Boycott ‘madness’ festivals, accept defeat

The communications and multimedia minister slams opposition supporters for 'behaving like children' in the face of electoral defeat.

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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians must boycott the “pesta kegilaan” (festival of madness) by the opposition over claims of electoral fraud and accept that Barisan Nasional won the 13th general election.

Newly minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this when asked to comment on Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s statement that Malaysians unhappy with the electoral system should emigrate.

“I have to see the context of Zahid’s statement, what was reported [before I can comment]… but I agree…that there are ‘madness festivals’ being run by sore losers,” said Ahmad Shabery at a press conference today.

“I feel this must be stopped. Most importantly, the rakyat must stop them, must boycott them and leave them because these festivals are about rejecting the decision made by the rakyat through our electorate system,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid wrote in a column published last Wednesday in Utusan Malaysia that the opposition was deliberately confusing “Chinese youths and politically blind followers” into protesting the election results.

This was in response to the series of mega rallies Pakatan Rakyat organised, claiming that electoral fraud and an incompetent Election Commission had robbed them of their victory.

But Ahmad Shabery today mocked the opposition and their supporters for “behaving like children” and “shrieking here and there” and suggested that their actions contravened the country’s democratic and constitutional system.

“We have to see what laws applies against these sore losers who act outside the limits of our democratic and constitutional system,” said Ahmad Shabery.

“Are they seen as going against our constistution and democratic system?” he asked.

He also dismissed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s argument that Pakatan was the rightful victor by virtue of winning the popular vote, insisting instead that the opposition pact only won big in urban areas.

“Even if they won the popular votes, it was in the urban areas. But our country’s democratic system takes into account not only the urban votes but the rural.

“They can’t dismiss the voters in Kapit, in Machang and Kinabatangan as unimportant. If the people there have said they want the existing party to continue ruling Malaysia, they must accept this,” he added.

He pointed out that despite claims of electoral fraud and gerrymandering, Pakatan had no qualms about accepting their victories in Selangor and Penang.

“If they didn’t agree with the system, they wouldn’t have accepted the swearing in ceremony of the Selangor Menteri Besar [PKR's Khalid Ibrahim] and Penang Chief Minister [DAP’s Lim Guan Eng]. But they did,” said Ahmad Shabery.