ANOTHER LEADER HAS EMERGED – HE WANTS TO BE PM: ZAID REVEALS PRESENCE OF MR ‘X’ WHO OFFERS TO BRING PAS TO NEGO TABLE IN RETURN FOR PM’S POST

I am only taking the stage briefly for I know you are here to listen to Mr Lim Kit Siang.

I must first thank you for accepting this invitation, and to those who have paid a lot more than the cost of the dinner.. I appreciate your help.

This  event  is to collect funds for some of the activities we carry out in the rural areas. Sometimes we organise big events, like in March when we launched the Save Malaysia campaign, to bring Tun Dr M and the opposition leaders together. Many of our activities include getting young people to register as voters and holding small ceramahs on current issues. Last week we had 100 young Malays listening to me why they will not find good jobs so long as we have a corrupt government, even if the government called themselves Islamic.

It’s tiring asking friends for favours; but what choice do we have. Either we do nothing and watch the country go down, or we try to create deep awareness of the problems amongst the people.

I am aware that some people are content to just be armchair critics, who will complain about everything they don’t like but who are not willing to give even a small sum when they are asked for a contribution. You know that nothing will change unless we take responsibility for the things that have gone wrong.

Kwong Yong Won is a successful south Korean businessman. He was separated from his brother after the Korean War, who ended up in the north. His brother became a doctor and served the North Korean Airforce. 50 years later they met, under  a special family reunion organised for families separated by the partition. Hwong noticed his brother’s jacket was torn, and  threadbare. He offered his brother a new jacket but his brother declined. The jacket he was wearing belongs to the North Korean Airforce and he must return it .Two people of the same genes, same DNA, culture and upbringing but their lives are world’s apart. One lives in freedom and comfort, the other deprived of many things we all take for granted. This is how  government, of a country, its  institutions and values shape and determine our lives. How can we  be not  interested  to whats happening to the country.

Malaysiqns must not be selfish. We must all be involved, and do what we can to help the forces of change. No country anywhere has become a modern democracy, a safe country for future generations, without great sacrifice from its people, including the loss of innocent lives. I am not asking you to die for this country, but at least stand up and be counted in this struggle against dictatorship and religious extremism.

I want to thank Mr Lim for making time to speak to us all today. He is a tireless political leader and a man of true grit. He is the John Wayne of Malaysian politics. You are all fortunate to have this opportunity of listening to him tonight. But I too want to share in the limelight, and so you have to listen to me first.

My message to the Malaysian voter is that you should think clearly who you will vote for in the next general election. You can  vote for a party that stands up for you and fights for your interests. You can vote for  PKR /  Anwar Ibrahim because he, like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, realised the errors of UMNO and now wants to put things right.

You can vote for  DAP because it’s the party that has consistently defended democracy and the Federal Constitution. You can vote for Amanah because it’s a Malay/Muslim-based party that is moderate, and that sees Islam as compatible with democracy and good governance. They have good leaders who are able to sit down when differences arise, and hold discussions in the search for solutions.

What you must not do is to buy in to this idea that, so long as Najib is defeated then the country will be fine. The thinking is that if the opposition can be united, not on fundamental political principles, but on seat allocation, then Najib will be defeated. I have heard of this political message before and I am appalled that it’s still being advocated with enthusiasm by so-called reformists.

When Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah wanted to oust Dr Mahathir in 1987, he too called on the people to stand united against UMNO. Many Kelantanese, including those in UMNO, took the bait. In the process, PAS took power in Kelantan  in 1990 and ruled for 25 years till today. In that time, did Kelantan undergo the necessary political and social transformation to advance it towards democracy and rule of law? No. Has it now practised  good governance? No. Has Tengku Razaleigh now becomes our beacon of hope? No — what we got instead was PAS, a TALIBAN style political power who are now moving for an amendment in Parliament for unlimited powers to the Shariah Courts; so they can open the new road to Hudud. So much for one to one.

In the 2008 and 2013 polls PAS was again roped in with great enthusiasm, just because they agreed not to talk about hudud for a while. But their true colours surfaced eventually — they rejected Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, and later they even said DAP was against Islam and harmful and dangerous to Muslims. The pact was broken, and it could not last because it was based on convenience. By that time they were sharing power in Selangor, until today. Many in PKR still want to embrace Pas because they are afraid to lose power if they abandon PAS.

Lately we have another leader who wants to be Prime Minister, and who has said he would be able to bring PAS to the negotiating table to ensure a one-to-one fight against the BN. He would serve as a bridge to negotiate seat allocations because PAS has already said they will not talk directly with DAP and Amanah. PAS treats DAP and Amanah like lepers, so there must not be any contact.

This idea of pursuing a one-to-one fight is being perpetrated by those who want to be PM. What they should be doing is canvassing for a one-to-one fight based on political beliefs of equality, of non-discrimination,  and  an agreement to uphold the dignity of all Malaysians. This country does not need politicians who offer a quick fix solution, just by changing the Prime Minister. We have to start from ground zero, to remove all traces of what has gone wrong; and restore leaders who are honest, and set up a new agenda for the country based on fairness and protecting the dignity of all Malaysians regardless of race or religion.

Like in a marriage, politics too require us to choose our political partner carefully. They must be partners who are committed to the fundamental principles by which this country must be governed. No short cuts, please! There are things we can negotiate, and there are things that define us and are not negotiable.

Those who want Malaysia to be free from Taliban influence, who cherish democracy, freedom, and more equitable economic policies for the people, and who are against kleptocracy and corruption, should stand to one side, while those who want hegemony, discriminatory policies  and  authoritarian leaders, should stand on the other side. That would be a real one-to-one, the kind that we need. But we don’t see that happening. Everyone wants to win first and think later what to do with the country.

Months  ago, I  suggested a true and committed political pact between PKR, Amanah and DAP, that goes beyond seat arrangement, but a commitment that can convincingly explain to Malaysians what the future holds for them. This is not happening because some in PKR  believe they cannot live without Pas. The only hope for this country is when Malaysians believe there is a better life after Umno and Pas; and they will always remain in the present state if they are not able to move from this paradigm.

If we want Malaysia to be better, we must restore the good principles and policies on which this country was founded. No compromises, no shortcuts, and certainly no accepting the idea that any Prime Minister will do. We will keep making the mistakes of the past and nothing will change.

You must all remember this: there is no country anywhere in  the world that has become a modern democracy, a safe country for future generations, without great sacrifice, including the loss of innocent lives. I am not asking you to die for this country, but at least stand up and be counted in the defence of  the Malaysia we once knew , even if it takes a long time to achieve success.

MAY JOIN DAP OR AMANAH

Some of my friends who are tired of me asking for donations have started asking me what my plans are. Well, I have a 50 per cent chance of contesting in the next election, and I say 50 per cent for the following reasons.

One, I have a criminal case pending against me, allegedly for insulting the Prime Minister when I said he was dangerous and should step down. Even though my lawyers, Valen and Americk, are the best at what they do, I still have a 50% chance of being convicted and disqualified from contesting.

If that does not happen, then I have a 50% chance of joining either DAP or Amanah. I hope they will accept me and give me a seat, if I apply to join them. Finally even if I want to contest, I only have a 50% chance of raising enough money to finance the election, now that there is  a proposal under a new law that sets no limit on  how much a candidate can spend during the election, a proposal that will be disastrous to opposition candidates with little money.

Ladies and gentlemen, enough of you listening to this Mr. 50%, please welcome Mr Lim Kit Siang.

– Zaid.my