On 9th July, last year, thousands of Malaysians at home and abroad came out onto the streets to send a message to the Najib administration.
We want free and fair elections.
Give us our reforms.
On 15th August, last year, Najib responded by announcing the formation of a parliamentary select committee to discuss electoral reforms before the next general election.
“Recently there have been demands for free and fair elections. The government’s response is that we will propose the setting up of a parliamentary select committee soon, which will be made up of members from both BN and opposition…The committee will discuss all electoral reforms that needs to be implemented in order to achieve bipartisan agreement without any suspicion that there is manipulation by the government…Don’t think that we do not want a clean process of electing the government, we are committed to the tradition of parliamentary elections.” , Najib is reported to have said.
6 days later, Najib was reported to have said : “I hope our initiative on the PSC shows our sincerity. It does not mean that we believe there is rigging in the system but we want to make it better. Don’t doubt our sincerity”.
Please note his words.
WE WANT TO MAKE IT BETTER.
Muhyiddin was not to be outdone.
A month later, he was reported to have said : “We want the PSC to be successful in its role. We want all sides to be involved, not only BN components, in the move to strengthen democracy“.
Note his words too.
STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY.
3rd October, last year, Nazri tabled the motion in parliament to establish the much talked about PSC. This is what Nazri is reported to have said at the time : “The EC is of the opinion that the current system and methods are still relevant and should be maintained. But it does not mean the EC is not prepared to for the paradigm shift and transformation for the improvement in (its) management and operation to ensure that (its) three core functions (are) implemented transparently, with integrity and effectively”.
Note this idiot’s words now.
EC IS PREPARED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT SO THAT ITS CORE FUNCTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED TRANSPARENTLY, WITH INTEGRITY AND EFFECTIVELY.
The PSC had several public meetings over 6 months.
And met several times with the Election Commission.
On checking, I found the last reported meeting between the PSC and the EC was on 14th March, 2012. If anyone is aware of any later meetings, please feel free to correct my statement by way of comment.
On 3rd April, 2012, the PSC report, containing 22 recommendations to improve our electoral process, was tabled and, without debate, passed in parliament. The full summary of these recommendations can be view in this FMT report.
I am going to reproduce part of just one of those recommendations for the purposes of this post.
Stricter enforcement of existing laws …
On 4th April, the BERSIH 2.0 steering committee announced that another BERSIH rally would be held on 28th April, 2012.
Then, Ambiga was reported to have said that “apart from the movement’s original eight demands, the upcoming rally would focus on three key issues – the resignation of the Election Commission, the electoral process must be cleaned up before the next general election and international observers should be allowed to monitor the polls”.
Pak Samad added to this : “The fraud continues unabated thus leaving us with the feeling that the government has no ambitions to have free and clean elections. The upcoming election promises to be the dirtiest yet. Bersih (along with 84 other NGOs) will gather peacefully nationwide and also internationally to voice our dissatisfaction over manipulations of the electoral roll in favour of the ruling coalition”.
How has the government responded to this?
With lightning speed and decisive deviousness.
On Thursday night, they bulldozed a series of amendment bills through parliament.
One of those bills amended the Election Offences Act, 1954.
This is Malaysiakini’s summary of those amendments.
At a press conference yesterday, Ambiga is reported to have said :
“These amendments confirm our worst fears that the 13th general election will be the dirtiest yet”.
Does anyone sincerely believe otherwise?
In any of its meetings with the PSC, did the EC ever disclose that these amendments were in the pipeline, and the rationale for the same? If not, why not?
Look at the last amendment summarised by Malaysiakini and then measure it against the words of Nazri.
Let the EC and Najib explain this amendment first.
Why, if before, it was necessary to have the name of the publisher and printer on campaign printed material, this has now been repealed?
How does this make the election system better?
How does it strengthen democracy?
How does it make the implementation of EC’s core functions more transparent?
What, now, of the PSC’s recommendations?
Selena Tay of the FMT, in my view, succinctly sums up that whole exercise.
“It is very obvious now that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for electoral reform is just a political gimmick by the BN federal government to deceive the Malaysian public.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s motive in setting up the PSC is to con the rakyat into thinking that he is genuine and sincere in pursuing electoral reforms in line with his much hyped-up Government Transformation Programme (GTP)”.
I had, for some time now, notwithstanding information from within UMNO to the contrary, felt that Najib might delay calling elections until next year.
These amendments leave me now sensing that he will move swiftly.
How will we deal with this, the dirtiest ever general elections, that Najib has in store for us?
This time, next Saturday, we will all be at Dataran Merdeka and several other venues at home and abroad to “voice our dissatisfaction over manipulations of the electoral roll in favour of the ruling coalition” , and then all go home.
As we did on 9th July, last year.
And 11th November, 2007.
Will there be time enough for a BERSIH 4, 5, 6 and 7?
To voice our dissatisfaction?
An 8th, a 9th and a 10th?
Who was it who said that we reap what we sow?
The People's Parliament 
Sarawak Headhunter (@Swakheadhunter)
April 21, 2012
With these amendments, the brainchild of Rogue Attorney General, Gani Patail & his classmate, Rogue Solicitor General, Idrus Harun, UMNO/BN has blatantly declared its intention to commit legalised electoral fraud in GE-13, probably on a scale as yet unprecedented.
UMNO/BN intends to rob & rape us in broad daylight by stealing yet another election through grossly unfair means.
What is our defence against such illegitimate actions? These crooks are seriously limiting the options we have left.
Soon we will have only one option left – revolution!
Soon?
Bro, the time is at hand
delilah
April 21, 2012
Haris, come 28th, are we gonna sit/walk, get soaked and gassed and then go home and hope for the best….or we occupy and force their hand. The time is certainly at hand.
bkho
April 21, 2012
My dead grandmother is on the electoral roll. And my IC number is a woman’s?
Paul Warren
April 21, 2012
Haris, I am now involved in a small way in Polling Agent, Counting Agent and Barung Agent training after having attended a few of Tindak Malaysia’s training sessions. I was hopeful and even confident that this time we will do well.
I read this article in Malaysiakini this morning before reading Ambiga’s comment. My heart sank! Kind of what ever little hope I had, was just dashed.
This is an enabling Act that was not present previously. When the Election Commission works hand in glove with UMNO, cheating can happen at a much larger scale. It enables cheating rather than making things transparent.
I witnessed and have a video of what looks like a Pakistani who had tried to register himself as a voter at the Election Commission Office in Kuantan with his driving license. There was a piece of paper that looked like a receipt that you get when you apply for a new I/C and he was presenting to the receptionist at the office some kind of letter…maybe of an introduction or maybe even an instruction. His application was declined because he did not have a MyKad. But then maybe it was because there were 3 of us present.
But the big question to ask is this. How many people do you know who register to vote at the SPR office? Some more these foreigners!!
shakuntala
April 21, 2012
Dataran Merdeka is waiting for all of us on Saturday,28th April, 2012….another akan datang historical day in the annals of our nation…..a peoples’ gentle and never-ending fight for democracy and its accompanying freedoms that were fought for so bravely, by certain champions of freedom to make the world a better place for all mankind.
We cannot and should not foget, we all have to keep the date, come what may. The world will again watch , eagerly, to see if a peaceful gathering of people demanding just and fair election reforms will once again be thwarted with cowardly and cruel opposition from a thoroughly de-based Malaysian government,consisting of thieves and robbers and recently of THUGS, which is using its power, agan and again, to bluff the world that it is a democracy.
The Bible said that we reap what we sow…..we need to undo what we have carelessly sown by plucking out the bad seed…ie the UMNO infested BN government.
Tok Rojak
April 21, 2012
So does this mean that returning officers can stuff the boxes with ballots since candidates can’t appoint monitoring agents, like in some elections in other countries (tons caught on CCTV & posted on You Tube)? This is the same when EC stipulate when agents can enter polling stations. So, if we see a person that looks like African, China Doll… also can’t establish identity?
So far, so good?
While Burma is moving forward slowly but surely, we are regressing… (soon we will be a tiga suka world instead of becoming first world let alone second).
I’m trying to give myself 101 reasons why to drag my ass to vote BUT before I do that, where were the Pakatan representatives when the bill was ram through? Still sleeping or the same old political culture?
Seriously, this bill should be reviewed and Bersih should petition the Agung to revoke or call in international observers.
Caught on video – officials luring student voters. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/195590
It is obvious that if we can’t depend on both sides to work on the raykat’s behalf, we need a few independent (at least 6 -12) good men & women in parliment to stir things up!!
Haris, with or without RPK or MCLM (a rose by any other name), you and the team laid the ground work for a Third Voice. The effort shouldn’t be wasted & I think its the right time to make the rakyat’s point. Start a fund to raise support for the candidates that have already been identified.
mythbuster
April 22, 2012
From day one I did not trust the 1Malaysia crowing Najib. He uses his APCO orchestrated publicity and promotional ideas to fool the gullible rural and uneducated Malaysians into thinking he is a caring leader of the people.
In fact he is nothing but a cheat, forked-tongue liar, believing in his own double speak and with a lot of revolting and nauseating baggage. He has not implemented any of his so-called transformation promises.
He has not done away with ISA. He has just replaced it with a more draconian one giving more powers to his thugs in the PDRM.
He did not revoke the notorious printing and publishing act but just gave the semblance of a reformed one. The press gag is there. He did not do away with blatant restrictions on freedom of speech and movement.
He just got the freedom of assembly act passed in a haste to curb freedom because he realized rallies such as BERSIH 2.0 and BERSIH 3.0 could turn into an ARAB SPRING.
What he has done so far is handing out goodies and money, shamelessly pleading for their votes. Can any decent and law abiding citizen forget his ” You help me, I help you” which is outright vote buying. He has given out a few hundred ringgit to the people while spending millions on himself and his family with the taxpayers’ money.
He asks the people to tighten their belts because of the dire economic situation in the country while his wife, the self-anointed First Lady goes on a spending spree overseas buying exorbitantly priced branded Birkin handbags, garments and a diamond worth USD 24 million. She is worse than Imelda Marcos.
Najib and his gang of daylight robbers in UMNO/BN have realized that they cannot win the 13th GE. Hence the desperate acts being put up by the EC and NRD at his behest.
Since Najib has not listened to the demands of BERSIH 2.0 for a CLEAN AND FAIR election, and instead gone through his usual sandiwara of cheating the people, the BERSIH 3.0 should be held as scheduled.
Gobleckke
April 21, 2012
I am Gobleckke Teppe from Zimbabwe. Last month I was in Malaysia and I experience remote viewing as I often do. I am phsychic and have seen many things manifest after I have these episodes, sometimes in a few days and sometimes in a few months.
When I was in Malaysia, I stayed in this Hotel Concord. I had a remote viewing experience into the future where I saw a mass uprising. I saw one fat man who was refered to as “firestone”. I saw his hands was tied and was pulled with a rope on the streets and people shouting “firestone”, “lier”, “thief”. He was without shirt and was terribly exhausted.
The next day I got the same image only this time another two former politician was seen brutally murdered and their remains thrown in the pig farm not far from the hotel I stayed.
One of the politician was a descended from a neighbour country and the other one was tall and old.
80% of my remote viewing has come through. 20% have not and its probably taking a longger time to manifest.
Also, the wife of the president left the country as soon as one of your famous former president pass away due to old age.
I dont know what this means in local culture, perhaps the locals might understand.
ablogsmith
April 22, 2012
Haris where in the amendments An Act to amend the Election Offences Act 1954. does it scrapped to have name and addresses of printers and publishers of printed documents?
Ali Karim
April 22, 2012
“This isn’t Chicken Soup for the Soul. It’s a bitch slap for the slumbering.”
ACR
April 23, 2012
Muslims, decide now: Bersih or no Bersih? Haris has made his call. What is yours? To permit
the oppression of this evil government or will you oppose it? Allah is all-knowing.
The Noble Qur’an Al-Maa’idah 5:79
79. They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief, etc.) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do.
Hadith – Muslim
On the authority of Abu Sa`id (radhiallahu `anhu) that the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever sees something evil should change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot do even that, then in his heart. That is the weakest degree of faith.”
Hadith- Tirmidhi
The Prophet (pbuh) said,
“By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly send His punishment to you soon. Then you will make du’a (supplication) and it will not be accepted”.
flyer168
April 24, 2012
“We reap what we sow. And get the government we bloody well deserve!”
Dear Haris,
Looks like it…!
Just to share this…
05:24 John F. Kennedy Secret Societies Speech – YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLtlArhUhG0&feature=related
Judge Napolitano: “A nation of sheep breeds a govt. of wolves” – YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh2eSnuFZxo
Lying Politicians And Words – YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKftRlzh2RM&feature=related
The American Dream, USA Inc. George Carlin – YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JChUO4TLjnY
You be the judge.
Shalom.
sampalee
April 24, 2012
Love thy neighbour as thyself [even if he turn out to be your most hated enemy] This is wisdom if you can see all as with a single essence .We all all the manifestation of god When you love others [SABM} you actually love GOD.If you hate others [ABU] you hate God.Good and evil are manifestation of God’s will.As all are from God,with God and is God.Truth is beyond good and evil as God the script writer love his hero and villian equally as he spun the story.
Without duality no story can be told as all will be just GOD The unknowable that conceive all things.Story of kindness and horrors serve one purpose and that is to entertain[The god presense in all of us] Our world is a cosmic movie for God’s entertaiment
Tuan Haris,you are just God acting as aperson who champion civil liberties and the so called bad guys too are God putting up such a mask [persona is latin for mask]God is playing every role with different masks as a good man can act as the devil on stage and the world is nothing but a stage for god.
If we understand the Kithab all the question of why god turn a blind eye to all the astrocities will not have arise.The concept of Tawhid if seen Through conclude the Journey starting with what appears as duality of good and bad [forbidden fruit] and realised all was in fact ONE and we never left the garden,but suffer the hallucination of duality in our diachotomic mind [The hypnotic effect of the fruits].
All worldly problems when seen through with wisdom are mere story[fictions] within Gods imagination.Whta we assume to be past fact are all HIS[story]
tri shaw man
April 24, 2012
all voting slips should have numbers and should be accounted for and the total matches those who have registered and all those who have gone to the voting station, voted, non-voted and spoilt — both numbers should tally. this will, at least, restrict phantom votes. how come the printer’s name should not be printed….. obviously to allow phantom slips to slip into the lost areas!
Lluuung
May 5, 2012
HARIS,
Once too often, our Parliament is again hijacked w d help of all d cohorts in d end bn.Is it not time RPK n HARIS patch up n get MCLM on d mission of dragging out d capable leaders in civil society to perform their NationalService of saving our country at this dire state of our nation ?
People like MALIK IMTIAZ,AZMI SHAROM,LIM TEIK GHEE, AZLY RAHMAN,ART HARUN,BAKRI AZIZ,FARISH NOOR,d list is Soo long; I am sure U can add on lots more , pls do not forget to add on HARIS INRAHIM .
Malaysia needs people like these in our Parliament to flush out d rubbish enacted as laws by d idiots in bn
HELP ! PLZZZZZZZZZZ !!!
Lluuung,
RPK & Haris patch up?
No falling out, bro.
read more
July 25, 2012
Does anybody know where I can find a web site having a range
of nice blog templates that I can choose from?