BN threatens electorate

As polling day draws nearer, the Barisan Nasional has apparently stepped up its hard-sell in various ways, including alleging that Opposition parties are trying to rig elections by purchasing indelible ink, employing Mat Rempit to harass candidates, and will cause trouble in the aftermath of the elections, if they win.

7Edition’s news bulletin yesterday, abandoning their ‘feel good’, ‘look good’ image broadcasted these implicit threats and allegations wholesale. There was no attempt to disguise the fact that ntv7 was for all intents and purposes a BN mouthpiece.

Umno ultra Khairy Jamaluddin stated that opposition parties planned to bring in thugs to cause trouble, with police chief Musa Hassan saying he would be deploying police contingents in particular areas to monitor the presence of “phantom voters”.

Should voters take fright at such threats and vote in the party that has for 50 years led them by the nose like cows? Or will voters take heart from the courage of Hindraf and Bersih leaders who although imprisoned or having prosecutions hanging over their heads, continue to fight for the human and democratic rights of all Malaysians?

Moreover, these threats described by the BN are stale news and known tactics that the electorate must already be familiar with and expect, when things are not looking good for the incumbent ruling party. Are we still going to fool ourselves and succumb to our fear of ‘shadows’?

Even objectively, it is common knowledge amongst the electorate that the BN itself has at previous elections made threats using the May 13 bogey to ‘frighten’ a timid electorate into prolonging its term in power. Will such ploys work, now, when people well know that all along opposition parties have peacefully accepted inevitable defeat brought about by such threats to and ‘bribery’ of the electorate.

The kind of tactics Khairy attributes to the Opposition is what the BN itself has practised in past elections. We also recall that the nurturing of ‘Mat Rempit’ was Umno ultra Khairy’s own idea. His ‘bright idea’ caused myriad problems for the police who are still trying to eliminate the ‘Mat Rempit’ menace.

Logically, it would not benefit any opposition party to turn on an electorate who have given them support and the mandate to represent them in Parliament, the State Assembly or in government. This would only be meaningless political suicide that no intelligent politician would engage in. Voters have to ask themselves if a party that rules by instilling fear in the people is worthy of our vote. Have we reached the point when enough is really enough?

It is crucial that voters remembers who they are. We, the People, are the employers of the government and have the power and right to hire or fire them when they act against our interest and use our taxes to build monuments to glorify themselves. OUR interest is the National Interest, NOT that of the ruling party.