The opposition's modus operandi seems to be expanding by the minute

FASTEN your seat belts. Campaigning for the 14th General Election (GE14) is already under way. In 2008, the opposition recorded its most impressive victories with five states going its way. A lot have gone its way since then, including in this year's elections despite losing Kedah to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). 

The opposition's modus operandi since four years ago remains, and seems to be expanding by the minute:

Rule number one -- always say the winner won in a dubious manner, no matter how much it has gained. 

Next, always put the onus on BN leaders to explain and re-explain repeatedly to the people about allegations of vote fraud, phantom voters, corruption and whatever else that makes negative reading. 

Number three -- maximise social media application 24/7 to remind the electorate of such allegations, with so-called friendly non-governmental organisations and media chipping in. 

The newest tactic -- take its grievances out in the open, in shopping centres with kids in tow dressed in black, mouths taped-up and keep coming out with statements about protests and demonstrations -- done peacefully, of course. 

And so, while the mainstream media focus is on why a large bloc of Chinese voters swung away from BN, friends of the opposition trumpet that the votes it got are from all races. 

The agitation against the results of GE13 seems to have a two-pronged motive -- the first is to force the authorities, especially the police and security agencies, to act against the demonstrators and, perhaps, arrest Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

The rally in Kelana Jaya is the start of a continuous government and Election Commission bashing tactic until the next general election. The police had advised people not to join the gathering and also for the organisers to delay it, but to no avail. The police are now exploring the possibility of making a few arrests. 

Selangor police chief deputy commissioner Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said there were 33 speakers at the rally, but 28 of them, including top opposition party leaders, had allegedly made speeches with elements of sedition and instigation. 

He said those identified would be investigated under the Peaceful Assembly Act, Sedition Act and Penal Code, and might face arrest if they did not comply with the summons for questioning by investigators. 

If the authorities do act against them, especially by arresting Anwar, we can probably visualise the headlines and the kind of reports that will follow. Anyone who has a keen eye for news can see a few reports that refer to the BN government as a "regime". 

One gets the feeling that demonstrations and protests against the GE13 results have another objective -- to force BN supporters to react and that will lead to more tension. 

In the process, the opposition hopes to derail whatever positive and "lets move on" messages from the Datuk Seri Najib Razak-led administration. Truly, the age of free speech has arrived, especially in cyberspace with government and opposition-friendly sites trading blows relentlessly. 

Also, it is interesting to note that Utusan Malaysia and other newspapers attempt to kick start an honest and transparent review of why a large bloc of Chinese voters rejected BN candidates is met with criticism and threats of court proceeding. 

So now we hear that the Anwar bandwagon will roll to every state to show Malaysians and the outside world how he and Pakatan supporters will never recognise GE13 results. In light of such incitement, it is remarkable that the prime minister has chosen to remain calm and remind everybody to not lose perspective over the election results. 

One classic quote from him was when he highlighted a strange phenomenon of the opposition not accepting BN's win at the national level but accepted the results in the states it won, describing this kind of attitude "weird". 

"In Kelantan, Selangor and Penang, the opposition is going ahead with appointing the menteris besar and chief minister. 

"So, why can't it accept the results at the national level as it has at the state level? Don't be selective. When you win, you accept. When you don't win, you don't accept. It cannot be like that." 

While Najib is concentrating on nation building, the other party is on nation-inciting mode. Which do you prefer?

--NST

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Rakyat kesal pemimpin PKR anjurkan demonstrasi bantah projek pembangunan

INI KALI LAH! pemimpin-pemimpin BN tidak perlu membidas tindakan pemimpin-pemimpin PKR yang suka sangat menganjurkan demonstrasi di negeri ini. Rakyat sendiri tampil mengutuk tindakan yang bukan sahaja tidak menguntungkan rakyat, malah menyusahkan rakyat kerana mengganggu proses pembangunan di negeri ini.

Pakatan Rakyat perlu sedar bahawa rakyat Sabah tidak sama dengan penyokong-penyokong pembangkang di Semenanjung yang mudah rasa terhibur bila ada demonstrasi dianjurkan pembangkang. Rakyat Sabah juga tidak sama dengan penyokong-penyokong pembangkang di Semenanjung yang suka mengambil kesempatan disebalik demonstrasi ini untuk melepaskan geram sehingga mendatangkan bahaya kepada orang awam dan juga negara.

KENINGAU: Pemimpin masyarakat di lapan buah kampung di Pensiangan kesal dengan tindakan pemimpin-pemimpin Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Cabang Pensiangan yang menganjur demontrasi membantah Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Negeri Sabah (LKTNS) menerokai kawasan yang membabitkan kampung-kampung berkenaan. 

Wakil Ketua Anak Negeri (WKAN) Mukim Pensiangan Kinon Limpas berkata, tindakan pemimpin-pemimpin PKR yang menganjurkan demonstrasi itu adalah menghasut beberapa penduduk termasuk golongan muda sehingga mengikuti rancangan mereka. 

Katanya, perbuatan mereka itu bukan sahaja bertentangan dengan budaya masyarakat di kawasan ini tetapi menghalang pembangunan yang berfaedah kepada rakyat khususnya bagi penduduk kampung yang terlibat. 

“Yang amat mengecewakan kami, pemimpin-pemimpin PKR di kawasan ini membawa orang-orang dari luar yang tidak kena mengena di Mukim Pensiangan untuk menyertai demontrasi yang mereka anjurkan,” kata Kinon kepada media di sini pada Rabu. 

Kinon memberitahu, pemimpin-pemimpin kampung yang terlibat iaitu Kg. Sikalabaan, Kg. Lirung, Kg. Sipuok, Kg. Sumabi, Kg. Siwalor, Kg. Mambu, Kg. Pilanas dan Kg. Bollah sudah sebulat suara menyokong LKTNS menerokai dan membangun tanah di kawasan itu dengan sawit untuk masa depan anak-anak penduduk di kampung-kampung berkenaan. 

Katanya, selain pemimpin masyarakat, semua penduduk kampung-kampung yang terlibat juga telah menyatakan persetujuan kepada LKTNS dan mana-mana agensi kerajaan yang mampu membangun kawasan itu. 

“Kami mahu kawasan kami dimajukan dengan tanaman sawit untuk meningkatkan taraf hidup dan merubah masa depan anak-anak muda di kawasan ini, disamping mengurangkan penghijrahan mereka ke Semenanjung untuk mencari pekerjaan. Apabila kawasan berkenaan ditanam dengan sawit secara komersial ia sekali gus membawa kepada penaikantaraf jalan raya ke Mukim Pensiangan,” katanya. 

Katanya, pada masa ini ramai anak-anak muda meninggalkan kampung halaman kerana mencari pekerjaan dan kebanyakannya berhijrah ke beberapa negeri di Semenanjung dan akhirnya terdapat anak-anak muda yang terjebak dengan gejala sosial yang tidak sihat yang merosakkan akhlak mereka. 

Kinon berkata, perkara ini dapat dielakkan jika kawasan di sekitar kampung-kampung terbabit dibangunkan dengan tanaman sawit kerana ia akan membuka peluang pekerjaan kepada anak-anak muda dan sekali gus mengurangkan penghijrahan mereka untuk mencari pekerjaan di Semenanjung. 

Dalam masa yang sama Kinon berkata, pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat kampung yang terdiri ketua-ketua kampung dan pengerusi JKKK juga telah membuat bantahan balas dengan bantahan beberapa individu yang membantah LKTNS menerokai kawasan yang telah dipersetujui oleh penduduk kampung-kampung yang terlibat. 

Katanya, surat batahan yang telah ditandatangani oleh pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat dan penduduk kampung itu telah diserahkan kepada Ketua Menteri Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman dengan tangan semasa Persidangan Ketua-Ketua Adat Anak Negeri Sabah di Sandakan baru-baru ini. 

“Surat bantahan balas itu turut ditujukan kepada Penolong Pemungut Hasil Tanah, Pejabat Tanah dan Ukur Nabawan, Pengerusi LKTNS, Datuk Sapawi Hj. Ahmad; Pengarah Jabatan Tanah dan Ukur Sabah, Setiausaha Hasil Bumi, Jabatan Ketua Menteri, Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Nabawan, Datuk Bobbey Suan; Ahli Parlimen Pensiangan, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, Juru Ukur Jabatan Tanah dan Ukur Keningau dan Jabatan Perhutanan Daerah Nabawan. 

Sementara itu, Ketua Kampung Sumabi KK Mantoi Paling berkata, adalah tidak wajar bagi pemimpin-pemimpin PKR mengheret rakyat di kawasan ini menyertai rancangan mereka mengadakan demontrasi membantah LKTNS. 

Katanya, mereka yang menyertai demonstrasi itu bukanlah penduduk di kampung-kampung yang terlibat tetapi ada yang datang dari luar daerah seperti Sook dan sebagainya. 

“Perbuatan mereka itu akan menimbulkan kemarahan penduduk kampung yang sudah menyatakan persetujuan kepada LKTNS untuk menerokai tanah mereka dengan tanaman sawit,” kata Mantoi. 

Menurut Matoi, rata-rata mereka yang menyertai demonstrasi itu adalah masyarakat dari luar kampung yang dipercayai DIUPAH oleh pihak penganjur. 

Dalam pada itu Mantoi meminta supaya orang-orang yang tidak berkenaan atau bukan penduduk kampung-kampung yang terlibat jangan mengganggu usaha penduduk untuk menarik LKTNS menerokai kawasan mereka. - New Sabah Times

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Anwar promised to engineer an Arab Spring in Malaysia

1. In Australia it is reported that Anwar promised to engineer an Arab Spring in Malaysia.

2. He will duplicate Cairo’s Tahrir Square in Kuala Lumpur and he will organise demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands of people in order to bring down the Government if he loses the election. 

3. He claims that the election victories of the BN in the past were due to cheating, and to dirty tactics. That is why he organised the “Bersih” demonstrations with a quarter of a million people. Bersih means Clean. The people he claims want to ensure Clean Elections. If they don’t get a clean election this time they will force a new election to be held through massive daily demonstration on a scale never seen in Malaysia before. The election would be deemed dirty if Anwar’s Pakatan loses. 

4. When Anwar was dismissed from his post as Deputy Prime Minister and then expelled from UMNO, he organised demonstrations every Saturday. Business in Kuala Lumpur came to a standstill as people avoided going into the city the whole of Saturday.

5. If he organises huge demos everyday in Kuala Lumpur the disruption will not only affect businesses but it will deter investors and tourists from coming to Malaysia. 

6. Bersih organisers have shown that they are capable of holding simultaneous demos not only in Malaysian towns but in foreign countries as well. 

7. Malaysia has developed well because of its stability and peaceful environment. Anwar knows the damage he can cause Malaysia’s economy with his massive demonstrations. Malaysians may be persuaded to vote for his party in order to avoid suffering economically from the demonstrations. 

8. It would be a sad day indeed for Malaysia if this kind of threats are made to win elections. 

9. Malaysia’s elections have been generally clean. This is evidenced by the fact that in every election the opposition won not only in many constituencies but had actually captured many states. In the 2008 Elections the Opposition actually won in five states one Federal Territory and prevented the BN from getting a two-thirds majority in Parliament. 

10. In several instances the BN lost by less than 200 votes. Surely if the BN cheated it could have easily changed the results. But there has never been real evidence of the BN doing so. 

11. The claim that the elections in Malaysia are not clean and the holding of Bersih demonstrations are obviously preparation for accusing the BN Government of dirty election should the opposition lose. Demonstrations to condemn the elected Government would then be justified. And with the kind of demonstrations seen in Arab countries the Opposition may be able to force a new election. Even if the BN Government refuses to hold new elections, the opposition can expect condemnation of the BN throughout the world. 

12. Anwar’s warning of Arab Spring type of demonstrations in Malaysia must be taken seriously because he has in the past shown himself a master of this form of agitation. 

13. What is more dangerous is the disregard for police authority. Real attacks had been mounted against the police, just as we now see in Cairo. 

14. The police are now quite helpless. Not only have the ISA and the Public Order and Crime Prevention Ordinance (also known as the Emergency Ordinance) been abolished but police have been told not to use force against the demonstrators. This will be difficult as the demonstrators are capable of attacking and using force against the police. We saw this happen in previous demos. 

15. Laws are no good unless enforced. When the police are not allowed to enforce laws, then a lawless society would be the result. The public will lose police protection and the consequences would be loss of security for the people. They may have to arm themselves or organise vigilantes. This will not be good for them or for the country. I speak from experience. During the period between the Japanese surrender and the return of the British, I joined a vigilante group. Fortunately nothing serious happened. I remember being afraid of having to act against law-breakers. I was quite useless. 

16. From his utterances it is quite obvious that Anwar would like to have an Arab Spring here in Malaysia. I am not an alarmist but I know Anwar’s capacity for disruptions. The moment I became Minister of Education 1974, he organised a student’s demonstration claiming that starvation had caused the death of a boy in Baling.

17. After he joined the Government there was no serious demonstration for 16 years. Once he was out of the Government there were weekly demonstrations.

18. His obsession with becoming Prime Minister will drive him to create an “Arab Spring” so that his ambition would become a reality. To him, it does not matter if the country is destabilised and regresses economically as long as he gets to be Prime Minister. - Chedet

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