Tuaran PKR chief Ansari Abdullah is deeply disappointed that the party did not follow the “due process” in suspending him.

Queville To, FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Suspended PKR Tuaran chief Ansari Abdullah today announced he has resigned from the party which he joined 14 years ago.

In a brief statement posted on his Facebook this morning, he noted that he had decided to quit politics much earlier, but out of respect to the requests from friends, he withheld the announcement until today.

“I have lost faith in the party’s leadership. I am now suspended as a member without any time period. I did not receive a ‘show cause letter’. So much for justice and due process,” he added.

“I criticised the leadership since they were wrong in allowing 2/3 of the seats in Sabah to be contested under Parti Keadilan’s (PKR) symbol by non-members in the form of APS (Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah) and PPPS (Pertubuhan Pakatan Perpaduan Sabah),” he explained.

He went on to note that both APS and PPPS lost in all the parliamentary seats they contested and each won a state seat (Tamparuli and Klias).

Ansari, a practising lawyer, has also had a troubled relationship with other PKR members and leaders in the past.

In the run-up to this month’s elections on May 5, Ansari made a preemptive attempt the day after the dissolution of Parliament to push through the seven divisions’ list of candidates which included himself for the Tuaran constituency.

When his ‘proposal’ was shot down, he accused Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim of not being sincere in wanting to return political autonomy to Sabah when PKR rejected a move by him to nominate seven candidates to contest for PKR.

He said the rejection of three-quarters of the candidates proposed by the seven divisions in the Sabah west coast north zone, showed that the party’s headquarters was adamant about maintaining control of the state from Kuala Lumpur.

(TMI) - Khairy Jamaluddin has defended the manner in which Elections 2013 was conducted, arguing in a letter to international current affairs magazine The Economist that there was not “one shred of evidence” of fraud in the polls.

The newly-appointed sports minister also took a swipe at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, by accusing the opposition leader of not accepting the results because “of his own personal, lifelong ambition to become prime minister.”

“Allegations that foreign nationals were paid as ‘phantom voters’ have proved to be false, with not even one recorded case on polling day. All votes were cast and counted in front of representatives from all the contesting parties who signed off on the results.

“If any evidence of fraud does emerge the government encourages the relevant party to file an election petition in the courts to allow due process to take course.”

Khairy’s (picture) letter to The Economist was in response to a scathing report last week in the magazine of Malaysia’s elections.

The Umno Youth leader has been given the task of improving the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s image abroad and his first job recently was to soft pedal the angry reaction by Umno politicians towards Chinese Malaysians in the aftermath of GE13.

In its reports, The Economist noted that national reconciliation appears a distant dream post-Election 2013 for a country scarred by the “nasty, divisive” electoral campaign led by Umno and BN in the rural heartlands.

It observed that Umno, to shore up its base of rural Malay voters, had alienated the Chinese and other communities already fed up with the alleged cronyism and corruption associated with affirmative action policies that favour the country’s largest ethnic group.

“Mr Najib has said he wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians. Sadly, however, he presided over an ugly campaign by his... Umno, the main component of Barisan,” the magazine wrote, referring to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was sworn in for his second term as prime minister after BN emerged victors again for its 13th general election running.

“In the rural Malay heartlands, Umno was as negative, racially divisive and pro-Malay as ever,” it added.

Adding salt to wound, The Economist said blaming BN’s losses on a “Chinese tsunami” had been unwise of Najib as the vote trend had clearly shown a massive swing in votes from the young and rising urban middle class, which cut across racial lines.

“Casting the election in such racial terms is neither wise nor accurate,” the magazine wrote in one article titled “A dangerous result”.

“Despite professing to promote a multi-ethnic Malaysia, Barisan’s election strategy has left the country more divided than ever, both along ethnic lines and between urban and rural areas,” it said in another, titled “A tawdy victory”.

READ MORE HERE

(Bernama) - Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh will sue Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and its strategy director Mohd Rafizi Ramli for slander.

Mohd Rafizi alleged that 24 Election Commission (EC) staff were locked up on polling day to ensure they voted in Besut parliamentary in 13th general election (GE13).

“I’m studying the allegation with lawyers to ensure it does not tarnish my image as member of parliament for Besut. I will sue them for making a public statement without proof to discredit me and the party,” he told a victory function organised by Gong Nering district polling station in Kampung Gong Guchil, Jerteh here yesterday.

Idris said he did not know where they sourced the allegation spread via Facebook and Blog Keadilan ‘exposed’ by PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifudin Nasution Ismail as quoted by party organ Keadilan Daily.

“The allegation is baseless because how could the EC staff be locked-up. They must be responsible for the allegations,” he added.

Barisan Nasional (BN) should be given the chance to implement promises made in its manifesto and the opposition should not continue to destroy the peace of the country just to achieve Anwar Ibrahim’s ambition to become Prime Mminister.

“We may have lost the cyber war in GE13 but BN won right to form the government and all parties should be respect the election results,” said Idris.

In GE13, Idris beat Riduan Mohamad Nor of PAS to win Besut parliamentary seat with a majority of 8,342 votes.

(TMI) - The Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that its year-end redelineation exercise will involve an increase in federal seats but its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said it would be “impossible” to guarantee equal value for every vote.

Abdul Aziz cited geographical and logistical concerns with the opposition’s demand for “one man, one vote, one value” but added, however, that the EC would try its level best to give similar weightage to every vote.

“But realistically, how do you make it one man, one vote, one value? I think it is virtually impossible... we can spread the weightage here and there but apart from that, it would be too difficult,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

Explaining, Abdul Aziz said the population size and physical landscape in every constituency differs in every state, rendering it even more difficult for the EC to adhere to the opposition’s demand for equal value for every vote.

The opposition blamed its recent electoral losses on gerrymandering by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), claiming the vastly unequal value of votes across constituencies nationwide had allowed a government with minority support to rule the majority.

In the just-concluded May 5 polls, BN recaptured federal power with 133 federal seats to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 89 but lost the popular vote for the first time since 1969, scoring just under 48 per cent of the votes cast to PR’s 51 per cent.

Abdul Aziz went on to cite the differences in the terrains of Borneo’s rugged interiors in Sabah or Sarawak and the crowded metropolitan streets in cities over in the peninsula.

“In Sabah for example, we take Kinabatangan... the size of this one constituency is as big as the entire state of Pahang... but the number of voters are small.

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/impossible-to-give-all-votes-equal-value-ec-chairman-says/ 

(Bernama) - The police will appeal against the decision by a magistrate yesterday to deny remand on three individuals who were detained to facilitate investigations under the Sedition Act 1948, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said an appeal was a normal procedure when a court decision was not in the favour of the police.

“What I want to say is that I have no intention to interfere in the business of the police, this is a normal procedure when a decision does not side with the police, so an appeal has to be made before the police can frame the charges,” he told reporters after appearing in an interview on Bernama TV’s “Hello Malaysia” programme at Wisma Bernama here last night.

Ahmad Zahid said he always respected the decision of the courts and would not question any decision made and that police also had their own procedures in facing such a situation.

On Thursday, the trio — Batu Member of Parliament Tian Chua, PAS member Tamrin Ghafar and social activist Haris Ibrahim — were arrested by police in connection with their speeches at a forum held at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, here, on May 13 which were alleged to be seditious.

They are being investigated under Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act 1948.

Yesterday, the magistrate concerned rejected the police’s application to remand them and they were immediately released.  

Mr. Kalla said the two candidates—whom he said he considered friends of his going back decades—had made a written agreement in April to refrain from personal attacks during the campaign and to accept the outcome, in a deal first proposed by Mr. Anwar. 

Clara Chooi, TMI

Former Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla has accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of reneging on a peace deal to respect the outcome of Election 2013 that he brokered between the opposition leader and Datuk Seri Najib Razak in April.

The Wall Street Journal reported today interviews with all three parties confirming the secret peace deal, and quoted Jusuf as claiming that he had phoned Anwar a day after the May 5 polls and urged the opposition leader to respect the commitment and “look at reality”.

“We had a commitment,” Jusuf was quoted as saying. “But they said, ‘No, no, no, no.’ ‘‘

The renowned international newspaper said that Anwar admitted to making the pact but told the WSJ that his opponents had nullified the deal by the way they ran their campaign.

“How can you talk reconciliation when you demonise your opponent in this manner?” Anwar was quoted as saying.

The WSJ wrote that it was Anwar who had approached Jusuf on the agreement two months ago, seeking the latter’s help in securing his opponent’s commitment for a peaceful election outcome.

The deal — that both sides refrain from personal attacks during campaigns and to accept the outcome of the polls — was subsequently made in April.

The two rivals had apparently rejected a clause in the accord to offer the loser a role in a “reconciliation government”, the WSJ wrote.

An adviser to Najib reportedly confirmed the deal, telling the WSJ that Anwar had sought Jusuf’s assistance to secure a mutual agreement to accept the results of the polls peacefully, regardless which way it goes and even in the event of a slim majority.

“The prime minister reiterated privately to Jusuf Kalla and in public before the election that BN would respect the will of the people and accept the election results, even if the opposition wins,” the paper quoted the aide as saying.

But Anwar’s version of the events surrounding the peace deal appeared to differ.

Quoting Anwar, the WSJ wrote that it was Jusuf who reached out to offer his assistance in ensuring an orderly outcome to the polls.

“There were many friends around the region who were concerned about the transition of power and whether it would be peaceful,” Anwar reportedly said.

According to the paper, Jusuf is known for his role in brokering peace deals during his term as vice-president from 2004 to 2009, having done so in Thailand and Sri Lanka to help resolve conflicts across the Indonesian archipelago.

In the May 5 polls, Najib and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) was returned to power in Putrajaya after a heated contest that saw Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win the popular vote but lose the polls.

READ MORE HERE

(Bernama) - Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident that the police are capable of handling the gathering planned by the opposition in Petaling Jaya today.

He said the planned gathering would not be in compliance to the provisions in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

The organiser did not inform the police and the assembly will be held at an open area, he added.

“I see the gathering as an act of provocation in their attempt to challenge the police’s credibility. So, I’m leaving it to the Inspector-General of Police to handle the matter,” he said in an interview on Bernama TV’s “Hello Malaysia” programme at Wisma Bernama here last night.

 Ahmad Zahid also reminded participants planning to attend the assembly not to create chaos or stir provocation that could disrupt public order.

He further dismissed the perception that the action by the police and agencies under his ministry in going after those allegedly bent on causing trouble reflected his firmness as the new home minister.

This came about following the detention of two opposition figures and a social activist by the police under the sedition Act yesterday.

“They are firm in enforcing the laws,” he added.

(The Star) - Ipoh Timor MP Thomas Su Keong Siong is expected to be charged at the Sessions Court here on Monday with violating the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

The charge is believed to be in connection with a rally organised by the Perak DAP on May 9 here.

Su said he would fight the charge, describing the provision in Section 9 (1) of the PAA as “ridiculous”.

“I got the call earlier today from the investigating officer informing me that I will be charged on Monday,” Su said yesterday. “They will serve a notice to my office later in the day.”

He said the provision stipulated that the organisers of rallies should inform the police in advance prior to holding them.

Su, who is a lawyer by profession, posted on his Twitter account on the charge.

His tweet said: “Just been informed by IO that I'll be charged under S.9(1) PAA 2013 @ Ipoh Session Court on 27/5/2013 @ 9.00am”.

Another one read: “I'm charged under S.9(1) PAA 2013 for organising the DAP ceramah at Chin Woo, on 9/5/2013. LAWAN TETAP LAWAN!”.

On May 17, PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was charged under the PAA for alleged failure to inform the district police regarding the location of a recent Opposition rally.

(Borneo Insider) - Unknown to the public, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi had held discussions with several opposition leaders whereby the latter agreed to stage peaceful assemblies.

However, he said they “sang a different song” when they got back to their supporters.

“I welcome differences in opinions and agreed to discuss with them. They agreed to hold peaceful assemblies and give at least 10-day notice with the gatherings to be held in closed areas and without any provocation whatsoever,” he told reporters after appearing in an interview on Bernama TV’s Hello Malaysia programme at Wisma BERNAMA here Friday night.

The agreement was reached to avoid problems, he added.

However, Zahid declined to name the opposition leaders concerned.

The opposition has organised numerous gatherings nationwide, purportedly to protest the 13th general election results, claiming that they should be in Putrajaya based on popular votes.

Ahmad Zahid said most of the gatherings were held without a police permit and were provocative.

“When they were with me, they concurred with me (on the peaceful assembly), but when they are with their supporters, it is a different story,” he added.

Zahid said he respected PAS leaders for accepting the general election results.

He regarded the action of the opposition leaders not on the same page as the PAS leaders as desperate as they were willing to do anything to achieve their objective of conquering Putrajaya.

Zahid said they became desperados because they could not accept their defeat in the May 5 general election.

Actually, they were more disappointed in not realising their dream of taking over the federal government, compared with Barisan Nasional’s inability to get a two-thirds majority, he added.

On the action by the police in detaining the two opposition figures and a social activist and confiscating editions of opposition party organs for breaching the Printing Presses and Publications Act, he said the police and agencies under his ministry were doing their job to enforce the laws.

He said they acted professionally without interference from him as the Home Minister.

“Is it wrong for the police to enforce existing laws and regulations,” he asked.

(Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has managed to locate a suspect who insulted His Majesty the Sultan of Terengganu on his Facebook page. With cooperation from the Police, the suspect has been detained for questioning.

If found guilty, he may be fined not more than RM50,000 or a year's jail or both.

MCMC views very seriously the abuse of social media when uploading contents that are derogatory in nature especially those involving the monarchy.

"The laws of the nation is enforced whether it is offline or online. A crime is still a crime, even if it's on social media," said MCMC Chairman, Dato' Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi.

"Social media users should be aware that they are not invincible as they thought. Therefore, we urge members of the public to be careful and to be more responsible when communicating in cyberspace. Those who break the law will be brought to justice," added Dato' Sharil.

(Bernama) -- Election petitions by candidates in the 13th general election must be disposed within six months of filing. Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Ariffin Zakaria said this would ensure the petitioners received a fair hearing of their case.

"I hope the judges concerned would hear the cases with an open mind and not bow to pressure from any quarters," he said while opening the 47th Judges' Conference here today.

Among the 101 participants present were Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Mohd Raus Shariff, High Court of Malaya chief judge Tan Sri Zulkifli Ahmad Makinuddin and Chief Judge of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjun.

Ariffin said the six-month period was realistic in view of the likelihood that some of the petitions might be in Sabah, Sarawak and other states in the peninsula.

Meanwhile, he advised judges not to respond to any comment in the internet expressing dissatisfaction with any ruling or judgement as every decision made was final.

"Even though the comments might be negative and aimed at tarnishing the image of the judiciary, we (judges) do not need to entertain them as they might not have understood the facts of the case," he said.

He also reminded judges to make their decisions based on the proceedings and testimonies to protect the interest of the public.

"This matter must be given attention as there had been a trend in the past where judges try to expand their human rights scope in their decision," he said, adding that such action would paint an inaccurate picture of the country's judiciary which upheld justice.

(The Sun Daily) - A PKR delegate from Selangor today proposed for state Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to help groom "potential" party leaders through appointing them to positions in government-linked companies.

PKR Selangor information chief Shuhaimi Shafie, in his debate at the 9th PKR National Congress, said the move should also be extended to all Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states.

"We are however against any attempt by appointed leaders to abuse the positions as a means to enrich themselves," he stressed.

Shuhaimi's proposal was made in support of a call made by PKR deputy president Mohamad Azmin Ali, and echoed by many leaders throughout the congress proceedings, on the need for the party to strengthen its members and the organisation.

Shuhaimi also said that PKR now have garnered enough clout after helming the Selangor state administration for five years to take actions against individuals within the local councils and GLCs who are not in line with the party's policies or struggle.

"With the new mandate, we should be free to axe those in GLCs and local authorities who don't believe in our party policies and struggles," he said.

He also hit out at unnamed leaders whom he claimed had failed to execute decisions reached in the party's Congress or meetings, stressing that actions should also be taken against them.

Meanwhile, PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his closing speech later reminded delegates that positions in GLCs are not reserved for party members or politicians.

"Those who are appointed must have the relevant capabilities and not mix up party matters with that of governance.

"Maybe that was not the intention (to demand for positions), but I feel that I must clarify the matter," said Anwar who had also described Abdul Khalid as a leader with "integrity" in his running of the state.

He also said he had reminded Abdul Khalid to be mindful of the people's plight, as it is also an integral part of practising good governance.

When met later, Anwar reiterated that any individuals appointed to positions within the local councils or GLCs must be qualified to do so and not due to party connections.

Earlier in his winding up address, Abdul Khalid had pledged to fully utilise the state's funds in order to bring development to more villages.

"I know that I am stingy but this is how I was raised by my mother who always reminded me to be careful with money that does not belong to me.

"However, I do understand that the money should be spent in order to develop the villages in the state to bridge the gap between the rich and poor," he said.

He also promised to only spend the state's wealth according to the needs of the people.

Abdul Khalid, who is in his second term as Selangor MB is also looking to increase the wealth of the state under his administration.

"I am looking forward to increase Selangor's capital and also will focus on finding individuals who had misused the state's money, and ensure that it is returned back to us," he said.

Abdul Khalid however concedes that unlike other politicians, he does not know how to play the political game.

"Politics is an ever-changing game and I am too old to study the field in university.

"That is why I set up a political liaison office within the Mentri Besar's office to help me on the matter," he added.

Wilfred Bumburing’s Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah (APS) is likely to lead the way to the formation of a common local opposition front for Sabah. 

Joseph Bingkasan, FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Former Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing said his Sabah Reform Movement or Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) will not disband and merge with PKR but would instead focus on a unified Sabah opposition grouping.

Bumburing, who won the Tamparuli state seat on a PKR ticket in the May 5 polls, said that APS leaders had decided that for now the Pakatan Rakyat friendly movement would remain an NGO.

The APS leadership also discussed the possibility of registering as a political party. Also discussed was the possibility of  consolidating with other local-based opposition parties and non-governmental organisations for a Sabah or Borneo-based united opposition front.

Bumburing said APS would initiate discussions with Sabah-based opposition parties and NGOs about forming a united opposition front which the movement believes was reflected by voting trends during the general elections.

Local opposition leaders in the state like the former Tuaran MP are just coming to terms with their near wipeout in the elections with voters opting for the more united Pakatan Rakyat alliance rather than individual Sabah opposition parties.

Bumburing has been the first to bravely address what many had said was obvious and that a divided opposition was no force in facing the might of the Umno-led ruling Barisan Nasional.

Local opposition leaders like SAPP’s Yong Teck Lee and State Reform Party’s Jeffrey Kitingan were caught by surprise by the overwhelming swing to the ‘peninsula-based’ opposition coalition by voters they had assumed would retain the Sabah bias they had displayed in past elections.

They are now staring at irrelevance for the immediate future based on the performance of the Pakatan Rakyat based parties.

The emerging picture is that only unity at local level can save them from being swamped.

Bumburing said the 13th general election had also shown that winning the popular vote was not enough to topple the BN especially when the opposition vote was split between various parties.

READ MORE HERE

(TMI) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wants to sign up some 500,000 volunteers to protest at the Election Commission (EC) offices until the members resign in favour of replacements who report directly to parliament.

The coalition also wants voters to lodge reports against the EC forusing indelible ink that can be washed off immediately after the May 5 general elections, despite claims that it was introduced to prevent possible double voting.

“The people will move to SPR until SPR is dibubarkan (disbanded). Can?” losing PKR candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin asked thousands who crowded a rally here organised by 60 NGOs, referring to the EC by its initials in the Malay language.

Emceeing the rally to protest alleged electoral fraud at the Dataran Petaling Jaya in Jalan Timur, Badrul led the crowd in chants of “SPR letak jawatan” (EC resign), singling out EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and deputy Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

PR has blamed alleged electoral fraud for not becoming government although it won the popular vote in Election 2013. It won 89 federal seats against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) which took 133 seats in the 222-seat parliament.

The politician better known as CheguBard heads Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), which is demanding that the EC should not be under the Prime Minister’s Department but should report to parliament.

A man holds a sign at the rally. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the last to address the rally but he also rejected the idea of working with the EC and supported calls that the current EC members resign immediately.

“We will never cooperate or work or engage with such a deceitful Election Commission,” the PKR de facto chief said, adding that an “ultimatum” will be issued if they do not resign.

Anwar urged the public to lodge police reports if they had experienced the alleged premature washing-off of the indelible ink from their fingers on voting day.

He said they should do so from tomorrow onwards up until Monday and send copies of the reports to PR.

“This is to show the power and might of the people. We challenge you according to due process. We also respect the rule of law,” said Anwar.

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pakatan-seeks-500000-volunteers-for-anti-ec-action/ 

The opposition leader says that Pakatan Rakyat instigates the people to defend their rights and stand up against 'robbers'.

RK Anand, FMT

Since the 2008 electoral battle, which left the mandibles of Barisan Nasional agape with horror, Malaysia continues to remain trapped in the jaws of election mode.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak exacerbated the situation when he kept dropping hints of a snap polls but instead chose to dissolve Parliament upon the completion of his five-year term.

Now after the 13th general election, which saw BN suffering an even bigger setback, the election mood still grips the nation, with the opposition claiming that fraud had prevented it from capturing federal power.

And last night, thousands of vehicles clogged the major arteries here, bringing traffic to a crawl, as more than 50,000 people packed Dataran PJ opposite Amcorp Mall for a pro-Pakatan Rakyat rally.

In the evening, less than 3,000 braved the blistering heat to listen to the various NGO leaders’ spirited speeches while volunteers went around collecting donations since the organisers claimed that funds were needed to settle the PA system bill.

Down the road at the Civic Centre, PKR was holding its annual congress while the pathways leading to Dataran PJ were littered with stalls selling opposition merchandise, food and drinks.

But as the sun began to set, droves of people dressed in black came pouring into the field. Soon the blaring of vuvuzelas and rapturous cheers shattered the tranquility of the night.

The familiar sight of party flags as well as banners and placards denouncing the Election Commission, Najib and BN flooded the field.

Despite Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s stern warnings with regard to the gathering, police presence was minimal, with the majority being traffic policemen.

‘The government is afraid’

“The government is afraid… the slightest provocation by the police could set the nation on fire and that is why you don’t see the FRU and water cannons.

“The people are angry [over the alleged election fraud]… So testing their patience would not be wise and BN knows this,” said Kevin Thanaraj, a 28-year-old chemical engineer.

His friend, Darren Teoh, argued that the rallies were getting tiresome and wanted the opposition to take more drastic measures.

“Yes, the people are angry. But the opposition cannot expect us to keep attending rallies, sing songs and hear the same things over and over again for the next five years,” said the 34-year-old businessman.

Asked what he would propose, Teoh, without the slightest hesitation, replied: “The time has come to take these protests out of the fields and stadiums… It is time to take them to the streets.”

Overhearing the conversation, law student Hafiz Iskandar, 23, cited the famous phrase, “Bila tipu pilihanraya, kita turun jalanraya [When there is cheating in the polls, we must take to the streets].”

“I have attended four rallies so far, and I am tired of blowing the vuvuzela, my mouth hurts. This is not a fun-fair… It is a serious issue and serious action must be taken,” he stressed.

READ MORE HERE

Many people are unaware of how the review is conducted and merely believe some political parties which accuse us of not doing our job in accordance with the law.

(The Star) - The Election Commission (EC) will begin a review of the country's electoral boundaries by the end of this year, and has assured the public of “utmost transparency” in the exercise.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the commission would display the draft of its redelineation to the public for registered voters, state governments and local councils to present their views and objections before submitting the final report to the Dewan Rakyat for approval. (see graphic)

“This exercise will be conducted according to the utmost level of transparency before going to Parliament to be debated, so there is no question of us trying to conceal anything from the people,” Wan Ahmad said when contacted.

He said that any proposed redelineation of electoral boundaries would require the approval of a simple majority in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat. The creation of any new constituencies would require two-thirds support.

Asked whether new constituencies would be created, he said: “Logically, there should be more seats because there have been so many new voters since the 12th general election.”

According to Article 113(2)(ii) of the Federal Constitution, the redelineation of the constituencies must be made within a period of not less than eight years and not more than 10 years from the completion of the previous review.

Wan Ahmad said the Federal Constitution provided a maximum of two years for the commission to complete the review.

The last redelineation exercise was completed in March 2003, and while the next review should have started in March 2011, the EC decided to postpone it because it was preparing for the 13th general election.

Responding to allegations that the EC would attempt to gerrymander the electoral boundaries to favour Barisan Nasional, Wan Ahmad said: “Many people are unaware of how the review is conducted and merely believe some political parties which accuse us of not doing our job in accordance with the law.”

On why small urban constituencies have more voters than large rural seats, Wan Ahmad said it was to ensure that voters in urban, semi-urban and rural constituencies all had reasonable access to services by their elected representatives and local councils.

Citing an example, Wan Ahmad said the parliamentary constituency of Puchong had 107,010 voters but residents enjoy good access to services and the elected representative can travel throughout the constituency within a few hours by car.

The parliamentary constituency of Silam in Sabah, on the other hand, has only 51,662 voters but is remote and is as large as Negri Sembilan and Malacca combined, he added.

“To ensure equal voter weightage, we will have to widen the boundary of Silam even further and this would be unfair to the voters as it would make it even harder for them to get service of their elected representatives and local council who will have even more ground to cover,” Wan Ahmad said.

On why Putrajaya, which only has 15,791 voters, was considered a single parliamentary constituency when its neighbouring constituencies had more voters, Wan Ahmad said: “This is because the constituency of Putrajaya was formed not by a redelineation exercise but by an Act of Parliament following the establishment of the administrative capital.

“It is therefore not possible to merge Putrajaya with any of its neighbouring parliamentary constituencies.”

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Pakatan MPs would not support the boundary redelineation exercise although two-thirds majority is not required for the exercise (unless it involves creation of new constituencies).

He alleged that the EC had lost its credibility and was complicit in electoral frauds, and as such, Pakatan did not recognise its legitimacy.

(The Star) - Change is imminent and Barisan Nasional has to adapt if it wants to continue to be relevant, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the political landscape would continue to undergo significant change due to several factors.

"Among the elements that will bring forth changes are urbanisation, better standards of living and access to information and communication technology.

"Nothing is constant. Whether it is quick or not, change will happen," said Najib at a thanksgiving event with members of Pekan Barisan's election machinery here Sunday.

He said that was why the party had to adapt its strategy and change with the times.

"We cannot assume what we used before will be a suitable recipe for the future. We must be open, be pragmatic not dogmatic, solve problems and not deny them. Only if we act this way, Barisan will continue to be relevant," said Najib.

Najib said with each elections, the ruling party would face even tougher challenges.

"The fact that we are in power now does not mean it is a passport to our victory forever," he said.

(NST) - A former PKR leader has claimed that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is utilising a band of cyber troopers, known as the Red Bean Army (RBA), in an elaborate effort to incite hatred against the government by spreading falsehoods over social media.

Ex-PKR Youth information bureau secretary Nordin Ahmad told the New Sunday Times Anwar was fully aware of the existence of the RBA, which he claimed had been operating for the past six years.

"Among others, this group is responsible for the vicious rumour circulating online that several polling centres had suffered blackouts during the vote-counting process on May 5, sparking claims of election irregularities."

He also claimed that Anwar had employed the services of the RBA, which is believed to be DAP-funded, after Pakatan was formed in March 2008.

Nordin said the group's subtle but effective propaganda had managed to influence many Malaysians into thinking that the elections were mired with fraud, thus enabling Anwar to stage a series of rallies called Blackout 505.

"When Pakatan appeared to be losing that day, social network sites like Facebook were bombarded with claims of blackouts and many Malaysians chose to believe the rumours. That's the extent of the RBA's influence."

Nordin, who was a strong supporter of Anwar in 1999, explained that the series of alleged blackouts had "conveniently" given Anwar a valid reason not to retire from politics despite promising to do so should the opposition pact fail to win the election.

"Now Anwar says he cannot retire until the Barisan Nasional government and the Election Commission admit that the election was fraudulent in nature. That is why he had been openly supporting the Bersih rallies in the past," he said.

Nordin said the recent Bersih rallies, which called for free and fair elections, had provided Anwar a platform to convince the public that the EC was untrustworthy.

"After the people became certain that the EC's credibility was compromised, all the RBA had to do was to post a picture purportedly showing EC staff counting votes in the dark to ignite the Blackout movement."

However, EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had said on Friday that the photograph was taken prior to the polls.

"They had staged the act even before the elections and spread it on the Internet as a ploy to show that a blackout had occurred.

"The EC staff shown in the photo were not even wearing EC uniforms," he had said.

Nordin pointed out several of the RBA's alleged postings, which included rumours of price hikes, had been proven to be mere hoaxes meant to deceive the public and stir up hatred against the government.

The RBA, which is believed to consist of 3,000 members, is said to be a dedicated network based in Komtar in Penang and Concorde Hotel here.