Especially in these few days of election period, The Star has been extremely partisan in their views, and even letters to the editor are not excluded. Just view a sampling of what a typical The Star opinion piece and letter to the editor sounds like.
I am sure that many letters have been written in to The Star highlighting the other side of the story, the Barisan Rakyat side of the story. But these letters will never see the light of day.
In contrast, just look at what Malaysiakini (which by the way has opened its doors to free reading for this election period!) has to report from the former prime minister Tun M.
Why is the BN so afraid to air alternative news? They claim that they are confident, that they are not afraid, that they will win big, that they can feel the positive vibes. But if that is really the case, why not allow fair media access to all who are contesting in this elections?
I'm not even going to give much mention to the TV stations, who have prostituted themselves to the BN coalition. I caught a glimpse of an interview on TV3 yesterday with Abdul Rashid of the EC and Tan Sri Musa of the PDRM, both of them trying to explain the issues on the indelible ink reversal, the no phantom voters tirade... I mean, how low can you go?!
What about the radio stations? I hate the one constantly being aired on Lite FM, which features several "typical Malaysians" trumpeting the achievements and promises of the BN government. Among which I find ironic and downright false: "BN allows freedom of race and religion"... puhhleeeeeeaseeeeeee... it's the Federal Constitution that allows it. BN takes it away by demolishing Buddhist and Hindu temples and Churches, denying state and federal resources (money and land allocation) for the building of such places of worship, at the same time building too many "mansions" for their own usage.
When DAP ceramahs can attract 20,000 attendees in Klang, it is conveniently ignored by The Star. But when the BN can attract some thousands (don't believe the numbers from The Star wholeheartedly!) to an event organized by BN, it is given such prominence! I even suspect that the photo may have been doctored to show more attendees than what actually transpired there.
Barisan Rakyat has the confidence to perform well this coming elections, provided that electoral frauds are kept in check. However, with the recent turnabout decision concerning the indelible ink usage, the risk of multiple phantom voters is greatly magnified. This is coupled with instances of vote buying and the possibility of collusion between the EC, PDRM, and BN.
Therefore, every vote counts. Each vote could tip the scale towards Barisan Rakyat and that one vote may be the only vote that matters in a polling center which may have been compromised by electoral fraud.
This Saturday, I'm going to make sure that my vote matters!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I'm so sick of The Star!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
How large is HINDRAF's influence?
I stumbled upon this blog (Makkal Sakti) during my reading blitz. It is basically a compendium of news articles interspersed with the comments of the blog author. What surprises me is that for such a resourceful blog, the readership seems to be very low. I am basing my observation on the fact that there is not even one single comment left on the blog articles!
So now I wonder, if HINDRAF is not active via the internet, how united are their efforts? Are they merely communicating via SMS, e-mails and word of mouth? Will existing MIC members or family of MIC members sympathize with the plight of the HINDRAF 5? Can HINDRAF make history by contributing the deciding votes to a positive change in governance?
Possible forms of electoral fraud
During yesterday's Polling Agent Training, the speaker highlighted the following possible forms of electoral fraud, that the polling agent and counting agent should be aware of:
1) Vote Buying
- The perpetrator will prepare a fake ballot. He will then solicit the help of unwary targets to drop the fake ballot into the balloting box and remove the empty genuine ballot from the voting room. Upon surrender of the empty genuine ballot, the target will be paid a token sum of money.
- This is dangerous if left unchecked, as entire stretches of votes may be compromised.
- Look out within the compound of the polling center for any suspicious activity, such as unnatural clustering of people around a secluded area.
2) Vote Impersonation
- The perpetrator will offer to vote on behalf of a genuine voter using the target's NRIC. Everything else is genuine. Upon completion of the vote, the target is paid a token sum of money.
- Look out for inconsistency between the NRIC number and the voter. E.g. if the NRIC states a female, but the voter is male; if the NRIC states a 50 years old man, but the voter is in his 20's; if the name on the NRIC is Chinese, but the voter looks like an ethnic Indian.
3) Phantom Voter
- Multiple fake IC numbers are used to register the same voter, who goes around different polling centers to cast ballots.
- Look out for weird IC numbers, e.g. if the date of birth is in 1885, etc.
In this general elections, not only the game is lopsided. Even the referee and the linesmen are on the other side. Not to mention the fact that they can shift the goal posts at any time. I believe that the majority of Malaysians are ready for change. Unfortunately, if these electoral frauds are left unchecked, the voice of the people may not be heard.
Gloomy birthday to me...
There have been too many shit problems afflicting my life until I have no mood to celebrate my birthday this year...
At least the Polling Agent Training was fun...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Simply stunning
When I arrived at the USJ12 field around 10.15pm, it was raining like mad cats and crazy dogs. I had to wade in muddy grass across the road to the field from USJ11, and when we arrived, many people were leaving! I wonder why... perhaps the rain was getting too heavy, or maybe they were heading back to the cars/houses to get extra umbrellas!
Whatever the reason, the crowd didn't seem to dissipate. In fact, it remained large and could have increased in size throughout the night! The speakers were familiar to the crowd by then, but there were one or two faces who represented the common resident of Subang Jaya, who just wanted a breath of fresh air.
The clincher had to be the (late) arrival of Lim Kit Siang, the leader of the DAP. When he arrived at 11.30pm, everyone gave thunderous applause and loud cheers to welcome the legend. He quickly made his way toward the stage, precluded by flag bearers and his band of supporters. As he addressed the crowd, I noticed that his voice was coarse. Yes, he had been up since 3.30am this morning, and will be up till 3.30am (that's 24 hours of campaigning!). Kit Siang touched a lot on national issues, as well as taking jabs on the current political leadership in Malaysia, or the lack thereof.
For Lim Kit Siang to come all the way to Subang Jaya to endorse Hannah Yeoh really speaks volumes of the caliber of this candidate. For a newcomer to the political arena, she has managed to enthrall the audience with her clear voice and diction, her amazing ability to relate to the common people, her sincerity and generosity to make things right again in this constituency.
The winds of change are blowing. The ground is trembling with movement. People power will rise to the occasion to reclaim this country.
JOM UBAH! JUST CHANGE IT! LONG LIVE BARISAN RAKYAT!
Monday, March 03, 2008
The difference between fried mee hoon and...
Recently, Get An MP PJU initiative interviewed the 2 aspiring parliamentary candidates for the coming GE2008. Here are some excerpts:
Question : Will you support the idea of retaining subsidies of oil and other essential items?
CMF : "Yes, I think so"
TP : "I think the subsidy system at this point in time needs to be readjusted as such that it benefits the poor and marginalised more and less so the wealthy. So for example the subsidy system in existence benefits more of the wealthy because they use the product more, then it is an unfair allocation of resources. So we believe in a system whereby grants are given directly to the poor and to the lower middle income to cope with the rising price increases. They are targetted and controlled, you won’t find leakages. For example our subsidised diesel being sold by fishermen from Malaysia to Indonesian fishermen. So that is the problem with the existing subsidy system and those need to be resolved"
Score so far... CMF:0, TP:1
Question : Will you support the idea of abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP)?
CMF : "I thought the NEP has already ended…"
TP : "Absolutely. We believe that the NEP as it stands today favours the rich, wealthy and influential particularly from the bumiputra community. It does not benefit the bulk majority of the bumiputras as well as the non-bumiputras in this country. So inequality in the country has been increasing rapidly and only with opposition and it’s replacement with a policy that focuses on merit and needs, will the equality be reduced"
Score so far... CMF:0, TP:2
Question : Will you support that Petronas’ accounts be made public?
CMF : "I thought they already have their annual report. I thought the annual report is actually the accounts for (listed) companies to disclose to everybody"
TP : "Absolutely. I think it is important because Petronas controls a huge amount of wealth of the nation. Oil resource of the country belongs to the people and Petronas being the agent that manages the oil wealth of the country must be transparent for the people in order to show that the money has been invested and reinvested and distributed fairly"
Score... CMF:0, TP:3
Seriously... TP outclassed CMF in every way possible. While CMF answers "I think so, I thought so..." it makes you wonder what CMF really knows with absolute conviction. Compared to Tony's answers which are elaborated with amazing precision and depth, TP shines!
Go Tony!
Shit happens to me...
Apparently the bank valuers have valued the house much lower compared to the purchase price, so now there's a problem that I cannot get the margin of financing that I wanted. That means having to cough up more downpayment in order to achieve the level of financing offered by the bank.
The other option is to forgo the deposit and search for a lower-priced property, but that means no more PH and LP for the property hunting, as the property price there is really inflated.
Another option is of course to renegotiate the purchase price with the vendor, but of course I believe the vendor will not budge, especially after the booking was confirmed...
Sigh... of all shit to happen!!!!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Another inspiring night!
I just came back from this ceramah. It could be considered a star-studded one, and also one that attracted even more audience than the first one. Cars were parked all the way to USJ13 and USJ11, and I would even think USJ4, but I'm not so sure. Flag bearers were showing the way to the field, and when we arrived at 9.20pm, Tony Pua was already speaking in his entertaining and no-nonsense approach.
I think he went on till 9.45, then a special arrival of Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of former DPM and de-facto keADILan leader Anwar Ibrahim. The audience gave a respectful standing welcome, and Tony stayed silent while welcoming her to the field. She spoke in immaculate English and addressed the crowd very professionally. I was very impressed with the way she held herself, and for a newcomer to the elections, I think she is doing very well. If the voters of Lembah Pantai are intelligent, they will vote her in over the useless incumbent Shahrizat.
Loh Gwo Burne spoke next, and this time he spoke marginally better than the previous time. Although he still has a lot to learn and improve on. Many people still do not believe he can make it in parliament against heavyweights. Each candidate must be well vetted and presented to the voting population so that we may make a better informed decision. I believe in giving keADILan the benefit of doubt, so he may have my vote but if he screws up, he will get the message!
Haris Ibrahim of the People's Parliament spoke next. It was my first time listening to him speak, and he strikes me as someone who can stand for the rights of the People. He has his principles and what he said made much sense. That we are the boss of the elected representatives. That we have the right to get to know the candidates for MP and ADUN. That we are responsible to reclaim the country's governance from corrupt and useless governments. That we have the duty to vote in a responsible government.
The next speaker was the veteran speaker, some Mr. Chua - I fail to catch the full name - who didn't offer anything new in terms of content. I thought he was very old-school in his approach.
Edward Ling spoke next, and as usual he explained the reason why he took 2 weeks of annual leave from his company to help run Hannah's campaign. Again he reiterated his admiration for the movie V for Vendetta, and quoted "The people should not be afraid of the government; the government should be afraid of the people!"
Finally it was Hannah Yeoh's turn to take to the stage. Again, she spoke amazingly well. Each sentence was punctuated with a calculated pause while waiting for the audience's applause to quiet down. Each point was made clear. Her speech was well structured, and she managed to connect with the audience with her humility and straightforwardness. Once again, I am inspired by her. I believe she has taken some pointers from her first ceramah, from feedback given to her during the walkabouts and via the blog comments, so her speech this time tackles some of those questions. The fact that 2 weeks of campaigning doesn't give her much time to talk about local issues one-by-one. The fact that she may be young and inexperienced but she is clean and not corrupt. The fact that she may be just married but apparently one great leader of the country was also recently just married! More interestingly, she presented some unscrupulous expenditure by MPSJ in the recent years. Squandering away some hundred eighty million of our taxpayer money to projects which have not seen any improvement in our quality of life. Hannah reiterated that should she be voted into the Selangor state assembly, she will expose all these problems and act as the watchdog for any lax expenditure, bad governance, misallocation of funds, to ensure that Subang Jaya people are properly represented and protected!
The evening continued with the speech by Teng Chang Kim, the existing Opposition leader in the Selangor state assembly. He spoke predominantly in Mandarin, and I suppose his speech managed to capture the hearts of the "aunty" demographics. Although I couldn't really understand many of the words and phrases used, I sort of caught the gist of his topic. Of all his expose's of the BN state assembly representatives. Of Muhamad Muhamad Taib's "I don't understand English" 2.4Mil cash smuggling, of suspect land alienation procedures at ridiculously low premiums, of other interesting problems in the state assembly.
Teresa Kok showed up to round off the night. She spoke in mix of Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and brought the latest news of the China Press evening edition. Apparently, our Pak Lah has setup a website that allows the electorate to contact him directly and write in Chinese! And he will also reply in Chinese! No comment here...
Anyway, all the invited speakers openly pledged support for Hannah and fully endorsed Hannah's candidacy. It is indeed heart warming and inspiring for so many party heavyweights to openly support a green candidate as new as Hannah. I'm sure Hannah is very inspired and touched by this, but I also hope that the voters of Subang Jaya constituency will give Hannah a boost and vote her in to the state assembly (hopefully making the MCA candidate lose deposit too!)
Perhaps my only complaint, and probably this was a mistake on DAP's part, was that there were still speakers talking about Chinese this, Indian that, Malay this... I thought that DAP was multiracial and non-communal. If so, please don't talk about "the Chinese rights, the Indian share of economy, the Malay problems..." and also, try to refrain from having a Chinese-only speech, as it will push away the non-Chinese-speaking audience (I saw an Indian family and several Malay families leaving as soon as Teng said he would be speaking in Mandarin).
Well, anyway, apparently according to this posting, Lim Kit Siang and Jeff Ooi will be supporting the following ceramah on Monday 3rd March in USJ12 (again). So I hope that I'll be able to catch the ceramah, as Monday's are also my RTM days.
Just Change It! Jom Ubah! Long live Barisan Rakyat!
