Bersih still bersih?

Sarawak Report's claim of a charge sheet, spurious or otherwise, by the former AG against Najib should be considered as part of the continuing war of attrition, retribution and infuriation against PM Najib. Whether there's any truth in the SR claim is yet to be proven though various agencies of the authorities have already pooh-pooh-ed it.

While UMNO goes into covert as well as overt internecine war between the M and N factions, as had happened to many political parties even those abroad like the Australian Labor Party (eg. Bob Hawke vs Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd vs Julia Gillard), the Malaysian Federal Opposition is in a sad state of disarray.

On this basis, if UMNO is not having its current civil war, it would not be illogical to believe UMNO will lead BN to a strong victory in the next general election, which may even provide it with that unnecessary 2/3 majority.

So why is the M faction so against Najib, in now plunging UMNO into grave potential for political disintegration, when it could (if without internal party discord) virtually walk over a disunited Federal Opposition in the next GE? Hasn't that been Dr Mahathir's oft-voiced desire for UMNO?

Indeed, why is the M faction aggravating the situation for UMNO so much so that the M faction's spokesman would say that if UMNO goes to the general election today the party will lose kau kau?

Has it been about 1MDB and the alleged missing RM42 billion? Is that sum missing? I agree 42 billion ain't no chicken feed and we most certainly want it to be fully accounted for. But aren't there an ongoing audit and several investigations including one by PAC?

But 'ere the audit and investigation findings have been completed, many of us (and I'm talking to non-UMNO people) have already taken sides with, ironically, the M faction, led by a man who has been considered as the ultimate uber draconian ruler, and who himself had a few items on the list of less than admirable spending such as Maminco, Forex, Perwaja, Proton, etc.

Why, even the so-called neutral non-politically aligned Bersih is threatening a 4.0 rally to depose the PM.

Yes, to depose of the current PM. Yes, Bersih!

Now, does anyone believe for one second that the M faction has been worried about such a relatively sap-sap-suoi sum (chicken feed)? The adjective 'relatively' means far more billions had gone astray one way or another by a combination of sheer utter waste, mismanagement and even gambling.

And we Malaysians who have witnessed a 22-year period of gross profligacy, want to believe the fox wants to protect our chooks? And relatively chicken-feed lil' chooks at that too. Alamak, get real lah.

Really, if we view the umpteen government f*ups in perspective as they are, relatively that is, shouldn't we be questioning the true reason for the M faction's campaign to depose of the PM?

It doesn't mean we will allow those responsible of any criminal acts in 1MDB or elsewhere to get away, even if he is the PM or indeed former PM.

But let's first wait for the investigations and audit to be completed, instead of being propelled by someone's personal agenda. In this respect, I have been very disappointed with Uncle Lim KS who has been running around like a decapitated chook, urging his former political nemesis, the very people he condemned resoundingly when they were in power, to take over the country.

How men? This is even worse than the deformasi 916. Just remember what our late Karpal Singh said of the attempted though failed 916 coup d'etat, that it was IMMORAL and UNETHICAL! 

And again in April this year, his son Ramkarpal Singh Deo reminded us of that, of what democracy is about!

In a TMI news report titled Working with Dr M to remove PM will be a ‘disaster’, Pakatan told we read (extracts):

“The question of working with Dr Mahathir is an unimaginable disaster waiting to happen.

“There can be no doubt that Malaysia needs to be saved. While I agree that Najib ought to go, I cannot agree with the means by which Dr Mahathir proposes to do so,” Ramkarpal said in a statement here.

“Asserting pressure on a democratically elected prime minister to step down cannot be democratic and it is high time that Pakatan Rakyat come together at this very critical time against Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN),” the DAP MP added.

Ramkarpal said that working with Dr Mahathir would mean that PR would just be maintaining the status quo and allow “corruption to continue”.

“I am firmly of the view that saving Malaysia can only mean a new clean, accountable and transparent government."

“Pakatan Rakyat must live up to its promise to Malaysians of being that alternative and democratically oust Najib and the BN through the ballot box,” Ramkarpal stressed.

Uncle Lim KS, please take note.

As my late mum always counselled me, don't get involved in another person's selfish fight for his own selfish interests. If we have to fight let's do it independently, with fairness and with clarity as to our purpose.

But the most troubling organization to throw itself into the M vs N war, wittingly or otherwise, seems to be, as mentioned earlier, Bersih, once a much hallowed name, at least to me.

Who or what is Bersih? Wikipedia tells us (just relevant extract):

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Malay: Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil) or Bersih (meaning clean in Malay) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections. […]

In April 2010, the coalition was relaunched as an entirely civil society movement ("Bersih 2.0") unaffiliated to any political party.

Let's read its charter again, namely, ... which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.

So? Is it Bersih's charter to depose of an elected PM? Has Bersih gone songsang-ishly partisan from its original charter? Personally I suspected so when Bersih praised a former RMAF officer as a hero, and for what you may asked, but for violating Armed Forces Council Instructions.

Then I knew that unless someone wise up the new chairperson of Bersih the organization will soon lose its perspective.

More than ever, for Bersih to seek to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections, it must not, nay, NEVER ever encourage the military to get silly ideas of going political - keep those soldiers back in the barracks. Don't believe me, ask Yingluck Shinawatra.

Okay, you may think all the above are just kaytee's prattle tattle, wakakaka, but let's take a look at an article posted in the renowned loyarburok website, where we would be able to read Why I Will Not Attend Bersih 4.

It's about Abdul Haleem, a Bersih-rally veteran, telling us of Bersih's double standards in not taking a strong stand against PKR's nonsensical misuse of the election process in the KajangGate by-election (I call it the rancid Kajang Satay event), yea, not even a slap on their wrists with a coriander stalk wakakaka, and also of allowing a certain party wakakaka to hijack its Bersih 3.0 rally which then saw civil disruption. The article said:

On both previous rallies — though it was organized by Bersih — on the actual day, it was hijacked by the political parties. On Bersih 3, all hell broke loose when clowns from PKR got hold of the mic and started the fiery speeches which were very provocative. The cops were no angels too. During Bersih 3, the moment this particular political figure started his provocative speech, me and my friends got up and left the scene for some chilled drinks. By the time we finished the first drink the whole area turned into a war zone. We don’t need to be reminded of police brutality during Bersih 3. I surely don’t want to see innocent young ones beaten up for taking part on a democratic process. I don’t think this time around is going to be different. The Home Minister is also the DPM since yesterday and the Kebab still going mad for all the wrong reasons.

It was the story of Tonto sending up naughty smoke signals, wakakaka.

On 02 May 2012 Dina Zaman wrote in The Malaysian Insider’s The Bersih that wasn’t as follows:

But now I see videos of protestors breaking down the barriers and committing acts of violence. And yes, while the police showed more restraint this time they were behind some of these as well. Al-Jazeera journalists reported via Skype that their equipment was smashed by policemen to prevent them recording some of these acts of violence.

Despite suffering from the teargas effects I myself have not the spirit to summon the moral indignation I would like to have, because although they should have done so lawfully I cannot blame the police for taking action against violent protestors.

What can we Malaysians expect post April 28 2012? With a video circulating showing that Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali had ordered the Dataran breach, this does not bode well for Pakatan and the rakyat. This is a massive public relations disaster. The average Malaysian like me can only tear her hair out.

And now we are told that the duo were signalling to the police. What is this — Tonto and the Lone Ranger?

As I said on Twitter all this resembled a Hindustani film. Throw in a tree and a pair of sarees and we'll have a great sandiwara.

By the by, coincidental or not, I have been told that Anwar Ibrahim loves Hindustani films, wakakaka.

Meanwhile in the Malay Mail Online, Praba Ganesan wrote Bersih's cart before the horse in which he mentioned (extracts):

Where do I stand?

Why the animosity, some might ask. I don’t have any, I’ve been at all the Bersih rallies and been successfully gassed each time — though they do not match the sheer madness of the 2007 Hindraf rally.

So I have had skin in the game.

I want them to succeed because asking for fair and free elections resonates with a population long suspicious of intentions when it has the words politics, power or democracy.

They thrived on that for years.

However, a cursory look at their website presently will show that they are hardly bipartisan this time around.

They might want to clear the air about being more about process and less about fitting one group’s agenda.

They might want to avoid being like the politicians they work hard not to mimic. When Pakatan Rakyat — new, old or in transition, you tell me! — say two years after the last general election that 52 per cent of the country are with them, eyes roll. The majority of the country voted on May 5, 2013 for Pakatan because they were of the opinion on May 5, 2013 Pakatan deserved their vote.

There is no basis for Pakatan leaders perpetually asserting they speak for the people, because of one voting day. While a democratic vote is valuable it changes too, and no one owns the votes except the people. Politicians have to earn the vote over and over, day after day till the next election.

Politicians don’t own voters just because they got a lot of votes at any poll. Same applies to activists, they don’t own protesters just because they showed up the last three times. They have to ask, and they have to ask before deciding — or risk appearing not dissimilar to the neo-feudal overlords they confront. People are not pawns, I believe that is the gist of Bersih. Perhaps they should read their own propaganda.

So declaring in lieu of the seismic shifts in power without consulting the people who will form the frontline of any Bersih rally is hubris.

To call for a rally within 24 hours of events — some of them still unravelling? 

A bit premature, whichever manner it is examined.

Hmmm, it seems kaytee is not the only one who sees Bersih as no longer an entirely civil society movement unaffiliated to any political party, which wants to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.

Not only that, as Praba Ganesan said, Bersih seems to be in undue and arbitrary haste to get involved in a political battle for which its charter doesn't provide for.