Was the Bersih agenda wrong? The agenda was simply the call for the EC to conduct its business cleanly and fairly. That to my mind is a legitimate and acceptable agenda. This government responded by demonizing Bersih. This was all part of the boxed-in mentality of the ruling government to prevent any mass movement snowballing into a popular movement. When it responded the way it did, the very dreaded effect it wanted to avoid, came into effect. Because public and international opinion made Bersih into the impression of a popular movement rather that a localized event it should have been.
Well, that's what you get if the government is reactive by nature rather that proactive in a thoughtful way. It doesn't want to engage Bersih preferring the bully tactics so liked by people like Ibrahim Ali.
When the marchers took the streets in a peaceful manner, it took a life of its own. It wasn't any more about Ambiga or Anwar or whoever else. They may have set the tone and did some synchronization, but once out there, the people called the shots.
This I think is what the government doesn't understand and because of that it responded the only way, a government believing in its own infallibility and invincibility behaves.
In the UK, our PM said that street demonstrations are not the way to form a government. He is stating what is already universally accepted nowadays. In Malaysia, no right thinking people harbors any thought about securing governmental power, through undemocratic or unconstitutional methods. Indeed we quarrel a lot to ensure the sanctity and integrity of a democracy be preserved. UMNO people went to court to seek a declaration that the 1987 UMNO elections were subverted. A new UMNO was formed in 1988. From then on, UMNO could never qualify to have practiced real democracy.
Malayan communism was ended half a century ago. Because the idea of forming a government through armed insurrection could never be accepted. Plus, there were a lot other complications such as religion and ethnic composition. Government is formed through the democratic way- through free and fair elections. We all do it through fair and clean elections, we are all democrats.
The statement which the PM raises and which is fortified further by the solemn declaration of the DPM when he said no more street rallies- raises important points.
Why does a democratic system still make possible for other forms of collective political expression take place? If elections sort out all issues, if a democratically elected government is supposed to end all issues, there wouldn't be a need for other forms of collective political expression, would there?
The response towards Bersih has been handled badly. So the government becomes the target of international censorship and sharp criticisms. The issue has not died down in our own country. Bersih has increased awareness among citizens on the importance of having clean and fair elections. That's a simple demand. The circuitous responses by the EC and government supporters will surely widen the divide between voters and the ruing government.
Behind the whole issue of Bersih trying to prop up mass awareness and the government's trenchant and violent response is the issue of a forgotten older ideal. Which is: that the power of all authorities exercising governmental functions ought to be limited by long run rules which nobody has the power to alter or abrogate in the service of particular ends.
How does a government that has forsaken this older universal principle rule the country then? It rules mainly through the stalwarts system by ensuring those who hold the levers of authority are its obedient servants. The judiciary?- an emasculated and pliant one, the chief law officer?-their man; the chief of police? –One who does its biddings, the chairman of the elections commission? - Its chief apologist. The chief secretary- maybe the one who will stall the swearing in of a new legitimate government come the next GE.
The Bersih rally and its aftermath clearly shows that the country is in urgent need of intelligent and god fearing people to become police officers. Not some nincompoops who just take and follow orders from Umno leaders.
ReplyDeleteJust look what happens to this country when you have people like Ismail, Khalid, Bakri and Salleh, all mentally deficient malays becoming top police officers. Umno was able to use and misuse them to quell the Bersih's rally to suit their political motives. The malaysian police when handling the bersih rally acted under the command and behest of Umno. Umno says stop the Bersih thing at all cost, these stupid malay police officers did just that. A law enforcement officer who arrested a citizen wearing yellow T-shirt with or without the Bersih rally, must be a totally insane person. His place of abode must be in some mental instituion and not in the Police force.
Apart from the police we also should encourage the cream of malay students to take up law to eventually become judges and public prosecutors. The ones that we have now are all half-past six malays. that is why the country is going to the dogs. The fact that some indians are now being detained under the EO is due to the stupidity of malay police officers and a stupid malay judge, who held that their detentions are legal even when it is plain to everyone that the police fabricated and concocted the reasons of their arrest; as being communist activists and rebelling agaist the Agong.
How does a government that has forsaken this older universal principle rule the country then? It rules mainly through the stalwarts system by ensuring those who hold the levers of authority are its obedient servants. The judiciary?- an emasculated and pliant one, the chief law officer?-their man; the chief of police? – One who does its biddings, the chairman of the elections commission? - Its chief apologist. The chief secretary- maybe the one who will stall the swearing in of a new legitimate government come the next GE.
ReplyDeleteEh Gad... You've extended the list, SM.
Thoughts made clear.
Its understandable UMNO demonizing Bersih. UMNO is fighting for its political survival and lost all common sense.
ReplyDeleteBut what I wonder is the EC Chairman. He was also attacking Bersih. He was literally speaking like an UMNO man. He was speaking like a politician.
How can this goat head the EC? He may as well join UMNO and contest the GE as its candidate.
Dato',
ReplyDeleteThe government took proactive measures called 'the preemptive measures' detaining people before the event happened. As we all know after the event, the measures were an abject failure.
Pak Tua
Dato,the fools that Najib has under him was of the believe that Bersih is out to topple them.And Bersih has the support of the opposition and is therefore a tool of the opposition.And also it was widely expected that a very large crowd turnout would hurt Umno badly.
ReplyDeleteSince the opposition parties supported Bersih and will be marching with them,the Bersih steering committee also invited Najib and his band of robbers.The opposition leaders also invited Najib and hid cabinet too.Of course they knew that they wouldn't show up.
But what Najib's highly paid consultants and his own people didn't have was the brains to tell him to take up the offer and not clamped down on the protestors.That would shock and awed the opposition and the public and score him huge political points.Najib could have easily pulled the carpet from under the opposition's feet.
Then with the popularity he gained on default of the opposition and the added confidence he could easily call for a snap election.He could have done better and with a bigger mandate he could have being able to consolidate his position.Now he cannot have an election as his popularity has slumped to the low teens.Again his smart asses Apco and Umnoputras screwed up again.
Dato'
ReplyDeleteYou wanna bet that many will love to be with UMNO if and only when someone can kick Jibby and his goons out.
That's it!
So Ku Li all yours!
Anon 16:38
ReplyDeleteWhat do you expect from the EC Chairman? Dare to go against the wishes and interests of his masters?
Consider this. Upon his compulsory retirement as KSU KDN, his service was extended on a contract basis. He then continues to serve his masters after he has left KDN to assume the present position. This is at the expense of the current Dep. Chairman whom I personally feel more qualified and knowledgeable after having the Secretary of the Commission for a number of years.
# ...would shock and awed the opposition and the public and score him huge political points.Najib could have easily pulled the carpet from under the opposition's feet.# - Bruno
ReplyDeleteLOL Good one!! Without EC and its merrygendering where will he be?
Saw when he engaged that 'genetic mistake' Ib-Ali and those Silat thugs? He lost all commonsense!
This a PM we have today - evil, dirty and a schemer. He'll stop at nothing to hold on to power.
Btw Dato Sak, good article but in your last para, did you deliberately missed out carma royalties to your list?
The govt has lost all sanity and are just reacting to events that they cant comprehend. the most glaring outcome of the BERSIH march was that the locally educated malays showed that they are also disenchated with the ruling regime. That was something BN/UMNO wasnt counting on when they keep lowering education standards and building universities everywhere like it was M&Ms. Even until today, more local universities are being build UNABATEDLY in the name of BN. Of course, the cronies are marking up the construction cost like hell for personal enrichment. But the BERSIH episode itself revealed many more insights that the BN monkeys STILL doesnt see, cannot see and cannot comprehend. MAHATHIR created the culture w see in the govt today. When a bunch of deliberate acts are repeated enough times, a culture is build around it. So how do you change the new culture? which is the new and more enduring ideal? or in BN's case, how do we protect our culture from destruction? Hence, therein lies the BN DILEMMA.
ReplyDelete"The response towards Bersih has been handled badly"
ReplyDeleteIt mean the governments did the job of nipping it on the bud -----to any street solution.Baguslah tu.
There was no change in governments and the door to the meeting room is still open.
But that is not what some people wants.?
Rightt?.
Najib is right,participants (of "bersih" )aims is to bring down the governments they don't like.
An increments at a time.
The funny things is most of the leaders that instigates these were Umno offshoots.
Umno business( seasons politicians or new breed ) is governments business.
Weather in power or out.
There is no paradigm shift in that yet.
Most people are Umno sympathizer , but the leaders don't know to come home.
Both the PM and the HM possess the old school of thoughts that might is right.They have forgotten that we are already in the digital world and that the present youth are more enlightened than some of those who are just warming their seats in the parliament.Both deserve their arses to be kicked for their injustice done on the patriotic BERSIH marchers more so for the EO6. They think that we are as gullible as those from the long-houses in the interior of East Malaysia. They were taught a lesson for waving a keris in 2008. Certainly they would be taught a new lesson come GE13.
ReplyDeleteDato,the events leading up to and after the Bersih rally shows that what Najib has besides him as his trusted righthand men are all a bunch of school kids.The events before the rally was bad enough,the events after was worse.Instead of damage control,they kept on making blunders after blunders.
ReplyDeleteLike lying to cover up police brutality and the attack on the Tung Shin Hospital.Even before the HM,IGP,CSL or LTL knew what happened the pictures were already on the internet.
Then the removal of subsidies so near an general election.Even a fool would know that it is political suicide.Of course after these recent events the elections won't be so soon after all.That can only mean one thing.The Umno GOM's people's bank is broke or almost broke.All the people's money are now safe and sound parked in offshore accounts.
The Umno GOM has to used whatever means to subdued the opposition and even ordinary people who have no political affiliations.To arrest civil activists and citizens wearing yellow can be the most stupidiest things a moron can ever think off.They are real desperate.Desperate people do real desperate things.
If the opposition managed to wrest control of Putrajaya,which seems a possibility now, these corrupted goons know that they are in real trouble.How can they explained an almost empty people's bank of Malaysia.So their only options are being permanent residents in Hotel Kamunting or a holiday resort in Zimbabwe.
That is why they are going to such lengths as committing forced suicides or murders to try forcing false voluntary statements out of witnesses.The TBH and AS deaths are proof of this.Usually deaths of suspects or witnesses are committed by police brutality during interogation.Now it is even committed by the MACC.I thought that the MACC's first priority is only go after white collar crimes.
Even interogation of witnesses of white collar crimes can lead into forced suicides or murders.Where did our Macc officers received their trainings.Maybe by Mugabe's police goons in Zimbabwe.If 600 modern day Umno youth mat rempit terrorists can run loose in PJ unhindered by the authorities,then Malaysia is officially or unofficially a police state.
Only in third world,police state or authoritarian countries can the regimes set loose rowdy thugs,rapists,murderers and terrorists to terrorised it's citizens.One of them is the Umno GOM.
Dato'
ReplyDeleteThose old and endearing ideal that is UMNO of the 1940s was NOT forgotten. In fact it was abandoned and summarily executed by the new "emperor" of the NEW UMNO. And it was done not because those ideal were out of date or "defective" but rather the existence of those ideal would curtail and limit "The Emperor's" power and rule. The emperor saw what the ideal meant to his rule, to his legacy and subverting to his greed for power and even more wealth, he made the decision that would ultimately destroy UMNO Baru and this nation's impressionable (as in childlike) civil service and the three pillar of government.
What this country needs now is not an NGO that is "engaging the government" and "non confrontational" (whatever that mean) BUT a united front by all those who believe that the nation is in peril and that the lives and liberty of its citizen is at stake, in confronting the BN especially UMNO in the next GE. No change can be expected from a non confrontational stance. The government (UMNO) has always and will resort to force. And we have to meet those force with the same and equal resoluteness.
Even Mahatma Ghandi style of non violence struggle is a form of confrontation, so it is ridiculous for anyone to expect great result from passive and irresolute posture. BERSIH is confrontational, heck even PERKASA is confrontational. So AMANAH is going with "TALK ONLY and MORE TALK"? Engaging the government? The government is NOT a blushing maid or even a pure virgin to be engage with! The government is the evil witch or pontianak or whatever evil being which needs a knight in shining armour or a Tengku in a white limo or whatever vehicle he chooses to confront it.
Amanah or rather KU Li need to stop being a gentlemen in a wrestling match. He needs to make tough decision in a tough situation and fight tough too. This nation can ill afford another term of corruption, embezzlement and wastage. No more wait and see but rather it's time to "DO and Do it well". I once wrote that it's better late than never in relation to Ku Li's latest move with Amanah but now I see that "It's now or never" would be more appropriate!"
Nick.
Salam and GOD bless.
Dato,Najib cancelling his family's vacation is such a big deal that he has to thank Rosmah for sacrificing her Italian vacation.Why in a hurry to come back in an instant.Must be something very very important,like someone's life is at stake.Maybe it is the French lawyer's presence in Malaysia.Latest news is, he is in immigration's custody waiting to be deported.
ReplyDeleteAnon 21:00
ReplyDeleteUMNO's point man in EC is the Deputy Chairman, wan ahmad wan omar. He's the guy entrusted by UMNO to execute the hanky panky in EC. He calls the shots in EC, the Chairman is just a red-herring. He remains the deputy so that he could do the dirty work under the radar screen.
Dato,it cannot be the Frenchie lawyer that Najib is cancelling his family's vacation for.He is already due for deportation.Ku li's Amanah.Not likely.An internal Umno coup.Very likely.Mahathir is really pissed off for these blundering goons upsetting Marina Mahathir.Let's wait and see.
ReplyDeleteDato,another blackeye for Najib.His Umno goons have ordered the detention of Frenchie lawyer for deportation back to France.This Frenchie must have some very good news for Jibby that he cancelled his vacation plans and flew back in a haste.Only thing is that Jibby has been denied the pleasure of hearing it first hand from the lawyer.This Frenchie has been detained in a holding cell somewhere in KL.Hope that he is not forced into committing suicide.Soon the French will be firing cruise missiles into Putrajaya.
ReplyDeleteThey have forgotten because Mahathir taught them how to give excuses after excuses. After long enough practise of giving excuses, ideals are easily forgotten.
ReplyDeleteLike it or not, UMNO/BN has it in their mind they can always give excuses for what they do - no matter what. With Bersih, people are trying to prevent a Tahrir Square but UMNO/BN has basically decided they are going to force the people into one and then blame them. That is the perverse Machiavellian logic that is their heart and soul now.
In short - they have lost it. Complete and absolutely lost their minds in their web of lies and deceit.
Najib rushed back from his vacation and thanked his Fat Lump oops Lom, and son publicly for their understanding. How touching!
ReplyDeleteTen days away and Bersih became a household word. It would be good he had not come back at all and yeah the Bersih fever has somewhat settled, so he thinks?
Dear Sakmongkol
ReplyDelete“Behind the whole issue of Bersih trying to prop up mass awareness and the government's trenchant and violent response is the issue of a forgotten older ideal”.
Yes, you were spot on in pointing this out. This government has clearly forgotten what democracy is all about. It seems they think it is sufficient to have a dirty election once every 4-5 years and they would automatically be practising democracy.
And then you asked rather rhetorically: If elections sort out all issues, if a democratically elected government is supposed to end all issues, there wouldn't be a need for other forms of collective political expression, would there? Some people might believe that elections sort out ALL issues, but they don’t simply because new issues might crop up after the elections, and the government does not respondent to them properly. Also, the government might not adhere to its election promises; there might be abuses of power, etc. For all these reasons, and whenever problems occur, the people through political parties or through civil societies like BERSIH must make known such transgressions to the general public. They must act especially when the mainstream press and the courts and other so-called independent institutions fail it their duty to act.
Democracy must give scope for such actions to be taken when wrong is done to the people. When the voice of reason is ignored, when proper channels of communications are blocked, the people can only voice their grievances through peaceful demonstrations. If a government that has failed the people then tries to block this last recourse can it still legitimately claim the right to rule. It is about time this BN/UMNO government stop pretending that it is democratic.
In the US it's legal for lobbies & special interests to bribe politicians. Obviously it's bad for the public who voted these politicians to office & personally it pains me to see AIPAC dominating their foreign policy. Nonetheless their civil service always remain politically neutral & efficient, mainly because of the Hatch Act of 1939 that restricted the ability of their civil service from participating in partisan politics. Malaysia needs to start with something similar. http://www.historycentral.com/documents/hatchact.html
ReplyDeleteAsalam...kum Dato' ,
ReplyDeleteYour opinion or your statement in this forum on the following :
" In the UK, our PM said that street demonstrations are not the way to form a government. He is stating what is already universally accepted nowadays. In Malaysia, no right thinking people harbors any thought about securing governmental power, through undemocratic or unconstitutional methods. Indeed we quarrel a lot to ensure the sanctity and integrity of a democracy be preserved. UMNO people went to court to seek a declaration that the 1987 UMNO elections were subverted. A new UMNO was formed in 1988. From then on, UMNO could never qualify to have practiced real democracy."
Please states the meaning of it ? Thank you .
dato
ReplyDeletemaybe i can help u in answering
the question raised by Ghaf.
I will begin with a story from the past.
In my u, lecturer from my department would
give lectures to student from another department on
our department specialty.
A mate of mine , a production engineering major
find the subject, robotics a tough one to grasp.
He was shooting questions, after questions until
the lecturer held his hand in despair.
And he said ,' son, this is it. I cannot make it
any simpler for you to understand. Either you
understand this or you drop out...'
Likewise , Dato Sak would be well advised
if you follow the style of Dr. Young [the lecturer mentioned earlier]
in answering Ghaf
khong khek khuat
Don't be sarcastic , the question asked was a sincere one .
ReplyDeleteIn the field of social science , we learn to understand issues through by asking many questions . In social science our laboratory is the world and our issues are endless , unpredictable and yet speculative . The choice to drop out from understanding is out of discipline and conduct in the process of intellectualization and thus understanding .
Production engineering and robotic engineering , two are totally different disciplines
of specialized engineering . The analogy is out of context and fatuous on the subject based on social science in which the article presented .
In answering the named khong khek khuat , the robotic engineer . 23 July , 21:29
Dato,
ReplyDeleteWhat is your comment on this...?
Malaysian Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin defends police action against protesters calling for changes to electoral process.-Bersih1 in 2007 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpYZ4IGenY&feature=share
‪Malaysian PM defends protest crackdown - 10Jul2011‬†- YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_0WDeQieC8
In 4 years, has the PeeM, his deputy, cabinet ministers, etc learned, mend its ways & done any justice to the nation & its downtrodden citizens?
When will they ever learn...
You be the judge.
Shalom.