PETALING JAYA: Social activists are questioning the independence and impartiality of Bersih 2.0 in light of chairman Maria Chin Abdullah's announcement that she will be joining Pakatan Harapan.
Political columnist Hafidz Baharom said although Chin offered to contest as an independent under the Pakatan banner, the perception is "definitely" that Bersih is no longer squeaky clean.
"This is not the first time someone from the non-governmental sector joined politics," Hafidz said.
He referred to the late Irene Fernandez, the former Tenaganita director who in 1999 became a candidate for the Subang Jaya parliamentary seat under PKR.
"However, Tenaganita did not take an anti-government stance as what Bersih has been doing since last year – asking to topple a sitting prime minister," he said.
Hafidz, a vocal supporter of #UndiRosak, said Maria Chin's foray into politics showed that Bersih's vehement opposition against the campaign was politically motivated.
"I'm sure many never expected Bersih to be independent, but to deny and ridicule the democratic rights of voters to protest through #UndiRosak was uncalled for," he said.
Hafidz said that Bersih stands to lose even more supporters from the public at large, especially among the youths who are looking at politics with cynicism.
Meanwhile, moderation activist Mohamed Tawfik Ismail was reported as saying that Maria Chin's move to join the Opposition coalition confirmed Barisan Nasional's suspicions that Bersih was not independent.
"It's expected. It only confirms Barisan's view that Bersih is led and hijacked by the opposition," he told an online portal.
Tawfik also questioned if Bersih 2.0 would still have the people's support as Pakatan is led by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
"What's the future of Bersih? When it began, it rallied a broad spectrum of people.
"Now, instead of reforming the Government, its leader has gone to the side of the man that inspired Bersih's establishment – Dr Mahathir," he was quoted as saying.
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it's not only anwar who hijacked bersih maria is now allied to the very man who gave reason for the birth of bersih, to oppose his mutilation of the electoral process |
Adoi, Maria, malu lah. Ismail Tawfik (son of the late Tun Dr Ismail) has accused you of "instead of reforming the Government, its leader has gone to the side of the man that inspired Bersih's establishment – Dr Mahathir".
That's akin to the Maquis (French Resistance fighters during the Occupation of France in World War II) subsequently supporting the Nazi invaders of France,
or ... akin to the Mau Mau (Kenyan Resistance fighters during the Colonisation and Occupation of Kenya in the 1950's) subsequently supporting the British colonialists occupiers of Kenya,
or ... akin to George Washington and his Continental Army (American revolutionaries during the American Revolution in 1775 to 1783) subsequently supporting the British colonialists in America.
Don't say I haven't warned you, my dear. Besides, many smart alecs here condemned me for hating you, wakakaka.
I can see so clearly the importance of maintaining BERSIH as an impartial body because BN won't listen to you otherwise. Now, you've f**k up your successor forever more. I think it's too late to resuscitate BERSIH after your destruction of its credibility.
Ambiga Sreenevasan has just emerged to say she supports you participation in politics but that was never the problem because it's your inherent right to involve yourself in politics if you so desire. What many have held against you have been your involvement in BERSIH for which you either did not understand the vital necessity of its impartiality or you lack the temperament, proclivity and and dedication to foster the growth and neutrality of BERSIH.
You were already far too politicised and also too politically prejudiced to be an impartial person to he\had BERSIH.
Ambiga Sreenevasan has just emerged to say she supports you participation in politics but that was never the problem because it's your inherent right to involve yourself in politics if you so desire. What many have held against you have been your involvement in BERSIH for which you either did not understand the vital necessity of its impartiality or you lack the temperament, proclivity and and dedication to foster the growth and neutrality of BERSIH.
You were already far too politicised and also too politically prejudiced to be an impartial person to he\had BERSIH.
If you did it unwittingly due to your too-clever-by-half administration of BERSIH, it's just bloody bad luck for the nation.
But if you knowingly f**k BERSIH impartiality due to your political bias, you have been a rotten selfish person, destroying the greater good for Malaysians.
The thing that puzzles me is why is ONLY now that people are coming out to say about Maria Chin what I have said about her long ago, and many times too.
Some speculated Ambiga will also join her girlfriend into the elections as well.
ReplyDeleteambiga has stated she is NOT interested in direct political participation
DeleteMahathir also once said he will NEVER work with LKS. Stranger things has happened, so I won't put too much what she said until after the elections.
DeleteRobert Kuok have been supporting Umno and MCA for decades.So when a fake news blogger alleged that Kuok had contributed to the DAP,it set the dogs loose,running wild in the capital like chasing bitches on heat.
ReplyDeleteDuring my school days,our principle,a La Salle brother for many years,fell in love with one of our schoolmate's sister.He left the brotherhood and got married.Is this a sin or a law that said that he must never leave the brotherhood for better or worse?
Yes,it is true that Maria Chin made her bones in Bersih.Well,she also is leaving the movement,to offer herself as a candidate for PH.If she retains her Bersih post and stands as a candidate,than we can criticize her all we want.But she is leaving Bersih,so why cannot she offer her candidacy?So this has nothing to do with principles.It is her right.
it is better for Maria Chin to leave Bersih as she doesn't have the temperament to be impartial, though in leaving Bersih she does so having already destroyed Bersih's reputation of impartiality
Deletenicely put, bruno.
Deletewe r still 1 party state, so what impartiality u expect?
Wakakakaka………
DeleteBig word, this impartiality.
Especially coming out from those WHO r EQUALLY biased!
U quote one Hafidz Baharom. Is he not biased?
BTW, he has NO right to speak for the public at large, especially among the youths who are looking at politics with cynicism.
As for Tawfik's comment, he likes kua kia soong, has carried their personal vendetta with mamak such that both CAN'T see the forest for the trees! They r been motivated by their personal hatred to expanse their illogical conclusion about Bersih!
Where's their impartiality le?
U?
From those quoted examples, WHY couldn't u see the raison d'être behind those moves?
Again udand-di-belakang-batu?
Sigh………Sigh……
If that La Sallian brother wooed her before leaving the brotherhood, then its a sin. If he courted her after leaving, then its not.
DeleteThe same applies to Maria Chin and Bersih as well. Maria was partisan to Oppos b4 leaving.
well analogised. The truth has been that Maria Chin was unfit to be Chair of Bersih. It's like stupid LKS proposing Mahathir to be Chair of a RCI on 1MDB. Why not propose Najib to be Chair of Forex?
DeleteLKS has gone from being my hero to just a bloody zero in his shameful power-crazy dalliance with the man he condemned for nearly 50 years
mc go into politics is then a savior of bersih impartiality, go change yr fake title now.
Deletethe diff btw mahathir n najib is the former no more in govt while the latter is. yr understanding of many issues is pretty poor, no wonder u once treat lks yr hero.
Wrong proposal!
DeleteCould pinklips ever be the Chair of Forex?
He could, bcoz he calls the shots.
He WON'T bcoz he is empty can about fiscal issues.
Lagi, he is VERY scare of been debated openly:
1) empty can on any subjects except womanizing.
2) “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (learn from u lah to quote that holy book!).
See……"LKS has gone from being my hero to just a bloody zero in his shameful power-crazy dalliance with the man he condemned for nearly 50 years"
Again yr personal vendetta with mamak (wondering what causes it besides that usual 22yrs of govt misfeasances), lures u into the same mindset of tawfik/kua's been-in-the-hell-but-look-at-the-fire diatribes!
Wakakakaka……… blind as bat le.
Please answer me this question:
ReplyDeleteShould sport body interfere with govt policy?
Should international trade organisation bar trading with Israel?
Can America imposts trade sanction for N Korea bcoz of his nuclear weapon development?
See the analogy with Bersih getting political?
Put it into a proper prospective, why can't Bersih gets involved with politics? After all, election transparency IS a political issue.
Ambiga's reluctance to get Bersih to have closed ties with political parties, especially the Opp, perhaps ONLY she could answer & also the sign of infancy.
Maria Chin's style of working closely with the Opp, IS nothing wrong since all other 'workable' efforts had met with death silences from the govt. She just follows the natural evolving path of the Bersih. In fact if she didn't take this course, Bersih would have died of natural human apathy!
Yr udand-di-belakang-batu attack on Maria Chin is a show of utmost! hypocrisy.
a so-called watchdog on electoral business looks at just that, otherwise why call it an electoral watchdog. Under Maria Chin, Bersih looks at other business. If Maria Chin wants it so, and wants to be partisan, then she must expect her electoral watchdog reputation to skydive and its credibility no longer trusted by one side of politics. If so, then how effective can Bersih be in moving electoral reforms forward under bipartisan support? Zero!
DeleteIf Bersih was an electoral watchdog under Maria Chin, why did she kept her mouth shut, her eyes closed and her ears muted in the Kajang by-election bullshit which was a waste of public resources, public time and nothing beneficial to the residents of Kajang - it was just misused to satisfy PKR internal politics.
In remaining silent Maris Chin was useless, biased, non-effective and untrue to her NGO's objectives.
That is just Ktemoc's immutable prejudice.
DeleteTo be clear, there has NEVER been bipartisan support for Bersih.
DeleteWho fired the massive quantities of tear gas ?
Who fired the chemical water cannons ?
Who assaulted the peaceful marchers ?
Bersih1 as organised by RPK et al, was bipartisan and supported by members of both sides. Bersih2 onwards no longer impartial.
Deletebersih now oso supported by members of both side, in the past is pakatan + anti badawi horde, now is pakatan + anti najib horde, whats the diff?
DeleteBack then was less toxic and more impartial than current incarnation?
DeleteObviously u DIDN'T see the analogy.
ReplyDeletePerhaps lagi teruk, u buat tak tau!
Let's dissect an example from yr favourite punching bag - Israel.
Should international trade organisation bar tradings with Israel?
A trade organisation is a watchdog on business transactions, otherwise it defeats its founding aim.
By encouraging its member states to avoid tradings with Israel just bcoz of the Palestinian issues at WestBank, one can expects its business watchdog reputation to skydive and its credibility no longer trusted by the publics.
Like u have said, stick to the founding aim & don't get involved with 'outside' bipartisan issues. Otherwise, the organization would not be an effective business watchdog le.
Business & politics shouldn't mixed mah. Right?
Wakakakaka………r u still dreaming ke?
In REAL life, one must looks further than just a singular objective as time evolves. Otherwise, Bersih would be a useless, biased, non-effective and untrue to its NGO's objectives.
So spill cockagroo AGAIN!
In fact George Washington cultivated peaceful relations with England, starting shortly after the end of hostilities.
ReplyDeleteFrance and Germany have been great partners since the late 1940's.
If is about alignment of common values and causes, not becoming fixated with personalities.
you don't pick a period of entente cordiale to mask the war in the American Revolution - that's deceitful
DeleteThe period of entente cordiale in the American history is defined by the later day historians.
DeleteCould u foretell that the current bolihland epoch would be another period of entente cordiale?
Wordsmith is NO historian with hindsight, so WHOZ'S been deceitful?
Wakakakaka……what a cheat!
Washington came out the victor and was being magnanimous to Britain. He didn't hate that country, or its people, or culture, or believes, just their management of America.
DeleteBut that didn't soothe British resentment and anger at losing their colony, which culminated in War of 1812. If Washington and subsequent US governments wasn't fooling themselves with false pretense at Brit entente towards them, they might have prevented the burning of White House in 1814.
So...Lim Kit Siang has made his peace with Mahathir in 2017, without rescinding any of his criticisms of the Regime from the 1980's and 1990's.
DeleteHe chose not to highlight 20 year old issues.
What's wrong with that ?
he has ebcoem dumb on Maddy's sins dumb as MCA and Gerakan have been to UMNO's sins
DeleteWow………lks that powerful ke?
DeleteHe is NOW equating to a party like mca/gerakan.
Those two mfing setups r group of bloodsucking opportunists who could sell their mothers for some dedak!
Lks could be a cheat. BUT can he singlehandedly, perhaps together with his idiotic son, turns dap into the same mould aka mca/gerakan?
All those other dapters r umno clones?
Perhaps, u!