Of Jabba the Hut, Najib Razak and the electoral system

Among the reasons given by BN’s apologists for banning the ‘Undilah’ video is that Jabba The Hut was standing in front of a poster of Najib. We managed to track down Jabba to get his version of events, as follows :

MC : Why were you standing in the bus station in front of Najib’s poster?

Jabba : Dude, I was just waiting for the bus.

MC : Did you say ‘dude’?

Jabba : Yes, because it’s cool to say ‘dude’.

MC : You were not involved in a sinister plan to make a fool of Najib?

Jabba : He does a fine job of that on his own.

Who would win if elections were free and fair

Based on this interview, it is clear that there was no intention to make fun of Najib in the Undilah video by having his poster next to Jabba.

Instead what is clear is that BN wants to frustrate every attempt to ensure free and fair elections in Malaysia.

When Malaysians marched for fair elections during the Bersih rally in July, BN reacted like it was an alien invasion, locking down the entire city, and beating, kicking and arresting more than a thousand protestors.

It was clear that BN’s objective was to try and use violence to terrorize peaceful demonstrators. Their scare tactics failed and Bersih 2.0 exposed the BN for being an undemocratic entity which is afraid of free and fair elections. Why are they afraid? Because if the elections are free and fair, BN would lose!

Getting the message through

So what constitutes free and fair elections?

First, all parties wishing to stand for elections must have equal access to the press and the mass media. We do not have this in Malaysia, because the BN has criminalized access to the press for the opposition.

The opposition will not and has never been allowed to own a newspaper. As such they have no way of getting their views across to the populace on a regular basis. Nor is the opposition allowed a broadcasting license, so they cannot inform the people through the effective medium of television. Only the BN is allowed to publish newspapers and only the BN is allowed to broadcast.

To add insult to injury, a publication license must be applied to the Home Minister, who is always a partisan and partial BN member and a BN appointee.

Getting Bersih's demands through

Second, the institutions that safeguard justice must be free of government influence and control. This would mean the Police, the Attorney-General and the Judiciary. Otherwise, these institutions could be perverted by the government to criminalize their political opponents, incarcerate them and win elections in this way.

Today, the BN seems to follow the dictum of Peruvian dictator Oscar Benavides, “For my friends, anything; for my enemies, the law.”

Bersih has eight demands in total which it believes will help ensure free and fair elections in Malaysia. They include the use of indelible ink, longer campaign periods, an end to vote-buying, an impartial Election Commission, cleaning up the electoral roll and the reform of the postal ballot system among others.

All these demands should be met if Malaysia’s electoral system is to be considered free and fair.

Undilah

The BN, reeling from the backlash of their mishandling of the Bersih rally, has now announced the setting up of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to examine the issue of free and fair elections.

This is not an honest attempt by the BN. It is merely a way for them to reduce public pressure on them for free and fair elections. It is a way for them to put off any reform until the General Elections are over.

Malaysians should not be fooled by this all too transparent attempt to fool them. So frightened is the BN now that they feel threatened by fictional characters like Jabba the Hut. Soon Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck may make them screech and jump up in the air.

BN knows they will lose if the elections are free and fair. But if the BN does not lose, all Malaysians will.

Malaysia Chronicle