Malaysia Chronicle
There seems to be a new trick to suppress pro-Opposition websites such as Malaysia Chronicle. Readers may be able to access and even put their comments on the latest Bersih 3.0 coverage BUT the portal is not able to publish new articles until much later – in our case only just after 8am Sunday morning.
Obviously this means ONLY the views and news of the establishment – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government – gets out, influencing and bending public perceptions to its favor.
For Malaysia Chronicle, after checking with several IT experts, we suspect sabotage as it was more than 13 hours since we were suddenly ‘disabled’ and no solution could be found. It was indeed amazing!
Pre-planned and ruthless: Police and media attacks
It is clear that the police action against the protesters was unjustified and unnecessarily harsh. This was confirmed by all who reported on the ground for us. Nearly 400 people were arrested, scores injured.
There were also signs of manipulation, the use of agent provocateurs as well as bad faith by the Umno-controlled media. Some of these portals reported total crowd size of only 50,000, even giving breakdowns of how many participants at each location. One website went so far as to report that ‘tak sampai 4,000 yang berdemo’ (less than 4,000 people came to the demo).
Another dangerous manipulation was a news report that Bersih committee member Wong Chin Huat had admitted Bersih lost control of the crowd. Malaysia Chronicle did some checks and found this to be untrue. Bersih will be issuing a full statement shortly.
Such despicable actions cannot be condoned, although underhanded tactics can be expected given Umno-BN’s past record of using the media to color the people’s perception to its advantage. In the coming months, new and even more devious methods of propaganda will be used to smear Bersih and of course the Pakatan Rakyat Opposition.
Largest ever people’s assembly
Later on Sunday, Bersih will hold a press conference together with the 6 international observers who came to asses the Election Commission’s processes and who were also present at the April 28 mammoth rally.
Indeed, the crowd size of 250,000 to 300,000 makes Bersih 3.0 the largest ever people’s assembly in Malaysian history.
To an extent, the Najib administration can be counted on to hold its hand until the observers are safely out of the country. What happens after that is hard to predict, but on the cards are prosecution under the new security laws for both Bersih and Pakatan leaders.
Najib must take responsibility
Malaysians, who attended Bersih 3.0, must demand answers for what happened on Saturday – why did something joyous suddenly turn so nasty? From all the videos that have come out on You Tube, it was clear everyone was having a good time until it was marred at 3pm when the police fired tear gas into the crowd WITHOUT warning.
There was only one hour left to go before the rally was due to finish at 4pm. Which Bersih protester would be crazy enough to defy discipline at such a time when the mood was so happy and harmonious?
The answer – only those who wanted to discredit the outstanding display of support for Bersih! And guess who that would be!
Najib Razak, the country’s 6th prime minister, has been hiding his hand but can the police react in such a manner without his OK?
If it was just a sporadic breach of discipline at one or several scattered spots, why the continued hounding of protesters until way past 7pm?
Why the widespread use of tear gas and water canons?
Throwing the blame on Pakatan
PAS MP for Shah Alam Khalid Samad has been reported as assuring such police brutality would not be tolerated if Pakatan came to power. If that is so, Malaysian must ensure they vote for Pakatan to safeguard their own lives.
This may sound partisan, but until Najib demands an explanation from the police and sacks the Inspector General of Police for the unwarranted violence, the people have every right to impute conspiracy and bad faith.
“Police who are professional would never act this way but instead try to control the situation, safeguard the public including the demonstrators because the police have weapons but the people do not,” said Khalid.
But would Najib sack Ismail Omar? After all, did he sack Shahrizat Jalil?
The response from Umno Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was a study in contrast to Khalid’s. It was clear Hisham was laying the ground for the Najib administration’s next course of action – to blame the Pakatan and Bersih for instigating the unruliness.
Azmin Ali, the PKR deputy chief, can brace to be pinpointed for inciting demonstrators by allegedly asking whether they wished to sit on the Dataran padang.
Azmin’s comment that the Dataran did not belong to DBKL was not only reported by the Star but highlighted several times on Twitter by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
GE-13 won’t be in June: Bersih 4.0 may be necessary
It is very likely that Najib and Umno will watch national and world reaction very closely before taking their next step. As far as possible, they will try to turn the tables on Bersih and blame Pakatan for instigating the police retaliation, in particular Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali.
One thing for sure, the 13th general election won’t be in June anymore. It will be delayed but that doesn’t mean Najib will concede to a cleanup of the electoral roll. For that to happen, the people will have to keep on demanding for their fundamental right to a clean ballot. Bersih 4.0 may have to be called.
Malaysians must not allow the police crackdown on Saturday to scare them from demanding free and fair polls. Does it even make sense to do so? Instead, Malaysians must bounce back even harder and demand that if Najib does not put in electoral reforms before GE-13 and if he once again allows the police to behave in that barbaric way, they will march to Putrajaya instead of Dataran to throw him and his Cabinet out.
Let us not forget, there was no reason for City Hall to ban the use of Dataran Merdeka, nor for the 11th hour court order restricting crowd movement. If anyone had planned and maneuvered for an untoward incident to occur, and is to blame for the ensuing police violence, it is the Umno-BN and its agencies. And Najib, as the head, has to take the responsibility.
“On reviewing what happened and how it took place, the attack was pre-planned. Police used extreme violence to provoke public retaliation. The aim was to make Bersih look bad,” PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua, who was only released from detention at around 5am Sunday morning, told Malaysia Chronicle.
Bersih 3.0 an OUTSTANDING success
Bersih 3.0 is not the first and will not be the last of Malaysia’s never-ending roll out of political conspiracies and corruption debacles.
Certainly, this will be the worst time for Malaysians to lose faith. By gagging the opposition media, Umno-BN will be able to inflict its own propaganda on an unsuspecting public. Those portals that have so far been fairly neutral can be counted on to suddenly ‘activate’ and churn out deliberately false reports to discredit Bersih and Pakatan. It is much like ‘sleepers’ or agent ‘moles’ or Trojan horses activating themselves in the enemy camp once the signal is given.
Lastly, lest we forget the good moments of Bersih 3.0 – it was certainly a magnificent victory for the people. We should celebrate our coming of age, while fighting for justice for those who were badly beaten up at the same time.
We should also chase after Najib and not rest until we settle the score with him for his ‘misery-guts’ act of trying to deny the people their happiness and rightful feelings of success and achievement by ordering the police crackdown and City Hall ban.
Not only does Dataran Merdeka not belong to City Hall, Malaysia does not belong to Najib or Umno. Once and for all, let’s make it clear – Malaysia belongs to its people.
No longer afraid – a real warning to the Umno-BN
Bersih 3.0 showed that Malaysians are no longer afraid of the establishment.
This is a major first step. The next step is to not be afraid to demand that ANY government of the day has the ability to rein the police and the agencies. If the Najib administration cannot, then it must go. The people must continue to show that they are the boss and Malaysia belongs to them.
That as many as 250,000 to 300,000 Malaysians would take the trouble to come out into the streets despite the police threats and court order is a real warning for the BN. The writing is on the wall cannot be ignored any more. Najib is flailing and he will have to go.
In the meantime, Malaysians must continue to support Bersih and Pakatan in the fight for justice for those injured, while not forgetting the war for free and fair polls.
More than ever, Malaysians must show they will not back down to such crass bullying.
Above all, Malaysians must NEVER bow down to a government and prime minister so callous they can feel no compunction in sacrificing the safety and well-being of their citizens just to cling to power.
To borrow from one of the most popular chants during the Bersih 3.0 rally – HIDUP RAKYAT!
Hornbill Unleashed 
BN might have won the battle but definitely not the war. The more violent they get, the more the people will resist. It’s corruption versus fairness and transparency. This is the millennium age and police brutality belongs to yesteryear..
Comment by Egbert Lau — May 8, 2012 @ 9:36 AM |
Anti PTPTN rally and the calls for the EC and his deputy to resign will continue. Keep up the momentum guys. Calling all fellow students to take to the streets or town square to demand that our rotten and corrupted government recover all the bad loans given out to cronies before they compel students to do so. What we want is a fair law.
Comment by Willie — May 1, 2012 @ 6:33 PM |
These police are working to protect the bank accounts of the elite . They are not working to protect the right of any citizens.
Comment by RC — May 1, 2012 @ 7:23 AM |
Salam satu malaysia.SAYANG SERIBU KALI SAYANG,mengapa generasi baru tidak MEMERDEKAKAN minda dan jiwa? Itu sebablah mereka semua masih dijajah oleh 3P(Pengkhianat,Petualang, dan Perosak- agama,bangsa dan negara) sepatutnya sebagai pemimpin mereka duduk di barisan hadapan ini mereka yang BAHALOL yang buta segala-galanya dengan sedikit imbuhan yg ditaburkan sanggup menjadi BARUAH pemimpin yg RAKUS untuk mencapai cita-cita mereka yg didalangi oleh kuasa asing. Renungkan sejenak Negara THAILAND,INDONESIA,SINGAPURA,FILIPINA telah dijajahi mereka CUMA MALAYSIA yg masih belum dapat dijajahi oleh mereka. CUBA RENUNGKAN DAN FIKIRKAN kata2 saya. WAHAI ANAK BANGSA BUKALAH DAN MERDEKAKAN MINDA. Layarilah laman ROTCHILD,IMF, SHEIKH IMRAN HOSNI…
Comment by POKCIK — April 30, 2012 @ 8:37 PM |
This guy been brutalist for good 3 minutes…… the police must answer to this….. clear proof of police brutality!
Comment by hard rod — April 30, 2012 @ 7:30 PM |
THERE SHOULD NOT BE A BERSIH 4- WHICH MEANS UMNO WOULD HAVE OWN THE ELECTIONS
How is UMNO going to win?
A comment by a readers says:
NOT JUST HIGH STAKES FOR BERSIH BUT OUR FUTURE US AT STAKE!
I mentioned in a previous comment that UMNO was a traitor to the nation and the Malays.
The attached article says that foreigners may well have deciding vote in “our” national affairs not you or any citizen born and bred in the country. It seems that some points scoring against UMNO need to be emphasized by Bersih and the Opposition.
UMNO has sacrificed the national interest for its own selfish grasp on power by importing foreign (Muslims) as instant voters to stack up its numbers. This is not an unusual aspect of “parliamentary democracy” which has become corrupted since 1969.
But while UMNO is only wanting to secure its electoral base we must examine more closely the long term consequences of this act.
HIGH STAKES TO BE DETERMINED BY ILLEGAL MIGRANT VOTERS-
How has UMNO betrayed the people?
It is highly treasonable of UMNO to allow uncontrolled mass migration of foreigners into the country and pose a danger to its military political economic and social security wellbeing. This is not an alarmist view as it has already happened politically.
(1) Threat to national security in the sense that this is a “fifth column” from Indonesia, Bangladesh and other Muslim countries.
The total Malayan population with that of the Sabah Sarawak colonies is around 28 million. Someone claimed 11 million of these are illegal migrants. In any conflict with say Indonesia which is not always friendly many of these 11 million migrants can be mobilized to support its cause. Who knows with such easy access Indonesia could easily infiltrate its military personnel into the country?
One of the foundation arguments for the creation of Malaysia was it would give joint military security to the people of Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak. This argument has been fulfilled by UMNO itself by allowing the “peaceful invasion” of the Indonesians and other foreigners. Hence it has betrayed its own rationale for creating Malaysia…
(2) Upsetting the federal and state electoral systems. The estimated 11 million foreigner has become a force strong enough to gerrymander the electoral system and is a short term guarantee for UMNO to stay in power. In the long term they may rise to become the main force in control of the country. Nothing is far fetch or alarmist. Forget about them doing jobs we don’t want but think of the national security.
(3) The threat to economic stability in that local people have to compete with foreigners for limited jobs. Some of us may have an ideological soft spot for “workers”. But please be real, these workers are political economic instrument of the ruling class and must be expelled. Also we should solve our own economic issues and not import foreign solutions. Why not pay workers better so they feel like working at home? Is not this a better solution? Why pander to the creation of a semi slave society with badly paid foreign workers?
(4) A threat to the existing social order with the creation of a massive economically “poor” group of people/workers. Eyesore slums are already springing up posing a health and social burden on the system which hardly serves the citizens. At the heart of this is the human exploitation which we ourselves should oppose in principle – so we should not allow mass migration of workers into the country. It must be controlled.
(5) A threat to the already bankrupt education health and transport and other public systems in increase demands by foreign non-taxpayers!
(6) Increase in population pressure. UMNO next move will be to allow the migrants to bring in their families and swell the population figures artificially even more and the consequence pressure on the local public systems. We the population figures treble in a short space of time as in Sabah where foreigners outnumber locals.
These are some home truths which the opposition should hammer home for the elections. If you have other arguments “for or against” please say so.
If you believe these points are convincing please circulate them.
Comment by anon — April 30, 2012 @ 9:39 AM |
The bottom line is to change UMNO and vote in PAKATAN . ,,,,,,next to come BERSIH 4.0
Comment by Mandela — April 30, 2012 @ 7:00 AM |
If I am the King, I will sack the PM immediately, and decree for a clean and proper GE to elect a new and legitimate government.
Comment by tigeryk — April 30, 2012 @ 6:12 AM |
BUT U AREN’T!
SO THE ONLY WAY IS USE PEOPLE’S POWER TOO OVERTHROW THE TYRANTS!
ARISE TO FREE YOURSELVES FROM THE CHAINS OF UMNO PBB BN TYRANNY!
Comment by ORANG2BANGKIT — April 30, 2012 @ 9:56 AM |
UMNO POLICE LIKE THEIR MASTER KICK YOU WHEN YOU ARE DOWN!
ARISE AGAINST STATE VIOLENCE!
Comment by ORANG2BANGKIT — April 30, 2012 @ 10:01 AM |
Most of he police in Malaysia are single low IQ goon squad that are used as politician’s attack dogs. They can’t not question and think much beyond the order given from the top.
Comment by RC — April 30, 2012 @ 4:06 AM |
“single digit IQ
Comment by RC — April 30, 2012 @ 7:14 AM |