Malaysia Chronicle
As expected, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has passed the buck to the police, saying it was up to them to impose Emergency rule as they see fit.
With the global spotlight intensifying on the way he was handling a citizens’ march calling for free and fair election, the 58-year career politician appeared to have buckled to pressure from right-wing factions within his UMNO party.
However, pundits say he is still there holding the steering wheel and pin the responsiblity for any “untoward” incident squarely on him. Pakatan Rakyat leaders urged Najib to issue an immediate clarification so as not to unsettle the people or the financial markets.
“He is being very irresponsible to even suggest such a thing? Are we a police state? How can the police bypass a civilian government? Does it make sense and worse of all, doesn’t he think about the impact his words as PM will create with such a statement,” PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Not the PM’s responsibility
At a function in Sabah state, the PM said maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the police and it would be up to them to decide the action to take.
“That is up to the police to consider according to the situation. It is their responsibility,” Star reported Najib as saying.
The PM was asked to comment on speculation that has buzzed around the nation that his BN coalition planned to impose Emergency law to stop the Bersih rally slated for July 9.
A day ago, the police chief had warned of the possibility of “loss of life” if the rally was not cancelled, sparking immediate concerns that Najib might use government agents to provoke unrest and pave the way for him to install Emergency rule and cling to power.
Najib and the BN coalition fear the rally will spark a wave of social consciousness across the country, much like the Arab Spring had in Egypt and Tunisia. His comments on Thursday suggested as much.
“Rallies have the tendencies to bring about mob psychology. That is why we cannot take it lightly. This is something we will find hard to control and if this happens, it will jeapordise the people and country,” said the PM.
Think carefully, repercussions very serious
But civil society leaders, even those who tend to walk on the BN side of the fence, immediately condemned his comments.
They urged the PM to stop the ‘scare-mongering’ which they said was causing great harm to the nation’s image and could leave a long-lasting scar on the financial markets and economy.
“Unfortunate to even have to reach a stage of thinking about an Emergency. Emergency rule must be out of the question, we would be going back to the days of the Malayan Emergency where the country was fighting the Communists. Then briefly in the May 13, 1960 racial riots,” past president of Transparency International Ramon Navaratnam told Malaysia Chronicle.
“I urge the PM to seriously reflect. Emergency is not just about security. It will create tremendous and long-lasting repercussions for Malaysia. It signals the death knell for democracy and we could see huge capital flight if he does not immediately correct the impression that he is giving. This is no longer funny. And the solution is not in blaming the opposition or forcing the Bersih to cancel the rally. It is for the government to knuckle down and accept that Malaysia has transormed. The Najib administration must trust its own citizens and not threaten something as serious as Emergency just to hold onto the upperhand.”
Meanwhile, religious leaders also urged Najib to allow the citizens’ march, pointing out that peaceful assembly was a right enshrined under the Constitution.
“Any pre-emptive banning of proposed peaceful assemblies would mean that one has no right to peaceful assembly, making the fundamental guarantee illusory. The police have the duty and the capacity to control such assemblies and can designate routes and separate the different groups as has been done during the recent by-elections,” the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) said in a statement.
Najib chided for irresponsible behaviour
The Bersih organisers – made up of 62 of the country’s top NGOs – are unlikely to be browbeaten into cancelling the march. To do so would be akin to selling out the citizens who form their members’ list and entrust into them the task of fighting for greater democratic rights and space.
Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan has assured the police the march will be peaceful and are agreeable to gather at any route suggested by the authorities. Nonetheless, despite the concessions made and repeated invitations to the BN to join the rally, Najib has turned a cold shoulder.
He has blamed his archrival Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Rakyat coalition for stirring up the Bersih rally. However, his government has refused to accede any of the 8 election reforms asked by Bersih. (scroll below)
“The BN’s reasoning that this is an opposition ploy doesn’t work. If this is an opposition ploy, anything is an opposition ploy. What is obvious is that the people want this march. They want the election reforms. Now, how difficult is it for Najib as the PM to talk to the Bersih. The people behind Bersih have been NGOs heads for years. We know them for years,” said Ramon, a retired top civil servant.
“How difficult is it for Najib to agree to some of the reforms. Seriously, some of these are quite good. Things like indelible ink, these are very small requests and yet the BN seems ready to plunge the country into something as serious as Emergency rule. My fervent wish is that the PM takes serious stock of what has happened. Malaysia is at the brink and BN must come to its senses.” - Malaysia Chronicle
Overseas sister-rallies to the July 9 Bersih Walk for Democracy
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 3pm Venue: Malaysian High Commission, 4-1 Hannam-dong, 140-210, Seoul
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 12.00pm Venue: Malaysian Consulate in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney (simultaneous)
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 3.00pm Venue: Tower of the Sun, Osaka
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 10.00am Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia,550 South Hope Street,Suite 400, Los Angeles
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 9.30am Venue: Chrissy Field Picnic Area, Presidio, San Francisco
Date: 9 July 2011 Time: 10.00am Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia, 313 East 43rd Street, New York
Malaysia Chronicle appends below the 8 reforms drawn up and demanded on behalf of Malaysians by the Bersih committee:
1. Clean the electoral roll
The electoral roll is marred with irregularities such as deceased persons and multiple persons registered under a single address or non-existent addresses. The electoral roll must be revised and updated to wipe out these ‘phantom voters’. The rakyat have a right to an electoral roll that is an accurate reflection of the voting population.
In the longer term, BERSIH 2.0 also calls for the EC to implement an automated voter registration system upon eligibility to reduce irregularities.
2. Reform postal ballot
The current postal ballot system must be reformed to ensure that all citizens of Malaysia are able to exercise their right to vote. Postal ballot should not only be open for all Malaysian citizens living abroad, but also for those within the country who cannot be physically present in their voting constituency on polling day. Police, military and civil servants too must vote normally like other voters if not on duty on polling day.
The postal ballot system must be transparent. Party agents should be allowed to monitor the entire process of postal voting.
3. Use of indelible ink
Indelible ink must be used in all elections. It is a simple, affordable and effective solution in preventing voter fraud. In 2007, the EC decided to implement the use of indelible ink. However, in the final days leading up to the 12th General Elections, the EC decided to withdraw the use of indelible ink citing legal reasons and rumours of sabotage.
BERSIH 2.0 demands for indelible ink to be used for all the upcoming elections. Failure to do so will lead to the inevitable conclusion that there is an intention to allow voter fraud.
4. Minimum 21 days campaign period
The EC should stipulate a campaign period of not less than 21 days. A longer campaign period would allow voters more time to gather information and deliberate on their choices. It will also allow candidates more time to disseminate information to rural areas. The first national elections in 1955 under the British Colonial Government had a campaign period of 42 days but the campaign period for 12th GE in 2008 was a mere 8 days.
5. Free and fair access to media
It is no secret that the Malaysian mainstream media fails to practice proportionate, fair and objective reporting for political parties of all divide. BERSIH 2.0 calls on the EC to press for all media agencies, especially state-funded media agencies such as Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM) and Bernama to allocate proportionate and objective coverage for all potlical parties.
6. Strengthen public institutions
Public institutions must act independently and impartially in upholding the rule of law and democracy. Public institutions such as the Judiciary, Attorney-General, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), Police and the EC must be reformed to act independently, uphold laws and protect human rights.
In particular, the EC must perform its constitutional duty to act independently and impartially so as to enjoy public confidence. The EC cannot continue to claim that they have no power to act, as the law provides for sufficient powers to institute a credible electoral system.
7. Stop corruption
Corruption is a disease that has infected every aspect of Malaysian life. BERSIH 2.0 and the rakyat demand for an end to all forms of corruption. Current efforts to eradicate corruption are mere tokens to appease public grouses. We demand that serious action is taken against ALL allegations of corruption, including vote buying.
8. Stop dirty politics
Malaysians are tired of dirty politics that has been the main feature of the Malaysian political arena. We demand for all political parties and politicians to put an end to gutter politics. As citizens and voters, we are not interested in gutter politics; we are interested in policies that affect the nation.
- ENDS
Link to full article
“Kami maklumkan kepada beliau, kami akan melakukan sedaya upaya bagi memastikan perhimpunan itu adalah aman… Sebab itu, kami cadangkan kepada polis untuk memutuskan jalan yang patut kita lalui dan kita akan ikut semua arahan mereka,” katanya kepada wartawan di Bukit Aman selepas mesyuarat berkenaan.
Perarakan ini bagi menyampaikan memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong untuk memohon campur tangan Seri Paduka supaya memastikan pembaharuan dalam sistem pilihan raya negara dilakukan. Ia termasuk melanjutkan tempoh berkempen kepada sekurang-kurangnya 21 hari dan penggunaan dakwat yang tidak boleh dipadam.
Itu intipati ucapan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak beberapa bulan selepas dinobatkan sebagai Perdana Menteri pada tahun 2009.
Segala aktiviti penganjur BERSIH dan pemimpin-pemimpin politik yang menyokong gerakan itu diibaratkan oleh polis dan media arus perdana sebagai memudaratkan keselamatan negara.
Janji-janji untuk mengamalkan keterbukaan dan menjadikan rakyat sebagai paksi kepada segala tindakan beliau hanya kenyataan politik yang kosong.
Apakah undang-undang rimba berdaulat kembali apabila polis boleh menyerbu dan menyita sekretariat BERSIH tanpa waran semata-mata untuk merampas baju T dan risalah BERSIH?
Ini kerana tuntutan asas BERSIH adalah supaya sistem pilihan raya diperbaiki khususnya ketelusan undi pos di samping pembersihan daftar pengundi.
Ini tidak termasuk RTMdan Bernama yang diletak terus di bawah Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikkasi dan Kebudayaan.
Beliau seorang yang amat berpengetahuan luas, menjelajah di seluruh dunia dan tentunya peka bahawa hak berkumpul secara aman adalah prinsip asas demokrasi.
Kehadiran beliau bersama rakyat, wakil masyarakat madani dan pemimpin pembangkang pada perhimpunan BERSIH sudah tentu menjadi pemangkin untuk Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya melakukan penambahbaikan kepada sistem pemilihan yang sedia ada.
Sebaliknya Najib memilih untuk merestui tindakan polis menangkap dan memenjarakan mereka yang menuntut pilihan raya bersih dan adil.
Tempoh 14 hari diberikan oleh Wardina Saffiyah kepada blogger terbabit untuk menarik semula artikel yang memaparkan gambar Wardina bersama sebuah parti politik, Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Kehidupan Amir AF9 (Twitter: 
