Laughingstock and lovin' it
Technorati tags: 12th General Elections, Election Commission, Collusion, BN, Electoral Fraud, Malaysia
Or... How to fucking rig an election to ensure certain victory.
Congratulations, Election Commission. You have ensured Malaysia a place in the finals of the latest, greatest reality show on Earth: "Who Wants To Be a Pariah Puppet Nation".
The MSM home-spun version (via The Star) can be found here and here. It just makes Walski wonder who else is in on this collusion, if there really is one... And Rashid has the cheek to ask us to not blame the EC?
Nice tactical move, though. First, make a press statement to the world that one-sided press coverage will make our election process a laughing stock. Not that it helped, since BN and its proxies own the mainstream media, pretty much. Who cares if the world thinks we're a joke of a nation, right? Never has Walski seen and heard so much blatant BN propaganda on TV and radio.
Then, reneg on one of the safeguards for a clean election. Smooth. Four days before the general elections. Walski wouldn't be surprised if the claim that the indelible ink had already been purchased was another blatant lie. Lying, after all, comes second nature to lowlife scum. Worse, if the ink had really been purchased, RM 2 million down the drain, since the ink has a very limited shelf life.
From the very beginning, BN was dead set against the use of indelible ink to ensure that a given individual doesn't vote more than once. Of course, they would be against it... who in their right mind would want a level playing field, when you can have one that's totally stacked in your favor?
The reasons given by EC Chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, are at best incredible. Actually they're rather comical. But hey, what did you expect from a fucking puppet clown, anyway? One that's still EC Chairman, by virtue of the fact he was retained solely to ensure BN gets a mandate on a silver platter.
(collusion, incredibility, and some first-time vote advice, in the full post)
Via the same Malaysiakini article as the clip above:
Abdul Rashid said the use of indelible ink would not be effective as the country's constitution allows those who refuse to have their fingernail marked with the ink to still be issued with a ballot.
He added that the use of the indelible ink could infringe the constitutional right of a voter to cast his vote, especially if the commission tries to bar someone from voting for having an ink marked in his finger.
"From a practical point of view, the issuance of a ballot paper to such a voter would render the EC's proposal meaningless and will not bring about a positive result, whilst having the potential to create misunderstanding as well as altercations and arguments at polling stations," he said.
He added that the Federal Constitution gives Malaysians the right to vote and a black mark on the fingernail should not bar people from exercising this right, he said.
The loophole can only be removed with a constitutional amendment, which requires a vote by parliament, which has been dissolved for elections to take place.
(source: Malaysiakini)
How lame can you get? Nice touch bringing in the Federal Constitution, which also calls for free and fair elections, the last time Walski checked.
But wait... there's more incredibility.
Abdul Rashid also said there were reports made to the police alleging that certain quarters had purchased indelible ink from abroad with the intention of creating confusion and suspicion as to the status of voters.
He added that police reports were lodged in Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah between Feb 16 and 21 and as a result four individuals are being questioned by the police.
"Their intention is to create confusion and suspicion as to the status of such voters," he said.
"This may cause chaos at polling stations which, if widespread, may be difficult to control."
"The EC views these issues seriously as the election process and public order and security cannot be compromised," he said.
Notice where the police reports were allegedly filed: Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah - exactly where the opposition has been predicted by analysts to do better than they did the last time around.
And if these reports were filed as early as between February 16th and 21st (i.e. before nomination day), why only announce the decision to not use the indelible ink now, 4 days before the General Elections? In fact, if the EC were really sincere in wanting to use the indelible ink in the first place, why use black (and disclose the color), and not an undisclosed color?
Well, it's clear now that our electoral process is not only unfair, but has fraudulent practices condoned by the very people administering the process. Yes, Walski is stating this in anger, but just look at the evidence. Coincidence after coincidence after coincidence usually indicates that there's something else going on, other than just coincidence.
By the way, if you're a first-time voter, you may want to make sure you go to the polling station prepared:
- Make sure you are included in the electoral rolls. You can check your name's inclusion at the EC/SPR electoral roll check. An alternate URL located on a different server is also available.
- Print out the results of the roll check. This is proof that you're actually on the roll. Make sure you print the whole page, with the SPR header.
- If at the polling station they cannot find your name on the roll, insist that it is. Show the printout, and demand an explanation why your name isn't on their roll. The online roll reflects the officially gazetted Electoral Roll, as of February 5, 2008.
Since you never know these days who is in collusion with whom, go prepared. Walski has heard of cases where alternate roll sheets have been used in previous elections, to try to prevent first-time voters from casting their votes, in the belief that first-time voters are likely to vote opposition.
The key message Walski wants to convey: It's fine to be Angry, but Do Not Give Up Hope.
It doesn't matter at this juncture, which party the opposition candidate belongs to. Walski personally does not seen eye-to-eye with everything that PAS stands for (regular readers would know that), but he would still vote for them - in a heartbeat. Because at this point in time, the critical mission is now to ensure that BN is not given any more chances to ruin our lives.
Be angry. Be outraged. But for goodness sakes - don't go and spoil your vote. That's almost giving BN card blanche to fuck our lives up the next 4-5 years. In the words of Monty Python:
... and so is every vote.
Avoid voting independent, too, if you can. They're there to split the vote (in many cases), at this crucial juncture of our nation's history.
We've seen for ourselves how low BN is willing to stoop. Not for us, but for themselves - for them to remain in power. In the process, they proudly proclaim to the world how screwed up the Malaysian democratic process has become. An election where there (literally, if you believ the media) is only one choice. If Malaysia isn't already a laughingstock, we are a damned big one now...
Enough, is bloody enough...
