Need I Remind You, PAS of What You've Agreed On?

Well, it seems that from what Nasaruddin Tantawi's statement shows, it seems there are some within not just PAS but other parties in the Alternative front that is not in league with what was agreed upon in 2008 just before the general elections. Two weeks before the general election was held on 8 March, 23 February that is to be exact, all the main non-BN parties have stated their agreement on the People's Declaration.

In fact, this declaration has been mentioned several times back by a few people including RPK himself. PAS endorsed it already one week earlier on 16 February (see Malaysia Today archive here). Just to refresh ourselves that PAS has agreed to that, the party representative who was there on that day was Dr. Siti Mariah Mahmud (MP of Kota Raja) that declared in front of the crowd that gathered at the SABM house back then that they have accepted the People's Declaration.

And just to prove that I affirm what was written previously by Pete in "We need political reforms, not just electoral reforms," here's a picture of the each of the representatives declaring their affirmation on that day. Figures who said so were Chegubard, Ronnie Liu, Wee Choo Keong and even PSM's Arul was there then.

From what I read back on the People's Declaration, there is no explicit mention of implementing an Islamic state nor implementing hudud laws. This can never happen unless PAS decides to contest 148 seats in the Parliament, which many quarters do not think that PAS can do it on their own might.

Surely everyone knows about the two Nasaruddins and how they are in favor of the so called Project Unity with their arch-rivals UMNO. Nuff said.

It's actually fine to let the people decide on whether to use which set of law. It's as identical to the Australia's 1999 referendum where 55% still favor the country to remain under Britain's crown. In my opinion, having two sets of laws will tend to confuse people, with a few instances of a case involving a non-Muslim in particular. This has created confusion and the longer judicial process since there will be a stage where there is a need to determine which set of law to be used.

Ok, maybe PAS says agree to disagree in reaction to the situation above, but having a min-level goal is a satisfactory level for every party involved.
 Actually, the right addin - way of life - which matches the proper ideals of not just the Islam religion but other religions, minus those tedious and complicated things that "you must do this and that" is actually sufficient enough and of course you have already have achieved the basic goal of what PAS and other parties would want.

The one that is closest to the situation of secular / hudud law is Kemal Ataturk's implementation of Turkey. It fascinates me that he had a clear firm hand that religion should be kept out of every day administration, even though he himself is a Muslim. To his mind, there is a certain believe that the Ottoman law and sex segregation prevented social interaction between men and women - required to further advance the country.

Reference: Kemal Ataturk's Modernization Efforts (1926-1930)

Back to the current situation - , national level hudud is not likely to happen in years to come. It is best to have it separated out to be dealt with just religious matters. The argument are that many people are simply  not ready to accept another alternative set of law from what was already established in the Constitution, in addition to that being the supreme law of the nation. It's true that there are systems in the country that will need to be radically changed to suit the present time, as it does not work anymore.

May I remind PAS to not to get off balance with what they have affirmed 4 years ago? 

Unimaginative and No Substance

I do get the feeling that whenever someone from the opposition starts putting up an idea of lowering taxes and duties for buying cars, the ruling party will start saying the similar pattern - "if you do this the country will go bankrupt". Notable opponents of the idea as in order include Khairy Jamaluddin, Ibrahim Ali, Chor Chee Heung and of course Nor Yackop.

Apparently the idea of protecting Proton and to promote the national automotive industry seemed to have ended up on the wrong endpoint already. If you look at the diagram above, getting a Toyota Altis in Indonesia is far more easier than getting one here. 

Here's a simple diagram for illustration:

This is what Finance Twitter elaborated:

“Dollar for dollar, people are still wondering why locally designed and built cars are still more expensive than imported foreign cars in the same class.

“In the 1.6-litre segment, a latest 2012 Ford Fiesta costs about US$16,000 in the US but a local Proton Persona costs a whopping RM49,000.

“A new 2012 Toyota Camry 2.5-litre in the US costs merely US$30,000 (about RM90,000) but it is costing you a leg and an arm at RM183,000 here,” read its article.

The article stated that Proton reaped huge profits due to the protection offered to it by the government and this had bred arrogance.

“Proton became arrogant and didn’t care about quality so much so that its local buyers were left without any solution for decades about its once-infamous-power-window problem,” it added.

Between a car and a house, a car is much more indispensable compared to a house. Although some argue that the car's value depreciates in time, like a mineral in a half-life cycle, nonetheless, the house can be acquired not by buying but by renting. For instance, if we decide to buy an Altis, the extra 65 thousand ringgit that is used to for paying three varieties of taxes can be used for advanced monies of buying an apartment or a small house.

Remember that in a recent economics report, the property value in Klang Valley is 5 times more than the income of an average professional, meaning that the chance of a person, particularly those who have just started working in the professional world is absolutely zero and they would be shut out. Similarly this happens if they decide to get another car. A car's primary purpose is to take a person from point A to B. Without it, it would be hard for person to perform a job. There are certain places that proven to be difficult to be accessed via public transport. That is a fact established based on the present transporting situation in town.

I couldn't find much substance and only could think of flawed logic spoken by those people whom I mentioned above. The main goal is to keep it status quo and let the people bleed in money to get what is now considered the fourth basic need in addition to food, clothing and shelter. Talking about country economy being unstable if these excess duties and taxes are removed demonstrates the lack of imagination and creativity demonstrated by our present crop of leaders in the government of the day 

It is actually possible to think other ways to generate country income instead of relying on taxes. The people who scream of Singapore in the past eventually should realize that they have already lost out to their neighbors as they,  looking beyond the veil of racial topics have put themselves and use many ways to make themselves as one of the AAA credit nations (in fact the only one in South East Asia). They have the readiness to withstand the Eurozone crisis, with the vast amount of plans in hand. And we have nothing to prepare in hand. In fact the Roubini Group (Dr. Doom) has predicted Malaysia will be one of those hit by the sneeze badly. I would dare UMNO people to scream over that statement.

It becomes a flip that Proton eventually made losses but still gets protectionist money from the import duties and taxes imposed on other cars or when Dr. Mahathir admitted that he favors high-end European / Japanese cars after his retirement from office in 2003. With that latter admission, it has become visible that the goal of the NAP is already unsuitable and needs to be rethink of. Out of the prominent people that talk about no to the idea, Ibrahim Ali and Chor's idea are those examples of people lacking imagination and substance, all just talk trash and crap. Proton, while having those things to cover their back have become complacent and taking it off is timely enough to get them to fight harder in the competition.

Getting car is a priority for many young people right now, even if it's getting a small Kelisa just for the purpose of transport - but not to the extent of making people saving money for many years before getting one. Need I remind that the monetary value of the ringgit and purchasing value is getting smaller and smaller each day and the ringgit is now in a very weak position against the majority of basket of currencies including the neighboring Singapore dollar as well. And we have done nothing against it. Have we forgotten about buying power? A person from China can buy three times a person wants to get here.

While these people talk about "country going bankrupt" if Pakatan does that, need I remind those people that there's mischief that they're trying to hide. For instance, Chor Chee Heung and his then Home Ministry head Syed Hamid Albar were responsible for the surge and lax of control of immigration labour-level workers during the Pak Lah years. It was he who said of "service tax" for credit cards (remember?). Nor Yackop, is of course had a fair share of blame for the early 90's forex scandal (remember Black Wednesday?)

On the other hand, for Rafizi Ramli and co, we would like to see you guys illustrate and example of how one can buy a car at a removed price while economy would not be affected in claims with what the few people talk about. Why not demonstrate to the people us in a road show then as to say it is possible, not some imaginary claim?

Now, Does It Ring Bells?

At the end of September 2011, I wrote a posting to commemorate the 220th anniversary of Mozart's final opera, The Magic Flute. In that posting Fear Mongering Like The Queen of The Night, I said:

The Queen of the Night - a representation of obscurantism , in other words, the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or the full details of some matter from becoming known. This is ironically what is happening right now, where people are denied the knowledge of what they want to know. Instead, they were threatened with a charge of the Official Secrets Act if information is to be revealed. And this is why many people to this day has either no clue or they acted foolishly without the proper and sufficient knowledge. The aristocracy's obscurantism of the social problem's is the main factor the start of the French Revolution.

I also put in the Three Ladies as the agents of the Queen:

The three ladies of the Queen - Represents the agents that will carry out her order. The mainstream media has been ordered to do a smear campaign of Bersih. The main goal is simple: manufacturing consent, to create a consent among the simpleton minded (those like Papageno) that Bersih is a no good thing, without presenting the reasons why Bersih would do such thing. They would also twist to include statements from leaders who are opposed to the idea of clean elections.

I've also included a video of that aria "Hell's Vengeance Boils In My Heart" as well.

The Magic Flute has a strong relation to the Age of Romanticism and shares its relevance with The Enlightenment and The Age of Reason philosophy. For the latter, the character Sarastro represents enlightenment and reason. (See also The Enlightenment and The Age of Reason at Malaysia Today)

Yesterday, Najib has warned Malaysians about revolution, saying that (from The Malaysian Insider):

“We are in a transition, if we do something without careful planning like a revolution, it will be followed by chaos, and things will become worse without a systematic transformation system. Malaysia is now in a stable situation, and we must ensure this peace and stability remains."

Revolutions happen because people are angry, had enough with the a regime that has committed so many atrocities and lastly - being put in a point of last resort. The French and Russian Revolution are those examples. The point being emphasized is that nobody wants to do it unless pushed to the brink.

Similarly, Najib claims that Bersih rallies cause damage and has called imams and religious people not to get involve in activities. It is as equal as defending those who commit atrocities and malpractices whilst bulldozing the innocent people.

In other words, what he means is to play dirty in elections. It also means that mind slavery still remains or as with an anagram of UMNO (U Must Never Oppose). Does this also mean of declaring war on LGBTs, pluralism, liberalism, secularism is equivalent to what is that above?

Do you notice what Najib said is similar to what the Queen of the Night says in The Magic Flute? Except, if it is Rosmah that is saying that, then it is quite identical and similar in terms of metaphor and context. You got to be very somewhat naive and dimwit if you still are willing to be maimed and forced upon even if the men who rule over you commit a gross misconduct.

 

A Pity For The Succumbed and The Indoctrinated

“In our style of writing, we have fact, spin and — one more — blatant lies. From the point of psychological warfare, let’s not follow ‘blatant lies’, let’s not write lies.

“Spin we can; no matter how we spin a certain fact to be biased in our favor, that’s okay."

-- Zaini Hassan

I had a feeling from the beginning of why Utusan Malaysia would come out with news that were colored with their own facts. The whole idea was meant to manufacture people's (since they claim to be the leading newspaper for the Malays), especially those in the civil service consent and opinion that the opposition especially the DAP will tend so spoil the country if they happened to take over Putrajaya someday or so. When this was reported in an online newsportal a few days ago, it confirmed not just my suspicions but others who may have the same thinking as I do.

If you notice carefully, among the parties co-organizing that event that day, one of them is the BTN (National Civics Bureau). For decades, the agency has been involved in brainwashing many people to believe of certain things that are in fact bogey man in nature. With that statement above, it seems not hate but a pity for many of those who read that paper (among the MSM-based papers) have been mislead and brainwashed indirectly by not just the party that claims to represent the Malays but an agency that is out to implant hate among other people.

In short, the thrall and the toxic indoctrination has extended its tentacles to its people especially those who are naive and those who are alive prior to the 1969 riots. 

Lately, the Najib administration had a multi-prong approach moves including attempts to recapture Selangor, enticing youth support and putting all those propaganda-oriented ads everywhere (billboards, trains, buildings, etc..). People at times may feel fed up and a well mature, knowledgeable person would know that this whole thing uses people's money (but they think it's their own money) for this big amount of publicity.

Yesterday at KLCC's park, there was the 1M4U event thing there. Spotted on the podium among them was Najib, his cousin Hishamuddin and Shabery Cheek. There's something that I felt irked by that event. It's not the turnover that I aimed to point out. There's a banner for example above. It's somewhat reminded me of Batu Caves or having seen that being pasted in every KTM Commuter caboose there. Looking at the phrase, "I M 4 U" sounds like a  man being worshiped as a god or something.

Looking at the crowd, I felt a tingle of uncertainty. The "One" thing that is the prefix of his 1Malaysia campaign thing often points me to the "One World Government", "One World Order", secret organizations that conspiracy theory buffs would often talked about. In fact whenever we do or trade, there are things that are indirectly, unknown to us point to that hidden things mentioned. When McCain and his partner came to visit Najib in Kuala Lumpur recently, some people like myself would think that visit is a secret message or a reminder sent by the cabalists to him.

It can be very dangerous at times to use that One prefix to everywhere in life.

I'm For You - would be better if it's I Am God.

I wondered for a fact whether these people and participants have been ordered to come here or whether if there are people among the congregation who support it but unaware that they are supporting things that they are really against of. Can you imagine dozens of buses and police security vehicles lining up within the vicinity of KLCC yesterday? I also wondered whether if these people could be either be brainwashed into believing non-existent things. In the last few posts, I have often brought out the phrase of "believing that elephants can fly" and related some example.

I guess the first guess was right. The Milo Suam blog has released a leak circular letter with an order to get 10000 people minimum to fill in the KLCC esplanade. (See entire post here)

Call it paranoia or insomnia, but having seen the crowd there by myself, I keep wondering whether they, being potential first time voters would make a first-time and only mistake that would condemn themselves, their future and their generations to come into more misery.

And when you realize that you've made a mistake, you lament that it's already too late to reverse it.

Call it a pity for those who succumbed to temptations and brainwashed to accepting falsehoods by people, politicians and parties who claimed to be omnipotent.

They Should Do It More Often

Free Malaysia Today reported that the people of Taman Medan state constituency do not want the Selangor state deputy speaker Haniza Talha to recontest in that seat in the next general election.

They, according to an independent survey, said that the majority of the voters wanted PAS to contest in that seat in the next round.

This is just not the only case of who the people want in the next elections.

In Labuan, it has been made clear that people want a PKR candidate to contest against Barisan not PAS.

I have read somewhere that for the Titiwangsa parliamentary seat, the voters wanted a PKR candidate over a PAS person. That information that I have was about 1.5 - 2 years old.

The risk of not doing so is losing the votes. But on the other hand, it shows what the people wanted.

Remember Bagan Pinang by-election in 2009? 

Pakatan made a mistake by fielding in the same person to fight against Isa Samad. They should have asked people around on which party should contest.

The summary here is that Pakatan should do it more often, as what Chegubard implied - go around and ask people who they want to contest - any constraints, etc..

Mahathir And His Bottles of Medicated Oil

There is a saying of three ways a story is told: what you're told, what you hear and what you know.

The story of Mahathir is one of those that fall into that three ways. And in years to come, in fact by now, judging from the series of reported events, his own autobiography "A Doctor In The House", and what you hear from the people on the street from both sides (loyalists and reformists), it will be definitely be a love / hate relationship of the man himself. This is the feeling I get after always seeing him on TV and paper for the first 18 years of my life, then reading "Malaysian Maverick" book during an overseas trip 2 years ago and spending one afternoon talking to my ex-boss in a car about Mahathir.

We had a compare and contrast talk about the man himself and we concur that no doubt in terms of modernization, he was moved Malaysia up in his two decades as PM. But when the stroke as in the Asian Financial Crisis, he managed to stop the rot, but could not bring it back up to its peak before that - partially it was due to Anwar's sacking at the peak of the crisis. However, as what we hear from most reformists, the corruption level in Malaysia has already reached the pandemic levels that requires a complete system overhaul and reboot - in other terms the need to change government.

Lately, Mahathir has been making the headlines all for the wrong reasons. Judging from whatever I read, I guess Mahathir's is having tons of problems of headaches when things don't go according to his way. For example in his recent summary of statements for the last one month:

1. Reject BN and Opposition will destroy the country

"BN is not a party which just wants votes and we really have no other choice because we have only two parties in the country. So if we reject BN then the opposition would win and they would destroy the country,” he said. 

2. Anwar's retirement announcement is a ploy

“He should retire right now. It is futile ... his desire to become the prime minister,”

Dr Mahathir said Anwar’s statement was mere rhetoric because, even if the opposition pact were to lose in the next general election, he would continue to dream of becoming the prime minister.

The former prime minister said in jest that probably an honorary prime ministerial post could be established for Anwar for the duration of five days to enable him to fulfil his dream prior to retirement.

3. Please don't jail me for the following reasons

"That I am innocent would be irrelevant. What is important is Kit Siang’s satisfaction at seeing me behind bars and more," wrote the former prime minister on his blog.

4. Be careful of your actions, Dr. M warns daughter

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has cautioned his daughter to be wary of her outspokenness as well as support for groups like Bersih and sexuality rights movements, saying these may affect her family members who are still active in politics

5. No need of revolutions in Malaysia

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today questioned the clamour by some quarters here to push for a revolution to topple the government when the latter was already giving a lot of priority to the people’s interests.

“Is our government autocratic? Is it not giving attention to the people, not developing and advancing the country?” he asked.

When I was near to the end of my primary school period in 1996, my class teacher, Latifah, told us about when people behave strangely, it is their believe and according to them a tell tale sign that either a close call or death would happen to that person. 

Why is Mahathir behaving like that lately? A certain fact that I know is that he'd be lasting for say up another 3 years before Death catches up. It's simply because that if Anwar Ibrahim and Co takes over Putrajaya, all the properties that belong to his family and cronies - those that have been plundered over the last three decades will be taken away in a blink of an eye.

Those are the classic examples that tells of how at times a man like him can become paranoid - on the worst case scenario - leading to dementia. 

Making these statements above, as he's noted of is equivalent of asking people to believe that "pigs fly in the sky." - believing on non-existential claims. I am sorry that many are still spooked over the 1969 specter but as far as I believe of, there is no such thing, except for sore losers out to make a ruckus. By history, the ones that make the most ruckus out racial issues in the 60s are those from UMNO itself, more than anyone else, including the old man himself. 

It's a pity that when I saw a lot of people coming for the opening of the new Felda building at Platinum Park near KLCC there last Saturday night that I notice that many uncles and aunties from Felda sites are still a naive bunch and still believing in those non-existential claims. The period of feudalism has long gone to past and those things that we're still seeing at home now has to go off. I hope that my perception may be proven inaccurate later on if there are few to speak up about it.

In other words, let's face it that the old man is having a lot of troubles for the signs of Barisan falling are quite evident. A nice quip by a friend shows of how the old man needed bottles of medicated oil on standby. In last week's Selayang ceramah, Anwar illustrated how the old man can get worried upon hearing his name. He illustrated how the old man would stand up and say "Tak boleh" when mentioned of him getting a chance to be PM.

Given of his age, no one wants to see him in the bars. The closest thing that people can do is to put him in a Truth and Reconciliation Tribunal where he'd be admitting things he had done during his 22 years as PM. On the global scale, the financial cabal of the West has been offered the opportunity to appear in a truth and reconciliation committee organized by the top societies of the East. 

White Dragon Society has long offered the cabalists an opportunity to be forgiven in exchange for appearing before a truth and reconciliation committee. However, the window of opportunity is shutting fast because a lot of angrier and less forgiving folk are closing in and asking for justice to be served

.

A gentleman’s agreement on a win-win solution is always preferable to a lynch mob.

 

- Benjamin Fulford, 10 July

Similarly above that would be also what Mahathir would be given rather than jail time - spilling the beans. If given the chance, I would like to have a glimpse at the tons of documents that would be served at the old man himself first hand before or while on tribunal sessions! 

No doubt that at times you may agree to some of his statements, this is also why it's a love / hate intended.

The Missing Piece of The Puzzle

Today, both Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) and the Hanif Panel have kicked off their inquiries into the alleged violence committed by the police on the BERSIH 3.0 rally last April.

Malaysiakini reported testimonies from witnesses including the military-grade barbwire nearly slicing off a participant's ear as well as a bystander being dragged into a headlock.

Meanwhile, The Malaysian Insider reported of the Hanif Panel covering areas of the city where the violence between protestors and the police happened on that day. They'd also be visiting the detention center in Jalan Semarak later on.

Here we are we have a lot of eyewitness accounts saying that the police usually acted outside their norms. Journalists were assaulted with their equipment destroyed by some of the officers. Even some of the participants who do no harm and were inside restaurants were also not spared from police violence. Similarly, as in the second round of the rally, the police have also reacted unprofessionally and in a hostile behavior towards the public.

However, it was exaggerated and worse than the second rally. Why was this happening?

However, this piece of information, were if it is revealed could have shed light to everything on that day.

In mid-May 2012, RPK, wrote in "The IGP must fall on his sword" said:

Then, on 28th April 2012, all hell broke loose. The police violence in Bersih 3.0 was as bad or worse than in the Bersih 2.0 rally. What happened to the ‘go by the book’ and the ‘absolutely no violence’ instruction from the Prime Minister?

The IGP crawled back to Najib’s office with this tail between his legs and sheepishly told the Prime Minister that he had lost control of the police on that day.

What happened? What made the police go berserk?

It was because of the rumour, the IGP replied. There was a rumour circulating amongst the police that three police personnel had died, killed by the Bersih protestors. Hence the police were outraged and were out for revenge. They no longer could control the police personnel on the ground.

This is it - that's the reason it went from bad to worse - a lot of beatings, a lot of gas round fired, etc.. in other words the chief has lost control of the situation. In the evening, after 6 p.m on that day, there were tweets from people speaking of the rumor of three police officers dead. 

However, this critical piece of information and the missing piece of the puzzle was never revealed / withheld to the public. Surely, it is meant for one reason: to keep the police image intact since it faced tons of criticism, brickbats and accusations from the public and the opposition. Then again, eyewitness accounts mentioned of how at times the officers on duty that day speak out of emotions rather than in professional conduct. As a witness said, "Why are you running away? If you have guts come and face us. Stand and fight."

Isn't that equivalent to gangster talk? 

If that missing puzzle piece would have been revealed, it would have altered the outcome. It would have exonerated the public from being the chief culprit of the Bersih 3.0 violence. It would also have shed more light for both Suhakam and the Hanif panel in their investigations. Why keep on vilifying the public whereas the public carried no harm, guns or tools of violence on that day itself?

Let's put this in parallel.

The Los Angeles 1992 riots happened following the acquittal of the four police officers responsible for the beating of the recently-deceased Rodney King. Had there been information or admission that shed the light of the incident, there would not have been such incident. King would not have been vilified (in the context of the case related to that) and there would not be any losses on that three dark days of the city.

Whether it got revealed or otherwise, it led to the resignation of LAPD chief, Daryl Gates because as the chief he failed to control his subordinates. Likewise, it should happened here right? 

The Claims of Elephants Flying At The Sky

The Malaysian Insider today reported of concerted attacks on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ahead of the coming general election. According to the piece, it said that lopsided articles written on the Penang Hill development and Perkasa's scuffle with the CM's entourage at the Teluk Bahang were part of a concerted effort by BN to retake Penang after it lost almost 75% of the state seats.

Of course, from day one, BN couldn't stomach a victory and started to behave like a person trying to find lice in the hair. Another thing is part of the hit and pressure strategy to keep Guan Eng at bay, forcing him to defend things here and there as well as limiting his movements. Perkasa, like a spoiled child starts to make excuses a.l.a. "I didn't do it thing".

The next two things happened is more or less the same, both reported by Malaysiakini. Utusan's weekly column starts to paint DAP as another PAP again with and keeps harping the non-existential plan by Singapore with DAP as proxy if Barisan loses and Pakatan takes over. It instead becomes a laughing stock because it was UMNO alone that was harping those problems in the 60s while Singapore was part of the federation before its 1965.

And then of course you have one of the famous faces that keeps harping the minority spectre - Dr. Mahathir himself. However, it is almost impossible to match that non-existential claim because it's not just of how many seats each of Pakatan partners will contest but it's also by the population numbers in breakdown. It's is nowhere possible except unless a person is naive or in the blue.

I have watched several times Chegubard said in his series of ceramahs of when Kamarul Bahrin defeated Sothinathan in Teluk Kemang (near Port Dickson) in the last GE, many who are naive screamed of the non-existential claim of Malays losing power whereas the man who won is a Malay himself! The strange perverted claim also happened in other places including Bandar Tun Razak, Kuantan and Kota Raja - (note if you view any of 40+ minute ceramahs on YouTube, you'd notice it.  

The non-existential claims are mainly targeted at the naive and the clueless audience. It is designed for one main reason: to keep people believing that elephants can fly on the sky. It is an allegory to a claim that turns out to be false - realized only after a mistake has been made, built on the premise of the low educated society coupled with high-handed tactics to bully people - the boss into submission.

To this day, when will people wake up from believing those silly things has still yet to be answered. How to get them can be answered in a crude or otherwise manner. Other questions like who, where, why and what have been showed to everyone. Some can be discovered along the way, while some have been laid.

I know I would want to rant again at specific people in the society that are still believing that elephants fly but it wouldn't take it that far. We too have ourselves to blame for not doing harder than was before, I mean way back even before Pak Lah was the PM.

By the way, what does this notice tell you then?

****************

Umno creating racial bogeymen to woo Malay voters, PR leaders say

Umno is playing a dangerous game of lies by stoking up fears that could split Malaysia along racial lines in its bid to win over Malay voters at the polls, two Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders said today.

Their remarks come after a Mingguan Malaysia columnist Awang Selamat accused the Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) of having ties with Chinese-dominant Malaysian party, DAP, to influence the 13th general elections here due within a year.

Mingguan Malaysia is the weekend edition of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and "Awang Selamat" is a pseudonym adopted by the paper's editorial team that often reflect the ruling party's views.

The DAP's Lim Kit Siang (picture) claimed today that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's uncertainty in winning the next general election has resulted in "desperate" tactics by Umno leaders and strategists.

Awang had accused Lim of being one of former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's "trusted men" and former press secretary.

The DAP national parliamentary leader denied Awang's allegations and described them as "downright lies."

"I was never involved in PAP during my years as a reporter in Singapore from 1961 to 1964... I was never press secretary to Kuan Yew although I worked for a period in the press section of the Ministry of Culture," Lim said in a statement today.

He said it was not the first time Umno has raised such unsubstantiated allegations, pointing out that Utusan and other media linked to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) have accused the DAP of conspiring to create a Christian Malaysia state, appoint a Christian prime minister and abolish the existing constitutional monarchy system led by the Malay sultans.

Lim added that Umno/BN cybertroopers had even claimed that he was responsible for the May 13 racial riots in 1969, while he was never even in Kuala Lumpur at the time.

"In desperation, Umno leaders and strategists including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed have now resorted to a two-prong offensive- firstly, playing the race card to create racial suspicion and distrust to win the Malay heartland in utter disregard of Mahathir's Bangsa Malaysia and Najib's 1 Malaysia concepts; and secondly, a vilification and demonization campaign against DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders," Lim said.

He said Umno's heightened attacks against opposition leaders proved that PM Najib is not confident about winning the next elections.

Attacks against PR leaders have intensified ahead of the next GE, with many pro-BN mainstream media publishing lopsided reports of events.

"The 13th GE is going to be the dirtiest election in the half-century history of Malaysia," said Lim.

But PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar believes Umno's "divide and rule" strategy may not necessarily result in a GE win, saying that a mere ten per cent voter swing in PR's favour would impact BN's position.

"What people forget is that last GE, out of 139 BN seats, 56 were won with a majority of less than 10 per cent, and a 10 per cent swing in PR's favour would negatively impact BN's rule.

"Out of this 56 BN marginal seats, 14 are from Sabah and Sarawak, while the remaining 22 are multi-ethnic , in Peninsular malaysia - with less than 70 per cent Malay voters," she told The Malaysian Insider.

"Their true and tested racial tirade against their political opponents won't be as effective as previous years, as more Malaysians and Malays gain access to new media.

"Clearly, Najib's just a false democrat bent on playing the same old game as his UMNO counterparts, and that's sorely disappointing," the Lembah Pantai MP added.

Singapore was a part of Malaysia until it was kicked out of the federation in 1963. Ties between the two nations have been tense over the years, notably during Lee's administration of the republic while Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Malaysia's prime minister until 2003.

The bilateral ties that warmed significantly after Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office in 2009, however, has cooled again in recent weeks after several right-wing Malay groups accused three Singapore envoys of taking part in a chaotic street demonstration led by electoral reform group Bersih.

Najib has publicly denounced the April 28 demonstration as an attempt to overthrow his government.