President Obama called Prime Minister Najib on the evening of May 13 to congratulate him on his victory in parliamentary elections and to reaffirm the strong bonds of friendship between the United States and Malaysia. The President noted that Malaysians had turned out in record numbers to vote and welcomed the Prime Minister’s efforts to address concerns about election irregularities. The two leaders discussed the importance of continuing to deepen our bilateral cooperation, including on expanding cooperation on trade, regional security, and multilateral cooperation.
On behalf of the President and the people of the United States, we congratulate Prime Minister Najib on his coalition’s victory in Malaysia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday May 5. We also congratulate the people of Malaysia, who turned out in record numbers to cast their votes, as well as the parties of the opposition coalition on their campaigns, as a vibrant opposition is a foundation of democracy. We note concerns regarding reported irregularities in the conduct of the election, and believe it is important that Malaysian authorities address concerns that have been raised. We look forward to the outcome of their investigations. The United States looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with the government and the people of Malaysia to continue to strengthen democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region.
Seorang pemimpin cabang Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) mendakwa pegawai Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya membuka beg mengandungi kertas undi yang disimpan di pejabat jajahan di Ketereh, Kelantan dalam kejadian pada 7 Mei tanpa kebenaran dari Mahkamah Tinggi.
Ketua AMK Ketereh Mohd Sukirman Mustafa memberitahu Malaysiakini, beberapa orang anggota parti dan orang awam membuat laporan polis berhubung kejadian itu pada 16 Mei.
Menurut Sukirman, pegawai SPR hadir bersama anggota polis dan mendakwa memperolehi arahan dari pegawai atasan untuk berbuat demikian, walau peraturan pilihan raya menetapkan bahawa beg kertas undi hanya boleh dibukan dengan perintah Mahkamah Tinggi.
Bagaimanapun, pegawai yang membuka materi keselamatan di beg berkenaan tidak mengeluarkan apa-apa daripada beg yang disimpan di pejabat Majlis Daerah Ketereh.
“Mereka hanya membuka beg dan menyelongkar sedikit, tapi tidak mengeluarkan apa-apa,” kata Sukirman.
Katanya cabang PKR di situ dimaklumkan oleh seorang individu yang memberitahu bahawa beg tersebut dibuka oleh pegawai SPR pada kira-kira jam 11 pagi pada 7 Mei.
Sukirman berkata anggota PKR merakam gambar pegawai SPR tersebut yang membuka beg berkenaan dan kini menunggu penjelasan mengenai perkara itu daripada SPR.
Parti berkenaan kini menimbang untuk mengemukakan kes tersebut ke mahkamah.
Pakatan Rakyat, kata Anwar, meraih 53%. Barisan Nasional hanya 45%.
Tak ada yang mengejutkan dari Pemilihan umum Malaysia 5 Mei lalu. Kubu Barisan Nasional kembali menang. Di tengah protes yang terus bergulir ke rezim itu dalam satu dekade ini, terhitung sudah 56 tahun koalisi yang dipimpin UMNO ini menguasai pemerintahan Malaysia.
Barisan Nasional meraih 133 kursi parlemen dari 222 kursi yang tersedia. Sementara pihak oposisi berhasil memperoleh 89 kursi.
Tapi koalisi oposisi Pakatan Rakyat kali ini protes keras atas hasil pemilu itu. Mereka menuduh ada kecurangan yang dilakukan Najib Razak cs. Pemimpin oposisi Anwar Ibrahim lantas menggelar apel protes yang dihadiri 40 ribu pendukungnya di Stadion Kelana Jaya, 8 Mei.
Anwar tentu saja meradang. Dalam wawancara khusus denganVIVAnews, Anwar mengatakan penghitungan komisi pemilu Malaysia telah dicurangi oleh rezim Najib Razak. Berdasarkan penghitungan independen, seharusnya yang menang adalah Pakatan Rakyat, bukan Barisan Nasional.
Satu jurus curang yang dimainkan Najib, kata Anwar, adalah dengan mendatangkan para pemilih bayangan untuk ikut menyerbu kotak suara. Dia menduga mereka datang dari Bangladesh dan Myanmar. Lalu apa rencana Pakatan Rakyat selanjutnya? Berikut wawancara lengkapnya:
Menurut anda, apakah pemilihan umum Minggu lalu telah berjalan bebas dan mewakili rakyat?
Justru itu isu yang sedang kami bantah sekarang, Soal kecurangan-kecurangan yang terlihat jelas sekali. Meskipun begitu dukungan rakyat masih terlihat kuat kepada koalisi Pakatan Rakyat.
Contohnya salah satu yang kami teliti sekarang, baik yang terperinci maupun yang mutakhir, di tanah Melayu kami meraih suara 53,03 persen. Sementara koalisi Barisan Nasional hanya memperoleh 45,07 persen suara.
Tapi yang menang malah koalisi Barisan Nasional. Justru ini yang aneh. Sedangkan versi nasional menyatakan Pakatan Rakyat memperoleh angka 51 persen dan Barisan Nasional 47 persen.
Angka 51 dan 47 ini versi siapa?
Itu versi Komisi Pemilu. Lima puluh satu persen itu dengan segala penipuan, kecurangan, dan datangnya orang-orang asing dari Bangladesh dan Myanmar ikut memilih sebagai pemilih bayangan. Bayangkan kalo pemilu dilakukan secara bersih. Saya rasa kami akan dengan mudah meraih suara hingga 60 persen
Jadi seharusnya yang dinyatakan sebagai pemenang adalah koalisi oposisi?
Ya. Namun untuk saat ini kami sedang membuktikan dulu bahwa Komisi Pemilu bersekongkol dengan pihak pemerintah. Kami memiliki foto dan video ada pemilih asal Bangladesh dan Myanmar yang dikirim oleh polisi untuk ikut memilih.
Apakah ada juga tenaga kerja asal Indonesia yang dimanfaatkan sebagai pemilih bayangan?
Sudah berkurang jumlahnya. Karena dukungan terhadap oposisi dan Anwar lebih kuat. Mereka pernah diiming-imingi untuk bekerja di Malaysia, tapi diberikan gaji pembantu, dan mereka tetap memilih Anwar.
Anda sebelumnya juga mengatakan ada kecurangan pada tinta pemilu?
Mereka sengaja menggunakan tinta yang tidak tahan lama. Tinta itu bisa dicuci dan dapat hilang. Kami curiga ada pemilih yang bisa memilih dua atau tiga kali. Kami memiliki bukti yang cukup, ada empat orang yang memilih partai yang sama sampai tiga kali.
Bisa disebutkan di daerah mana saja yang terbukti ada kecurangan?
Kecurangan yang terbukti terjadi di 30 negara bagian. Bukan hanya satu tapi banyak yang sudah dicek.
Rencananya mau diserahkan ke siapa barang bukti kecurangan yang anda miliki?
Kami akan melaporkan polisi dan komisi pemilu ke pihak berwenang. Yang Pakatan Rakyat ingin ubah adalah sistemnya. Setelah itu, kami serahkan kepada rakyat. Dokumen dan rekaman video ini akan kami serahkan kepada media massa dan akan kami unggah ke Youtube.
Kami akan mengeluarkan semua bukti ini ke media sosial karena di tingkat atas semua dikontrol oleh pemerintah. Rakyat saat ini marah sekali karena pemilu dicurangi oleh pemerintah, bekerja sama dengan komisi pemilu yang tidak bebas.
Anda menuntut penghitungan suara pemilu. Betul begitu?
Iya. Tapi tidak perlu semua dihitung ulang. Kami hanya menuntut penghitungan ulang di daerah yang terbukti ada kecurangan.
Pada pemilu awal 30 April lalu, ada setengah juta pemilih yang memilih. Dan ini tidak dipantau sama sekali. Wakil partai oposisi tidak diberikan izin untuk memantau.
Padahal yang memilih saat itu sekitar 30 persen (dari pemilih total). Jadi ini sudah ada penipuan.
Menurut anda, dibandingkan pemilu lima tahun lalu, pemilu kali ini seperti apa?
Pada pemilu kali ini, sebelumnya ada kepanikan di tengah masyarakat untuk menolak mereka. Akhirnya pemerintah terdesak dan melakukan penipuan, karena hasil yang terlalu kentara oposisi akan menang.
Apakah masyarakat yang menolak termasuk etnis China. Terbukti masyarakat China yang sebelumnya memilih pemerintah lalu beralih ke oposisi?
Partai UMNO dan Perdana Menteri Najib Razak menyebut ini “tsunami China”. Itu dilakukan untuk mengelabui mata rakyat supaya orang Melayu marah. Tapi jika dilihat lagi faktanya, jumlah pemilih China tidak banyak, hanya 25 persen, membuktikan masyarakat Melayu masih kuat. Mereka ingin
mengadu domba China dan pribumi.
Dari sistem demokrasi yang ada di Indonesia, apa yang bisa dipelajari oleh Malaysia untuk pemilu lima tahun mendatang?
Indonesia sudah lebih maju sistem pemilunya dan berlangsung bebas. Kalau calon presiden di Indonesia bisa berdebat. Sementara di Malaysia, Najib menolak berdebat dengan saya.
Secara objektif ada ruang di mana kita harus mempelajari pemilu dari Indonesia. Walaupun saat ini masih ada permasalahan kesenjangan kaya dan miskin, korupsi, tapi secara institusi demokratis bisa dipelajari.
Tapi pimpinan UMNO ini terlalu arogan. Bagi mereka Indonesia itu cuma soal TKI saja. Mereka seharusnya memiliki sikap yang lebih realistis menerima kenyataan bahwa Indonesia dari sudut pandang memantapkan demokrasi dan pengurusan pemilu yang jujur dan adil harus dipelajari pengalamannya.
Malaysia seharusnya mengundang komisi pemilu Indonesia untuk memantau pemilu di Malaysia, tapi komisi pemilu di sini tidak bersedia.
Bersih 2.0’s “People’s Tribunal” may not have any legal standing but will serve as a “moral force” to investigate allegations of electoral fraud, said Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan when defending the polls watchdog’s final attempt at proving wrongdoing in the May 5 polls.
The renowned civil rights activist told The Malaysian Insider that Bersih 2.0 will soldier on with its plan to set up the tribunal which, she said, should be announced in two or three weeks’ time, despite earning condemnation from polls regulator Election Commission (EC).
“It is true that it is not set up under any law or statute. That is why it is called the People’s Tribunal,” she said.
“It will be an evidence-gathering tribunal and what we have is the moral force to examine the allegations. That is its main aim — to gather evidence,” she added.
On May 6, a day after the tumultuous 13th general election, Bersih 2.0 announced its plan to set up the tribunal to look into the hundreds of reports of alleged cheating that took place during the polls.
The coalition of over 80 non-governmental organisations insisted that the polls results had favoured the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) largely because of these irregularities, and said it would not recognise the outcome until it had verified all allegations of fraud.
In the polls, BN continued its half-a-century unbroken rule and emerged victors yet again despite winning with a significantly smaller seat majority in the 222-seat Parliament.
It is true that it is not set up under any law or statute. That is why it is called the People’s Tribunal. — Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan
The ruling pact snapped up 133 seats this time to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 89, failing yet again to recapture the coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority that it first lost in the 2008 general election.
PR refused to accept its losses, however, pointing to the fact that it had won the overall popular vote by scoring 51 per cent of votes cast, while BN only took 48 per cent — an outcome reminiscent of the 1969 polls when the ruling pact first lost the popular vote.
The federal opposition pact of PR has since confirmed plans to file election petitions to challenge the results in 27 federal seats where BN had won with marginal majorities, allegedly due to electoral fraud.
PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli has also said that the same complaints will be brought before Bersih 2.0’s “People’s Tribunal” where, he said, PR’s evidence was likely to be treated with more seriousness than in any court of law.
Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider that the tribunal will be presided over by a five-member panel, which will include individuals of repute and who will not be members of any political parties or even from Bersih 2.0 itself.
She said the panel will likely come up with a set timeframe to conduct its probe, apart from deciding on appropriate terms of reference before commencing any hearing.
“We will then expect some sort of recommendations or findings to be made. This will be presented to all the relevant authorities, including human rights bodies like Suhakam,” she said.
“For Bersih… our role is just to facilitate the setting up of the tribunal. Further to that, we will not get involved. It must be completely independent,” she added.
Ambiga also explained that the setting up of the tribunal was taking longer than originally planned due to the complexity of its scope of investigation, as well as the selection of its panel members.
“We originally wanted to have it done by June but it looks impossible at this point. We should announce the panel within two or three weeks’ time.
“But as to when the panel will begin their hearings, that would be entirely up to the members to decide,” she said.
Despite widespread protests against its handling of the 13th general election, the EC has insisted that it had conducted the polls fairly and successfully, citing the higher turnout of voters at a whopping 84 per cent as evidence of voters’ confidence in the Malaysian electoral system.
“We have conducted a successful polls, there was an 85 per cent turnout… we have good job as you can see from the turnout,” EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said last week.
PR has been organising mammoth rallies across the country to prove voter dissatisfaction against the polls, which PR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has insisted had been stolen from his pact.
Despite police warning that the rally was illegal, thousands turned up for a Pakatan Rakyat state government sponsored ‘thanksgiving’ event at the Esplanade in Penang last night.
The crowd, mostly youths sporting black T-shirts armed with plastic vuvuzela horns, appeared to hold fast to the spirit of Blackout 505, Pakatan’s clarion call against alleged election fraud and vote buying in the May 5 general elections.
“In most countries if such incidents of fraud happen, there would have been massive civil strike,” said Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim, the last speaker for the night.
“Prime Minister Najib Razak should thank Pakatan for maintaining peace and calm in all our protests,” said the former deputy prime minister.
“In all states, from Penang toPerak, Johor, Negeri Sembilanand Pahang, we held peaceful rallies yet Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi say these were illegal,” he lamented.
“I want to tell them, they can try to declare our rallies illegal but they can never stop people’s power because the people’s voice is mighty (suara rakyat suara keramat),” he shouted to loud applause from the crowd.
Anwar said it was impossible to accept the results of the general elections when there were close to30 seats in doubt, while BN retained Putrajaya although it managed to obtain only 48 percent of the popular vote.
“They asked us to accept the cheating and the robbery? Your car or home is stolen from you and they tell you to accept the reality? Reality, my foot!” he exclaimed.
“This is fraud, there is no way any citizen of Malaysia should accept this fraud,” added the Permatang Pauh MP.
“If there are any seats where Umno or BN had won, and we don’t have evidence of cheating, we would accept the results, we would concede,” he stressed.
“But in the 30 seats that we lost, we have evidence of electoral fraud and we shall challenge these results,” he vowed.
A celebrity’s welcome
When he arrived at 9.40pm, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was given a celebrity’s welcome, with loud cheers from the crowd, many of whom also blared their vuvuzelas repeatedly.
Lim estimated the crowd size to be about 60,000, thanking the Penang voters for giving Pakatan another term to rule the state.
He later introduced his team of state cabinet members to the crowd, saying they were specially picked to serve the people.
Lim then condemned the proposed implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), saying Pakatan would go all out in Parliament to fight the new tax.
“You give people RM500 BR1M money, and you want to get back millions by implementing the GST?” queried the DAP secretary-general.
“We will not accept this, we will go all out and fight it.
“You cannot impose this tax on the 52 percent majority (of those who voted for Pakatan) because you are a minority (government),” Lim chided.
He was referring to a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala who said the new tax can guarantee additional revenue of RM20 billion to RM27 billion for the government.
“I know BN has no more money, so what you have to do is stop being corrupt. Why not let us be the government and we will show you good governance,” he boasted, drawing loud cheers of approval from the Pakatan supporters.
During his speech, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh spoke about the right to assemble, while commending the crowd for being courageous enough to attend the rally despite the threat that the event was “illegal”.
“Let me warn the police this is not an illegal assembly but a gathering of citizens who want to express their concerns at the general elections results,” said the Bukit Gelugor MP.
The event ended at midnight, and with the police stationed at strategic locations leading to the Esplanade, no untoward incident or traffic congestion happened.
Meanwhile, Zahid gave Pakatan fodder to condemn Najib’s new cabinet with his maiden articlein Utusan Malaysia as home minister on Thursday although hedenied being a “racist”, arguing that his comments were merely “practical”.
Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said Zahid should be arrested and jailed for his “seditious” statement telling those who do not accept the results of the general elections to leave the country.
The crowd blew their vuvuzelas wildly in approval to Ramasamy’s suggestion..
“But is Najib brave enough to do this? No, he is a coward,” added the Prai assemblyperson.
Spread news to rural areas
New state exco for youths and sports, women, family and community development and arts Chong Eng, who switched from being a member of parliament to a state assembly representative, thanked Penangites for voting in Pakatan with a resounding victory despite all the challenges and temptations they faced before and during the 15-day campaign period.
“You have proven that you cannot be swayed by money or empty promises or threats, you are the best,” she said to loud applause from the crowd.
She spoke about how important press freedom was to effect change, especially in the rural areas, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, where Pakatan failed to capture the necessary seats to enable it to seize Putrajaya from BN.
“If we have our own TV station, I am sure Malaysia would have changed already. Democracy without press freedom is not complete or a matured democracy,” added the Padang Lalang assemblywoman.
“So please, go to the rural areas, bring your laptops or your iPads and share with the people the information you have from the Internet and online news like Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider so that they would have proper access to information,” she added.
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has described the statement urging those unhappy with the May 5 general election results to leave the country as an insult to Malaysians.
“So you think this is your father’s country? This is an insult to the people,” said Anwar during his speech at the Negri Sembilan leg of the Black 505 rally in Seremban last night, which was attended by 30,000 Pakatan Rakyat supporters.
He was commenting on the statement made by newly sworn-in Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in an opinion piece published byUtusan Malaysia on Thursday.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had yesterday lashed out at Zahid’s statement, saying the new home minister’s statement was preposterous.
However, newly-minted Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has attempted to soothe the public outrage over the statement.
He said the statement was Zahid’s personal opinion and not that of the cabinet.
Ahmad’s ‘sodomise’ article slammed
Asserting that home minister’s statement was “stupid”, Anwar also slammed another opinion piece by Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan, which appeared in the same paper a day after Zahid’s article was published.
According to Anwar, Ahmad’s use of the word ‘sodomise’ in his article to dismiss the number of popular votes garnered by Pakatan, which was higher than BN, was “obscene”.
“Another Umno minister says ‘Anwar, don’t sodomise the people’s thinking’. (This is) an obscene way to insult the people’s thinking,” said Anwar.
Ahmad is his article reminded Pakatan that they should understand the country’s laws and not ‘sodomise’ their knowledge when claiming they should form the government based on the percentage of the popular votes obtained.
According to him, the laws of the country determined that the winner of the general election was based on the number of seats won and not the popular votes.
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim called on his countrymen to reject the results of the recently-concluded 13th general election, urging them to defend their rights and “save Malaysia” from a bleak future where corruption and political tyranny would dominate.
His call comes as pressure mounts from Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government to accept the outcome of the May 5 polls, which has been marred by allegations of vote-rigging, phantom voters and even the use of illegal foreign workers to slip into the polling booths and vote for Najib’s Umno-BN coalition in return for which they would be given permanent residency.
The 64-year-old Anwar is disputing Najib’s claim of a 133-seats victory in Malaysia’s 222-seats Parliament. His Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which won the popular vote, sweeping 52% of all ballots cast, wants a re-election in 27 seats where they say they have evidence of highly irregular procedures. Anwar has refused to concede defeat, and has kicked off a nationwide tour to take his case to the people.
A final clear message
“We had a Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting with PAS and DAP just now. What is the meaning of being a leader if we cannot realize the aspirations and rights of the people and then by God, we will defend them. On Friday, we will gather in Negri Sembilan, on Sunday, we will fly to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Without exception and everywhere we see the people rising up. Rise up even more now than before the GE,” Anwar told a 60,000-stong crowd in Ulu Tiram, Johor on Wednesday night.
“To you all, especially the young Malaysians, this is about your future. The Malay youth, the Chinese youths and the Indian youths. Your future, safety, your family and even the government is far safer with Pakatan that with the ‘robbers’ in Umno.The Umno-BN spin all about Anwar. I am telling you I am humbled by your support but this is not about Umno or Anwar. This is about your future.
“A final clear message, we are not talking about the next election we are talking about this election and we won this election. Najib, Muhyiddin, Election Commission listen, we are not asking you to rectify the 14th GE but we want you to review the 13th GE, which we won.
“And we have compiled evidence and facts, compelling facts [such as] pictures of a Bangladeshi caught voting – where are u from? Dhaka; when did you start working – 2 years; where do you work – Selangor; why are you here – to vote; who asked you to come – boss; who did you vote for – Umno.”
“We must continue with our efforts. Each one of you – go home Twitter, Facebook, blog, whatever the means – send out the message to everyone and give the real facts. We will fight with facts and not slander.
“Never in the history of mankind can dictators even with their guns ever fight against a people’s uprising to defend their rights. My friends, arise and defend your rights and this country that we love. Defend your rights, please. Don’t entertain not even for a minute to give BN 5 more years. NO! Save Johor, Save Malaysia!”
People on the Pakatan’s side
It is clear Anwar and Pakatan have managed to mobilize the people. They have held 5 major rallies so far, drawing astonishing ‘sell-out’ crowds.
Even critics and political rivals have to concede the response has been phenomenal.
The Pakatan leaders have somehow managed to get under the people’s skin and Najib’s advisers must be trying hard to figure out why are the people especially those in their 20s and 30s coming out to attend the rallies – even in the rain as was the case in tonight’s rally in Ulu Tiram, Johor.
“They do not like the government ruling the country now. They are not happy with the voting,” a Chinese man in his 30s told Malaysia Chronicle on Tuesday night in Kuantan, where even a last-minute change in venue could not deter the residents there from coming out to support the rally.
Unmoved by new Cabinet
Earlier today, Najib unveiled a new Cabinet which he claimed was “transformational”. However, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has described the new lineup as being “completely unimpressive at all”, while Anwar has mocked his arch rival by expressing surprise that the PM had not included a “Bangladeshi”.
“Najib’s lacks legitimacy… The Cabinet that he announced today – what do you think? Are you impressed?” asked Kit Siang, drawing loud ‘Nos’ from the crowd.
“This is the most unimpressive Cabinet in the history of Malaysia,” Kit Siang agreed.
Malaysia Chronicle spoke to several young people at the Ulu Tiram, Johor rally, and they didn’t seem very impressed either. They also wanted Anwar to keep the pressure on Najib to call for re-elections.
“The current government has done a lot of strange things and this has made a lot of us very unhappy. I think it is important that Anwar continues with this sort of campaign. It raises people’s consciousness, gives us hope and feedback. And we also give our feedback,” a young Chinese man in his early 20s told Malaysia Chronicle.
“We need a change. We don’t want the BN anymore,” said a young Indian man in his twenties.
Pakatan Rakyat has distanced itself from a call by some activists for a rally to topple the government.
According to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, the proposal was never mooted to Pakatan parties.
“This was never submitted to us, (and) never discussed by Pakatan Rakyat.
“Pakatan is purely confined to peaceful rallies organised by Pakatan and the relevant NGOs…,” he told reporters today.
Activists at a recent forum had mooted a ‘One Million People’ rallythis Saturday for the purpose of toppling the government, following allegations of electoral fraud.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is planning to hold a “national unity” convention to address the escalating racial tension sparked by Umno’s constant attempt to blame the non-Malay voters for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) dismal showing at in the May 5 general election.
PR secretariat member Datuk Saifuddin Nasution said his three-party coalition saw the need to organise the convention so it can work on a formula for “genuine unity” in light of Umno’s intensified race baiting that began instantly after the election results were announced.
“The convention will be held in the near future so we can discuss on a recipe, a formula for genuine unity.
“This is because we are looking at a dangerous pattern where Umno seem to be unable to move away from the sentiments of race politics,” he told a press conference after chairing PR’s secretariat meeting at PKR’s headquarters here.
The PKR secretary-general said PR is also considering suggestions that it invites its political rivals to participate in the convention, an idea that will be deliberated at tomorrow’s presidential council meeting.
“We will leave it to the leadership to decide if the invitation will be opened to all. The details will be discussed by the presidential council and an announcement will be made,” he said.
BN’s lynchpin Umno have continued to blame the coalition’s poor polls results on a “Chinese tsunami” it claimed was triggered by the DAP, a term that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had coined after the results showed BN winning with a smaller majority of 133 federal seats and ceded an additional seven seats to PR.
Since then, Umno-owned Malay paper Utusan Malaysia ran daily reports with incendiary headlines like “Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What more do the Chinese want?) And “Golongan muda Cina monopoli perhimpunan haram” (Young Chinese monopolise illegal rallies) and “DAP terus cetus provokasi” (DAP continues to incite provocation) in a continued attempt to shape the Election 2013 result as a Malay versus Chinese vote.
Other pro-Umno leaders have also joined in the growing chorus of attacks on the Chinese community with one accusing DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang of being the main protagonist to the bloody May 13 race riots in 1969 while another had blamed racial disparity on vernacular schools and demanded that it be shut down.
Leaders from both sides of the political divide have called on Najib to rein in Umno’s right wing elements and put an end to the racial politicking, of which failing to do so would cast doubt over the prime minister’s “national reconciliation” programme.
Some PR leaders claimed the race politics played by Umno was also an attempt to divert attention from the mass fraud that purportedly took place at the May 5 ballot.
Saifuddin said the pact has agreed to continue holding rallies nationwide to protest the results following the overwhelming turn-outs it had at rallies held in Penang and Kelana Jaya last week.
“Despite the numbers, some reached 100,000, the rallies took place peacefully and without any untoward incidents.
“The rallies is good for the people to voice their dissatisfaction through the principles of the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Saifuddin also chided the police and critics of the rallies for calling the peaceful demonstrations seditious, arguing that the authorities should instead reprimand those behind the race baiting like Umno and Utusan Malaysia.
“Calling for the closure of vernacular schools is more seditious than we are doing,” he said.
Meanwhile Saifuddin said he welcomes Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan’s dare that PR invites the Elections Commission (EC) for a meeting to raise its complaints of polls fraud.
Ahmad claimed yesterday that PR’s refusal to engage the EC on the matter proved that the opposition had no evidence to back its allegations.
“I agree with Ahmad Maslan to invite EC chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof for a meeting so we can raise our complaints one by one. In case he rejects our invitation I am sure that Ahmad Maslan could assist us in arranging the meeting. I now throw the ball back to him and ask that he be ready to make this happen,” he said.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned his political foes today that using racism to frighten Malaysians away from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would never work, claiming nothing short of “divine intervention” would stop the groundswell of support for the federal opposition pact.
The PR de facto leader, who has vowed never to surrender until PR claims its place in Putrajaya, repeated his conviction that it had been through fraud and cheating that saw Barisan Nasional (BN) “rob” its victory.
Anwar (picture) said the recent incessant raising of racial slurs by top BN leaders and BN-controlled media was an attempt by the pact to divert the attention of Malaysians away from the allegedly fraudulent polls.
“Let the Umno corrupters be warned: the suppression of the people’s may work temporarily but like a can with a limited shelf life, it will not work forever.
“That’s because when the will of the people prevails, nothing short of divine intervention can stop it,” he wrote in a blog posting today.
“You cannot put the people to sleep forever. Sooner or later they will awaken. On 5th May, they signalled their awakening with a resounding vote for Pakatan — and no matter what Najib and Umno choose to call it, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this is a Malaysian tsunami.
“And as Black 505 shows, it will not stop until our ends are reached,” he said, using a now often-used term to refer to the May 5 polls as a day that signifies the “death of democracy”.
Election 2013 saw BN’s over half-a-century rule continue unbroken when the ruling pact returned to power with a narrow-margin with 133 federal seats to PR’s 89 seats, just 21 seats more than the 112 needed to form a simple-majority government.
But more significantly was BN’s loss of the overall popular vote for the first time since 1969, garnering just under 48 per cent to PR’s 51 per cent, a point that the federal opposition blames on gerrymandering and vote-rigging.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his victory speech in the early hours of May 6, said it had been a “Chinese tsunami” that caused BN to bleed more seats than it did in Election 2008, a move that triggered widespread criticisms against the prime minister for using race to characterise the vote trend.
Analysts suggested otherwise, noting that the popular vote showed that large numbers of Malay voters had opted to boot BN from Putrajaya. The trend, they added, had rather reflected an urban-rural divide and not a Malay-vs-Chinese vote.
Agreeing, Anwar said the polls numbers extrapolated from independent sources had clearly indicated an increase in the number of votes from all races for PR, apart from the consequential increase in the number of PR Malay lawmakers elected to office.
Anwar alleged that BN had ordered its “supremacist minions” to go on the warpath against the Chinese community, the Malays and all others who had not given their vote to BN.
I call on all right-minded Malaysians — be they Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak or Kadazan or any other ethnic group — to reject the racist Barisan Nasional because another moment longer with this evil coalition is another moment longer with a party that is doomed to bring this nation to ruin. — Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar noted that the Chinese-majority DAP has been labelled a chauvinist party, the Malay-Muslim-dominated PAS branded a traitor to race and religion and his PKR, a multiracial party with a strong Malay-Muslim presence, has been ridiculed as a proxy to the DAP.
“With me taking the grand prize of being Public Enemy No. 1 and traitor to King and country,” Anwar said.
But the former deputy prime minister, who has put his retirement plans on hold after the allegedly fraudulent Election 2013 insists his and his team’s suspicions are right, and called on Malaysians to reject BN, a party which he claimed would only lead the country to ruin.
“I call on all right-minded Malaysians — be they Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak or Kadazan or any other ethnic group — to reject the racist Barisan Nasional because another moment longer with this evil coalition is another moment longer with a party that is doomed to bring this nation to ruin,” he said.
In anticipation of the likely outcome of the polls, Anwar had deliberately declared a PR victory just two hours after the count began on May 5, explaining later that the move was to show Malaysians that he knew BN would make itself victors despite losing the popular vote.
Today while Team Najib is finding its footing back in the hallowed halls of Putrajaya, Anwar and his troops have been organising mammoth rallies nationwide to prove their indignation at the polls outcome is shared by a large segment of Malaysia.
They have held three such events so far — in Selangor, Penang and Perak — each one drawing ten of thousands of people, and will be moving on the Kuantan, Pahang, tomorrow and in Johor on Thursday.
Anwar urged Malaysians against being complicit to Umno and BN’s “evil” spread of racial discontent and harmony post-Election 2013, claiming it was a moral imperative to stand with PR, which he said was the “right side of history”.
“Here’s our clarion call to you: stand up and be counted. Stand up for Bangsa Malaysia,” he said as he rallied Malaysians of all creed and colours to back what he described as a multiracial PR pact.
“This indeed is a moral imperative. Pakatan leaders are committed to this creed to unify all Malaysians.
“We have come together with the people by dint of our unshakeable sense of conviction not for power or office but for the well-being and future of our beloved nation.”
Looks like the general perception among the rakyat that UMNO and its cohabiting-partners are hell bent in getting the multi-racial population to repeat May 13 of 1969, is not too far-fetched after all.
But thank God, this is 2013 and not 1969. The pervasive use of and access to the internet media probably has played its effective role in not getting the citizens all riled up and blinded by this race madness that seems to preoccupy the people aligned to ‘die’ for UMNO.
Najib led the racial slurs
The run-up to the elections was spiked with racial slurs. The outcome of the elections results was also pinned on race-divisiveness. And the leader of the pack, the in-coming Prime Minister himself screamed “Chinese tsunami” – giving the infamous main stream media further steam to peddle the damaging and most unbecoming allegation by a PM – who is supposed to be the leader for all citizens in a country.
The drivel has not slowed down neither does it seem to show any signs of stopping. It would be nightmarish to think what would have been the precipitate outcome if we did not have the internet media but only had to rely on fixed line telephones and main stream media (TV, radio and newspapers).
In all likelihood, we would have all witnessed another May 13, as staged groups plundered and fought bitter battles on the streets while getting the population at large to believe that the Chinese and Malays are killing each other.
Thank God for the internet media together with all the smart technologies we enjoy today, none of the outdated mechanisms of the Mahathir era are working. And it will not work. But the die-hards – even supposedly learned ex-judges and founders of seemingly global organizations and even academicians are not getting the drift at all, as they cling to the mantra of ‘divide the race to reign in the power’. Poor chaps, these fellows must be far, very far behind on the information revolution.
Living side by side
Fools must come to terms with reality and stop being the fools that they are. Malaysians are a very united multiracial society. They trust and work side by side; they study side by side; they recreate side by side; they celebrate side by side; they live side by side.
So do not try to divide the country’s unity along race margins. Yes you can try as you may; you can continue to do that using all the money you have to subscribe and enlist your bloggers and hackers in addition to your self-sponsored main stream media.
But Malaysians will get to the bottom of things even if you try to repeat May 13. This is an empowered society – a time unprecedented in the history of human communication. Every one person who carries a hand phone or has an account on the net is independent yet completely networked.
If the 13th general elections is being branded as fraudulent, it is also because of this empowered new media independence. In the past we only had the TV, radio and newspapers – the controlled mouth pieces of UMNO and BN. We could only swallow what is sold to us.
This is no more the reality today. As in the song by Sting & Police, “Every Breath You take”, UMNO needs to know, you are in a new world order where,
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
We’ll be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Oh can’t you UMNO fellas see
We’ll be watching you.
