EC and political neutrality

Honorable for EC chairman and deputy to step down

The revelation that the Election Commission(EC) Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, and his deputy, Datuk Wan Ahmad bin Wan Omar are members of Umno came as a shock to all Malaysians especially those fighting for a clean, free and fair 13GE that is due anytime now.

Yes, we are all terribly puzzled how they ever got selected to lead the EC in the first place being members of a political party? If at all they want to accept  their appointment shouldn’t they have resigned from Umno first? If they didn't have that integrity to do so, are they fit to continue to lead the EC? What about the other members of the Commission? Are they also members of any political party?  

Abdul Aziz says that despite being a member of Umno his neutrality as EC chairman will not be duly affected as he is not an active member. This is like having a BN member as the referee in a contest between BN and PR. Isn’t it ridiculous? How can he be neutral at times of conflict of interests? Would it be possible to have a member of the opposition being a member of the EC? The EC being appointed by the Agong is only answerable to him and as such its chairman and other members of the commission should be absolutely apolitical in order to seen as truly neutral. How can anyone be absolutely neutral politically when he I member of a political party which demand loyalty to its leaders?

The only honorable thing for them to do now is to :

1. Resign from their posts in the EC immediately.

2. Apologise to the nation for misleading the people who had placed their hope and trust in them to conduct their elections fairly.

The people congratulate those for revealing such a serious fraud being committed by the EC and BN. This shows that the people are not stupid anymore. They have awakened and will expose more and more of the rot under the more than the half-century rule by BN government.

It is time for Malaysians to wake up and put our nation in order. They should not allow the BN to continue to hoodwink them into voting for them blindly as blind loyalty to anyone only leads to abuse of power and disaster. Enough is enough and it is time to say "NO" to BN at the coming 13GE which offers the best opportunity ever to bring change. That change which is not an option anymore but mandatory, a change that will at least provide some hope make Malaysia a better place for all who have made this their homeland.

The night before bersih 3.0

Bersih 3.0 - 1330 - Dataran Merdeka

Bersih 3.0 – The final countdown

People versus Government - Round 3

Tomorrow on 28 March 2012, thousands of ordinary Malaysians are expected to gather at Dataran Merdeka, for a peaceful sit-down protest against electoral irregularities. They will be demanding the government and the Election Commission to clean up the electoral roll and introduce reforms to make the coming 13GE clean, free and fair. Time is running out and they want to impress the government of the urgency with which they must act, thus the mammoth rally.

The Bersih 3.0 rally is organized by non-partisan civil societies and supported by the vast majority of peace loving and ordinary citizens of all races. Unfortunately due to the confrontational attitude of the government, like the previous 2 such rallies, it has turned out to be a battle between the people and the BN government. It is strange that despite initial approval by the Home Minister, the DBKL and Police are not allowing the sit-down protest to take place at the requested place, Dataran Merdeka .It is disheartening  that a day before the rally, the minister has warned of a police crackdown on those who end up at the Dataran

Despite the refusal to use Dataran Merdeka and despite the threat of police crackdown, thousands from all walks of life, ages and all ethnicity are expected to converge on Dataran Merdeka to demand for clean and fair elections. Among them will be elderly and even sick people. These are the brave Malaysians who are willing to come out of the comforts of their homes on a hot Saturday afternoon, brave the heavy police road blocks and even risk being hurt,just to fight for justice for all of us. 

It is one of the rare occasions when Malaysians especially the youth forget their ethnic differences and come out joining hands and proudly singing the “Negaraku”. Tear gas, water cannon, police arrests and even brutality will not stop these courageous and patriotic Malaysians. It will be one of the rare occasions when we will shed tears of joy and be proud to call ourselves Malaysians.

It is unfortunate our mainstream media does not see the need to report on this most important event in the country today which is the main topic of discussion in coffee shops, social gatherings and elsewhere. The feelings and emotions of the people are being clearly expressed on face book and twitter postings that have become the main means of communication today. One such tweet by a young man reads, “I can't wait to sing together will all my fellow Malaysian NEGARAKU during #BERSIH 3.0”.

Those who will make our journey to Dataran on Saturday  be convinced that what you are doing is righteous, to protect our rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution. You are not alone but being supported by millions who are watching and praying for you at home and all over the world. You need courage and this they implore the almighty to bless you with and protect you from all harm. Come what may let us not resort to violence of any sort. 

Those  cannot be there for some reason or another on this historic day, let’s salute these brave fellow Malaysians who would be at the Dataran Merdeka on Saturday, not just fighting for them but for all of us as well. Although we may not be able to be there with them physically but we can us reassure them we will treasure every moment they are there. We may not be there but they will be close in our hearts as we continue to monitor and support them in whatever way we can. Let us be an active part of the struggle outside the pitch to bring justice to our nation.

 Meanwhile let us continue to spread the news of this struggle against injustice to everyone we meet. Let us disseminate the message of this struggle for free and fair elections far and wide through the internet and all means available to us. 

Finally let pray for them, asking God to protect them from all harm and give them the courage to continue what they are doing. Let’s pray that Bersih 3.0 goes on peacefully without any major untoward incidents. Let’s pray  for right to finally prevail over wrong and the people must always be the winner in the final outcome.

God bless Malaysia