Najib can promise the sky but Hindus & Christians here know BN INCAPABLE OF FAIR PLAY

Unelected Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, still stubbornly in a state of denial, has made the preposterous claim that change and reform, as the people have been clamouring for since 2008, are possible by returning the ruling Barisan National (BN) to power.

In short, there's "no need to gamble away their future" by handing over Putrajaya to the Opposition. Better the known devil i.e. Umno/BN than the unknown Opposition Angel, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohd has echoed.

Najib of course has a vested interest in pushing this disingenuous line.

Every time someone leaves an organization, it changes in some ways and similarly when someone enters an organization. Badawi left, Najib came in. However, either way there's a limit to how much an organization like Umno/BN can change no matter who comes and goes. There would always be the vested interests at work, hovering in the background, resisting change and sabotaging anything that doesn't quite fit in with their Hidden Agenda.

Likewise, in politics, real change and reform are only possible when new leaders and new parties come in to replace those forced out by the people to make way for them.

The people can't insist on change and reform and at the same time, in a contradiction in terms, keep the present ruling party in Putrajaya. Again, the powers that be and those in the corridors of power, their fat cats, cronies, friends and other sycophants in tow, will not allow any change and reform but will instead see any such moves as a threat to their respective positions. So, they will just pay lip service for change and reform.

Now you see it, now you don’t change under Umno/BN

Hence, the more things appear to change under Umno/BN, the more they will remain the same.

Already, Malaysian Indians have discovered that almost all of Najib's "nambikkai" (trust) pledges to their community remain only on paper, stymied either by Najib/Umno itself and/or the racists, the prejudiced and opportunists that plague the civil service.

Like the Christians in Malaysia, the predominantly Hindu Indians here have come around to the thinking that Umno/BN is incapable of change especially when it comes to their community.

One reason for this is that having been effectively neutralized, marginalized and disenfranchised over more than half century since the British left Malaya, the Indians don't have even one seat in Parliament or any state assembly despite there being nearly a million of them on the electoral rolls. In 67 of the 165 parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia, Indians in fact decide.

Democracy is not so much about the right of the majority, albeit in Parliament, to rule but about the right of the minority -- as expressed in the polls -- to be heard in the same August House preferably through non-constituency seats.

Democracy is about the right of the minority to be heard

The right of minority voices at the ballot boxes to be heard in Parliament calls for real political reform, a prospect which will never materialize as long as Umno is in power.

Hindu Rights Action Group or Hindraf, in drawing up a five-year Blueprint for Indians, in preparation for talks with Umno without MIC around, fears and rightly too that they are at a dead-end. This follows Umno reneging on what little they have promised Indians so far while there has been no let up in continuing to take away what little they still have. The criminalization, demonization, dehumanization, neutralization, isolation, marginalisation, elimination and extermination of the Indians continue unabated under Umno. The ruling party is bent not so much on making good any promises but changing the community's perceptions on the party with a little petty cash, crumbs and scraps.

It’s not known what’s in the Hindraf Blueprint since it remains under wraps but the movement would obviously want the Government to scrap all Bumiputera and Islam only administrative laws (i.e. policies) and licensing regulations, bias in education, job intake, housing, electoral delineations. The Government is unlikely to do all this since; again, Indians don't have even one legislative seat.

MIC, the Umno lapdog, meanwhile has embarked on the politics of fear and intimidation. Indians are being told that there's no guarantee this time that they will not be politically victimized, even persecuted, if they vote against BN as in 2008 and the ruling coalition still manages to form the Federal Government. Supremely confident with this line of attack, the party recently made the audacious claim that 70 per cent of the Indians in Penang, for example, have since returned to BN.

This has forced Hindraf to rethink strategies to protect Indians from being politically victimized and persecuted in the aftermath of the forthcoming 13th General Election which must be held by mid 2013 if Parliament expires in April 2013 without dissolution.

Indians may not vote along party, coalition lines

The movement feels that since the Indians don't have one legislative seat, it would be counterproductive for the community to root for political parties and/or coalitions and risk political victimization and persecution. Instead, the growing consensus has been for looking at the candidates on offer. Incumbents who have not performed, presumably for the community, will be voted out. Incumbents who have performed will be voted out as well if they have held a particular seat three terms in a row.

One surprising new development is the realization that the community will be better off if it does not have Indian legislators who are invariably afraid to open their mouths and even utter the word "Indian" lest they lose their non-Indian votes. Hence, the political mandore syndrome which continues to plagues Indian legislators. Hindraf thinks that the community needs members only in the Senate, statutory bodies and GLCs.

The Law of Inertia states: "A body at rest -- read BN -- will continue to stay at rest, unless acted upon by external forces (being voted out). A body in motion -- read Opposition -- will continue to stay in motion, unless acted upon by external forces (electoral fraud).

Christians must reject anti-Christ, party of the devil

The people should not be fooled by those who have long overstayed their welcome. In BN's case, the ruling coalition has been in power for 55 years in Peninsular Malaysia, 49 years in Sarawak, and 39 years in Sabah.

If the people are serious about change and reform, they will have to show the door to those in Putrajaya squatting on them and vote for a changing of the guards.

Christians in particular, about 10 per cent of the population excluding secret Christians among fallen Muslims, are bound by their faith to reject the devil -- read Umno -- and all his works, lies and deceit. They are also enjoined by their faith to reject the 'devil you know', Mahathir Mohamad - the power behind Najib's 'throne'.

No party in any case, whether heaven-sent or a pure visitation from hell, should be allowed to remain in power for more than two terms consecutively or ten years whichever is the lesser.

That means telling Najib in no uncertain terms what he can do with his theories on change and reform under Umno/BN.

Malaysia Chronicle