ID :
193635
Fri, 07/08/2011 - 06:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/193635
The shortlink copeid
ILLEGAL RALLY: DON'T BE FOOLED BY IT!
By Ahmad Shukran Shaharudin
KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- For weeks, they were under the media glare
for wanting to organise an illegal rally.
Their demands for a so-called clean electoral process was publicised and
heard all over the country.
In fact, they received more than sufficient publicity and some support for
their cause in the new media, apart from considerable objections and
condemnation from groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals
opposed to the illegal rally.
They were even granted an audience by His Majesty, the Malaysian King.
Now, if all those were still not enough, what more does the outlawed Bersih
and its leader, S. Ambiga, want?, asked University Teknologi Mara (UiTM)
political science lecturer Che Hamdan Mohd Razali.
Some 48 hours left to Saturday and the group of trouble-makers was said to
want to continue with their illegal rally, albeit in a stadium but, still with
no guarantee that it will be held in peace.
Now, many do not believe anymore in the reason Ambiga gave that her group --
not registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) -- was to present their
unhappiness with the Election Commission (EC) running the elections, and
allegedly pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
Barisan Nasional (Malay for National Front; commonly abbreviated as BN) is a
major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 and it has been Malaysia's
federal ruling political party since independence.
Furthermore, the claim holds no water, as amidst such claims of
unfairness in the electoral process, the opppostion parties still won in five
states and managed to reduce BN's two-thirds majority in Parliament in the 2008
general election.
EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusoff has said the EC had given a lengthy
explanation on the group's demands for a clean voters register and overall
electoral process within the commission's jurisdiction, while a few others
would have to be done by law in Parlliament.
Che Hamdan deduced the trouble-makers were not that stupid to the extent of
not being able to understand the EC's explanation. Rather, he said, they just
wanted to proceed with the illegal rally because they had an ulterior motive,
which was, to gather momentum for the desperate Opposition parties.
"Is there any need to hold a rally anyway, even in the stadium or in the
streets? It's all clear now, they act for the Opposition parties as they are
now desperate to collect enough momentum for the coming 13th general election,"
he reasoned.
He believed, with BN gaining more support, especially with Prime Minister
Najib Tun Razak actively going to the ground to meet the people, announcements
of more rakyat-friendly projects and the initial success of the Government
Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme
(ETP), support for the opposition even in their strongholds have leaned towards
the BN.
"So, when the group said they wanted to rally to present their memorandum
to the King, it's just to hoodwink the people.
"The group is just trying to re-live the 2007 illegal rally with the hope
that it could show the silent majority that the opposition is still getting
support," he said.
Che Hamdan said Ambiga and her group could never appreciate the fact that
the King had shown his openness to receive the group, within a
short notice.
"Why not present their memorandum during the audience? They should have done
it there and then, if that's what really matters to them," he said, adding that
he agreed with the home minister's statement that the fact they received a
royal audience did not make the group legal.
He said, if Ambiga and her group were really good Malaysians, they should
have called off the illegal rally upon His Majesty's special statement that
demonstrations would bring more harm than good even though the original
intention of doing so might be good.
Another UiTM political science lecturer Asri Salleh too, said the rally
should
have been called off.
"But, alas, the group has a hidden agenda," he said, noting that Ambiga had
to
soldier on as the other real leaders behind the group must have kept pressuring
her to do so.
"Maybe, lots of money had been spent to print t-shirts, banners, flyers,
whatsoever. Deposits for logistics had been paid, manpower had been manoeuvred.
Maybe, she had to answer to her funder and supporters if the rally was to be
called off," he said.
Asri hoped supporters of the illegal rally who had earlier, failed to see
the bigger picture of the opposition ploy to keep the momentum going for them
for the next general election, would now open their eyes.
He said they should not be manipulated by the parties.
“The people who let themselves be fooled into believing they are heroes for
democracy by attending an illegal rally, should face the music if caught by the
police.
“The police have given a stern warning against the illegal rally,” added
Asri.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- For weeks, they were under the media glare
for wanting to organise an illegal rally.
Their demands for a so-called clean electoral process was publicised and
heard all over the country.
In fact, they received more than sufficient publicity and some support for
their cause in the new media, apart from considerable objections and
condemnation from groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals
opposed to the illegal rally.
They were even granted an audience by His Majesty, the Malaysian King.
Now, if all those were still not enough, what more does the outlawed Bersih
and its leader, S. Ambiga, want?, asked University Teknologi Mara (UiTM)
political science lecturer Che Hamdan Mohd Razali.
Some 48 hours left to Saturday and the group of trouble-makers was said to
want to continue with their illegal rally, albeit in a stadium but, still with
no guarantee that it will be held in peace.
Now, many do not believe anymore in the reason Ambiga gave that her group --
not registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) -- was to present their
unhappiness with the Election Commission (EC) running the elections, and
allegedly pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
Barisan Nasional (Malay for National Front; commonly abbreviated as BN) is a
major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 and it has been Malaysia's
federal ruling political party since independence.
Furthermore, the claim holds no water, as amidst such claims of
unfairness in the electoral process, the opppostion parties still won in five
states and managed to reduce BN's two-thirds majority in Parliament in the 2008
general election.
EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusoff has said the EC had given a lengthy
explanation on the group's demands for a clean voters register and overall
electoral process within the commission's jurisdiction, while a few others
would have to be done by law in Parlliament.
Che Hamdan deduced the trouble-makers were not that stupid to the extent of
not being able to understand the EC's explanation. Rather, he said, they just
wanted to proceed with the illegal rally because they had an ulterior motive,
which was, to gather momentum for the desperate Opposition parties.
"Is there any need to hold a rally anyway, even in the stadium or in the
streets? It's all clear now, they act for the Opposition parties as they are
now desperate to collect enough momentum for the coming 13th general election,"
he reasoned.
He believed, with BN gaining more support, especially with Prime Minister
Najib Tun Razak actively going to the ground to meet the people, announcements
of more rakyat-friendly projects and the initial success of the Government
Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme
(ETP), support for the opposition even in their strongholds have leaned towards
the BN.
"So, when the group said they wanted to rally to present their memorandum
to the King, it's just to hoodwink the people.
"The group is just trying to re-live the 2007 illegal rally with the hope
that it could show the silent majority that the opposition is still getting
support," he said.
Che Hamdan said Ambiga and her group could never appreciate the fact that
the King had shown his openness to receive the group, within a
short notice.
"Why not present their memorandum during the audience? They should have done
it there and then, if that's what really matters to them," he said, adding that
he agreed with the home minister's statement that the fact they received a
royal audience did not make the group legal.
He said, if Ambiga and her group were really good Malaysians, they should
have called off the illegal rally upon His Majesty's special statement that
demonstrations would bring more harm than good even though the original
intention of doing so might be good.
Another UiTM political science lecturer Asri Salleh too, said the rally
should
have been called off.
"But, alas, the group has a hidden agenda," he said, noting that Ambiga had
to
soldier on as the other real leaders behind the group must have kept pressuring
her to do so.
"Maybe, lots of money had been spent to print t-shirts, banners, flyers,
whatsoever. Deposits for logistics had been paid, manpower had been manoeuvred.
Maybe, she had to answer to her funder and supporters if the rally was to be
called off," he said.
Asri hoped supporters of the illegal rally who had earlier, failed to see
the bigger picture of the opposition ploy to keep the momentum going for them
for the next general election, would now open their eyes.
He said they should not be manipulated by the parties.
“The people who let themselves be fooled into believing they are heroes for
democracy by attending an illegal rally, should face the music if caught by the
police.
“The police have given a stern warning against the illegal rally,” added
Asri.
