Moderator’s note at 6.31pm on 27/7/2012 : I had intimated that I would wait 48 hours for RPK to respond with his clarification to the concerns I have raised in this post.
He has purported to do so vide his posting today entitled ‘The principle behind the stand : the lesser of the two evils’.
In my view, he has not addressed those concerns.
I will continue to wait out the 48 hours.
____________________________________
But for a promise I made to all of you in January, this year, I would not bother to write up this post.
In my “Oh Lord, how soon we forget!’ post, this is what I said :
“Many of you appear to be of the view that RPK has betrayed us, and has sold out.
I think you premise this on his interview with TV3 last March and his latest interview with NST and Utusan.
I do not share this view.
Mine is premised on the man and Marina that I believe I have come to know.
We cannot both be right.
Let us all hope and pray that the error is yours and not mine.
You have my word, though, that should I discover the error to be mine, I will not hesitate to disclose all that I know to you”.
In the last 6 months, I have had occasion to write, disagreeing with positions taken by RPK.
Take the best, and do not be distracted by the rest
Sorry, Pete, but not this Malaysian
Earlier this month, in my ‘With you on this, bro’, I wrote to fully endorse a point taken by RPK.
His posting last Saturday, ‘Hard at hearing’, left me troubled.
Greatly troubled.
This is what he wrote :
“Well, I too believe in the lesser of the two evils. And the lesser of the two evils would be to vote for Pakatan Rakyat rather than Barisan Nasional. But what if Pakatan Rakyat cannot oust Barisan Nasional? What if Barisan Nasional still retains the federal government with Umno as the dominant partner in the ruling coalition? Which then would be the lesser of the two evils?
Yes, most of you confine your choice of the lesser of the two evils as between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional. That would be the simple-minded way of looking at things. But I think beyond that. I look at what if Barisan Nasional still retains the federal government. What then will be the lesser of the two evils?
We cannot just have Plan A. We also need Plan B. If Plan A fails then we must have a Plan B as an alternative. Most Pakatan Rakyat people just focus on Plan A without thinking whether there should be a Plan B in case Plan A fails.
And that’s what makes me a better political strategist than most of you. And I can’t help boasting about this because if you are good you are good, what more can I say? You all just have one plan, Plan A. I have Plan B, and plan B is who do you want as the Prime Minister, Najib or someone who upholds Malay Supremacy and the ‘ideals’ of May 13?
Of course, if Pakatan Rakyat takes over, then what I am saying becomes purely academic. But it will be extremely irresponsible and disastrous if we do not have a backup plan and then our Plan A fails”.
Summarised, I think this is what RPK is saying.
Plan A is to get rid of UMNO/BN at the next GE.
Whilst he talks of replacing UMNO/BN with Pakatan Rakyat, in my ‘Strategising ABU’ post, I proffered my view that PR by iteself could not topple UMNO/BN and that it would require a coalition of all the opposition parties from Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak working with the rakyat to see this happen.
Notwithstanding this slight difference, clearly RPK’s Plan A is not at odds with our ABU drive.
Same objective.
Get rid of UMNO / BN.
That’s precisely what we are pushing through the ABU initiative.
It is RPK’s Plan B and its seeming rationale that troubles me.
It implicitly requires, firstly, that we accept and live with an UMNO / BN victory post the 13th GE, if it should come to pass.
This, in itself, is a step down from the uncompromising stand that we urge through our ABU initiative.
Plan B postulates that we work to ensure that should we be faced with the prospect of a post 13th GE UMNO / BN government , the same be steered by a liberal Najib, rather than a radical, ‘Malay supremacy, May 13-minded’ UMNO leader.
The seeming rationale for Plan B is a concern, on the part of RPK, that the recent attempts by Dr M and his corner to resurrect the ghost of May 13 presents a real prospect of this happening, rather than being a mere attempt to create the spectre, and attendant fear by the middle class, of inter-racial violence gripping this nation post the 13th GE, should UMNO / BN be deposed.
Yet, I recall RPK writing in one or several of his earlier posts that a repeat of anything coming close to the May 13, 1969 riots would not be inter- racial, but one between the Malays, and should that happen, the other races should stay at home and leave it to the Malays to sort it out.
In short, his earlier stand was that we should not be taken in by this attempt to instil fear of racial unrest.
So why the change now from that earlier stance to one of seeming capitulation to this evil plan by DR M and his cohorts to scare many voters to vote for stability, meaning a continuation of UMNO / BN, rather than change, so as to avert any prospect of racial clashes?
When and how would Plan B be executed? Would it require working with the Najib faction even before the polls? After the results are known? Would not Najib still be at the mercy of Dr M and the UMNO warlords, the radical, ‘Malay supremacy, May 13-minded’ faction, should an UMNO / BN victory post the 13th GE be as poor as Pak Lah’s was in 2008?
As I pondered these questions, RPK published his ‘Its not about your stand but which direction you are moving’ post.
Let me make my stand and my direction clear.
Unless the electoral playing field is leveled by, at the very least, implementing in full the first 5 of the BERSIH demands, I am not prepared to accept and live with an UMNO /BN victory post the 13th GE.
Would not a contrary stand make a mockery of BERSIH 1, BERSIH 2.0 and BERSIH 3.0?
In fact, I’m not prepared to go to the polls unless we first have those first 5 BERSIH demands fully implemented.
No, I am not advocating a boycott of the elections.
That would be tantamount to surrendering Putrajaya to UMNO / BN on a silver platter!
In November, last year, I joined several others to issue an ultimatum to Najib.
This was no idle threat.
Do we have the numbers to see this through?
Let Najib dissolve parliament without first implementing those reforms, and then we’ll see.
But even if we cannot muster up the numbers after parliament is dissolved, expect an uprising after the polls if UMNO / BN are declared the victors in what must plainly be a fraudulent election without those reforms demanded being first implemented .
Will we have the numbers?
Wait and see.
My stand, and that of the ABU initiative, is, therefore, this.
We want to see a regime change in Putrajaya post the 13th GE and we will only accept an UMNO / BN victory if the elections are truly free and truly fair.
Short of free and fair elections, we will not endure an UMNO-led government post the 13th GE, whether of the ‘liberal Najib’ or ‘radical Mahathir’ flavour.
The direction ABU will take?
I have already shared with you some details in in my ‘Strategising ABU’ and the ‘Getting down to the real business of ABUing Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak’ posts.
We are now in phase 2.
A media war is underway to outreach to the Malay heartlands, to the police and the armed forces.
And to deliver a chilling warning to the new Mykad holders.
I will not say more at this juncture.
What then, is Plan B?
Why his shift from his earlier stance of ‘non-Malays stay home, let the Malays sort it out’ to his present ‘better a liberal Najib than a ‘radical Malay supremacy, May 13-minded’ UMNO leader ?
Does Plan B kick in before or after the polls results?
Does Plan B mean we accept the polls results with UMNO / BN emerging victorious, even if this is the dirtiest ever elections?
How is Plan B to be executed?
I dont know about the rest of you, but I must confess that Plan B leaves me very troubled with the stand and the direction of RPK.
Only RPK can lay those concerns to rest.
Will the master strategist share his master strategy relating to Plan B, or so much of it as he can, with us?
I will wait 48 hours to hear from him.
The People's Parliament 
Redhuan D. Oon
July 27, 2012
RPK is a realist. And that is what makes him a better strategist that i can believe in.
pak yeh
July 27, 2012
Gosh you are really dumb. You really want to live with Najib as PM as strategised by RPKs Plan B.???
shovelnose11
July 27, 2012
Sorry, plan B is to accept Jibby over the radicals? That’s being defeatist even before the test, not a plan. Can’t win if mind is already lost. Realistically, it’s an uphill battle against the incumbents, but does defeat mean accepting them as is? Keep up the pressure, I say. This is the only plan!
PN
July 27, 2012
Dear Haris,
Sorry but im not prepared to accept GE13 to be won by UMNO/BN. If change does not happen, i will surely leave this country!I’m not happy to live in a country where not so fortunate people are always treated unfairly on many issues.
PN,
If UMNO / BN wins a free and a fair 13th GE, I too will accept the majority decision and migrate.
But if the elections is fraught with illegalities and fraud, why should we leave?
I say we take them out on the streets
Ghani
July 29, 2012
hellow brother PN. I think the better choice for u is to leave this country, we don’t ungrateful people like you. As for BN, it will again come to power with better majority and this country will be ruled by BN. Today Malaysia is one of the most successful muslim country in the world and for many developing and even developed countries Malaysia is a role model.
looes74
July 29, 2012
Wow, Can we take everything with us with compounded interest? I though Mamatir say you owe us money big time
bryan
July 29, 2012
Ghani who are you to asking other to leave? you trying to show your ketuanan umno here? You stated that Malaysia is most successful uslamuc country, which country you referring to? Afghanistan? Bangladesh? And which country tat take Malaysia as role model? zimbabwe?
We Stand Together
July 29, 2012
Don’t repeat empty slogans to us until you’ve actually gone out there and seen the world to know what Malaysia is missing and has lost.
Tan Leong Seng
July 27, 2012
I say focus on Plan ‘A’. The said Plan ‘B’ situation is not within our control to plan nor execute. If BN wins GE 13, it is only the Umno warlords who can decide who will be the PM. So Plan ‘B’ is really for them to plan and execute and there is nothing much we can do about it. Stay focussed and do not be distracted.
Wake-up Call
July 27, 2012
I believe we should care less what RPK is writing as he is leaning towards Barisan n Harris I think you shd concentrate yr crusade on ABU. From his written articles at MT, you would notice that he elicits on average 14 comments out of 19articles n not one article more than 30 comments. This shows that people are no bothered to read his articles anymore.
Ganesan Ramiah
July 27, 2012
RPK doesn’t understand that Najib is a goner,if he/BN wins the election without a 2/3 majority or if he/BN losses in the next election,MOOhedin is going to mount a challenge for the Umno’s leadership/PM.And Najib can never win with a 2/3 majority,therefore Plan B,is of no use here,there should be only be one plan, Plan A,to rid this regime from Putrajaya,Period.The threat of May13,befalling us,again,will remain just a threat,it will never become fruition,because unlike May 13 1969,where the Malays were pitted against the Chinese,this time,Umno/BN don’t have a boogieman and also the majority of supporters/members in Pakatan Rakyat are Malays.
We Stand Together
July 27, 2012
Muhyiddin is not Prime Minister material. One look at his face will tell you that. Do not be deceived, a lot of people want Mukhriz to become PM to continue Mahathir’s legacy.
RPK might be among them.
Dan
July 27, 2012
I go to malaysia-today.net everyday.
The more I read his articles, the more I am inclined to think that your earlier assessment in January was wrong.
And this is the first time I hear that you say you would migrate.
I have been thinking of going back, especially in the last couple of months.
I do not want to see my country go down from afar.
I won’t be proud telling people that “I came from Malaysia, but I have converted, now I am holding XXXX passport”
Dan,
If, on an absolutely level electoral field, UMNO /BN wins, it would mean that the majority truly want them to continue to rule.
It is then that i will leave these shores.
Dan
July 27, 2012
by the way, Malik Imtiaz was correct, that RPK is irrelevant now
queenie khoo
July 27, 2012
yes with bated breath, spout out Plan B RPK, i know you are steps ahead….
tk
July 27, 2012
hey HARIS,
we all know that it is not going to be easy ,that’s why it has to be “ANYTHING”,”BUT umno”!
if ANWAR was corrupted, wouldn’t U think that scheming mahathiur would have nailed him long ago ? i would rather wait after PRU13 for him to come clean on his past.NOTHING should stand in the way of ABU !!!
i also feel that it is much easier to discard a BILL than to repeal an ACT,cooked rice cannot be reversed to the uncooked grains, right?
so, we must demand for the 8 BERSIH reforms before the Parliament is dissolved, WHEN??
may be we can all gather at Merdeka Square on Merdeka Day in YELLOW
n look forward to a “BERSIH(4)EMPAT, DAPAT BERSIH” !!!
YES ??
Lluuung
July 28, 2012
BERSIH EMPAT(4) BERSIH DAPAT !!
rajan
July 27, 2012
Game plan made easy !
Hit bn once ,softly and careful not to hurt, then hit pr more times causing maximum damage.
Get people to think that one is still loyal to opposition cause and convert as many to see that bn is better than pr.While writing, confuse everyone while taking candid potshots at pr [anwar,tian chua sivarasah. .
I dont like the weather in madchester as i did b4.I dont trust in the weather report of madchester.
Maybe ! A twinning programme between putrajaya and madchester is in place.
ABU ABU ABU win or lose keep on the ABU fire.
And Harris keep up the good work on sabah and sarawak.
piqued
July 27, 2012
Bro,
You must feel despondent about your former comrade-in-arms. I can’t imagine the time, energy and resources you would have had to put in.
But the time to move on and onward from him has long past. Leave him to blow his own trumpet and revel in his logic. They make sense to but a few.
What you do makes perfect sense to many. Soldier on. Forget this distraction. You owe us no explanations for your folly for we too were once similarly taken in.
We have moved on, you should too.
pak yeh
July 27, 2012
Great refutation of RPKs trojan horse type of articles Haris. I totallay agree with you.
The only way to debate with RPK is to get him on your blog. that is what I had been doing.
I pity the commentators there. No difference of opinion is tolarated by RPK on his blog. He has become a Hitler.
Malaysian
July 27, 2012
Haris, you are not alone being troubled by RPK’s posting.
I’m just as confused with this posting of his!
One even suggested that we postpone Plan A (to remove BN through ballot box) to GE 14.
Can we really afford to wait till GE14 to kick out BN?
Haven’t BN done enough damages to our country and society?
Another 4-5 years to continue their plunder and pillage?
Right now, the clamour, enthusiasm, determination, wanting for change of govt is at the peak, especially, with the Chinese community. The slight Chinese voters boast to BN is due to the May 13th fear. If each time UMNO play up this May 13th issue at each coming election, and we, Nons, give in, then we will never see the end of BN’s grip on our country!
As for those who want change, they want it in the NEXT GE! Not GE14.
If it doesn’t happen, believe me, the Chinese would go back to their apathy attitude towards politics in this country. It took me more than 2 years to convince (sometimes to the extent of hassling) the youngsters in my families to register to vote. Many of my friends are now interested in politics (my ‘spamming’ of their email did play a part): something unimaginable 2 years ago! On my part, I said that I will fly home to vote. Now all of them can’t wait to vote to kick out BN. I can imagine their disappointment if it doesn’t happen. As for me, I will throw in the towel, and my retirement plans to come home will have to be changed!
After all, for the Chinese community, whether it’s under BN or PK, they will still manage to find their rice bowl, one way or the other. And for those who can afford, emigration will be their next alternative. That’s the feedback I got from my friend in the real estate. Some already on the standby!
Sigh! Malaysians were/are not ready for change at the same time. The last time the Malays were ready to kick out BN we, Nons, were not. This time the Chinese are ready but what about the other communities?
Ghani
July 29, 2012
you people just dream to kick of BN, as there is no bill to dream. As for fence sitter like me, BN is still very much needed. I don’t say BN is perfect but still 100 time better then people who have no principle. As long Anwar was in UMNO he was all praise for UMNO and BN. He was highly critical of DAP and PAS. All his speeches are on the record. Now since he has been kicked off from from UMNO, He find every fault in UMNO and BN. Can we trust him. If he had left UMNO on principle, then it make sense if he talk, but it is otherwise (Kicked off). So for us he has no credibility. His only dream is to become PM, he will do whatever he can to become PM. I don’t think if this dream can ever become a reality.
We Stand Together
July 29, 2012
I think that it is you who is dreaming, lol.
Plenty of fence sitters still believe in all of UMNO’s old ideals but they have woken up and BUKA MATA BESAR BESAR because they have realised that the corruption in UMNO is fatal for this country, and all hopes for reform within UMNO have become sadly untenable. Nothing has changed but Malaysians are fed slogan after slogan.
Open your eyes big big, my friend. Barisan Nasional is an organisation that can’t even harness the skills and resources of our people to create a proper Merdeka logo. When I saw the sight today I felt so much shame.
Malaysian
July 30, 2012
Gani, I’m not blind. I know that Anwar is not an angel nor Pakatan Rakyat is perfect and neither do I expect them to be! But to say that BN is not perfect, is too mild a word to describe a party that is corrupted to the core and brazenly abusive! Gee! I don’t know which planet you live in if you are unaware of it. Credibility? No principle? Untrustworthy? These could very well describe BN! So, between the two lesser evils, I prefer the lesser.
Besides, Pakatan is not just about Anwar. ABU is not just about Pakatan. We need to kuburkan UMNO in order to bring our country back to the days when we were ALL MALAYSIANS!
So, tell me, Gani, why is BN still very much needed in this country? If you talk about BN in the olden days a.k.a ‘Old UMNO’, yes, that I agree! In those days, there were no “Pendatang” nor “Ketuanan Melayu” . Nobody was against NEP cos we, Nons, felt that the Malay poor needed help then, and even now. But let’s not forget about our brothers/sisters in the rubber estates, villages or the natives in Sabah and Sarawak.
It will do BN good to be in the Opposition for once. Someone once said that to save BN/UMNO, it has to taste defeat first. Perhaps then the old UMNO spirit will resurface?
Afterall, we need a two-party system to check on the Pakatan govt! Who could be better than BN cos they said “It takes a thief to catch a thief” – experience par excellence!
the mythbuster
July 27, 2012
Haris, Let us stick to our Plan A and that is ABU. Let us not get sidetracked by what that irrelevant RPK says. He may be privy to Plan B as he is seen to be in cohorts with the evil Mamak Mohamad Kutty and the racist warlords in UMNO.
First the Najib must muster enough courage to show he is the PM of the country and not the mamak who pretends to be the de facto PM and directs the EC to implement the the demands of BERSIH 3.0.
Second he must ensure that the playing field for all the political parties are level and not tilted in favour of UMNO?BN. This may be a difficult proposition but it can be done if Najib wants to win the 13th GE without resorting to the dirty tricks that the evil Mamak Mohamad Kutty has been playing all along.
Thirdly he must stop his blatant vote buying using the notorious ” You help me, I help you” idiotic stunt.
Fourthly he should be able to put the warlords on the Mamak’s payroll with Moohedin as the prime instigator in their place. He should start the plot covertly to destroy his rivals and their power completely. Otherwise, even if he wins, he would still a puppet in their hands.
If Najib wins AFTER he has implemented the demands of BERSIH, I have no qualms about accepting him as the victor. At least we would know he won because we did not put in enough effort. Under such a scenario we would be the slaves of these corrupted, arrogant and racist warlords for another 5 decades.
If we let UMNO/BN win, then we deserve to be kicked in our asses.
Pakatan Rakyat can only form the next government if there is no infighting among its component parties. They should not try to dominate and play the big brother’s role where Sabah and Sarawak are concerned. They should iron out an election pledge with the parties in Sabah and Sarawak and give all the support they can to see that UMNO/BN loses its foothold in those states.
Pakatan Rakyat is facing an envious task. Can it pull it off? Are the mainland leaders of PR sophisticated and matured enough to play the political cards in such a way as to wipe out the influence of UMNO/BN? Till now they don’t seem to have that political awareness. They seem to be creating more bitterness towards Pakatan Rakyat through their mule-headed politicking.
Let us not even think about Plan B. It is beyond our control. If the country has to go through a civil war to get rid of UMNO/BN, so be it. That would be karma.
Joe Keegan
July 27, 2012
Dear Harris,
If the five demands of Bersih are ignored by the government and the elections called, you are not prepared to go to the polls. You would stay away from the polls as a protest?.
How is this staying away from the elections different from a boycott of GE13?
If a boycott call fails to materialize into mass action, which is likely given the current election euphoria, how will it become an obstacle to mass protest and resistance (perhaps not immediately but in later days or even a year or two later), to a very corrupt and oppressive regime which wins elections through fraudulent means?
Joe,
Read my post again.
I emphatically said I was not advocating a boycott of the elections.
bigjoe99
July 27, 2012
Its those that believe that there can be a Plan B other than a PR taking over Putrajaya first that is delusional – that include the Sabahan, the Hindraf etc that believe there is anything else other than putting PR in Putrajaya first for them to achieve anything better..
There is only one Plan B – the collapse of this country and all of us with it first. Those of us that can avoid it i.e., leave. we say sorry first..We won’t wait – and I can bet you MILLIONS will not..
Joe Keegan
July 27, 2012
Harris,
You did not advocate boycott of elections. That is not the question.
The question is if you are going to stay away from GE13 because of the fraudulent way it is likely to be conducted, how is this abstention different from a boycott?
Joe,
We either take to the streets before or after the polls
Looes74
July 27, 2012
I like Harris style. To hell with it
Lluuung
July 28, 2012
Take to d street before ,
Hartal after ?
HuaYong
July 27, 2012
“Unfortunately, in a democracy, it is what the majority wants that counts. Whether what the majority wants is right or wrong is not crucial. If the majority in Germany during WWII wanted the Jews exterminated then the Jews will get exterminated. Is this the right thing to do? Maybe not but majority rule is not about what is right. That is the downside of democracy, as history has time and again proven.”
It’s the subsequent loss of democratic rights that perpetuated what turned out to be a bad decision. RPK don’t even grasp such simple concept of democracy and rule of law but trying to lecture us on democracy?
He talked a lot about the evil of UMNO and what is the possible and probable consequence, but what is his solution? Give our vote to UMNO.
He is no different with the one he accused, not sure if he is a hypocrite or this is the real him.
PS/ I post my comment here because Petra can come up with millions of reason to censor and delete our comment.
Looes74
July 27, 2012
Hua yong, one just got to look back on history. The sad tragedy of sp seenivasagam. He wanted to serve Ipoh by joining bn so that he remains as the president of Ipoh municipal council. The end result is ppp was wiped. Najib daddy laughing at the pathetic oppos. That’s what rpk proposed. That’s what you gonna get. Perpetual rule of umno. Forever & ever. Amen
sunwayopal
July 27, 2012
RPK is going nowhere. His Plan A and Plan B is nonsensical.
It is like your child. Your child says I want to study hard to try and make sure i get to do medicine in Uni.
What RPK is saying in his Plan A and Plan B post is , my child, I think there is a chance you may not make it to study medicine in Uni, so why dont u just try and b a nurse because if u dont make it, at least u get a nurse !!!
what is this crap from RPK?
U havent eaven approached the battelfield and u r asking your soldiers give up on Plan A !!!
crap man.
sunwayopal
S. Menon
July 27, 2012
I have said this before and I will say it again – Najib will emulate his father’s ploy. They will create or manipulate some sort of post-election disturbance, and use that as a pretext to declare Emergency Rule. The writing is on the wall.
S. Menon
July 27, 2012
I am of the opinion that we should make a pre-emptive strike to take the wind out of Najib’s sails. We should all attend the Merdeka Day ceremony wearing Bersih or ABU T-shirts covered up by a jacket or another T-shirt, the latter to be removed just as the ceremony begins.
Menon,
I like your suggestion
Manivannan Letchumanan
July 27, 2012
At the moment RPK is not the issue , he is more like fighting with himself, to me Plan A, B, C, D until Z = do things without the influence of RPK. he has done his bit and now he is in his own world of political philosophy. As far as i am concerned RPK’s remarks are way past bedtime therefore they have become a fairytale.
As it stands today ABU is here to stay, lets Thrive for ABU , like RPK said its like a brawl in the bar, you dont get a Plan B, its either Plan A or be clobbered. its ABU and lets go for it.
AS far as i know with my limited mind its Plan A. Plan B and Plan U by god what have we here its ABU all over again. So stick in there and lets get ready to rumble, anybody who wants a Plan B then they are not fit to brawl.
wandererAUS
July 27, 2012
If Plan A succeeded, you see a wave of UMNO migration and If failed, you see more “Pendatang” migrating. No question of PlanA failing, Malaysia will be doomed. As it is now, UMNO bastards have already punched a Big Hole in the country. Even to repair the wrecked Malaysia will take tremendous effort by a new government. So forget Plan B and concentrate on ABU…..failing to kick out UMNO from Putrajaya is not an option!
We Stand Together
July 27, 2012
Haris,
I thought that as a lawyer, you would be able to see through bullshit and tall tales by now.
A valid Plan B does not entail backing down, “negotiating” or otherwise capitulating to acts of mass murder, violence, terror and oppression. It would prove to the eyes of the regime that these methods work, and they will resort to them again and again for the next few decades, just like they did with May 13.
If Malaysians do not recognise such violence and cruelty as ILLEGITIMATE, then this will be evidence to the eyes of the rest of the world that this is the way that Malaysians can and should be ruled. It will suit everybody to have it this way.
RPK has no real strategy. I have never heard of a one man strategist or a strategist who needs to brag about how good he is. RPK’s faithful readers are not very intelligent, they cannot see through his saltimbanque act.
Perhaps you should ask yourself Haris, how is it that so many personalities and supposed allies came out of the woodwork to attack Bersih and otherwise sow misinformation immediately, right after the April 28 rally when even Hisapmudin looked like he had spent a few sleepless nights crying from his buttocks being tanned by his UMNO mates.
I don’t know if Bersih has a Plan B either, but I strongly encourage that they have one, or form one. If something happens, the UMNO strategists will intensify their efforts to delegitimise Bersih as well as misdirect and mislead people.
I hope you have a plan to maintain the integrity of lines of communication and survival of leadership as well as to mobilise us at the decisive moment for the decisive hammer blow on this rotten regime if they should decide to forsake their own humanity for power.
Dream Evil
July 27, 2012
Haris, it’s the infinite nightmare haunting us over again, thinking that UMNO is all set not to leave us alone, that bothers us. Enough of 50 odd years of misery, if we do not see the light at the end of the the 13th GE tunnel, we are in for total darkness, destined to eternity. UMNO is the left side of evil, for all we know. Lesser than two evils, PR certainly is, at least till they realize that we are the same morons we were under UMNO! ha! ha!
Lluuung
July 28, 2012
This pm is a fake, he is not sincere n never means what he says; like perkasa he is just a puppet controlled by despicable MeanManiac.
He is d postal boy for d left wing of bn n perkasa d right wing. The whole bn is playing sandiwara directed by d Despicable MeanManiac , there’s no radical faction or reformist faction; they are just d right hand n d left hand of d same lying bn controlled by d same despicable MeanManiac.So, let’s not b fooled by d postal boy
HARIS, in d present scenario I think bn looks rather unstable, if I were to vote for long term security , my vote will go to PAKATAN.
As for May13,it was NOT a spontaneous racial riot , but orchestrated by Harun,Ghazali,Razak n d despicable MeanManiac as proven by declassified documents researched by Dr Kua Kia Soong
So , I see no radical flavor or reformist flavor in umno ,it is just one same old bn controlled by d MeanManiac which we must reject
This pm has too many baggage , he is at d mercy of many; he won’t b able to take charge.
Let’s all vote for Change: UBAH n ABU !!!
baba
July 28, 2012
Malik Imtiaz was spot on when he labeled RPK irrelevant. I have given up on RPK a long time ago. Only occasionally when the name RPK crops up in FMT or this site do I browse Malaysia Today to see what rubbish he has written. In his latest article the only thing RPK has achieve is to push people even further away from BN towards PR and ABU. I sometimes wonder if the self styled ‘master strategist’ is intentionally applying some sort or Sun Tzu reverse psychology to push people ever further away from BN by writting these rubbish articles. Is it possible I ask myself. But then the realistic and rational side on me says…. no way! RPK is just not smart enough to think this way. If ever you are reading this RPK….. nothing personal but you really need accept reality. Imtiaz is right….. RPK is irrelevant!
baba
July 28, 2012
‘In my view he has not addressed those concerns. I will to wait out the 48 hours’. Nice one Haris. Really cannot wait to see RPK foam in his mouth trying to justify his article and views.
Antares
July 28, 2012
Haris, you of all people ought to have realized by now that RPK is essentially a one-man show. Which is why he can’t help but admire that other disastrous one-man-show who was pathologically incapable of stepping aside for younger blood and fresher talent to take over the wheel.
Looes74
July 29, 2012
Antares, since rpk is in uk, perhaps we remind him what the hell happened to David Owen of sdp. Anyway just like rpk, David claimed to be the original architect of new labour
Malchindian
July 28, 2012
Still want the blood sucking regime out but have come to realise that to ABU one must take aim accurately for the jugular. Focus first on ABMM.
Anwaar
July 28, 2012
Down with the regime! Revolusi Rakyat! 🙂 ~If Malaysians are ready for it~
MalaysianinNewYork
July 28, 2012
Harris, let’s stray away from who has the bigger ball in our NATO Malaysians society. What do you think of this http://www.necf.org.my/newsmaster.cfm?&menuid=43&action=view&retrieveid=1418. Is it a ripe time for religious organization to turn bias to achieve the desired result or should they stand apolitical as religion and politics should not mix. Why now? What brings the reform, who brings the reform? Is it for political purpose or how it is manipulated or for genuine reasons that had lapsed for the NATO community in Malaysia previously? Isn’t it a pity when we can’t see eye to eye when NATO community picks its battle according to the flavor of the day and indulge themselves. Malaysian Mah!!! Need gossip for the Kedai Kopi cerita, too much time to kill and speculate what should be or otherwise. Let’s face facts in Malaysia, instead of humane objectives, today we are faced with economical & political objectives. The shallowness of politicians is well reflected with our NATO community, can temberang whenever we chose it without any real conviction to ampu the masters.
Malayan Boey
July 28, 2012
Haris, you are an idealist activist. I admire your principles. However, RPK is a political realist. And, in much as political strategy goes, I tend to agree with his assessments & approach.
The political reality is that BN is here to stay. Either as the Government or Opposition. So, no matter what, they will remain part of the political scene in Malaysia. They cannot be wiped out completely since they would have, at least, 30% of the electorate as hard core supporters.
If they are opposition, they will be revealing all the dirt on PR, just as RPK is doing now. If PR is unable to counter the onslaught from one person, how is PR going to counter 30% of the electorate? A united BN with billions stashed away and prepared to spend, spend, spend to bring down PR.
Need I spell it out clearer than RPK if BN continue to form the Government? You & many have the option to migrate. The rest of us have no such means. We will have to continue to live under the diseased thumb of BN. Under this scenario, I’d rather have a wishy-washy Najib than a hard-nosed & radical other person, together with the one, who ruled for 22 years.
Under the first person, we can hope for a chance to try again in GE14. The alternative will crush all opposition and rule for another 22 years. I, for one, don’t have another 22 years on my death bed to realise a “new” Malaysia.
Thus, if the second scenario happens, I would rather ensure the first person retains power than the alternative.
In chess, a good player strategises several steps ahead looking at alternative scenarios NOT Plan A full-stop.
We Stand Together
July 28, 2012
An ultra and extremist as Prime Minister will have a lot less support than you think, even within the branches of government.
But if lousy, gutless capitulationists have their way they will get away with it, which is what they are counting on. A hardline coup is a gamble, nothing more.
Malaysian
July 28, 2012
Yes, a wishy-washy Najib is better than a hard-nosed & radical other person.
Just the thought of Muhyiddin becoming our PM makes me want to puke!
I rather have Nik Abdul Aziz as PM rather than this moron ‘Malay 1st, Malaysian 2nd’
But the only way for Najib to save his skin is to win have 2/3 majority win!
But is it possible with so many people wanting his skins, even within his party?
Besides, didn’t we give Badawi an overwhelming majority to run the country?
But looked what happened?
Najib maybe sincere in his 1Malaysia slogans but he doesn’t have the support within his party.
So, whoever become the PM under BN, the hardcores will not be too far behind.
That is why LKS said that this GE13 is the Mother of all Battles!
Looes74
July 29, 2012
hahaha, sp seenivasagam shared the sentiment & his misstep sunk the mighty ppp.
Rpk suggestion lagi worse. It may sunk the whole country. One more thing is rpk is 10k miles away from Malaysia. While he could happily carry on with his life should the plan b, you got to stuck with mess
I agree with mr bean from din merican blog. It’s time to leave the guy alone. With his fetishes. Yes, nowadays he’s to tell how indispensable he’s.
Rpk, up yours la
Nate Hendroff
July 28, 2012
This is the only forum I have to ask a question which is tangential to this topic.
I am disturbed by the mechanics of the indelible ink solution proposed by the SRP. From a report I saw in the Mass Media, a little line is to be drawn across the fingernail of the voter. Surely this is open for manipulation. What if I was to lacquer my nail, have the line drawn over the lacquer and then remove the lacquer? Would somebody please take this up with the necessary authorities and widely disseminate the result.
We Stand Together
July 28, 2012
Haris ah, your friend has responded. His response is characteristically long winded. I see him using the word “we” a lot when referring to MCLM. But sadly, how was it that for key decisions you were kept out of the loop? Who was it in the MCLM that RPK was referring to when he said “we”? Were there other people involved in the making of decisions that you didn’t know about? Or is RPK’s “we” actually a word for “I”?
————————–
In a stage performance, a long and elaborate song and dance is usually just a method of captivating an audience and distracting them. This is nice once in a while but when done too often only the most ardent fans who need that all the time will stick around.
There are no liberals and radicals within Barisan Nasional or UMNO. They are the two hands of the organism. One can wave at you and another can secretly hold a keris behind the back. You see, the organism knows that people clutch at ideals and values because they have been conditioned to do so by a lifetime, but in the corridors of power these are useful tools, nothing more.
I was always skeptical about the talk about a two-party system. First because I don’t really understand what a two party system is, secondly because I have observed the political failures and manipulations in the US and UK. But ABU and the civil society movement in Malaysia cannot be just about creating a two party system.
It is about pruning off the rotten branches that have grown out of the May 13 coup forty three years ago because it is sucking the nation dry like a parasite. Anything less than this goal, and nothing will change in Malaysia. If another coup happens, it will be not the time to back down, and especially NOT the time.
Sadly, guess who would go into overdrive throwing out all the capitulationist song and dances when that time comes? They have already begun in earnest this January. If readers could only see through the song and dances to the message. *chuckles*
We Stand Together
July 28, 2012
Aiyah, I have gotten the timing of the posts wrong. RPK has not really replied as you have mentioned earlier.
Rahman Hyder
July 28, 2012
why so antagonistic towards rpk? is it really necessary to issue 48hr ultimatums publicly, like some tamil movie hero? as far as i know, rpk has been fighting the fight much longer than you. yet you throw away your friendship over some petty disagreement. seems that one has to agree with you 110%, otherwise they are “irrelevant”.
malayan boey seems to me to make the most sense.
Looes74
July 29, 2012
Rahman, rpk asked anwar to f off because he’s not fulfilling his end of the bargaining. I am quite sure 6 years of incarceration make him deserved the respect more than you. Or so? If anwar can be crucified, who the f is rpk? The best way would be to excommunicate him.
Rahman Hyder
July 29, 2012
anwar has always been after power. not so rpk.
if rpk was behaving like a child towards haris son of ibrahim, i’d be defending haris son of ibrahim. we need all the help we can get.
better get used to the idea that everyone is not going to agree on everything.
look into their heart and decide if they are trustworthy or not.
from what i see, both rpk and haris son of ibrahim are good people. i don’t agree with everything they say, but i think ultimately they both have the same objective.
We Stand Together
July 30, 2012
Malayan Boey succinctly summarised RPK’s post and now let me summarise it even more for the people who are still confused:
That type of reasoning is PENGECUT and BACUL. That “strategy” is essentially capitulating to threats of treason, violence and intimidation against the Malaysian people by supporting a lame duck Prime Minister, thereby aiding and abetting the very same people who make that threat in the first place.
Then add stories about civil war, Syrian army massacres and the Siamese model of royal governance to scare Malaysians more with children’s ghost stories.
Come on lah. Do you think Malaysians really are that stupid and bacul? The only people who buy RPK’s reasoning are those who court defeat because they have already been defeated in their own minds.
Rahman Hyder
July 30, 2012
wah … this brave guy won’t even use his real name on this blog, yet can call others “pengecut” and “bacul” …. lol.
We Stand Together
July 31, 2012
Does that make you mad, Rahman? You will never find out who I am. What is more, can you read? I said it was the REASONING that was pengecut and bacul. I hope you didn’t take what I wrote personally. That would be impossible unless you felt the shoe somehow fits. ROFL
We Stand Together
July 28, 2012
Lest anybody be confused, a coup against the democratically elected government of Malaysia is TREASON, the commission and facilitation of electoral fraud in Malaysia is TREASON, the use of violence, fear, and terror against the people of Malaysia is TREASON.
Any of these things occurring will mean that things have moved far from even the normal realm of politics in this country and into blatant CRIME.
I need not start rhetorical questions with the word “Apakah” to make this obvious point that even a child could understand.
Argus Eye
July 28, 2012
I still believe RPK is relevant.Those who are questioning RPK today are ones who were infuriated by the ‘timing’ of his mainstream media interviews. Did he really make a u-turn? Is it a sin to whack PR? I agree with his approach and if we really consider ourselves kingmakers, we will have to be prepared to whack both sides of the political divide. It is only now that PR is a govt (at state-level) so it makes perfect sense to lash out when they mess around. BN is a damaged party. My vote is surely for PR but they should be kept under close observation.
Baba
July 28, 2012
Argus Eye, i agree with you that we should be prepared to lash both sides of the political divide. also, i do not think that it is a sin to whack pr so long as the intention is to improve pr and it is constructive in nature. but if the intention is to inflict damage and personal in nature, then that is where the line is drawn. it becomes a ‘sin’ when one has crossed the line and yet still preaches to not have crossed, very deceiving.
rpk’s comments during the sarawak state election and days before anwar’s court decision was clearly timed and designed to inflict maximum damage. rpk preaches to be neutral and whack both sides. going by that logic, if rpk wants to inflict damage to pr, then he must also do the same to bn. yes i admit that i no longer read rpk’s site often. but enough to notice the venomous manner in which rpk writes about pr’s so called sensational ‘scandals’. the cow condo scandal, the recent french scorpene investigation, pkfz, george kent lrt and many many more, why the deafening silence from rpk?
Argus Eye
July 28, 2012
I still believe RPK is relevant.Those who are questioning RPK today are ones who were infuriated by the ‘timing’ of his mainstream media interviews. Did he really make a u-turn? Is it a sin to whack PR? I agree with his approach and if we really consider ourselves kingmakers, we will have to be prepared to whack both sides of the political divide. It is only now that PR is a govt (at state-level) so it makes perfect sense to lash out when they mess around. BN is a damaged party. My vote is surely for PR but they should be kept under close observation.
p/s- the above is a general comment. as for your concerns, i too hope he replies them.
Billy
July 29, 2012
Haris, do you know what is my greater fear should UMNO retains federalship despite Pakatan’s ability to win more states than the present four in the coming GE13? They will continue to fill the country with more illegals and phantom voters especially in constituencies where they lost marginally. The more constituencies they lose, the more illegals you will find. What is to become of our country then? In recent report, illiterate Pakistanis were found to be holding Malaysian passports at airport immigration counters and the immigration officer was not in the least bothered to interrogate these fellas? If these people could stroll into our country with ease, what is stopping the Talibans from Pakistan from doing the same? It is without a doubt that our national security has been COMPROMISED and unbelievable as it may sound, it seems to have been done with the blessings of UMNO.
Lluuung
July 29, 2012
Hi Billy,
You r right,with each passing day ,it looks more n more urgent that this nation must b ABUkan and NOW !!!
Jeyan
July 29, 2012
The way I c it , ABU is a vision , an idea – a desire for a dynamic country of rule of law where everyone is equal , not because u r born into a particular religious or racial group or worse because u became a part of the Mafia called BN. It is not about icons . There is no denying that RPK did help our cause once . We are grateful for him for that but does not mean he deserved our undying loyalty till eternity . Whatever his reasons , not only has he become too arrogant but more worryingly what he is doing nowadays hurts our cause/ vision more than it helps. Time to forget abt RPK and keep focussed on ABU. After all , Haris is doing a sterling job as one of those powering these movement though I agree we should not leave it to a few dedicated individuals and chip in in our own ways .
Lluuung
July 29, 2012
Hi HARIS,
RPK got me thinking that may be we should “DOUBLE ABUKAN” those bn candidates we don’t want to see returned to their seat;what say you ?
RPK also mentioned “Hudud law”;HARIS, even amongst the Muslims , not everyone is for it.
Does the King really need to have an answer to this issue before election? Surely the Rakyat can have proper indepth discourse in the future, what is the hurry ?
BEST WISHES to you HARIS
Tiki Taka
July 30, 2012
So, we want UMNO-BN out and are willing to accept PR. Is PR clean? Look at PKR party elections, it was filled with fraud. Now how are they gonna govern cleanly when their own party election is anything but clean?? DAP … are they really walking their CAT talk with shady characters like Ronnie Liu, Lee Kee Hiong, Teresa Kok etc?
Malaysian
July 30, 2012
I sound like a broken record here after my reply to Gani! Tiki Taka, I know that Pakatan is not clean/perfect and some of its MPs need some kicking. But compared to BN, which is corrupted to the core, I rather take the risk with Pakatan. Why don’t you give us a list of credible MPs from BN and then we can vote for the calibre of the candidate instead?! Didn’t Mahathir once say that all the smart people have left UMNO?
We have given BN 54 years to run this country and where is our country heading? Brain drain and capital outflow is a sign that something is ill with our country. A colossal RM893 billion was siphoned out of Malaysia’s economy into tax havens abroad between 1970 and 2010. The sum is more than triple that of Malaysia’s national debt total which amounted to RM257.2 billion in 2011. The brain drain is still a major problem in Malaysia and will be a stumbling block to achieve high-end income status. Malaysia is the only country that I know that welcomes unskilled and untalented immigrants!
Unless there is a fundamental and positive changes in BN’s policies, I see no other hope for our country. Tiki Taka, can you suggest another alternative party/coalition to take on BN other than PK? Until then, the only way out is to kick out BN and let PK do the job and then we will weed out those PK MPs with UMNO mentality!!! If we are not happy with PK, we can always kick them out in the NEXT NEXT GE, as we, the Rakyat is the boss! Besides, BN will do us a favour by being in the Opposition. They will be well placed to check on the Pakatan govt cos it takes a thief to catch a thief!
We Stand Together
July 30, 2012
This is too funny. If there were anything on Ronnie Liu, Lee Kee Hiong or Teresa Kok, they would be in jail or would have videos posted all over the place by now. After all, look at how much money was involved in the investigation that led to Teoh Beng Hock’s murder.
Hardcore UMNO supporters concentrate on personalities so much, because they know their own system is rotten to the core yet nurtures them with its sour milk.
Phua Kai Lit
July 30, 2012
Food for thought:
In politics, as in espionage, there can be double agents (and even triple agents).
Wiser to judge people by their current deeds rather than by their words/writings.
Thank RPK for what he has done in the past …. and totally ignore him for the present !
We Stand Together
July 30, 2012
RPK has been badly compromised.
looes74
July 30, 2012
Harris,
Sorry to side track.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/07/30/debate-for-jelapang-seat-says-haris-2/
Lim Kit Siang’s response on Jelapang before 12th GE.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/1/nation/20485301&sec=nation
PSM went ahead to contest. Here is the result
MCA Loh Koi Pin 5512
DAP Hee Yit Foong 12219
PSM Sarawathy 1275
DAP Perak got plenty of talented candidates. They may even put Zairil there
Ling
July 30, 2012
To ensure the Opposition gets in at the forthcoming elections the West Malaysians need the help of East Malaysians. We are the kingmakers, but we have a price. For too long our so-called leaders, aided and abetted by the Feds, have let us down. We want reassurance that when we deliver the seats to West Malaysia that we are treated as equals and not as country cousins.
looes74
July 30, 2012
Everybody should be treated as equal. I understand that sabah & sarawak comes in as equals. If that’s the case, what the heck……Lets give equal opportunities to all states including my home state, Perak
sampalee
July 31, 2012
RPK have no intention to be PM,But Anwar does.There are many slime balls out there and they do not bother me.However if any one of them wamt to be my PM,the I will ‘F’ him as I would “F” AI.
We Stand Together
July 31, 2012
So tell me. How do you feel about the Korean trained anarchists?
In my opinion, that was pure stupidity.
After leaving behind so many hints by now if his readers still don’t get it they may as well commit suicide for stupidity.
Pgkia
July 31, 2012
Your 48 hours have long pass. It seems that RPK had certainly sold his soul to Mahathir.