Ceramah Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Pulau Pinang pada 23/02/08

Stop And Dismantle UMNO Political Hegemony, Deny Barisan Nasional (BN) 2/3 Majority

The 12th General Election – Golden opportunity to halt and dismantle four-decade Umno political hegemony which has become the greatest threat to democracy, international competitiveness and national unity by ending BN’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority

This 12th general election, unlike the previous 11 general elections, is not just about the next five years but a vote about the first 50 years of Malaysian nationhood and the next 50 years!

To many Malaysians, this general election is the last hope for change and an acid test whether there is a future for the building of a democratic, competitive, multi-racial, multi-religious, secular and just nation which our forefathers pledged to build through the Merdeka “social contract”.

It will be the clincher in the decision-making of many Malaysians whether there is hope to build a democratic, just and competitive Malaysia or there will be a new exodus of braindrain of the best and brightest of Malaysians to other lands in despair at any possibility that all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, can have an equal place under the Malaysia sun.

Most challenging of all, the March 8 general election offers a golden opportunity to halt and dismantle the four-decade Umno political hegemony which has become the greatest threat to democracy, international competitiveness and national unity in Malaysia.

Umno political hegemony has marginalized not only whole communities of ordinary Malaysians, but even the other Barisan Nasional component parties as illustrated by the ordeal of the Gerakan Wanita Chief, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe, being kicked around like a football Bukit Gantang, back to Gerakan’s Taiping seat, then to Lenggong and now Gerik.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that none of his cabinet ministers except for his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak were guaranteed a cabinet position even if they won in the general election – meaning that the top leaders of MCA, Gerakan, MIC for the first time in 51 years are not assured of a Cabinet position if elected.

This the latest twist in the Barisan Nasional ‘power-sharing” and proof of greater marginalization of the other Barisan Nasional component parties because of the unchecked rise of Umno political hegemony.

The challenge on March 8 is whether history can be made to check and dismantle the Umno political hegemony, which marginalized ordinary Malays, Indians, Chinese, Kadazan-Dusun-Muruts, Ibans and indigenous people, orang Asli, by depriving the Barisan Nasional of two-thirds majority.

If DAP, PKR and PAS can each secure 25 parliamentary seats, denying BN of 75 parliamentary seats, then the beginning of the end of the umno political hegemony threatening democracy, international competitiveness and national unity would have begun.

Lim Kit Siang - DAP

BARISAN RAKYAT - HARAPAN RAKYAT

UNTUK MENJAMIN MASA DEPAN NEGARA MALAYSIA YANG CERMELANG

"VOTE FOR VIRTUE, NOT VULTURES"

"UNDI UNTUK KERCERMELANGAN, BUKAN PENYAGAK"
(click to enlarge image)

Matilah Kau Pak Lah! I am Innocent!

By Little Bird

Kawan-kawan, there was much drama at the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial yesterday. Someone is trying to do a number on someone. There are no angels involved. Only devils. For a minute the case was adjourned and the courtroom almost cleared.

The newspapers were not allowed to report on what really went on. Only a portion of what happened was reported in the press. Here is The Star version:

Abdul Razak kicks and hits door at murder trial

Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who is being tried for abetting two policemen in murdering Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, lost his cool on the 90th day on Wednesday. He had a dissatisfied look when his father Datuk Abdullah Malim Baginda whispered something to him before the hearing began at about 9.30am. After the proceedings were adjourned for lunch, however, the 48-year-old political analyst, surprised all those present in the High Court when he suddenly kicked and banged the door with his hands. He was also seen crying before his lawyer Wong Kian Kheong and mother calmed him down.

Before the hearing began at 9:30 am, Razak Baginda's father had whispered something to him. This made Razak angry the whole day. Finally, about three hours later, Razak Baginda could not stand it any longer and exploded. What did he say?

Reporter friends who were there said that Razak shouted again and again, "Matilah kau Pak Lah! Matilah Pak Lah! I am innocent! I am innocent!" Then he went into a mad rampage and kicked the chairs and doors in the courtroom. Even the Judge was shocked and did not know what to do. Both the defense lawyers and the prosecution team were also all shocked.

The story goes that Razak Baginda's father whispered instructions to his son to incriminate his former boss Najib Tun Razak. The instruction came from the Pak Lah camp. This was yet another deal they were trying to make - Razak Baginda's life for Najib's head. The story is that Najib is outshining Badawi in this coming general election. Najib may win big in Pahang but Pak Lah may win small or even lose his seat in Kepala Batas.

The Pak Lah camp may also suspect that Najib's people are working in the background to embarass Pak Lah in Kepala Batas. Hence the 'whisperings' through Razak Baginda's father.

The Sun newspaper carried the story, complete with Razak Baginda's outburst. However, the Home Ministry asked The Sun to withdraw their first run which carried the 'Matilah Kau Pak Lah!' outburst by Razak Baginda. The Sun had to withdraw thousands of copies of their print run early this morning.

Strange things are happening in the country folks. No angels are involved. Only devils.

Anwar Ibrahim - Najib: Kepanasan

Chinese New Year 2008 Open House: Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim

2008 General Election: Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim speech at the Chinese New Year open house (17/02/08)

Pilihanraya Umun ke-12: Ceramah Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim

SNAP to skip this election?

Party undergoing transformation and should focus on strengthening mission, says veep

Saturday, February 16th, 2008
The Borneo Post Online

KUCHING: Sarawak National Party (SNAP) will be giving the coming parliamentary election the skip if its vice president Dr John Brian Anthony has his way.

DR BRIAN: Making SNAP a party relevant to this millennium.

Speaking to The Borneo Post on his arrival from Kuala Lumpur for a party meeting yesterday, Dr Brian said SNAP has much to do to strengthen itself before it is truly election ready.

“If SNAP must contest, it should first be seen as a strong and formidable party, which it is not for now,” he said.

Dr Brian, a KL-based professional consultant and trainer in his mid 50s, is among several highly educated young blood who have been working on “making SNAP a party relevant to this millennium”.

Asked to elaborate, Dr Brian said SNAP today was still struggling with an image problem of being a party once on the verge of oblivion, following several crises which saw top leaders quitting politics altogether or leaving for other parties.

“For a while SNAP lost direction as a result of all those crises. But not anymore, the young but politically-savvy inductees are charting the party’s future direction.

“We believe if we do the right things, SNAP will be a formidable party once again in the not too distant future,” he said, adding that one of the most crucial decisions SNAP should bravely make now would be to skip the coming parliamentary election.

“SNAP’s focus now must be to win the hearts and mind of more young intellectuals and groom them for the leadership succession. Once this is done, SNAP will have been transformed and only then will it be ready to be judged by the people through the polls,” he said.

According to Dr Brian, the party’s young Turks do not believe in opposing for the sake of opposing and that the transformation they are seeking will ensure “a progressive SNAP of progressive Dayaks”.

“No more SNAP a party of the disgruntled. No more SNAP the party of the has-beens. The SNAP we envision is pro-active, and where we must support the government we will. If the older SNAP members had found it hard to change their old ways, the young Turks of the party, being progressive and pro-active, will be able to do with ease. That’s the transformation we are seeking,” Dr Brian said.

Asked what his position would be if SNAP should decide to join the fray in the coming election, Dr Brian said: “I will make my stand clear, and that is, SNAP will not go anywhere by winning just one or two seats. But it will be a significant step forward if it skips the election to concentrate on a strengthening mission.”

Parliament Dissolved Today For 12th General Election

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today announced the dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for the 12th general election.

The announcement was made at a media conference at his office here and telecast live on RTM1 at noon.

The prime minister also advised all the state governments, except Sarawak, to dissolve their state assemblies to enable the state elections to be held simultaneously.

He said he had an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin this morning and had received his consent to dissolve the 11th Parliament.


Immediate Response on Parliament Dissolution by YB Lim Kit Siang,
Malaysian Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

Date: 13 February 2008
Time: 12.45pm
Venue: DAP Headquarters

----------

PM dissolves Parliament

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today announced the dissolution of the Parliament at a specially arranged press conference at his office in Putrajaya.

He made a brief statement to the media - and carried live by RTM - stating that the Election Commission will have to fix the date for the nation's 12th general election.

Abdullah was flanked by his deputy Najib Abdul Razak when he made the announcement.

Only yesterday Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had dismissed speculations that he would be dissolving the Parliament today.

"No, not tomorrow," he told reporters yesterday evening.

Today, he smilingly explained that he could not divulge any information until his audience with the King - held this morning - to obtain royal assent to the dissolution.

Election fever has picked up tremendous momentum since the turn of the year with many political observers and politicians speculating that the general election would be held in March.

Political analysts and the media had predicted that the much-awaited dissolution of the Parliament would take effect today (Feb 13) because 13 is the prime minister's favourite number.

POLICE TAKE NOTE: UMNO TO PLAY DANGEROUS GAME

UMNO is also preparing for a post-election debacle. If they lose their 2/3 majority or more, they may still embark on the same dirty tricks like the 'May 13' scenario, declaring an Emergency, suspending Parliament, and so on. The recent threat by the MCA at PJ Utara that the BN losing the elections may bring about the May 13 type situation was not an empty threat. They are really considering using such dirty tricks and playing such dangerous games. The police had better take note.

Malaysia Today.net
By Little Bird

I had an interesting chat with my UMNO colleagues recently. Some of them claim to be more connected. They said that when the Hindraf boys demonstrated at Batu Caves, the UMNO gangster network went into high alert.

At a hasty brain-storming session (well THEY think they have brains lah) the UMNO boys suggested to bring in the Pekida gangsters to stir up trouble and frighten the Indians. But police video footage of the Hindraf protesters showed some scary things for which the gutless UMNO boys have no stomach.

Unknown to many Malaysians, some Hindraf supporters were seen carrying cans of kerosene. The kerosene was meant to set themselves on fire. They were prepared to immolate themselves in public to protest the poor treatment they are getting. The police video also showed Hindraf protesters removing their shirts and standing bare-bodied in front of the police water cannons which were spraying chemical-laced irritants. They too were making plain that they could take the pain. Another scary clip showed one protester grabbing a policeman's truncheon and violently hitting himself on the head - to tell the policeman that he was not afraid of getting hit.

In short, the Indians were prepared to die. Not having any real stake in the country, they had nothing to lose. They were prepared to die. The Malays have a history of running amok when their rice bowl is threatened. But to their credit, the Malays have no history of seriously persecuting other people. Hence, the Indian grievances, when they are real, have an effect on UMNO. Unfortunately, it took the Indians 40 years to protest. As for Pekida, they are not real gangsters. They are just unemployed bums looking for easy money, second wives and having a good time. They are quite gutless, much like UMNO too.

Well the Hindraf protests have worked. At least, in public announcements, almost all the Hindraf demands have been ceded by the Government: scholarships for Indians, more university places for Indians, more Government jobs for Indians, etc. It is possible that the five jailed Hindraf leaders will also be released before the general elections.

The other bit of interesting news is that the UMNO boys I spoke to are NOT going to vote for the BN at this coming elections. They too are fed up with the imbecilic Prime Minister and his total lack of leadership skills. They too are afraid of his son-in-law who is fully in control of the father-in-law. And UMNO is aware that many people will be turning their backs on the party this time around.

UMNO is therefore preparing for the possibility that they may lose their 2/3 majority and more. They may be planning more dirty tricks to overcome the poor results at the polls. Rigging the postal votes may not be enough this time. The UMNO boys are talking of large scale rigging of election returns, more 'May 13' threats, and using more money to buy votes.

Another scenario is to 'do a Musharaf'. President Musharaf arrested and locked up over 5,000 opposition members, judges, lawyers, writers and others who were opposed to him. Pakistan goes to the polls with no more opposition. It may be too late to do this in Malaysia - if the elections are being held in March.

However, if the threats to release more secret videos appear real, Abdullah Badawi may be forced to delay the elections until next year. Then the UMNO boys will have more time to plan how to silence and remove the opposition. The use of the ISA then is not impossible. They may even want to shoot the birds.

But it is more likely that the elections will be held in March. UMNO is also preparing for a post-election debacle. If they lose their 2/3 majority or more, they may still embark on the same dirty tricks like the 'May 13' scenario, declaring an Emergency, suspending Parliament, and so on. The recent threat by the MCA at PJ Utara that the BN losing the elections may bring about the May 13 type situation was not an empty threat. They are really considering using such dirty tricks and playing such dangerous games. The police had better take note.

The protests by the Hindraf and to a certain extent the Bersih rally too have checkmated UMNO and the BN. They are now in a 'mati akal' situation. In 1969, the Malays were really poor and downtrodden, in their own land. To add insult to injury, the Malays were told to 'balik kampong'. That was when they ran amok and showed everyone who was in charge. For the past 38 years the Malays have been trying to turn the situation around. But maybe at the cost of repeating the same wrongs they suffered pre-1969.

We cannot tell the Indians and the Chinese to just 'balik kampong'. Something is bound to explode. Hindraf is just the beginning. This story, like this article, is not complete. Let's see what happens.

T0 ALL THE INDIANS, CHINESE, DAYAK, KADAZAN-DUSUN, MALAYS, AND OTHERS

It is absolutely crucial that the BN is denied its 2/3 majority in Parliament. Even with 51% of the seats the BN will still rule the Government but they will be on their tippy, tippy toes. This is what we all want. We want checks and balances. We do not need mere protest votes. We must vote for drastic change.

Malaysia Today.net
By Little Bird

I met a bumiputra CEO of a GLC recently. A GLC means 'Government Linked Company'. He had lots to tell me about some of the things that are going wrong in his sector of the GLC. (Enough material to craft more stories.)

In brief, they are all screwed up. But what I want to say is that this bumiputra CEO said clearly that he will not be voting for the BN. He also said aloud that 'this time we cannot vote for the BN. The opposition must become stronger in Parliament'.

Then there is another bumiputra chairman of another company that does a lot of business with the government. He is a ranking UMNO member in his bahagian. He says that he and his whole family will not be voting for the BN. This will be a first time thing for him and his family in almost 40 years of voting. It's very painful for him, like a messy divorce, but he is determined to not vote for UMNO. Another UMNO member I know is still an office bearer at his UMNO cawangan in the Klang Valley. He too will not be voting for the BN this time around. Another first for him too.

I have already spoken about the other UMNO member in my other article who told me about the Hindraf protesters. He too will not be voting for the BN this time around. In four different constituencies the BN will be losing a bunch of votes from these people. These are not isolated cases. Thousands of UMNO members will be voting against the BN this time. Among them will be Tun Dr Mahathir. Even more thousands of non-UMNO Malays will be doing the same thing.

Tun Dr Mahathir has made it plain that we should not vote for the BN. Dr Mahathir used discreet, indirect language. First he said that we should vote for 'credible candidates'. He then said that 'we cannot change UMNO from within, the change has to come from outside, so vote wisely'. Put together, these two indirect messages become a direct insistence from Dr Mahathir that we should not vote for the BN. He could not have been more blunt.

We are most definitely going to see a very big swing in Malay votes this time around. This is where the Chinese and the Indians must step up to the plate and be ready to swing the bat. The Chinese in Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan and elsewhere have already made it known quite early on that they will not be voting for the BN this time. Let us reach out to our Chinese brethren and help reaffirm their commitment. Let us reassure ourselves that when the time comes, each of us does have the power in our hands to change our destiny and the destiny of this country which is our home. Let us be rid of the morons, imbeciles, the liars and the thieves. Also the murderers who have blown up Altantuya Shaarribuu Setev.

At last the Indians have been woken up from their almost drug induced 'BN, BN, BN, BN' mantra by the Hindraf protests. Someday something like the 'Dodo Bird Prize' will be given to the Indian community for being the most reliable and loyal supporters of the BN for 50 years. Perhaps never before has a community given so much support for half a century to a political party which could not really care less for them. Maybe with the Hindraf protests this 'bugger me BN' craving has come to a permanent end among the Indians.

It is absolutely crucial that the BN is denied its 2/3 majority in Parliament. Even with 51% of the seats the BN will still rule the Government but they will be on their tippy, tippy toes. This is what we all want. We want checks and balances. Firstly, if they lose the 2/3, it will cause a major psychological shock to the BN. It will most likely cause Abdullah Badawi's head to roll. The UMNO boys will replace him. If Badawi goes, the son-in-law, the cronies, the crooks, the thieves, etc., will all go too. And the batch that replaces them will learn to pray to their gods more diligently, speak better Malay, Tamil and Mandarin, eat with chopsticks, sing Kongsi Raya songs and all the other good things that are needed to run this country properly.

Denying the BN the 2/3 is also crucial because it will mean that many BN (especially UMNO) candidates would not have public office. If they lose their MP and ADUN seats, they cannot become Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, State EXCO members, etc. This means their money tree will be cut off. They will no more be in a position to hand out goodies. UMNO and MCA will choke. This will cause great soul searching especially in UMNO and MCA, which will finally lead to body piercing and ultimately head chopping. It will change our politics for ever.

That is why it is absolutely crucial that all Malaysians stand up to bat for the future of this country. We do not need mere protest votes. We must vote for drastic change. Out with the decrepit buggers. They smell and they are filthy. I can't wait for the elections.

"VOTE FOR VIRTUE, NOT VULTURES"

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2008

Parliament is expected to be dissolved on 12 February 2008

The next general election will soon be upon us. Tomorrow, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be having an audience with His Majesty The Agong. This can only mean one thing, Abdullah is going to seek The Agong's consent to dissolve Parliament.

Parliament is expected to be dissolved on 12 February 2008 followed by Nomination Day on 21 February and Polling Day on Saturday,1 March 2008. On 1 March 2008, 10.6 million Malaysians will be able to vote in the government of their choice, although it is expected that three million Malaysians will just stay home and not bother to come out to vote, while another four million have not even registered to vote.

According to intelligence agency reports, the 12th General Election will be the first election in Malaysian history where the voters will vote based on candidates rather than parties. The right candidate will not only be crucial in determining who gets voted in but where that candidate contests will also have a bearing. As much as that candidate could be a suitable candidate, but in the wrong constituency it would be disastrous.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says, vote for credible candidates who are not tainted and do not vote for the political parties if they put tunggul kayu (wood stump) as candidates. Full story here

1. THE PEOPLE'S VOICES.pdf (English version)
2. THE PEOPLE'S DECLARATION.pdf (English version)
3. DEKLARASI RAKYAT.pdf (Versi BAHASA MALAYSIA)
4. PEOPLE'S DECLARATION.pdf (Chinese version)

"VOTE FOR VIRTUE, NOT VULTURES"

KEADAAN JALANRAYA BELURU - LAPOK

KEADAAN JALARAYA BELURU - LAPOK dikawasan Parlimen P220 BARAM dan DUN N66 MARUDI - Gambar ehsan Donny Joseph

Inilah keadaan Jalan Beluru - Lapok dikawasan Parlimen P220 BARAM dan DUN N66 Marudi, yang diwakili Yang Berhormat dari Barisan Nasional (Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party - SPDP). Wakil Parlimen ialah YB Dato Jacob Dungau Sagan dan ADUN ialah YB Sylvester Entri anak Muran @ Muhamed Hadi bin Abdullah, yang juga Menteri Muda Bekalan Air Sarawak.

Jalanraya ini telah tidak di selenggara sejak hampir 10 tahun semenjak kedua-dua wakil MP dan ADUN ini terpilih. Mereka tidak mengambil kisah sangat kesengsaraan dan kesulitan yang dialami penuduk kawasan ini kerana setiap pilihanraya mereka menang dengan mudah dan menganggap para pengundi dikawasan ini bolih dibeli dengan wang ringgit setiap pilihanraya. Dan setiap menjelang piliharaya Parlimen mahupun DUN, para wakil perayu undi BN akan menabur ratusan ribu ringgit untuk membeli undi supaya pengundi-pengundi dikawasan ini akan mengundi wakil calon BN. Maka tidak hairan jikalau terdengar orang-orang kampung berkata, "Kalau Anjing sekalipun diletakan sebagai wakil calon BN, sudah pasti memenangi pilaharaya" kerana para pengundi dikawasan ini hanya mementingkan wang ringgit (RM20 - RM100) yang diberi olih wakil calon BN setiap pilihanraya untuk membeli undi. Ada dikalangan orang Cina yang mengatakan para pengundi kaum Dayak (Iban) dikawasan Parlimen Baram dan DUN Marudi sangat murah harga undinya sekadar bolih dibeli dengan sebungkus nasi ayam ataupun setin kecil Sardine Ikan. Inilah tangapan sesetengah para pengundi Cina.

Walapun menghadapi kesulitan perjalanan kerana Jalanraya yang tidak terurus, para pengundi - terutama pengundi Iban dikawasan ini tidak serik untuk mengundi wakil yang sama setiap pilihanraya. Kedua-dua wakil YB Barisan Nasional berkenaan jarang sekali melawat ke kawasan mereka setelah dipilih dan hanya muncul semula menjelang pilihanraya yang akan datang seterusnya. Mereka masing-masing sibuk dengan urusan bisnes peribadi untuk memperkayakan diri mereka sendiri dan keluarga. Inilah wakil rakyat Barisan Nasional.

Jadi kami merayu kepada para pengundi dikawasan ini, undilah calon yang benar-benar bolih menjaga kepenting dan keperluan rakyat untuk masa depan yang lebih terjamin. Pilihlah calon yang berwibawa, bukan parti. Parti adalah hanya sebuah rumah yang usang tanpa penghuni, hanya wakil calon yang berwibawa dan rajin berkerja untuk rakyat perlu terpilih. Singkirkan wakil calon yang tidak memperdulikan nasib rakyat melalui undi anda. Undi hanya calon yang bertanggungjawab dan perihatin keperluan dan hak rakyat untuk mewakili anda. Undi dengan bijak dan tanpa rasa takut. Undi calon yang bertanding bukan PARTI tapi ORANG - yang bersih, cekap dan tidak rasuah untuk masa depan Malaysia yang gemilang.

Malaysians: Vote With Your Eyes Wide Open

I join the CSI-Parliament in calling on our Malaysian electorate to vote without fear and to send the strongest message possible to the Barisan Nasional Government that we will not be cynically fooled and manipulated by them as has happened in past elections.

As we look around with our eyes wide open, we find Malaysian society in a pathetic state due to more than 50 years of BN power without the normal checks and balances found in other countries. We see the sharp rise of corruption, self-enrichment and abuse of power by the BN component parties and its cronies. We see BN representatives – MPs and State Assemblymen - that are out of touch with what is happening at the ground. We see BN leaders playing dirty, resorting to media spin, threats and the use of force to ensure that negative views and truthful news are kept away from the public.

Soaring prices, rising crime in our streets, falling educational standards, increased sense of insecurity and heightened racial and religious polarization: this is only the tip of the mountain of problems, scandals and disasters that the Barisan Nasional leaders and its representatives in Parliament are leaving for our younger generation.

We have it in our power in the coming elections not only to demand a better quality of life and a higher standard of government. We also have the power to vote against the BN and to send a loud signal that Malaysians are fed up with the present system and want change

Let us exercise our right in the polling booth to have better men and women voted in as our representatives so we can have a better future. Let us not fall victim to the scare and gloom and doom tactics played on us by an increasingly arrogant, uncaring and politically bankrupt government.

Dr. Lim Teck Ghee