Utusan ups the Bersih stakes, but for how long must Malaysians be afraid

It looks like Prime Minister Najib Razak has made his decision. Instead of heeding calls to clean up his act, the scandal-plagued PM is digging in and furiously gathering 'dark' forces within his UMNO party to thwart a massive rally for free and fair elections in the country.

Utusan Malaysia, the UMNO-controlled daily and under his direct charge, has labelled the Bersih 2.0 July 9 rally "dirty". To pundits, this further signalled that Najib would regress in order to cling to political power.

In fact, many of his media advisers and 'spin-masters' have begun a scare-mongering exercise on which they are pinning their hopes to frighten the electorate especially the non-Malays into voting the BN.

But times have changed and even in conservative-minded PAS, fed-up Malays and Muslims want to eject this brand of "nasty culture" as fast they can.

"It is hard to understand the logic of these people. They are so depraved, it is scary. Firstly, is Utusan saying PAS members are not Malay or Muslims. Secondly, are they saying, PAS members did not for vote change in the recent muktamar (annual congress). Thirdly, are they saying that the PAS central council which is made up of a lot of ulama did not approve the motion to support Bersih 2.0 with 300,000 supporters," Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli told Malaysia Chronicle.

Pre-empting a public call to do away with dirty politics

Be that as it may, desperate for solutions and to avoid a humiliating public statement against his "dirty rule" - which is what a successful Bersih rally would signify - Najib and his minders are scrambling for unsavory solutions, rather than opt for the obvious answers.

"Do things the right way. Accepot the people's decision. For example, why must he insist on regaining Selangor at all costs. Why must he insist of defending Putrajaya even if it means crushed and lost lives. Is he saying this country belongs to him and UMNO?" chided PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

The Gombak MP had a day ago challenged Najib, "I want to ask Najib, what does he mean ‘at all cost’? Kill? C4 (military explosives)? Rob? Snatch? Blow up? Bribe? This is a statement of an uncivilised prime minister who doesn’t believe in democracy."

Time for the people to confront their fears through open and public discussion

But Azmin may have hit the nail on the head.

Najib's personal popularity is at an ebb, especially in the wake of the scandal shrouding his recent official visit to Kazakhstan. He and his wife Rosmah Mansor were accused of taking an overly large 200-member entourage on public expense to attend their daughter's engagement party there. Nooryana Najib, 22, is due to marry into a powerful and wealthy Kazakh family.

"It is good to thrash out these issues of scare-mongering in the open. I believe Malaysians including the non-Malays are not scared as before and the more we confront our fears, the easier it is to overcome them. For the Malays, they are inspired by the revolution that has happened in Tunisia, Libya and other parts of the Mulsim world. We too want to get rid of our Gadaffis and Ben Alis or to be precise, the Razaks, the Mahathirs and the Husseins," Bukit Gantang MP Nizar Jamaluddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Dynastic politics, crony and corruption politics are symptomatic of each other and it is the people themselves who want to get rid of these. Don't blame the opposition, we are merely the catalysts but the real current is flowing from the people themselves. If Najib doesn't believe it, just let Bersih happen naturally. From the response, he and the rest of the world will know the truth. This is what Utusan and UMNO are actually trying to pre-empt."

Saiful DNA and Datuk T sex video vs Altantuya murder and Ziana Zain PD

In its Sunday edition, Utusan called on Malays to boycott the Bersih rally and instead gather separately to protest against the movement, which calls for free and fair elections and to also protest recent price hikes and gutter politicking.

“The gathering is masterminded by NGOs who are anti-Islam in their thinking and actions. PAS’s involvement is only as pak turut (yes-men) as the pro-Anwar faction now controls the party," Utusan said in its Awang Selamat editorial column.

Utusan also tried to kill two birds with one stone, urrging readers to come its rally “with banners of the Opposition Leader’s scandals”. The paper has long waged a vindictive smear campaign against the 64-year old Anwar Ibrahim, who has accused Najib and wife Rosmah of hatching sodomy and sex video conspiracies to derail his political career.

"That's fine with us. For PKR supporters, I guess we have to respond with banners bearing Altanutya's and Ziana Zain's faces, the Scorpenes, Razak Baginda, the Eurocopters and Sukhoi. Especially, the faces of the two bodyguards who have to hang for taking orders to kill Altantuya ," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malayisa Chronicle.

He was referring to the Altantuya murder case, where two of Najib's and Rosmah's former bodyguards have been sentenced to hang for killing the Mongolian translator, alleged to be Najib's former mistress. Neither bodyguard had any motive to kill her and one of them has alleged he was paid RM100,000 to do so.

For how long must the Chinese and the non-Malays be afraid

Meanwhile, Malay rights rabble-rouser Ibrahim Ali was reported to have said his Perkasa movement would “also hold a gathering on that day and I am ready for any eventuality.”

Further blustering from Utusan included a warning by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also Najib's cousin, that “it will be chaotic when those for and against the street demonstration clash.” Yet the two men had last year given their tacit approval to UMNO-led demonstrations that resulted in dozens of chucrhes being torched and vandalized over the use of the word Allah.

Utusan also reported that 21,000-odd taxi drivers stood to lose RM3.2 million on that day and that 13 police reports have already been lodged against the Bersih rally.

Meanwhile, other Pakatan leaders expressed shock and disappoinment at the UMNO-BN's "blatant scare-mongering".

"Utusan and UMNO clearly have no respect for the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful gatherings. There is nothing 'dirty' about a people's gathering calling for free and fair elections. Utusan stays silent on BN's massive corruption and misuse of power and oppressive laws, yet attacks the people for exercising their basic rights. This is disgraceful," PKR vice president N Surendran told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Utusan is desperate after their dirty propaganda campaign failed. From sodomy to sex video and then to the PASmuktamar, where they tried to poke fire with the Erdogan versus the ulama stories, they have only lost further credibility," Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi told Malaysia Chronicle.

"During the Mahathir 'Bolehland' days, white was turned to black and black to white. Now, Bersih which means clean is turned to 'dirty'. It is time for Malaysians of all races and faith to face their fears and never allow the UMNO elite to oppress them in their own country again," Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

"From the feedback from the ceramah circuit, I am confident we are ready. We must not back off just because the UMNO elite are threatening violence or a May 13 reprisal. Najib has in the past promise to bathe the keris in Chinese blood. It is about time, we ask him to explain what he means by that. For how long must the Chinese and the non-Malays be afraid." - Malaysia Chronicle