Selangor under siege?

Enemy forces are not letting up their assault on the Pakatan-led state in their determination to see it fall in the coming general election.

COMMENT

“Defend till the end! Fight to the last!” was the angry response of this columnist’s uncle who is a Selangorian when he heard that Petaling Jaya mayor, Mohamad Roslan Sakiman, is to be transferred to another department.

This is despite the fact that PJ City councillor Derek Fernandez, who is also a lawyer by profession, remarked that the transfer decision by the PSD (Public Services Department) is illegal and ultra vires (as reported in a local English daily).

This columnist’s relatives who stay in Selangor are of the view that Barisan Nasional’s shenanigans have started again in Selangor.

Under heavy bombardment and continuous shelling, Selangor is bound to fall. This is called a “political siege”.

So far since the beginning of this year, the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government had to contend with these four main issues: garbage collection, water, Talam and now the latest is the Petaling Jaya mayor issue.

There has been no let-up from the enemy forces since the previous general election in March 2008.

The first issue – garbage collection – had seen garbage trucks being blocked by hostile forces and broken furniture and tree branches being made into rubbish and dumped here and there in order to portray Selangor as a dirty state. When the garbage collection trucks are hindered, inevitably rubbish will start to pile up.

All this just because the Selangor government wants to save RM20 million from garbage collection services by awarding the contract to new contractors!

As for the water issue, a 40-second infomercial was last month filmed to show residents from a flat lining up to collect buckets of water while, at the same time, complaining about the so-called water shortage. It is a no-brainer as to who is behind this “entertaining movie”.

Diabolical forces

The Talam issue is still being spun this way and that while the issue concerning the PJ mayor is orchestrated to jam up the works and smooth-running of the state government’s daily administrative process.

What all these shenanigans mean is that the rakyat’s choice at the ballot box in March 2008 is not respected but treated as rubbish!

The diabolical forces are hellbent on regaining Selangor by hook or by crook because in the view of these evil forces, might is definitely right.

There is only one thing that can be done by Pakatan in this matter and that is to hold the Selangor state election in May as the State Legislative Assembly will be automatically dissolved by then.

Let those Machiavellian plotters stew in frustration!

The rakyat must not give in to their incessant bullying. Otherwise, we will be subservient to their power as they throw their weight around akin to demigods. From devils to demigods! Just imagine, what a transformation!

And yet till today, the so-called transformed government has yet to issue a statement on the cleaning of the electoral roll. Coupled with the infuriating polls date guessing game, we the rakyat are being given the short end of the stick as crumbs are thrown to us to appease our anger and to dull our senses.

Enough of this stupidity! Especially in regard to the dubious electoral roll in Selangor wherein there are more than half a million doubtful names.

Next attack

The names of instant citizens and phantom voters must be removed before the 13th general election is held. Otherwise, there is no honour in victory. Perhaps the word “honour” does not exist in the vocabulary of these nefarious Machiavellians!

It is time for the rakyat to wake up and reclaim the nation. We must make up for lost time to pose a challenge to Singapore, a nation which has no national debt but instead trillions in reserves.

Likewise, Selangor under the Pakatan administration also has no debt but instead RM1.9 billion in reserves. We must fight to keep something good that works and to reject something bad that is rotten.

We want our nation to be a practising model democracy in action, not just in words bandied about at the international stage.

In the meantime, according to the few businessmen whom this columnist had interviewed, the Budget 2013 is a non-event as the goodies were to be expected. There is nothing new or invigorating. With goodies galore and the ballooning national debt, this is certainly a budget to garner votes with the Smartphone rebate being a very obvious carrot to woo the youth.

Although the polls can still be held this year, a PAS strategist is of the view that the polls can only be held after the goodies have been distributed and this is due to BN’s tagline: Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled).

“If the rakyat have to vote BN this year in order to obtain the goodies next year with the exception of the bonuses for the civil servants and pensioners, which will be given in December, then it is already Janji Dinanti-nanti (waiting for the promises to be fulfilled).

“Therefore if this happens, it is very bad for BN as they would be seen to be holding back their promises. In politics, perception counts. Thus in order to show that promises are fulfilled, the BN federal government has no choice but to distribute the goodies first in January before calling for the polls and therefore the election can only be in March,” said the PAS strategist.

Meanwhile, we do not know what and when is the next attack on Selangor. We can only wait in fear and trembling.

Selena Tay is FMT columnist.