PETALING JAYA: Bersih 5 is a go.
Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 today confirmed that the impending rally was to protest the government’s continuing “denial and inaction” over the 1MDB scandal.
This is especially after the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) had filed civil suits to recover billions in assets with funds allegedly misappropriated from the state-owned investment firm.
Reading from a prepared statement, Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said they believe that “not protesting is not an option”.
The rally – the date and details of which will be announced in due course – is meant to pressure Putrajaya for greater accountability, she explained.
“As citizens, we must make a strong stand against this grand corruption and betrayal of trust.
“There is a serious dereliction of duty by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet members who are entrusted to protect the interest of the people.”
Now it has even become an anti 1MDB movement (more correctly an anti Najib show), and just what has this got to do with free, clean and fair elections?
If you read above FMT article, Berish is described precisely as an electoral watchdog.
Yes, it has been Maria Chin who has, for reasons only known to her, radically changed Bersih's role after she took over from Ambiga Sreenevasan.
Should she be doing that? Can she do that?
Of course yes, Maria Chin Abdullah is free to do what she wants to do (within the law) but she should NOT have misused the Bersih label to carry her personal (political) baggage, which is what she has already done.
Bersih should be left untainted as a pristine politically non-aligned electoral watchdog, so as to enhance the weight and credibility of its words and findings on electoral fairness, cleanliness and accountability. But now that Maria Chin Abdullah has turned the NGO into an anti Najib or anti 1MDB organization, who in UMNO or BN will ever believe Bersih's opinions or/and advice on free, clean and fair elections in Malaysia?
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.
In pre-Maria Chin days, once Anwar Ibrahim attempted to hijacked Bersih but Ambiga Sreenevasan told him off, reminding him that Bersih was about electoral fairness, cleanliness and accountability and not for Pakatan to misuse as a political platform.
But that didn't stop Anwar because in Bersih 3.0, unfortunately Anwar and his sidekick Azmin hijacked it, when one of PKR members deliberately breached police barricades leading to ferocious police reactions. Both sides (Police and Anwar-Azmin's tribe) were sadly bloody wrong.
Let's revisit that scene but by starting off with a review of what Bersih is/was supposed to be.
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 just 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? Is it Bersih's charter to rally against the alleged crimes of 1MDB?
Hasn't Bersih today (under Maria Chin Abdullah) gone songsang-ishly partisan from its original charter?
I hope you understand what I mean by 'gone partisan' from a political perspective.
Now, it makes an electoral watchdog such as Bersih 2.0 encumbered with the baggage of political partisanship (burdened by Maria Chin Abdullah) which will make the NGO task of ensuring free, clean and fair elections far far far more difficult if not impossible, because the BN side of politics (I include PAS within this group) will not believe any of its so-called non-aligned words.
I first suspected Bersih had gone songsang from its original charter when Maria Chin Abdullah praised a former RMAF officer as a hero, and for what you may asked, but for violating Armed Forces Council Instructions.
That former RMAF officer was actually not charged by the military for making a police report on the very delible so-called indelible ink provided by our remarkable EC as many have incorrectly believed, but for doing unauthorized song & dance announcements in front of the media. No military personnel could do such a thing whether it involves the election or any other matter. That RMAF officer's wife (also a RMAF personnel) who similarly made a police report on the EC provided ink but did NOT speak to the media was not charged.
Maria Chin Abdullah lacked judgement in over-hastily praising a military officer who had violated military instructions. I had then wondered how would such a person who lacked judgement and balance be able to make informed opinions and advice on electoral reforms. She gave me the impression then she was just anti establishment.
Indeed, then I knew that unless someone wises up the new chairperson of Bersih, that organization built up to such a high reputation by Ambiga Sreenevasan would soon lose its perspectives on what its role actually is.
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 was written by 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 Kajang Gate 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.
Yes, it was the story of Tonto sending up naughty smoke signals, wakakaka. On 02 May 2012 Dina Zaman wrote in The (now non-existent) 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.
While we can understand (though NOT support) the naughty antics of Anwar and Azmin for their vile exploitations/hijacking of Bersih 3.0, we cannot understand why Maria Chin Abdullah has turned Bersih into a very partisan anti establishment NGO, when Bersih is not that originally. I would have liked to play Sigmund Freud to her personality and psyche.
She has effectively destroyed the non-aligned credibility of Bersih 2.0 and in turn dealt a severe near-fatal blow to any prospects for electoral reforms in Malaysia.
Maria Chin Abdullah is to non-aligned initiated electoral reforms what Mahathir is to the near-fatal enervation of Malaysia's public institutions including and especially the watchdogs, arbitration units and law enforcement agencies (judiciary, police, civil servants, senate, etc).
Must give it to u for yr fight of political correctness!
ReplyDeletePC is just another name for fence-sitter, who sits inside a silo & pondering the ONLY piece of sky that he can see.
Anything he DOESN'T see, doesn't, exist!
Bravo.... Julian has his motive, so do u! Both of u share the same 'big'picture for bolihland.
bravo kt.. you and me.. we are two..shake hands..
DeleteThe ONLY thing both of u shared is that undang dibelakang batu.
DeleteOne is a crayfish, while the other a lobster! Don't know which one has pincers, which one don't....wakakaka....sigh
UDANG not undang (the latter means 'law') - both crayfish and lobster have pincers
Deletewakakaka
alamak what PC - just reminding Maria Chin what has been Bersih's raison d'etre (cause for existence).Like Anwar, Azmin she has hijacked Bersih for her own political grievances
DeleteOK, smartalec, 1st which udang (my typing mistake) carries a pair of more formidable pincers? Crayfish has only a pair of pincers used for show ONLY. Is that yr analogy?
DeleteGet that drill?
2nd, yr raison d'être is what?
Cari makan betul kah? Then why do a hobby of sopo blog to make yr life difficult? If u blog then prepare to face the diversified views! Otherwise, get out of the kitchen, betul eh.
So yr intended deviation from yr carma objective, a little light shining out of that cracked corner of yr silo view top?
Can I re-interpret yr kind of hijacking for yr whatsoever carma?
What of 'world view' u have learned from that Julian khoo ...tsk..tsk...sigh!!!!!!
aiseh don't be so sensitive - I believe you when you said you made a typo, wakakaka
Deletewhy so abusive against my views that Maria Chin has gone songsang from Bersih's charter of being an electoral watchdog - and you haven't repudiate my observations yet.
who in the world is Julian Khoo?
Obviously u still stuck inside yr syok sendiri wet dream of the PC kind.
DeleteU don't see it don't u?
Or acting blur, more likely?
Why should I repudiate Maria Chin's deviation from Bersih's raison d'être when I'm keep talking about big picture - a view far bigger than yr silo view definition?
For u, yr silo view is ONLY confined to a limited set of parameters. Any deviation from it, means songsang from the set charter!
Known who Niemoller was? & what's the raison d'être of priesthood?
Keep to the business of God, no politic & what's outside the church?
Isn't it another form of silo view vis-a-vis the broader view of humanity?
I'm surprise u DONT know who Julian Khoo is. Wakakaka...talk about acting blur & I-told-you-so megalomaniac, wakakaka... do some background works lah, rather than waiting for spoon-feed!
so you agree with me that Maria Chin has hijacked Bersih for her own political agenda - wakakaka
Deleteand I don' know Julian Khoo, nor do I care two hoots
Don't twist my words about the songsangness from Bersih's charter!
DeleteI have zilch agreement with u over this issue. Do re-read my takes if u can pick up from yr blurness acting.
Julian khoo, who? Don't care two hoots? Wakakaka .... u certainly know. U r just acting blur with yr wakakaking to hide his double face personality.
Songsangness of Bersih's set charter ..... ?
DeleteFrom FMT;
Not wrong for Bersih 2.0 to diversify struggles, say analysts
Wakakaka ......sigh
the next time when Maria Chin proposes electoral reforms no one on the BN side will believe she is impartial and non-aligned. They will believe she makes electoral reforms only to benefit the other side and not for fairness, true or otherwise, because she has taken sides in her misuse of Bersih
Deleteit is exactly the same as the police or the judiciary - no one opposing BN will believe they are not taking sides.
Karena Nila Setitik (seperti Maria Chin), Rusak Susu Sebelanga (Bersih sbg electoral watchdog)
BTW, you grossly lack civility in your arguments - you just have to fling abuses galore, wakakaka
Kami sokong KT.
DeleteLast thing first,
Delete‘you grossly lack civility in your arguments – you just have to fling abuses galore’
Civility?
As in my open & transparently displays of (dis)pleasure OR yr dark & hidden wakakakakings in our discourses – choose one lah!
Which one is MORE insidious & fling abuse galore?
Do learn to call a spade spade lah & act on it openly. Only then u quote civility, ok?
WRT impartiality & non-alighment in carrying out NGO duties, don’t u think u r using the half-truth logic to colour yr argument?
‘she makes electoral reforms only to benefit the other side & not for fairness’
Where does this impression come about? Through blur-sotong logic ke? Izznt her stand based on the known cases of mis-managements shown by the current govt?
As a political activist, or for that matter, political NGO, it’s her undisputed duty to champion & voice the current societal ills, regardless of whether such wrongs fall within her organisation’s formation charters.
It’s disingenuous of u to compare the police or the judiciary’s dismayed abuses to Bersih’s clear & clean records.
Using yr narrowly defined NGO-should-stick-to-her-chartered-activities, then
1)How many individual single-tracked NGOs one must have in order to voice/right the sickness of bolihland?
2)R u going to suggest the working of that dedek-makan ‘flashed-mobbed’ umno outfits – get paid & act one time only, with one objective?
See yr wordsmith’s play of half-truths in creating confusion with Bersih vis-à-vis police or the judiciary?
Truth – Bersih stands on the disenchantment faced by the rakyat. While the police & the judiciary stand with the pay-master.
False – Bersih should stick to her singled set objective of electoral reforms. While the police & the judiciary should act without fear & favour.
‘Tomorrow no one in BN will believe any of Bersih's proposal for electoral reforms as non-partisan. That is the sin of Maria Chin, abetted by people like you without vision of a bigger picture, to wit, to bring about electoral reforms to ensure Malaysian elections will eb fair, free and clean.’
Wakakakaka .. Has BN EVER considered any political moves outside its influences as non-partisan? Walau eh, so much faith u have with BN!
ONLY the clear-minded populace would understand the bigger issues involved. While the blur-sotong, the puppeteers & the paid agents would twist what’s good for the country into a one-by-one approach. It is easier for this group to understand (for the blur-sotong), to manipulate (for the puppeteers) & to carma (for the paid agents).
WRT ‘the sin abetted by people like u (KT) without the vision of bigger picture to wit, to bring about electoral reforms to ensure Malaysian elections will eb fair, free and clean’, just HOW BIG can a silo-view of yr blind faith is?
Will yr ahjibgor ever change & listen to a ‘soft’ approach for a better M’sia?
Wakakakakakaka .. Over that hipo’s death carcass, I bet!
This ONLY means u r either a blur-sotong or like yr sifu, u r a double-faced hypocrite – cheating on both sides!
What about the DAP's proposed nonsensical misuse of the election process in the Penang Bungalow-Gate State election (fortunately thwarted by PKR)?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Bersih stayed silent about that too, including the once formidable Ambiga....
you're only assuming that the reason for a snap election is Bungalow Gate. You share the same bias as BN, wakakaka
DeleteIf Trengganu goes into snap election, what u guys & gals going to say about this snap election?
ReplyDeleteWaste of money?
Way to solve that state's administrative dilemmas?
How about returning the mandate to the rakyat?
Or govt knows best, blur-sotong & political-correctness fence-sitters just ikut - one for the sake of blurness, while the other for the political tiredness within that silo view.
tsk.......tsk......u deserve what u get, with the eventuality of crying father mother like that pastor Friedrich Martin Niemoller about the atrocity of the Nazis!
Under the Westminster System, a hung parliament / legislature is an acceptable reason for Snap elections.
Delete"Returning the mandate to the Rakyat" without any objective justification is nonsensical misuse of the election process.
th Wikipedia says: A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required (either by law or convention), usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue.
Deleterepeat - to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue.
the government in power decides that, wakakaka
You are confused between the power to call Snap elections , which Penang DAP certainly has - just as PKR had the ability to force a By-Election in Kajang through the resignation of its State Assemblyman.
DeleteWhether it is ethically right is the issue I brought up - and I condemn both the Kajang move , and the r DAP-proposed Penang State elections as wrong and a misuse of the electoral process.
even tho' the snap election proposal has been abandoned I'll blog on why I believe it would have been appropriate to have a snap election as proposed by LGE
DeletePlease lah... we need to ABU or ABBU - asalkan bukan BEKAS UMNO...... Any thing to Change is better than no Change.....regardsless of the UNKNOWN Outcome.... trying to Right all that is Wrong in Malaysia is like giving a Child Rapist/paedofile the job of Kindergarden teacher.... When we come out to March Bersih/Bantah/Tangkap it is like giving the message to Agong-UMNO a strong signal without using guns...... Who else is Fighting for Ms Indira Gandhi Force Conversion child to islam after 7 years??....despite High Court order....Small things need to happen to make the UMNO Malay IS Islam Racist terrorist Yield to NORM of Civil Society......we are at the stage that Kindy children are prepared to to Unleash Terror on the Child Rapist/Paedofile.... Some Malaysian may go and defend the Paedofile!! Better encourage the helpless kindy kids to unleash terror on the EVIL UMNO repeat offender child rapist Paedofile and those Rulers Royals that condone these acts !!
ReplyDeletethat's fine and I support you BUT don't misuse Bersih, ni macam BN-led government should not misuse the police and judiciary
DeleteI checked the Bersih website, under About Us, Our 8 Demands are the followings :
ReplyDelete7. Stop Corruption
8. Stop Dirty Politics
Therefore, unless you are of the same "kind" as is the former MACC deputy chief commissioner Zakaria Jaffar, who opined "MACC has not investigated 1MDB because it is not an issue of corruption...."
Any correction?
Wakakaka ..................
so the objectives have been amended and expanded to render the NGO into not just an electoral watchdog, but an attack hound of all things, perhaps due to my criticism, wakakaka
DeleteWhat is wrong with Bersih protesting RM 2.6 Billion in Public Funds ultimately diverted in Malaysian Official 1
ReplyDeletes personal bank account for Election-Political purposes (by his own admission). ?
To me that issue is perfectly within Bersih's charter.
I contrast Ktemoc's haste to condemn Bersih with his absolute silence on the very issue which Bersih is condemning - Najib's nonsensical abuse of public funds for personal political purposes - Yea, not even a slap on his wrists with a coriander stalk.
I'm quite clear Bersih is BERSIH.
But Ktemoc is looking suspiciously KOTOR.
Bersih started off as an impartial non-aligned NGO created or formed specifically for electoral reforms and performance - to ensure clean, free and fair elections. That was why Ambiga Sreenevasan told Anwar Ibrahim off when the latter attempted to hijack Bersih 2.0. Alas for Ambiga, Anwar did just that in Bersih 3.0
DeleteIf Maria Chin wants to criticize and hound Najib for 1MDB and other issues of corruption, by all means she should do so, BUT she should not have hijacked Bersih's popularity (precisely because of its impartiality) for her very partisan political agenda. Tomorrow no one in BN will believe any of Bersih's proposal for electoral reforms as non-partisan. That is the sin of Maria Chin, abetted by people like you without vision of a bigger picture, to wit, to bring about electoral reforms to ensure Malaysian elections will eb fair, free and clean.
Effectively Maria Chin has done to Bersih what the UMNO PM, DPM and Home Minister have done to the police, judiciary and (specially by Mahathir) the Senate
DeleteI got the gist of what KT was trying to say, and i happen to agree. If BERSIH wants to stay neutral, it should not have involved themselves in ANY political alignments. Not BN, and not Pakatan. It should have stuck to the charter it was originally built upon so that both sides would have trusted BERSIH to oversee its mission. It might not do much aside from having a third wheel looking over your shoulder from the Govt & opposition's perspective, but it's a start. Now since BERSIH has decided to take up the cause of the opposition, i'm sure the Anti-Najib groups and full on anti govt groups would be thrilled, but it makes one giant mistake in this respect; It makes BERSIH JUST another opposition party, and not an all access neutral watchdog. Whistle blowing on govt wrongdoings would now be meaningless because one side (opposition) would be cheering them on,albeit too loudly, and one side (Govt) won't listen at all. Now, i don't want to start an argument or anything, democracy is all about the right to voice opinions and not get hanged for it. It seemed like a lot of guys are missing the bigger picture here
ReplyDeleteI need to correct some misconceptions here re. "Bersih started off as an impartial non-aligned NGO created or formed specifically for electoral reforms and performance - to ensure clean, free and fair elections."
ReplyDeleteI have to correct a misconception here. The idea to focus on a clean elections campaign was kicked off in 2005 by the 3 parties (DAP, PKR, PAS) during a workshop in NS, due to the big majority of popular vote won by BN in 2004GE. 'Bersih' was conceptualised then although it had a different name in the beginning (JACER). In Nov 2006, BERSIH was launched in Parliament lobby and work started on the campaign and preparations for a mass rally in 2007. In NOv 2007, Bersih 1 took place. There was no chair or head; just a steering committee comprising members from each political party (PSM & SNAP were also endorsees) as well as 25 NGOs. The 3 main NGOs which sat in the steering committee were WDC, WAMI & Suaram. All this info is available in the Bersih website. Too many people do not know how Bersih started and wrongly think that it was started in 2009 by Marina Mahathir and Ambiga or something like that. Basically what happened was that after the 2008 election, where many of the steering committee members got elected, they collectively decided to hand over the reins to Ambiga. That was how Bersih 2.0 came about. Sekian.