There is no way the Malaysian authorities would want the country to become another Myanmar.
COMMENT
Malaysia is abuzz with talks that the ruling Barisan National will never accept defeat, or that it is preparing to snatch victory by cheating at the polls with massive voting by foreigners.
However, due to the current global situation and the fact Malaysia plays a very important role in the global sphere, there is serious doubt on these allegations.
How true are claims that the BN will hijack the polls and twist the votes or that it will cause a massive blockade of Pakatan Rakyat voters, to allow pro-BN votes?
The opposition has accused the BN of filling the voter rolls with foreigners, whom it claims have been given Malaysian identity cards to vote for the BN. The number of foreigners set to vote for the BN, Pakatan says, varies between a few thousand and two million.
The opposition produced some ICs that appear to be dubious and fraudulent, and the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on the IC fraud in Sabah does not help the BN.
The BN itself is aware of the limitations imposed on it to remain in power at all cost, and to try to cheat its way in the next general election.
Many of its top leaders have warned the opposition not to trigger an “Arab Spring”. By all means, this is indicative of the fears the BN leaders have of such a possibility.
The mounting criticism of the forceful ways the authorities handled the Bersih 2.0 rally to the disadvantage of the BN has been heard.
However, the Jan 12 rally at Stadium Merdeka was peaceful, successful and sent yet another message to the BN: that the international community is watching and the BN be better prepared to play fair.
The BN is now pretty much aware that the global forces of change will not allow it to twist and turn the results of the upcoming polls in its favour.
The United Nations, for the time being, is watching the situation in Malaysia very closely. There is no way the Malaysian authorities would want the country to become another Myanmar, for example.
The military junta in Myanmar stole the election from the powerful opposition, annulling the polls results and imposing emergency rule. This will not happen in Malaysia; such an act will only destroy the nation’s economy for good.
Malaysia, since the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has depended heavily on foreign direct investment (FDI). This has helped raise the standard of living of the people, putting Malaysia firmly on the world map.
Would the BN do some foolish stuff to destroy this edge that it has helped the country achieve in the past decades?
BN must deliver its promises
The onus is on the BN indeed as any tainting and meddling in the upcoming polls will scare investors away, stop the influx of FDI and surely raise the ire of the population.
Any attempt by the BN to crush the angry mobs – if they were to appear after a BN win in the polls – would only turn Malaysia into a “rogue” nation in the eyes of the international community.
And what about the United States? The most powerful nation on earth has been behind, tacitly or openly, the Arab Spring since its inception on day one.
This country will not close its eyes, if there were to be trouble in Malaysia as a result of a flawed election.
Washington is watching over and any wrong move by the BN – stealing the election and maintaining its grip on power – will surely be unwelcome.
The Barack Obama administration would surely not bet its hands in favour of the BN. That is, if the BN were proven to have stolen the results, as is being feared by many within Pakatan.
Malaysia, being a nation rapidly progressing and developing, cannot afford to be belittled and looked upon as a pariah state. Thus the BN will have to deliver on its promises.
Among these promises, will both sides accept the results of the upcoming election? After all, if Pakatan wins, is it not a group of Malaysian politicians who will take over at Putrajaya?
Will the BN win, or will it lose? Needless to say, only the voters know the secret of their ballots they will cast and whoever comes out the winner, it should be for the betterment of the country.
Ali Cordoba writes extensively on local politics.
COMMENT
Malaysia is abuzz with talks that the ruling Barisan National will never accept defeat, or that it is preparing to snatch victory by cheating at the polls with massive voting by foreigners.However, due to the current global situation and the fact Malaysia plays a very important role in the global sphere, there is serious doubt on these allegations.
How true are claims that the BN will hijack the polls and twist the votes or that it will cause a massive blockade of Pakatan Rakyat voters, to allow pro-BN votes?
The opposition has accused the BN of filling the voter rolls with foreigners, whom it claims have been given Malaysian identity cards to vote for the BN. The number of foreigners set to vote for the BN, Pakatan says, varies between a few thousand and two million.
The opposition produced some ICs that appear to be dubious and fraudulent, and the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on the IC fraud in Sabah does not help the BN.
The BN itself is aware of the limitations imposed on it to remain in power at all cost, and to try to cheat its way in the next general election.
Many of its top leaders have warned the opposition not to trigger an “Arab Spring”. By all means, this is indicative of the fears the BN leaders have of such a possibility.
The mounting criticism of the forceful ways the authorities handled the Bersih 2.0 rally to the disadvantage of the BN has been heard.
However, the Jan 12 rally at Stadium Merdeka was peaceful, successful and sent yet another message to the BN: that the international community is watching and the BN be better prepared to play fair.
The BN is now pretty much aware that the global forces of change will not allow it to twist and turn the results of the upcoming polls in its favour.
The United Nations, for the time being, is watching the situation in Malaysia very closely. There is no way the Malaysian authorities would want the country to become another Myanmar, for example.
The military junta in Myanmar stole the election from the powerful opposition, annulling the polls results and imposing emergency rule. This will not happen in Malaysia; such an act will only destroy the nation’s economy for good.
Malaysia, since the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has depended heavily on foreign direct investment (FDI). This has helped raise the standard of living of the people, putting Malaysia firmly on the world map.
Would the BN do some foolish stuff to destroy this edge that it has helped the country achieve in the past decades?
BN must deliver its promises
The onus is on the BN indeed as any tainting and meddling in the upcoming polls will scare investors away, stop the influx of FDI and surely raise the ire of the population.
Any attempt by the BN to crush the angry mobs – if they were to appear after a BN win in the polls – would only turn Malaysia into a “rogue” nation in the eyes of the international community.
And what about the United States? The most powerful nation on earth has been behind, tacitly or openly, the Arab Spring since its inception on day one.
This country will not close its eyes, if there were to be trouble in Malaysia as a result of a flawed election.
Washington is watching over and any wrong move by the BN – stealing the election and maintaining its grip on power – will surely be unwelcome.
The Barack Obama administration would surely not bet its hands in favour of the BN. That is, if the BN were proven to have stolen the results, as is being feared by many within Pakatan.
Malaysia, being a nation rapidly progressing and developing, cannot afford to be belittled and looked upon as a pariah state. Thus the BN will have to deliver on its promises.
Among these promises, will both sides accept the results of the upcoming election? After all, if Pakatan wins, is it not a group of Malaysian politicians who will take over at Putrajaya?
Will the BN win, or will it lose? Needless to say, only the voters know the secret of their ballots they will cast and whoever comes out the winner, it should be for the betterment of the country.
Ali Cordoba writes extensively on local politics.
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