristiwa 13 Mei itu. Lagi pun, kerajaan UMNO-BN selama ini tidak mempedulikan cadangan itu. Malah, pimpinan UMNO-BN membenarkan penyokong mereka menabur fitnah menuduh saya menjadi dalang peristiwa itu.

Walaupun tuduhan itu palsu dan bohong serta berniat menghasut dan membangkitkan api perkauman, pimpinan UMNO-BN, termasuk Perdana Menteri Sementara, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, masih tidak serius untuk mengambil tindakan terhadap penyebar fitnah yang membahayakan hubungan antara kaum itu.

Cadangan saya untuk Parlimen menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen bukanlah satu cadangan yang baru. Malah kali pertama saya menyuarakan cadangan ini adalah 42 tahun yang lalu! Continue reading “4-day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Cadangan menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar tragedi 13 Mei 1969”

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My vote is for ABC4M’sians

by KJ John
Malaysiakini
11:13AM Apr 30, 2013

We are coming into our 13th general election. I have voted every time since I was 21, unless I was not in the country. This time we have a large number of younger Malaysians who are voting. Except for my youngest, all my other five children (including one spouse; the other is an American) are eligible to vote.

Therefore, I want to write an open letter to all younger Malaysians on what criterion I will use to vote in this general election. My last nine columns were also focused on this general election and the processes of electioneering. Please review them, and if needed, drop me a note to my private email address and I will be glad to give a response! Continue reading “My vote is for ABC4M’sians”

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Fitnah 13 Mei: Dato Ghani Othman perlu lebih berani, tegas dan serius untuk menolak kempen politik kotor

Saya kesal kerana risalah fitnah kononnya saya menjadi pencetus peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 masih disebarkan tanpa sebarang tindakan tegas daripada pihak berkuasa. Malah sikap tidak serius Dato Abdul Ghani Othman, calon BN yang menjadi saingan saya bagi Parlimen Gelang Patah, membayangkan seolah-olah beliau tidak peduli dengan kempen kotor yang dilakukan oleh pelampau kaum di Johor.

Saya telah beberapa kali meminta Dato Ghani beliau supaya bersama-sama dengan saya untuk memastikan kempen pilihanraya benar-benar bersih dan tidak dicemarkan oleh penipuan dan pembohongan. Sebagai bekas Menteri Besar yang lama berkhidmat, beliau tentu faham betapa pentingnya untuk mengamalkan kempen PRU yang bersih.

Fitnah 13 Mei terhadap saya bukan sahaja kejam dan keji di sepanjang kempen PRU ini tetapi ia juga akan memberi kesan buruk kepada hubungan antara kaum selepas selesai PRU. Ini adalah kerana ia berasaskan pembohongan dan penipuan semata-mata. Dato Ghani Othman perlu lebih berani, tegas dan serius untuk menolak kempen politik kotor ini.

Malah Dato Ghani sebagai seorang pemimpin yang sederhana serta bijak dalam bidang akademik sepatutnya lebih sedar tentang sejarah Malaysia. Beliau sepatutnya tahu bahawa saya tidak terlibat sama sekali dengan peristiswa 13 Mei 1969. Continue reading “Fitnah 13 Mei: Dato Ghani Othman perlu lebih berani, tegas dan serius untuk menolak kempen politik kotor”

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Malaysia’s Ruling Party Gets Desperate

by Azeem Ibrahim
The Huffington Post

Malaysia has in reality been a one party state for over 55 years with the ruling UMNO party winning a string of elections without much opposition. However, with the stellar rise of Anwar Ibrahim, the ruling party is facing its most tightly contested election in its history. In the final days of campaigning in an election which many pollsters now believe the government will lose, it seems to be pulling a number of desperate stunts.

Firstly is the amount of money the prime minister’s office is spending on advertising. Industry experts have identified over 50 million USD in advertising buys by the prime minister’s office alone. Sources say that the amount of money being spent on advertisements exceeds one million, a virtual buy out of all ad space on Microsoft networks (which include Skype and Bing) for the last 10 days of the campaign. On Facebook the PMO’s office, again according to sources, is spending upwards of $200,000. Continue reading “Malaysia’s Ruling Party Gets Desperate”

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6-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Masanya sudah tiba untuk rakyat Malaysia menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman

Masanya sudah tiba untuk rakyat Malaysia menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman yang selama ini telah menyebabkan kita hidup dengan penuh rasa takut, gelisah dan cemas.

Perubahan akan bermula apabila rakyat Malaysia menolak politik benci dan politik suka menakutkan rakyat yang dibawa oleh UMNO-BN. Perubahan akan bermula apabila pengundi Malaysia menerima politik bersih, amanah dan bebas rasuah yang dibawa oleh Pakatan Rakyat. Perubahan akan bermula apabila kita semua menolak politik perkauman.

Saya menyeru pengundi Malaysia supaya menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman yang menjadi amalan UMNO-BN kerana ia bukan sahaja bahaya untuk perpaduan kaum, ia juga telah digunakan untuk melindungi kezaliman dan salahguna kuasa.

  1. Isu lembu dan kondo NFC bukanlah isu ekonomi Bumiputera; ia sebenarnya isu salah guna kuasa dan penyelewengan pemimpin BN dan keluarga mereka;
  2. Isu penswastaan dan kerugian syarikat penerbangan MAS bukanlah isu ekuiti saham Bumiputera; ia soal salah guna kuasa kerajaan dan kegagalan pentadbiran kroni;

    3. Continue reading “6-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Masanya sudah tiba untuk rakyat Malaysia menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman”

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Side Views A vote for stability or a vote for growth and change?

by Jackson Clu
The Malaysian Insider
April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 — The Reality

A vote for stability or a vote for growth and change? Personally, this general election has made me think very deeply as to what I actually want for myself and for our country. No doubt, everyone wants a stable and easy life but think deeper and ask yourself is that enough? I am no judge but I believe our votes this time round reflect our livelihood. Either we have been poisoned to the core to believe that stability is all we can have OR we are awakened by the truth making us hungry for growth and change, which in turn, brings true stability. Continue reading “Side Views A vote for stability or a vote for growth and change?”

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BN, please stop sending me SMS-es!

by Alwyn Lau
The Malaysian Insider
April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 – Here are six reasons why:

1. I get too many messages already; every week greedy corporations try to sell me stuff I don’t need, using cheesy messages which insult even my stupidity. Next to your corruption, KL traffic jams and our football team, corporate SMS-es will be the death of Malaysia. So stop polluting my mobile Messages and instead try a nice 1-Malaysia brochure taped to two free return tickets to Paris – this might arouse my curiosity if not my attention (but no I still won’t vote for you).

2. I can’t stand reading superficial declarations of great things to come from a party which has, for the past fifty years, been promising oceans but delivering droplets. Like that quote in Top Gun, Barisan’s mouth keeps writing cheques your body can’t cash. Worse, BN has been handing out free money to friends and cousins for half a century; but now you’ve got fewer friends because many people’s cousins are suffering from the holes you’ve been covering up with acronyms (NEP, NDP, 1M, IM4U, etc.) Continue reading “BN, please stop sending me SMS-es!”