Tired of Electoral Fraud Allegations? Yeah, me too.

Tired of electoral fraud allegations? Yeah, me too.

For those of you who are interested, SPR has responded to the allegations of electoral fraud through a series of interviews in the papers.

Here are the links:

http://www.spr.gov.my/images/stories/pdf/Kenyataan%20Media/Sunday%20Star.pdf

http://www.spr.gov.my/images/stories/pdf/Kenyataan%20Media/BH.pdf

http://www.spr.gov.my/images/stories/pdf/Kenyataan%20Media/BH2.pdf

But of course they don't shared in social media coz:

1) SPR a bit "bodoh sombong" when it comes to social media.

2) it's not controversial enough for PR cyber troopers to attack and not favorable to PR. 

3) BN cyber troopers are not smart enough to spread it proper.

As can be read, aside from highlighting that the Bentong blackout did not happen, the rest of the rebuttals were very general in nature.

To be fair to SPR, this is in part I believe, because no one bothers to highlight specific incidents that will force them to respond in detail. Yes, people have been sharing alleged specific "incidents", but with enough research or thought put to those incidents you will find that it has been dispute or that those incidents does not make any sense.

Hence why I am very anal for PR to come up with a list of specific incidents which they consider valid. Don't just say there were bangla voters or money politics or "undi rosak terlampau banyak." Show it with examples of incidents in that area. 

Rafizi has alleged that 27 parliament seats have been identify but he has yet to list out what was wrong with each seat with examples of incidents.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/27-bn-federal-seats-in-question-says-rafizi/

He has yet to show all this "proof" he has been compiling. What is more worrying, he has been recorded to say:

"What is important is creating the momentum, awareness and disgust among the people on how various methods of cheating by BN were used to skew the results.” 

Showing again that it is more of an emotion play by PR. Its like PR is not serious  about filling the petitions within the 21 days but rather go to a "People's Tribunal" more to fulfill its need to win perception & invock emotions, truth be damned.

Just based on Rafizi's "majority is smaller then the undi rosak" criteria, I also can alleged that PAS committed election fraud in the parliament seats of Kuala Nerus, Terrengganu and Bachok, Kelantan for example.

I will be honest. This post is to vent out my frustration on all these rumours and lies that have been spread out on social media hence why I'm not trying to be diplomatic.

I'm getting tired of PR's drama of electoral fraud when no official list of allegations are forth coming (allegations mind you, I'm not even asking for them to prove electoral fraud). 

Really what is the point of the multiple rallies when even this cannot be done?! The Kelana Jaya one, DS Anwar Ibrahim wanted to show proof of election fraud, did that happen? No.

When the election fraud allegations first started to spread, my faith in BN was shaken. I demanded an accounting from SPR and probably spent way too much time on the web trying to verify the allegations. But the more I read, the more I find that major incidents spread during the election period on FB were fake, created by PR supporters who just want to sow distrust to election process eg Bentong blackout, Lembah Pantai ballot box adding, Gelang Patah failed ballot box delivery and etc.

Now you couple this with DS Anwar Ibrahim's insistence on holding multiple rallies without having a list of valid allegations till today. Add to the mix PR supporters spreading lies on FB about GST, cost of goods (roti, tong fast etc), price of oil and etc. I think even you can't blame me for not trusting PR's statements on this any longer. 

PR is slowly but surely losing its credibility on this issue and sounding more and more like sore losers. Crying electoral fraud only when it's not to their favor.

I'm a BN supporter that supports the investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud. But damn it man, lets stop all the lies and rumor sharing without verification regardless whether you are for BN or for PR. 

Resolving the Electoral Fraud Allegations

I am unable to make a proper decision on the issue of electoral fraud.

As we know the four main stories circulation on FB with regard to electoral fraud are:

1. The Bentong blackout
2. The ballot delivery to Lembah Pantai
3. The ballot delivery to Gelang Patah.
4. The Phantom voter allegations

I have been trying to track down things that will give me a clearer picture. Yet if anything I am more confuse. There are stories that claim to debunk the four incidents, what’s more surprising it comes from most opposition/opposition related sources.

The following is what I have found:

1) The Bentong Black out.

The DAP candidate of N33, Bilut DUN seat, under Parliament Bentong (who won) has come out to say he was at the Bentong polling centre the whole time when the incident allegedly happened. According to him no such incident took place.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/229284


2) The ballot delivery to Lembah Pantai

A person claiming to be Nurul Izzah’s Counting Agent has stated the vote count matches their estimations correctly. Apparently no tear gas was even fired.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/hann-sze/my-account-on-lembah-pantai-/10151886093033765


3) The ballot delivery to Gelang Patah.

It was explained that it was ignorance of balloting process blamed. Credit must go to the PR members who helped the ballots passed.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/229240


4) The Phantom voter allegations

So many stories of mistaken identity; of genuine Malaysian sbeing mistaken as a bangla or even beaten up. Pictures of Bangla outside buses allegedly at Gelang Patah has no indication as to where it was taken etc.
Even Pas Gombak has posted a retraction in one ofthe cases.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152789369335594&set=a.267727460593.314567.265133725593&type=1&theater


 Again I reiterate, PR must come out with an official list of all the allegations they consider to be valid. If any of the above debunking are prove to be true, the person who first created these messages should be criminally charged and thrown in prison. What is also clear, Malaysians must start to vent through what they share and not blindly share unverified rumours. If you ever find yourself in such a position, one should lodge a police report on that post and email your candidate.

I honestly believe that there is no point of Anwar Ibrahim having a rally if they can’t come up with a proper list of the allegations PR finds valid.

I find it sad that SPR has not properly responded to the allegations of election fraud in detail and that I had to do this via conversations and searches on my own. Even sadder is that BN isn’t even properly reacting to these allegations beyond saying that PR supporters are being unfair to the process only when they lose and challenge it in court.

Regardless of how BN feels about those allegations, BN must support such enquiry in to election fraud actively because if not you risk losing supporters (myself included) and a further backlash in the next General Election.

Again I stress,fellow BN supporters, we must support calls for a proper explanation. My PR friends, again, urge and push PR to compile their full list of allegations along with whatever proof (videos, photos etc) they may have. Let’s properly move forward and resolve this issue.

Looking for a reason to vote BN? Don’t.

This is it. D-Day for the Malaysian General Election. 

Like many, this GE is my first time voting. As I sit here contemplating today, I find myself thinking that Malaysia is at a crossroads. Today we decide if we prefer BN's Transformasi or PR's Reformasi. 

Do we understand the magnitude of our decision I wonder. Do we know that this GE marks a turning point in Malaysian history? Our votes today counts regardless which side one chooses to vote for. 

It is my hope that people today will be voting not based on hate and prejudice of a particular coalition be it BN or PR. Not out of fear of riots, not due to family/friend pressure but for reasons backed up with verified, compared and analyzed facts. 

Choosing between BN and PR is not black and white. It has and always will be grey. There was never a clear “whose better than the other”. One needs to consider the whole and make an informed decision. How can one claim to have done this if one does not read the Buku Jingga & PR manifesto or the ETP & GTP roadmaps?

At this point I must confess, I have my decision. I will be voting for BN today. I am a BN supporter. Not because they are the perfect party. Not because I am afraid of change. Not because I fear riots. Not because I believe Bumiputeras will lose everything by voting PR.  Not because of any number of ridiculous reasons given by some quarters of BN supporters.

I am voting BN because of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) coordinated by PEMANDU together with the ministries and civil service.

The initiatives under the programmes are clear with detail targets, milestones and set timelines. Syndication was done with the public and experts of the field in creating the initiatives through PEMANDU’s lab methodology. To know more visit: http://www.pemandu.gov.my/

Some cool GTP & ETP highlights:

1)      War of the Worlds Goliath, which as recognized as the Best 3D Animated Feature Film in LA was done by a Malaysia company supported by ETP. Notice the inclusion of the character of the British Malaya Prince, Raja Iskandar.

2)      GTP introduces the Go KL free public bus service servicing the Kuala Lumpur City Centre in routes not being addressed by current bus operators (which is to the advantage of cheating taxis).

3)      Working together with Government and NGOs to end poverty of lower income groups including providing housing. Example supporting Epic Homes Project which aims to build, in three days, wooden modular houses for Orang Asli.

 

4)      Making KL into a world class city. Aside for the MRT, other initiatives include the greener KL ( planting 100,000 trees), making the Klang river which flows into the city pass Masjid Jamek into a commercial and heritage area (think Venive/Melaka), create and refurbishing iconic areas of the city (eg Medan Pasar’s upgrade works, refurbishment of Masjid Jamek).

These are just some of the many highlights in the ETP and GTP. All these initiatives have targets, milestones and set deadlines up to 2020. To know more read the Roadmaps and Annual Reports of the Programmes: http://www.pemandu.gov.my/

The GTP & ETP are miles apart from PR's Manifesto which is at best very high level and full of promises for which when seen together makes it doubtful it can be executed. For example, PR wants to:

1)      Abolish Highways Tolls

2)      Give free tertiary education
3)      Lower the price of oil
4)      Abolish taxes on cars
5)      Increase Civil Service Salaries
6)      Senior Citizen payment of RM1000 per year
7)      Award non-pensionable military veterans RM2000 a year
8)      Increase oil royalty to State governments 5% to 20%

 See: http://pakatanrakyat.my/files/ENG-Manifesto-BOOK.pdf

 On top of that:

1)      Rafizi Ramli has stated PR will continue BR1M.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/226134

 

2)      Dato' Paduka Haji Husam Musa has been recorded offering four months bonus to civil servants once PR is in power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=azfRyYwhTeI

 

 

These are some of the more spoken about offerings and still not the full list. While I applaud the some of the suggested initiatives, all of the above involves either spending more government revenue or decreasing government revenue.

Let me stressed that I am not a fanatical BN supporter. I am more than willing to vote for PR, in fact if not for the ETP & GTP, likely I would have turn into a PR supporter by now.

I need more from PR to grant them 5 years in power. Show me your detailed 3 feet plan. Show me what you will do, how you are going to do it and by when you will do it. Like the GTP & ETP put it in writing. Commit to it. Don't just say "Manifesto itu bukan janji."

 

I chose to vote BN because it has provided me with a plan for Malaysia which has committed targets, milestones and set timelines. Something I feel PR sorely lacks and in turn does not give me the confidence to vote them into power.

 

I believe in the GTP & ETP. I believe in Dato' Sri Idris Jala. I believe in the civil service that is driving these programmes. I believe BN is transforming. I believe PR is not yet ready to take the helm of Putrajaya.

My vote will not be given freely only on a possibility of change when the GTP & ETP exists.

Looking for a reason to vote BN?

 

Don’t.

 

You have it now.

Reformasi Lain Kali Lah. Transformasi, Ini Kali Lah. 

BR1M: Boon or Bane

Yesterday the Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib announced that as part of BN’s Manifesto, the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) will be continued and progressively increased to RM1200.

I could sit here and tell you that BR1M is only given to the poor and needy who met certain income criteria. That unlike subsidies, the rich, foreigners and tourists do not benefit from it. That due to its amount it will likely be immediately spend thereby increasing domestic consumption. This in turn helps our economy (increases GDP) and protects it from the uncertainties of the world economy. This has been proven by China and even ourselves last year, tight banking regulations and big domestic spend are key to protecting the economy.

I could further tell you that the only reason government can afford to be doing BR1M is due to the fact the Government has gotten its act together and has increased revenue collection. In 2012, Government has recorded its highest revenue in history, RM207 billion and its deficit has been gradually reduced despite all the major infrastructure projects like MRT (the government has embrace in 2009 to reduce the deficit which was 6.6% at the time. The target was to have 0% deficit by 2020. At 2012, the deficit stands at 4.5%.). The Economic Transformation Programme is working.

But the thing I am trying to drive at here is that I do not like the perception BR1M carries. Most middle income people seem to think it is a bribe given to the low income group. Which I have to admit, given how some BN politicians go on talking about the BR1M, is a semi-legitimate point. Bulk of BN supporters are rural folk who probably do not feel the immediate effects of the Economic Transformation Programme. Talking to them about BR1M helps i suppose. It is easier. While I understand the reasoning behind BR1M but wish that the BN Government would not harp on it so much.

It deters people from seeing all the other wonderful things the Government have done to address poverty. Look through the Government Transformation Programme, the Low Income Household NKRA, it is fantastic! The 1AZAM programme has helped linked up the poor and low income segments of society to government programmes which help them become self sufficient. This provides them the opportunities to escape the chains of poverty.

People forget; Pakatan Rakyat politicians forget (or rather do not want to admit); Hell, Barisan Nasional politicians forget that BR1M is merely one of many initiatives done by the government. You cannot just look at it in isolation. BN politicians forget this at the expense of their middle income voters’ votes.

My advice to everyone is to take the time to read the GTP and ETP Annual Reports. It clearly spells out the government initiatives under the programmes and with its targets and milestones. Heck a majority of the things mentioned in the BN Manifesto are already a part of the ETP & GTP as the programmes have always been Najib’s baby. Read it for yourselves and judge:

http://www.pemandu.gov.my/gtp/annualreport2012/

http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/annualreport/

Unlike Pakatan Rakyat, I believe that a manifesto is a promise. ( If you don't know want I'm talking about, I am referring to the statement by some Pakatan leaders who said their manifesto is not a promise ). It is something that the political parties must deliver once stated.

PRU-13. The power is in our hands. Vote wisely and based on facts and figures. Not just Manifestos pulling things from the air, be it a Pakatan Manifesto or a Barisan Akujanji.

UPSI Street Protest on New Year's Eve

First of all, I will like to say that I am of the opinion that university students should be allowed to participate political activities. I think the double standard where if you aren’t a university student you can participate is ridiculous to say the least.

But I also believe that there is always a time, place and method to protest. For those of you who are unaware, there was a street protest conducted by some UPSI student during the middle of the night on New Year’s Eve. In this situation, despite their good intentions, I am of the opinion the UPSI students was in the wrong.

This protest had take place in the middle of the night with no aim in mind. When you compare it to say the lawyer’s protest against the peaceful assembly act 2011, it is an embarrassment. I is the most unbecoming and distasteful forms of protest that I believe any authority in power should be given the right to stop.

Look at the video. What has occurred, all I see is a bunch of attention seeking students screaming on the top of their lungs in the middle of the night, they had no specific purpose in being there except to make noise, and again I stress in the middle to the night. There was a memorandum yes, but who exactly do you expect to deliver it to in the middle of the night when all the university offices is close? Heck, had it been a quiet candle light vigil instead of that, I would definitely say the authorities are in the wrong for halting the gathering.

But here, people are screaming in the middle of the night, the gates of the university was being banged and shake for whatever reason I do not know. The police appeared and attempted to talk to the leader of the protester to try solve the problem amicably. But what happens other students go on screaming and throwing insults like anjing and etc to the officers. And after trying and getting nowhere the police warns them to disburse. Yet they did not. Heck even when the officer came to talk to them they were already laying on the group refusing to move. It’s ok that you want to refuse and that you want to make it point or something or the other. But if you do that you shall be prepared for the consequences.

Instead what happened was, the students started to scream more and more trying make themselves look macho. Still the police it would seem made no attempts to approach the students as of yet. But then the protestors started climbing the gate of the university banging it again and again. When an officer attempts to restrain the one of the individuals at the gate, the boy started punching and kicking the office sparking other protestors to starting pushing the officer and behold, of course the other officers rushed to the aid of their fellow officer. Then start la. All this talk of pushing and punching and etc. Seriously, look at the videos, that is what has happened.

Come on la, rule number one of a peaceful protest, do not resist arrest. This was the SOP issued by Bar Council during the Bersih 2.0 Rally and also the peaceful assembly act 2011 protest. If you punch and kick a person of course you should expect to punched back. What, is the person supposed to take it lying down?

To me the police had conducted themselves professionally. The only bloat on their actions would probably be the clinic door and the dude with the injuries on his face. But then again we don’t know if that their fault because quite frankly the video does should it. It could also be that the protestors broke the clinic door, I don’t know (one of the articles on this issue suggest that is what happened). But what is clear the conduct of the protestors was deplorable. You my friends are doing us, university students no favours.

In fact I think you are hurting our cause, from this incident now, people can use this as an indication as to how it shows that university students aren’t mature enough for politics. And this is especially sad because you have people from not only the opposition but also the government who are trying to be AUKU repealed. Can you imagine the position you are putting people like Dato’ Saifuddin who even now is being alienated for his views in support of mahasiswa?

And seriously who is this Adam Adil fellow? From his tweet about him being almost dying (nazak) during the protest to suddenly the next morning at a press conference announcing he is suing the police. Quite honestly the whole incident revolving him from the first protest where he raise down the flag is stupid. It’s stupid that he did that. It’s stupid that there are BN fellows saying we should tampar and spit on him is equally stupid. Chill la people. Just because you have difference of opinions does not mean you can forget civility and courtesy.

But in my view, aside from those stupid comments about the tampar and spit on Adam, I say BN supporters have a right to be angry at him, think of it this way, say the Umno Youth organized a rally and march towards the main office of say PRK. Then during the rally they brought down the PKR flag even for 5 minutes and substitute it with an UMNO flag or even Najib’s Face. How would they feel? Freedom of express yes indeed is a right but with that right comes responsibilities.

What these people don’t seem to understand is that political activism does not start and end at street protest. There is a time, place AND method for everything. Street protest is only one of the methods that can be taken. And it can be effective and helps one’s goals but only if done properly.

And this was NOT done properly.

Of Rings, the Media and Criticizing Responsibly

Today I was again confronted by a very disturbing trend that I sincerely hope is not becoming a habit for us, Malaysians and the world at large. (I freely admit that I to suffer from this habit and hope that this post serve as a reminder to myself and others.)

People don’t verify facts. People report on hearsay.

Today, I had a friend of mine post on his FB wall condemning the alleged RM24 million ring purchased by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the Prime Minister’s wife. At this point, let me clarify, I am not writing this post to defend Rosmah, if anything she is one of my least favorite people. I honestly believe she is and will continue to be a liability to the Barisan Nasional government unless some drastic miracle happens.

To be honest, I had not heard about the ring until after the height of its controversy, just a day or two before puasa had began actually. I was at a leadership course when the subject was raised/mention by quite a number of people. The whole month prior to the course I was quite busy that I hadn’t had the time to bother with the news.

My initial reaction was quite honestly, “oh my God, what has Najib let Rosmah do this time.” I was among the many people who upon hearing the matter started condemning Rosmah. Had it been Tun Hasmah or Marina Mahathir or even Wan Azizah, I would have definitely rejected the story out right.

It was not until I met a very senior member of the Malaysian Bar who is known for his criticism of the BN Government that I realize my mistake.

He told me that he doesn’t believe the RM24 million ring story was true. When asked why, he said that just because it is alternative media, doesn’t mean that it’s true. That we all should consider the story presented to us.

It got me thinking again.

Most Malaysians are a trusting lot. We don’t really pause to consider what is told to us. And in the past, this was especially true when it came from the government. It is good that this has change. But at the same time, it would seem that we have not seemed to shake this attitude when it came to things we hear from our friends, family and yes alternative media (in the case of some people) and yes mainstream media (in the case of other people. Hmm, perhaps with the exception of Utusan).

We, myself included, are quick to believe things that are told to us. I, myself might be worst off because I still tend to believe and view mainstream media whilst still looking around what the alternative media is saying and finding myself swayed in that direction pulak.

This whole thing had me considering back to an incident which quite frankly turned me a bit of a skeptic when it came to free press. I was working for an international/intergovernmental organization. One of my many roles was to monitor all forms of media; as such I was given access to all possible media, from Utusan, NST, Star to harakah, suara keadilan, Malaysiakini, Malaysia Insider and etc.

What I found there shocked me.

Same incidents were being reported but from very different spins. There were even examples of irresponsible journalism from both sides of the media, alternative and mainstream.

For example, one incident that stands clearly in my mind was articles on Najib after his first 100days as Prime Minister. Tun Dr. Mahathir was interviewed and asked his opinion of Najib after the first 100 days. A particular mainstream newspaper stated in its article that Tun only had praises for Najib. While a supposedly free independent alternative online newspapers stated in its article that Tun only had criticisms for Najib.

When the two articles were compared, I found that the mainstream had omitted the criticisms while the alternative had omitted the praises. Freedom of the press when the press can’t be responsible. Ironic.

Basically all I am trying to say is that we should not take everything at face value whether it comes from the main stream media or the alternative media.

We should always verify facts. Research the issue. Figure out where we stand with sufficient information. We should not be so quick to believe only that which we want to be true nor should we be so quick to disbelieve what we want to be untrue.

Just because you are a BN supporter doesn’t mean you should immediately believe what the main stream media tells you about… say Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s alleged sex video.
And just because you are a PR supporter doesn’t mean you should immediately believe what allegedly free alternative media tells you about… say Najib’s alleged involvement in the Altantuya murder.

Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your judgment. I had found it to be one of the heights of hypocrisy that when Raja Petra wrote about the alleged Rosmah/Najib involvement in the Altantuya case; people from BN was so quick to condemn and brand him as a liar while people from PR was so quick to hail him as a hero of free speech.

When Raja Petra later retracted the story; the same BN people who were so quick to condemn him were then so quick to believe him, claiming the truth has revealed itself. Whilst the same PR people who had hailed him a hero were then so quick to condemn him as a sellout.

Listen. Research. Think. Decide.

Know that everyone is pushing some sort of political agenda.

(In a way, I suppose I am too.)

Get credible sources.

That you heard it from your cousin who heard it from his friend who had a brother who was there when it happened is NOT a credible source.

That is hearsay.

Criticize. But do so responsible.

Consider the effect of your words on others.

Quite honestly, as for myself, with regard to the story of the ring, I am still unsure. So to me, for now, it’s innocent till proven guilty. Rather than criticized Najib on this ring, I rather criticized him on the Warisan Merdeka Tower or the lack of transparency on the Australia-Malaysia Refugee deal.

Just a thought.

Selamat menyambut Hari Raya to all Muslims and a Happy Merdeka to us Malaysians! In advance. ;)

An Open Letter to the Leadership of Barisan Nasional

Dear Barisan Leadership,

Let me first start by saying I am a Barisan Nasional Supporter. I am ever grateful to the BN Government for everything that they have done for the country. There have been great moments in their history where they not only rose to the occasion but exceeded expectations as well.

There were also moments where they had made mistakes and a few wrong choices here and there. But overall I have always taken note that theirs is not an easy job. That hindsight is always 20-20. That, in the heat of the moment, if someone else was faced with the same situation, they could not honestly say that they could have done better. That at the end of the day, the government moves as one machinery and must bear and absorbed the mistakes of some of their own so as to keep face.

I was and still am ever grateful for the help that their policies have given to my family. My parents were amongst those who had benefited from the NEP policies, managing to obtain university education through it. And they had done to do so without, as some would generally allege about NEP beneficiaries, being cronies to anyone. Till this day no one can tell me that the NEP was a complete failure for it did help in my humble opinion and some of the initiatives under the policy that were failures were revised in the NDP.

The development and progress they had brought to our nation astounds me even till today. When I look back at old pictures of Malaysia, it startles me how different we were and how far we have come. I cherish the unity and stability that has been the core trademark and value of the Barisan Nasional Government. Corruption was there but it to my opinion remained under control and had not spiraled out of control as it had in some of our other Southeast Asian neighbours.

We defeated communism not by being unreasonable but by showing that they had no reason to go against Malaysia. We gave them what they were fighting for in a controlled and fair manner. Guerilla warfare was defeated through sheer pragmatism, winning the hearts and minds of the communist.

Ours was a vibrate economy. Progressive, strong willed and with the ability to move with the changing times our nation was known as a rising tiger in economy! We spoke out for third world countries, not cowed by superpowers who resented that we were willing to speak out. We were respected and many truly felt a genuine friendship with us.

I held my head high as I was utterly proud to be Malaysian. I felt that we were united in one goal, one mission; Vision 2020. I remain till this day an ardent supporter and admirer of Tun Dr. Mahathir. I continue to believe in the struggle of Barisan Nasional. I believe that it is indeed a fair and just government and very much worthy of my support. Even today, I still do not seem Pakatan Rakyat as a viable alternative Barisan Nasional.

Until quite recently, I had felt things were going great for the BN Government. I felt things were changing, problems were being addressed. I see greater effort of BN to reconnect with the people especially the urban areas where to be brutally honest, support was waning. I felt the ETP was doing a good albeit underappreciated job. I saw police officers patrolling the streets at almost all times in order to deal with the rising crime rate. I saw greater effort to create better accessed to government services. Although some people had criticized the KPI system, to me, it did more good than harm and helped get the civil service back on track. It truly was people first, performance now.

Which is why I cannot understand the complete failure on the part of Barisan Nasional in dealing with Bersih Rally 2.0. Have all of Barisan Nasional’s PR teams fallen asleep and completely oblivious to the world around them? I can’t read through my FB news feed without seeing a status update or a link or an article about the Bersih Rally. I seriously do not understand the negative reaction that BN is giving towards this rally. I am amazed at the lack of foresight of the advisors who have advised you to take a harsh stance against Bersih.

Quite honestly, like you too, I doubt the agenda of the Bersih Rally and truly wonder of the people involved have no ulterior motives. But the better thing to do was probably to embrace the Bersih Rally and attempt to help the organizers conduct a peaceful demo without too many problems to society in general. The public relations potential of that option would have been massive for BN and would have gone a long way to helping your image and in capturing back the urban votes.

I don’t know, maybe your advisors are of the opinion that you can still retain power by banking on rural votes, but at what cost and for how long? How long can you continue to properly govern if all the more developed areas and more affluent part of society are not with you? How can you sustain a proper government when the economical and social centers are not in your hands? Please. Let go of any egos involved, think of the good of the coalition.

You might be returned to power but quite possible with a smaller majority and a weaker government to which party hoping will again be rampant especially when you consider that it was PKR’s leadership who first started to push for such things. Look at Australia; theirs currently is an almost hung government with such narrow majority. See how as the elections for them draw closer they put out all their popular short term moves in order to win support.

Hell, look at how it is here. Lately I feel that some moves from both Barisan and Pakatan been short sight popular moves intended to win support for the elections. These moves will only do more harm than good to our country in the long run. Don’t even get me started on the refugee swap talks with Australia.

To my mind, I wonder where is the pragmatism that helped see BN through its toughest challenges? Where is the “engage them approach” that BN is famous for? Imagine the different situation we would be facing today had BN agreed to embrace Bersih.

The rally could have been isolated to a Stadium even before all this drama. Talks and discussions could have been held in conjunction with the demonstration. You could have rented out stall lots and booths thereby making money on the demonstration. SPRM could have been invited to receive suggestions or explained its positions. Maybe even voter registration booths could have been there. The YPDA himself could have been there alongside all Party leaders be it Barisan or Pakatan and people will acknowledge that Barisan is genuinely trying. Thanks to this one PR blunder, all genuine efforts are now tainted.

Quite honestly, at the beginning of all this, I can still remember thinking that the Bersih Rally really is about trying to the gather numbers of people in order to create awareness which is fine. So must it be a march? And of all places in the middle of KL? Why not a stadium where the influx of people can be contained and controlled? And really, to send one memorandum you need everyone to come with you? While I believe the intention of the majority of people who supported Bersih are good, the method I don’t agree so much at that point. I was even thinking that it was a valid point when the Prime Minister stated that if there really were no free and fair elections, how did Pakatan Rakyat obtained unprecedented gains in the last general election?

My thoughts even worked around the fact that if they really want to demonstrate, they should have tried harder to convince the police that the demonstration will be safe and get the damn permit. I was even willing to accept the arrests made by the police of certain people of Bersih as they had not obtained the permit (though I did think the action was too one sided). Don’t even get me started on the sheer stupidity of Perkasa and UMNO youth wanting to hold counter rallies.

But now, after the intervention by the YDPA, I am indeed hard press to say the police is not bias (DAULAT TUNKU! That was brilliant of your Majesty by the way. That intervention demonstrated the justified position of the Rulers in Malaysia).

Instead of taking the face saving route provided, you allow the police to carry on with the banning of the rally turned stadium demonstration. And seriously, I can understand why one would be hesitant to allow Stadium Negara or Stadium Merdeka to be used, but I cannot see the harm in using Bukit Jalil stadium. It has the space and is accessible to most people through roads and public transport and yet isolated enough not to be a serious security while still in KL.

While I am indeed willing to acknowledged that the police on their own accord might still be hesitant to allow the now gathering at the Stadium (but seriously, perception wise this really is a weak argument even if it is true), you could have gotten involved in showing them that it will be safe, again the public relations boost.

Throughout this whole thing, before the YDPA got involved, the only person making sense was Zaid Ibrahim with his call to have a proper discussion between all parties involved in order to reach a middle ground. And I applaud him for it.

I apologize if some of my words are harsh. But I will speak out for you when what you are doing is right and but you cannot expect me to speak out for you when you are wrong. I would like to believe that that I will support what is right regardless of the parties involved, just as I will condemn what is wrong regardless of the parties involved.

While I might be grateful for all the things BN has done and am willing to give it due consideration, not everyone is the same. In fact not many in the urban areas feel this way. Most believe that it is their right to demand more from their government; which I also believe is a legitimate expectation; though I think the way that some people go about it is quite wrong. They fail to consider that there are more than just their wants and needs; that RIGHTS is a two way street that goes hand in hand with RESPONSIBILITIES.

People in Malaysia, in a way, have been spoiled by the BN government. There is this persistent mindset that the government can handle anything and change anything. Hence why I understand why a majority of people believe that change must come from the government. But the fact of the matter is, change must come from ourselves. It is a joint effort where everyone must be involved.

This is why I really don’t agree with the thinking of some people that simply by putting Pakatan Rakyat in power things will be better. It wouldn’t be. It wouldn’t be unless there is a conscious movement towards change in everyone’s mind. Corruption, for example, will not simply disappear because of a change in government; it will not disappear when people themselves jump at the first opportunity to bribe their way out of a speeding ticket.

You might try to shrug of this incident as only an isolated incident and that it doesn’t matter because as a whole you are doing better. Perhaps you might even have legitimate reasons for not wanting to let the demonstration happen. But unfortunately, it does matters. Justice must not only be done, but seen to be done. It has become in effect a public relations nightmare that continues to taint all efforts you have done to change for the better since the last general election.

While I love and cherished Barisan Nasional, fanatic I cannot be nor will I be. I cannot stand by and watch this fiasco any longer. I had to speak out.

As a whole, looking at ALL the issues, I still believe that BN is best and most viable coalition to run this country. But that is just it. People DO NOT look at all the issues as a whole. There are no isolated incidents. You give your detractors more and more power over your fate and reasons to tell people why they should chose Pakatan over you.

I had always tried to be about the issues and not the party. And quite frankly, until recently, it never seemed to be inconsistent with my wish to help honour the coalition that has given my nation and family so much. But I believe people who support parties blindly without considering the issues are people who do a disservice to this country and its people. As such I cannot stay silent. I sincerely hope that you take this letter as a gentle cautionary reprimand. A gentle criticism that hopefully will point you in the right direction.

To me, though some might not agree, Barisan Nasional has stood for many good things in the past and had always had the best interest of the people at heart. I beg off you, please do not make me think that Barisan Nasional needs to be removed from power in order to remember this.

Thank you for listening.

Yours sincerely,
A Concerned Pro-Barisan Individual.