massive electoral fraud during malaysia's 13 general elections

7/28/2019 MASSIVE ELECTORAL FRAUD DURING MALAYSIA'S 13 GENERAL ELECTIONS

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Election fraud check: Borang 13 and

Borang 14

Posted byprema on 30 June 2013 Add comments

The transparency of the polling and counting process on polling day does not precludeother types of alleged electoral fraud, says Prema Devaraj.

The results of the 13th General Elections have been met with allegations of electoral

fraud and offences including extra boxes being introduced, phantom voters,

displaced voters, indelible ink washing off, vote buying and so on.

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To help clarify some aspects, this article focuses on the way in which the polling process

and the recording of votes takes place on polling day. The key roles of two forms used on

polling day -

Borang 13 (Ballot Paper Statement) Subregulation 24(1) and

Borang 14 (Statement of the Poll after Counting the Ballot) Subregulation 25(12) from

the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981-

are highlighted as both these forms help to reduce the chances of electoral fraud by

ensuring the transparency and accountability of the polling and counting process. We areusing the parliamentary constituency of Sungai Siput as an example.

Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency PO62

For this last election, the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency had 51,596 registered

voters and consisted of two state seats Lintang (N21) and Jalong (N22).

Each state constituency is divided into voting districts. Lintang has 26 voting districts andJalong has 12 voting districts. (Table: first column)

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Each voting district has a corresponding locality i.e., a school in which people from that

voting district go to vote.

Each locality has one or more voting streams i.e. classrooms in the school in whichvoting takes place depending on the number of voters registered to vote in that locality. In

total, Lintang had 49 voting streams and Jalong had 52 voting streams as shown in theTable (4th column).

Clearly this type of information (together with the electoral roll for the constituency) iscrucial for every candidate (and indeed for public knowledge) but at the moment it is

only available at a price (approximately RM200) either as a hard copy (a set of books for

each state constituency) or in a CD prior to nomination day.

The candidate can then compare this information with that of the previous election to seewhether new voting districts have been added or if there has been a sudden increase or

decrease in the number of voters registered in any one voting district. And of course with

this information the candidate and his/her team can organise the recruitment andplacement of polling and counting agents.

Polling and counting agents (Pacaba)

Polling and counting agents play an absolutely crucial role in protecting the candidates

interest and ensuring that the process of polling and subsequent counting is transparent.

But as can be seen from the Table, the implications for (volunteer) human resources areconsiderable. Sungai Siput had 101 voting streams. If the ideal situation is to have two

shifts of polling agents (morning and afternoon) and a separate shift for counting agents,

then over 300 people are needed! In the Sungai Siput scenario, the decision was to havetwo shifts with the second shift of polling agents doubling up as counting agents.

And it isnt just on the day. Polling and counting agents need to be told about the

procedures, their responsibilities, what to look out for, how to object if something is not

right, and the purpose and how forms should be filled.

So briefing sessions prior to polling day were held and people had to give up an eveningto come and sit through this. A few volunteers had previously undergone Pacaba training

by Tindak Malaysia.

Recruiting sufficient numbers of polling/counting agents is always an interestingendeavor. There were many willing volunteers who wanted to be or agreed to be part ofthe democratic process for change (including those from outside Sungai Siput i.e., from

Cameron Highlands, Seremban, Kuala Lumpur, Taiping, Ipoh and Penang).

There were one or two who wanted to know if they would get paid and were told this

wasnt that type of candidate; a few were worried about trouble in the evening andneeded reassurance and of course there were a few who could only do a two-hour shift

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and they were duly accommodated. Needless to say everyone, to their credit, persevered

despite the lack of payment and the duration of their duties.

Polling Day

The first shift of polling agents arrived at the Sungai Siput service centre by 6.30am.They collected their files and identification tags, had some breakfast and went off to their

voting streams.

Before polling began at 8.00am, the Ketua Tempat Mengundi (KTM) or Presiding

Officer in each voting stream recorded the number of the ballot papers in that particularvoting stream in Part A of Borang 13 (for example, 0001-0050; 0051-0100, etc.) This

way, the total number of ballot papers in a voting stream is known at the start of polling.

At the end of the day there cannot be more than this number in the ballot box. In addition,

there cannot be ballot papers in the ballot box with different serial numbers than the ones

recorded in the morning. The polling agents are present early in the morning to witnessthis.

Figure 1 is an example of Borang 13 from the EC Guidebook for Counting Agents May2012.

At lunch time, the second shift of polling agents (who would later double up as counting

agents in the Sungai Siput scenario) were sent off from the bilik gerak with their tags and

again with reminders to make sure Borang 13 is completed properly, please countproperly and dont go for teh tarik, bring back Borang 14 first!

When voting stops at 5.00pm (except in the four Orang Asli voting districts where itstops earlier), the ballot boxes are sealed. The KTM completes Borang 13 by recording

the serial numbers of the ballot papers issued to the voters (Part B), spoilt ballot papers( i.e. those returned to KTM, marked spoilt and not put in ballot box) (Part C) and unused

ballot papers (Part D).

The total number of ballot slips to be accounted for in the ballot box at the end of the

voting day (i.e. Part A Part C Part D) is recorded in Part E of Borang 13. Thisdocument is signed by the KTM and also by the polling agents present as stated in

Regulation 24(1)(c) Elections Regulation 1981.

This means that the polling agent of each candidate has a chance to check the detailsrecorded at each stream and sign off on those (Figure 1).

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Counting the votes

Once Borang 13 is completed, the KTM will open the ballot boxes (two in each voting

stream; one for parliamentary seat and one for state seat) in the presence of the counting

agents and the ballot papers will be counted.

First, the total number of ballot papers is counted. This number should tally with the

number stated in Borang 13 Part E. If the number is less than what is stated in Borang 13

(e.g., the voter did not use his/her ballot paper), counting continues.

If there are more, a couple of things should take place. Firstly the recording in Borang 13is checked for any error. Next, the ballot papers are inspected for the official perforation

mark/stamp of that voting stream. Ballot papers which do not have the official mark are

removed (Regulation 25, Third Schedule, Elections Regulation 1981).

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If after this the numbers are still higher than that stated in Part E Borang 13, counting

agents were told to insist that the serial numbers of the ballot slips be checked against

what was recorded in Borang 13 Part B. Ballot papers with serial numbers which dontmatch should be rejected.

Once this has been settled, the counting commences with ballot papers now beingseparated according to the candidates/parties voted for.

Counting agents need to pay attention to ensure accurate counting (i.e. that votes areaccurately determined for the candidate, that 10 ballot papers are counted as 10 and not

more or less and doubtful ballot papers are sorted out properly). Assuming that there are

enough agents and that they do their job, this process is open and clear.

NB: A recount can only take place in the voting stream. If the difference of votes for thehighest and second highest candidate differs by 4 per cent or less of the total valid votes

cast, a counting agent can ask for a recount once; however, the KTM can order a recount

at his discretion (Regulations 25(13) and (14) Elections Regulation 1981).

Borang 14

After the counting has been done the KTM fills up Borang 14 in the presence of the

counting agents. This is the official vote count from that particular voting stream.

The first part of the Borang 14, Part A, states the number of ballot papers in the ballot

box (this is the same as Part E of Borang 13).

Part B is a record of the number of votes cast for each contesting candidate.

Part C records the number of rejected/spoilt ballot papers.

Part D is the number of ballot slips issued to voters but not put into the ballot box.

This form is signed by the KTM and the counting agents present. A copy of this form is

given to the counting agent as stipulated in Regulation 25(12)(b) and (b) (ii) Elections

Regulation 1981. The counting agent must ask for this in case this does not happen. It isthe duty of the KTM to prepare sufficient number of Borang 14 for each of the counting

agents.

The counting agent upon leaving the voting stream passes his/her copy of Borang 14specific to that voting stream to the candidate. This means that the candidate will bereceiving Borang 14 from his counting agents from all the voting streams and is able to

calculate the total number of votes he has received.

Figure 2 is an example of Borang 14 from the SPR Guidebook for Counting Agents May2012.

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Main tally centre (MTC)

After this, the ballot boxes from the voting streams are taken to the MTC with the

accompanying Borang 14 by EC officials. At the MTC, the official totalling up of all the

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Borang 14s from all the various voting streams for both the parliamentary and state seats

takes place. There is no more counting of votes here. For the Sungai Siput Parliamentary

and State seat, there were 103 Borang 14s (including those for postal votes and earlyvotes) for each seat. The tallying of votes at the MTC matched the candidates

calculations based on the copies of the Borang 14 which his counting agents had passed

to him.

Points to consider

If all the polling day processes have been properly carried out, monitored and recorded,

the chances of a sudden introduction of a mysterious ballot box with votes to swing the

final count at the MTC is very difficult to do.

The information on existing voting localities, the number of boxes from the votingdistricts/streams, the corresponding Borang 13/14 and the candidates counting agents

signature on Borang 14 make this type of fraud difficult to pull off. It would be spotted

immediately by the candidate monitoring the situation and an objection made.

In Sungai Siput, the parliamentary candidate was able to ascertain that there was nofiddling of the results with regards to the tallying or announcing of the results of Borang

14.

Furthermore, to avoid confusion or disappointment or accusations of foul play, results

should not be released until all the Borang 14s have been totalled up. A candidate may ormay not have uniform support from voters in the various voting districts.

So as the different Borang 14s are brought from the various voting localities/streams to

the MTC and totalling up is taking place, there can be fluctuations in who has more votesat a particular point in time of the tallying of votes and misreporting can take place.

Transparency of the electoral process on the day but

In going through the process of polling and counting, it is hoped there is a better

understanding how, on polling day, there are safeguards to prevent fraud during the

polling and counting process. But it does depend on the active monitoring of the pollingand counting agents.

Furthermore, the transparency of the polling and counting process on polling day does

not discount the other types of alleged electoral fraud including irregular electoralrolls, voters being removed or displaced from the rolls, phantom voters, double voting,

the uneven delineation of constituencies, vote buying, and indelible ink being washed

off. These must be urgently addressed by the EC.

There is obviously widespread public disquiet at the role and conduct of the EC and there

is a big task ahead of it if it is to regain its credibility.

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The general election is when the people determine through their votes who will govern

them. In respecting the choices of the people, it is imperative that there is transparency in

and accountability at all levels and in every stage of the electoral process so that theoutcomes, whatever they may be, can be trusted and respected by the people.

Lets all work constructively towards that. We probably have five years to make ithappen for next time around!

About Prema Devaraj

Dr Prema Devaraj, an executive committee member of Aliran, is also programmeconsultant with the Womens Centre for Change, Penang.

EXPOSED: Post-election payouts in

Penang

Posted by Aliran on 12 May 2013

Following tip-offs from the public, an Aliran special investigation team checked out a

shoplot in Penang and came away astounded by what was happening in broad daylight.

Payout time! Janji ditepati

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Yesterday, Aliran members received tip-offs from the public about a payout to voters:

it is payout time for voters in the Parliamentary constituency of Balik

Pulau and the three state seats under it. Voters there are given RM200each by dont know who.

You may file a report on this menace as the exercise to pay voters is

ongoing. I saw it yesterday, where long queues formed outside a

shophouse in Sungai Dua, Penang. Opposite TESCO extra, behindMagnum 4D. This outlet which (allegedly) collects illegal 4d bets and also

(acts) as an illegal gambling centre is paying out, and the exercise is

continuing today, I was told.

You help me, I help you?

Another member of the public sent us a tip-off with this message:

Attached promissory note given by agents of BN Bayan Lepas. In the

event of BN victory in Bayan Lepas, RM160 will be paid to the holder(see voucher above).

This receipt shows S38, which presumably relates to the N38 Bayan Lepas state seat.

As it turned out, N38 was won by Noordin Ahmad of the BN, who increased his majority

from 399 votes in 2008 to 458 this time.

An Aliran special investigation team decided to follow through on these tip-offs. Wefound the shophouse at about 11.15am today with a long line of people waiting in the

corridor. At the ground floor was a little outlet with a Celcom sign with a cloth banner

hanging outside saying: Give me 5.

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The primary focus appeared to be the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat, which was won byHilmi Yahaya. He polled 22318 votes, defeating the PKR candidate, Muhammad

Bakhtiar Wan Chik, by a 1539-vote majority.

This was a winnable seat for the BN as in the 2008 general election, Yusmadi Yusoff of

PKR had clinched the seat, squeezing through with a 708-vote majority. (Yusmadi wasnot selected this time around to defend the seat for PKR.)

We managed to get hold of two slips from people who had been standing in line. Both

returned disappointed when they found out they were not eligible to claim their money asthe BN candidates had failed to win in their respective areas.

No such luck, the BN guy didnt win here.

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A woman and her daughter showed us their voucher inscribed with S35. S35 presumably

relates to N35 Batu Uban, won by PKRs Dr T Jayabalan. The two women were crest-

fallen: We were unable to claim the money as the BN candidate didnt win.

Too bad, the BN man didnt win.

Similarly the holder of S32 was unable to claim his winnings. S32 presumably relatesto N32 Seri Delima, a seat won by Sanisvara Nethaji Rayer a/l Rajaji of the DAP. No win

for the BN in that seat.

But those under N38 Bayan Lepas and N40 Teluk Bahang (both won by the BN) were

able to receive the money, according to our conversations with a couple of successfulclaimants, which we recorded on audio.

Apparently, the payouts today were being made from 11.00am to 7.00pm, and this was

the third day of payments. Look at this long line of people today:

Incredibly, the organisers were brazenly conducting this payout just nine doors awayfrom a police station in the next block. Unfortunately, the police were out on patrol. This

was the sign at the front door of the station:

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Payouts were also made yesterday until the evening. Those who came late were told to

come again today as payments for the day had already been made.

Over in Pulau Betong, also under the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat, something similar

was happening, according to new Bayan Baru MP Sim Sze Tzin of PKR. At a shack in a

kampung next to a seafood eatery, some 200 people were queuing up in four lines ofabout 50 people each to collect amounts ranging from RM160 to RM200, similar to what

was being paid out in the shoplot we checked.

The vouchers indicated these were for S38 (presumably N38 Bayan Lepas) and mostlyfor S39 (presumably N39 Pulau Betong), said Sim.

N38 Bayan Lepas was won by Noordin Ahmad of Umno-BN with an increased majority

of 458 votes (previously 399). Farid Saad of Umno-BN won the N39 Pulau Betong seat

with a majority of 395 votes, up from 294 in 2008.

Sim said that when he and and former Penang Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain turned up atPulau Betong, the organisers of the payout fled from the scene. Abdul Halim had just lost

in the N40 Teluk Bahang state seat to an Umno-BN candidate by 801 votes. N40 is the

third seat in P53 Balik Pulau, along with N38 Bayan Lepas and N39 Pulau Betong.

Bakhtiar, who lost in Balik Pulau, made a report at the Pulau Betong Police Station, and

it was accepted, Sim added. But he was also told that the authority with the proper

jurisdiction in this matter is the MACC.

Abdul Halim meanwhile is expected to lodge a report with the MACC.

If this sort of thing can happen in broad daylight in a developed state like Penang, justimagine what is going on in the rural and interior areas where there is little public

scrutiny. The mind boggles.

Clean and fair elections? You tell us.

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BINGO! Photos show payouts linked to

BN winning seats


Continuing our expose, we present compelling photographic evidence that the post-pollspayouts in Penang were linked to state seats which the BN had won.

The notice shows a series of numbers that correspond with Umno-BN winning seats inPenang. Thats Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin and former Penang Speaker Abdul Halim

(who was defeated in N40 Teluk Bahang) next to the notice.

Study the numbers in the pale yellow notice stuck on the shutter of a shoplot off Jalan

Sungai Dua in Penang, where the payouts were being made over three days last weekend.How many numbers in the two columns of the notice? Ten, right.

The BN won ten state seats in Penang out of 40. Coincidence?

Now compare each number (N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N21, N38, N39 and N40) with the

election results of the state seats bearing the same numbers, which can be found on theElection Commission website. Go on, check it out yourself. Select Pulau Pinang under

Sila Pilih DUN untuk negeri. You will see that all 10 seats were won by Umno-BN!

Still a coincidence?

Moreover, a few of those who had turned up hoping to collect their money confirmed thatthe payments were only meant for those in areas where the BN had won.

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The long line of people queuing up to collect their money. The payments were made over

three full days nine doors away from a police station.

Waiting patiently to collect their money.

Can you imagine something like this happening?

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Unbelievable: These were the vouchers that many in line were clutching.

One person who had turned up to collect his money or out of curiosity told the Aliran

special investigation team that the vouchers were obtained during a 1Malaysia dinner.When asked whether these vouchers were related to the 1Malaysia lucky draws, he said,

Tak, ada satu meja ditepi di mana kami kena daftar.

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Another Penangite told an Aliran member:

This is true. BN held several (yes, SEVERAL) 1Malaysia dinners at Teluk

Bahang (N40). I attended one just out of curiousity the reps there gavethe people RM160 vouchers and told them they could cash it when BN

wins. I only stayed for a few minutes and felt that the whole experiencewas nauseating enough for me to leave.

That is vote buying.

Some of the people outside the shoplot which has a Celcom sign.

When a member of the Aliran special investigation team entered the little lot at the

ground floor, he was told by one of the two men at the counter: Empat ekor.

But the numbers on the notice outside are certainly not four-digit numbers!

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Reports have been lodged but so far, not a squeak from the authorities

BUSTED: Pulau Betong post-election payouts


Aliran received photographs of another round of post-election payouts, this time in thePulau Betong area, which also comes under the Balik Pulau parliamentary constituency.

A long line of people were queuing up to collect their winnings at a shack next to aseafood eatery in Pulau Betong

At any one time, some 200 people were lining up in four lines of about 50 people each to

claim their winnings using the vouchers they received when they registered before

polling day.

The vouchers were mainly for the N38 Bayan Lepas and mainly for the N39 PulauBetong state seats. The payouts were made over three days on 10-12 May 2013. These

photos were taken on the third and final day.

N38 Bayan Lepas was won by Noordin Ahmad of Umno-BN with an increased majority

of 458 votes (previously 399).

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Farid Saad of Umno-BN won the N39 Pulau Betong seat with a majority of 395 votes, up

from 294 in 2008

These increased majorities enable BNs Hilmi Yahaya to snatch the P53 Balik Pulauparliamentary seat from PKR by a 1539-vote majority, overturning PKRs winning

majority of 708 votes in 2008.

This is one of the lucky bonus vouchers, similar to the ones Aliran found off JalanSungai Dua, near USM.

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The PKR chaps (above) were aghast at what was going on.

The organisers of the payout bolted when they saw new Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin(right) and former Penang State Assembly speaker Abdul Halim Hussain approaching.

Reports have now been lodged with the police and the MACC.

Clean and fair elections? You tell us.

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Electoral fraud: The view from Sungai

Siput

Posted by Jeyakumar Devaraj on 15 May 2013

What trust we have in the Election Commission! Jeyakumar Devaraj reports his

observations of the GE13 campaign process from Sungai Siput.

Ballot bags dropped from a helicopter

There were many complaints of electoral irregularity if not fraud during the course

of the PRU 13 campaign and during polling day. As this seems to be a hotly debatedissue, I would like to share my experience as the candidate in Sg Siput.

1. There were many people who came claiming that their names were not on the SPR list

of voters, though they had voted in previous elections. We have recorded their namesdown and intend to take this up with the SPR.

2. There were also others whose names were registered in the voting list of other

constituencies though they had voted in Sungai Siput before and had not applied for a

change in constituency. This too we intend to follow up.

3. It was painfully obvious that the BN campaign was far exceeding the RM200,000expenditure limit for a parliamentary seat. Their flags, banners and posters themselves

came to much more than that. House-owners who allowed the BN to tie banners on the

fronts or sides of their houses were paid RM300!

4. There were numerous programmes during the campaign period when the BN gave outhampers, gift vouchers, conducted lucky draws with rice cookers and toasters as presents.

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5. There were several programmes where government agencies launched projects e.g. the

ground-breaking for a new Tamil primary school and the handing out of Tekun loans

amounting to RM2.5m to about 100 applicants. The BN candidates were the guests ofhonour in this sort of event while the opposition candidates were not invited.

6. Buses

On polling day, our supporters found four tour buses parked in Sungai Siput. When my

team and I arrived, there were no passengers in sight but the drivers said that they hadbrought Malaysians working in Singapore back to Perak to vote. We made a police report

and the police detained the four buses and took statements from the drivers. We were

given a list of 35 names by one of the bus drivers young Malays and Chinese mainly.No foreigners! When we contacted the handphone numbers recorded in this list, the

people named confirmed that they had come on that bus from Johor to Perak on 3 May.

We have not yet been able to identify the passengers from the other three buses, but

intend to try and do so by contacting the companies. But we do not have any proof thatthese buses brought in foreign voters. In any case, our people in thepondok panas did not

notice foreign-looking people trying to attend the voting centres.

7. The indelible ink that washed off!

Many people complained about this. I called the returning officer and he said that perhaps

the bottle of ink was not shaken properly! We advised all those complaining to makepolice reports.

8. Ballot boxes by helicopter.

There are video postings of a young SPR officer guarding two yellow ballot bags in a

field. That field happens to be in Sungai Buloh, Sungai Siput. They contained the 237votes from Orang Asli voters in Kuala Mu. As was agreed, polling at Kuala Mu stopped

at 2.00pm, and the votes were counted there in the presence of Pas counting agents. The

Borang 14 was given to these counting agents, and the ballot papers were then sealed inthese two bags and flown by helicopter to Sungai Siput.

All these arrangements were made known to us on the afternoon of nomination day. So

this is not evidence of any hanky panky here! But a crowd of about 500 Sungai Siput

residents had surrounded the ballot bags, and it was only after I arrived and assured them

that it was okay that they allowed the SPR to take these bags to the main counting centre.

9. Wilful delay in announcing the results

This is one of the complaints. We got the copies of the Borang 14 from most of our

polling centres by 8.00pm. By 8.30pm we knew we had won by about 2800 votes.

However it took the SPR another five hours to announce the result. Painful, but therewasnt anything sinister in this.

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It was the process of tabulation the SPR required each of the 104 Ketua Tempat

Mengundi to submit his Borang 14 to the Returning Officer, the ADO. This would be

typed in and projected on to a screen to enable the candidates to cross-check against theirown Borang 14. After a few minutes, an assistant to the Returning Officer would

announce over the mike that vote results from such and such school had been accepted,

and it would be added to the cumulative total. Openness and transparency can be time-consuming!!

10. Entrance of eight SPR bags at 11.30pm

Many people in the hall were alarmed when this happened. I was already about 5000

votes ahead when this happened, and many supporters were anxious that extra votes werebeing brought in to cheat us of our victory! Again, nothing sinister.

The votes from three interior Orang Asli villages were not counted at site, though the

process of voting was observed by our Paca. These votes were brought out by four-wheel

drives to the District Office where they were counted under observation of my and Pascounting agents. The Undi Awalwere also counted then. Apparently it was all done one

by one which is why it took several hours to complete. These arrangements were made

known to all parties contesting on Nomination Day itself.

PRU 13 was not a fair one. The mainstream media and government agencies supportedthe BN shamelessly. Very openly! And the BN spent far more than the legally permitted

limit for each constituency. There are serious lingering doubts about the authenticity of

the voters lists. However, in Sg Siput we were not able to find conclusive evidence ofsignificant cheating during the polling process.

The sheer volume of complaints we received indicates how little trust the Malaysianpublic have in the SPR! And it is good to see that the Malaysian public are prepared to

monitor the polling process itself to ensure it is not hijacked by any party. There is amuch higher level of citizen activism to preserve the sanctity of the polling process

compared to before. This is good for a democracy.

Must say our thanks to the Bersih movement! Andsyabas to the general public! If we

want a better system we have to put some effort into creating it!

About Jeyakumar Devaraj

Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, a long-time Aliran member and contributor, is the Member ofParliament for Sungai Siput. A respiratory physician who was awarded a gold medal for

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community service, he entered politics and scored a major upset in the 2008 general

election when he defeated an incumbent heavyweight minister.

Umno-BN Buying low-income votes,

appealing to middle-income greedPosted by Aliran on 25 April

After free dinners, now it is a lucky draw for free petrol vouchers with a free traffic jam

thrown in, writes Rakyat Jelata.

The crowd around the car: What was going on?

At 3.30pm today (24 April 2013), I saw a crowd of people gathered round my car

which was parked in one of the bays in front of CIMB Bank, on the slip road along

Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang.

I was at first alarmed, wondering if an accident had happened involving my parked car.

On reaching the spot, I saw some men distributing what looked like slips of paper withthe 1Malaysia logo.

I asked a passer-by what this was all about, and he told me that they were distributing

vouchers for free petrol worth RM50 to the public.

This was certainly a God-sent photo opportunity to document another 1Malaysia farce so

blatantly played out in the middle of the afternoon, causing another unjustified traffic jamon the slip road. People seemed to be coming from all directions, some taxi drivers, some

members of the public in Perodua Kancil cars, and even persons in large MPVs, vans and

other upmarket models.

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One can understand what RM50 of free petrol would mean to the taxi drivers whose

earnings fluctuate from day to day, but for the business persons and upmarket car owners,

this would only be an undeserved freebie i.e. a BN gift, or more likely an apparentbribe. Office workers were also pouring out of the buildings nearby, some out of

curiosity, and some for the grab.

Still, taking the bribe and voting for the other side, which seems to have become the

justification for taking the opportunity to grab the handouts doesnt justify the greedthat drives people to go on a grabbing rampage in disregard of those who better deserve

it.

Hopefully, this grab-all-you-can attitude will subside after the GE13 on 5 May and thepublic will come back to their senses. I had to wait for about 30 minutes before I could

leave the parking bay, even though the crowd had moved on to the other side of the road,

then further down. You will see why from this pictures taken.

A free 1Malaysia traffic jam

The impression given by this distribution was that this was a free-giveaway, but, like all

BN handouts, there is a catch to these so-called 1M RM50 petrol vouchers. These wereNOT the vouchers themselves; in fact it was a distribution of forms to be entered for

another lucky draw or lottery for lucky persons whose names, addresses and IC

numbers would be pulled out of a hat.

In my photo of the slip, you will see the words BORANG CABUTAN BERTUAHunder the 1Malaysia logo. What a mean and cruel trick to play on the poor!

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Hidup Rakyat! Bangkit Rakyat!

Rakyat Jelata is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to our TA Online section

Handouts, free makan: Madu di tangankanan mu

Posted by Aliran on 16 April 2013

The BN right hand gives to the lower income community, whilst the left hand of the BNrakes it back from them, into government and crony coffers, observes Rakyat Jelata.

Ive heard Najib Razak twice say to the electorate, No need to change the

government to change the system. This rhetoric probably has been repeated more

than twice and implied in so many ways through the gushing distribution of

goodies coupled with promises of more in future. In the brief period of the run up

to the GE13, the cash flow has been turned on full blast.

The free flow of food in Penang in ubiquitous dinners around the island, tagged

1Malaysia Dinners, were not equally available for all who went there, as an attendee

said there was no food, when she reached the dinner venue in her neighbourhood, andhad to be content with only a drink. People armed with tiffin carriers and food containers,

prepared for the big grab, were seen in the crowds. Well, what can we expect of BN

organisers who are in the habit of cronyism, allowing some a larger portion than others. It

doesnt come as a surprise that some people got nothing from this exhibition ofpretentious generosity.

Even the distribution of BR1M payouts is selective, again contradicting this widely

publicised generosity. All this sudden gushing magnanimity is probably by nature only

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a flash flood that will subside and dry up once the polls are over. This wont be because

of the Pakatan Rakyat but, possibly due to the unsustainability of this so-called free-for-

all Santa-Claus-ism.

There seems no ordered or logical long term plan, except for the widely advertised Bajet

2013- Janji Ditepati, but those are only advertisements, the details of which arespeculative. There is so much fluff around, so much posturing and posing, so many

breezy promises, doubtfully substantiated.

Najib harps on the Umno-BN track record of 56 years governance. Yet, what does that

track record also show? Despite, the superficial impression of glowing economic

developmental achievement, allegedly equal to none, it is shadowed by rising corruption,cronyism and nepotism. This so-called wonder of Umno-BNs economic and financial

management is the result of the suppression of human and democratic rights, exploitation

of migrant and local labour, and an increasing concentration of wealth among elite and

upper-middle classes. It ignores the widening gap between rich and poor, communal

division, and increasing religious and cultural discrimination.

The Rakyat pay the price of this prosperity exhibition, with credit for it going to the

autocrats and technocrats holding the reins of governance. In what way, then, have the

Rakyat benefited? The BR1M payouts seem to encourage price hikes of basic necessities.School students are known to give away the RM100 book vouchers, preferring to pay

cash for books, as books bought for cash are cheaper than those obtained with the

vouches, so-called low-cost housing must still be purchased with bank loans that must berepaid over time.

In the same way, PTPTN study loans ultimately have to be repaid by parents and/or

students without private means or scholarships for higher education. The Rakyat areexpected to believe that easier repayment terms from banks will cause a debt to vanish. Adebt is a debt. It will not be transformed into anything else, unless completely repaid or

written off.

Was free education or subsidised house prices ever mentioned by Najib? Did the Umno-

BN ever utter a word on the abolition of GST or its cancellation? Did BN promisesubsidies for food and other basic necessities e.g. fuel?

All that is obvious here is, the BN right hand gives to the lower income community,

whilst the left hand of the BN rakes it back from them, into government and crony

coffers.

So, before going through the motions of a so-called democratic process, ask the question,

Can that tiger ever change its stripes?

Selamat Mengundi!

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Rakyat Jelata is the pseudonym of an occasional contributor to our Thinking Allowed

Online.

Fraud-mutilated system that angers

people


Ravinder Singh recalls how the electoral system was manipulated to secure a two-thirds

victory for the BN over the years and concludes that gerrymandering is cheating, and

cheating is haram in Islam.

Dear Home Minister, stop lying. Stop being in denial mode. Stop believing that all

Malaysians will believe what you want them to believe.

It is NOT the system that angers people, but the mischief, fraud, cunning, etc. that goes

on behind the scenes to keep the dacing tilted to ensure BN victory all the time.

It is the BN that is the actual loser this time around and it refuses to accept the fact that itsgerrymandering game, coupled with all the corruption in cash and kind, was not good

enough to secure it a two-thirds majority.

Had it secured the coveted two-thirds majority after the tsunami of 2008, elections

themselves could have become history. That is what a two-thirds majority, in the hands ofa party obsessed with holding on to power at all costs, even by breaking bones and

crushing bodies, could do amend the Constitution to do away with elections!

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Fraud upon fraud

For Home Minister and concurrently Umno vice president Zahid Hamidi to assert that it

is the first-past-the-post electoral system that is to blame for the election results thatenables a party winning 47 per cent of the popular vote to secure 60 per cent of the seats

in Parliament and form the government, amounts to a fraud upon a fraud.

The first fraud is the violation of the Constitutional directive that the number of voters in

the constituencies should be approximately equal. To any reasonable person,approximately equal means a margin of tolerance of just a few percent. The

independence Constitution (1957) had provided for a margin of 15 per cent difference.

In 1962, the ruling party used its two-thirds majority to amend this Constitutional

provision to 50 per cent.

After this, still feeling insecure, and to ensure its two-thirds majority was inviolable, once

again it used its two-thirds majority to amend this Constitutional provision. This time, in1973, the percentage figure was totally removed leaving only the phrase approximately

equal.

This left it to the whims and fancies of the Executive, with the EC acting as the front-

person to interpret this phrase, and have the EC implement it dutifully.

Arming itself with this weapon alone was not enough. It needed a sure-fire way of

identifying areas that were unsafe and neutralising them. This led to the innovation inthe vote-counting process.

In the first few elections after independence, ballots from all the polling stations in a stateconstituency used to be taken to one counting centre. The ballots from the whole

constituency would be mixed before counting so that it would not be known how thevoters at any of the stations had voted. This was to ensure secrecy true secrecy of the

votes.

Spying on political leanings

Then, this system was suddenly changed. Novel excuses were given to hide the motive

for the change i.e. counting would be faster and it would be safer than transporting theballots to a counting centre. Unfortunately, people were happy with the change as the

results could actually be known earlier.

But the udang sebalik batu (the prawn behind the rock, or literally, the hidden motive)was not seen. This was a clever and subtle way of discovering how small areas in each

constituency had voted. Excellent spying! The motive was to spy on the political leanings

of small groups of people, throughout the country, living in clearly defined areas around

each polling station.

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Each polling stream has between 200-600 voters and they are from localities within a

short distance of the station. The localities are stated in the electoral roll. So if 80 per cent

of the votes in a particular stream at a particular station are for a certain party, theirlocality is marked as black or white for the next delineation exercise.

New boundaries are then drawn around the black and white areas, never mind if theboundaries zig-zag crazily. This way, the end results are constituencies like Kapar and

Putrajaya.

The second fraud is to cover up the first fraud by claiming that it is the first-past-the-post

Westminster system which is used in Malaysia that is at fault.

Dear Zahid, please show us how many of the constituencies in the UK have numbers that

vary as much as in Malaysia . You should know that the Federal Constitution directs thatthe number of voters in the various constituencies should be approximately equal. Is

the number in Kapar (144,159) approximately equal to that in Putrajaya (15,791)?

Halal by Islamic standards?

There are approximately 10 times more voters in Kapar than in Putrajaya. Does this kindof difference exist in the UK? Is it lawful? Is it halal by Islamic standards?

What kind of a dirty game is it to remove the 15 per cent and 50 per cent figures from the

Constitution and then interpret approximately equal to mean anything but

approximately equal as honest people understand the phrase to mean? In no language can144,159 be understood as being approximately equal to 15,791.

Swallow your pride and arrogance and, as a Muslim, acknowledge that gerrymandering ischeating, and cheating is HARAM. To win by engaging in HARAM activity is

disgraceful. Have some sense of shame.

Ravinder Singh, a former teacher, is an activist based in Penang and regular contributorto our Thinking Allowed Online section.

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Blackout photo taken by PAS agent, Seri Serdang rep

confirms

May 26, 2013

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar disputed the authenticity of the

photograph on Friday. file picPUCHONG, May 26 PASs Seri Serdang

assemblyman Noor Hanim Ismail has come forward to verify the photograph of apurported blackout at a polls counting room on May 5 currently circulating on the web,

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saying it had been taken by her agent and was not staged as claimed by the Election

Commission (EC).

In a report on Malay daily Sinar Harian, the newly-elected PAS representative explainedthat her officer had snapped the photograph at the Saluran 3 counting room in SK

Serdang at approximately 7.32pm that night.

She expressed surprise that EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, who

disputed the authenticity of the photograph on Friday, did not appear to know the officialclothing of his own officials.

I ask that Wan Ahmad apologise to all Malaysians for making the mistake of issuing a

statement without proper verification and for taking lightly an issue that the people have

raised, she was quoted saying by the daily.

According to Noor Hanim, during the blackout, her officer had to help provide

torchlights to the entire counting room to ensure the process could be carried outsmoothly.

She denied claims that there had been reporters at the scene, which the photographallegedly showed, noting that the location only permitted the presence of EC officials,

agents of the candidate and the police officers in charge.

Sinar Harian said it is believed that that particular polling station had four voting streams,

and counting for the first, second and fourth streams had been completed earlier thatsame evening.

There were no other photographs snapped in these polling streams save for the one instream three due to the delayed process of counting, which only ended at 8pm, the paper

wrote.

Wan Ahmad had alleged in media reports on Friday that the photograph of the blackoutthat has been circulating on the Internet was staged and taken even before Election 2013.

The EC number two reportedly said that this conclusion was made after thorough

scrutiny of the photograph by him and his officers.

They had staged the act even before the election to spread it on the Internet as a ploy to

show that a blackout had purportedly occurred, whereas it was a lie.

The photograph showed that EC staff were purportedly counting the ballot papers and

had to use a auxiliary lamps whereas the staff were not wearing the EC uniform, he was

quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

According to Wan Ahmad, the most obvious proof was the presence of reporters and

photographers at the counting area, which is not permitted.

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Wan Ahmad told The Mole: After studying the image of the alleged blackout

incident, the EC found out there were more questionable issues about it.

Based on the picture alone, we can see a lot of matters are done not in

accordance of poll counting SOP (standard operating procedure).

He added: For example, the distance between the voting tray and the officers

are too close with one another. There were a lot of people during the vote

counting process when by right only EC officials and agents of candidates are

allowed to be there.

Wan Ahmad also said the surrounding is too dark for an alleged blackout

incident to happen at 7.30pm.

What I find weird is, it is the same photograph that had been used for

allegations of blackouts in other places including in Bentong. One photographfor all the so-called blackouts.

Due to these arising questions, the EC believed that the alleged blackout was

staged.

We are talking based on facts. No police report was lodged on the incident on

May 5 and no EC officers or party agents complained to us about it.

TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad) had also issued a statement to clarify that

there were no blackouts or power shortage incidents within 24 hours on theday, Wan Ahmad said.

On Saturday, Pas Seri Serdang assemblyman Noor Hanim Ismail criticised

Wan Ahmads statement that the blackout incident which had gone viral online

was staged.

In a statement Noor Hanim said the incident did happen at Sekolah Kebangsaan

Serdang, and Pas candidate's agent had taken photographs before and after the

incident happened.

Wan Ahmad said the EC is looking forward to meet Noor Hanim for

clarifications on what had occured and find out what actually happened during

the polling day.

Theres no problem for us to meet the Pas leader for clarification and

explanation. We want to know what really happened too.

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He maintained that any disgruntled parties should file the election petition in

court as the election result is already gazetted.

Blackout photo brightened

EC deputy chief under fire for 'lying' over

blackout

First Published: 4:42pm, May 26, 2013Last Updated: 4:42pm, May 26, 2013

PETALING JAYA (May 26): The Election Commission deputy chairperson has comeunder fire from a PAS elected representative for insisting that a photograph of a blackout

that occurred at a polling station on May 5 was "an act recorded even before GE13".

Seri Serdang assembly member Noor Hanim Ismail said the incident took place in a roomSekolah Kebangsaan Serdang where ballots for Stream 3 were being counted.

"Our counting agent took several pictures before and after the blackout incident," NoorHanim said in a statement reported by PAS organ Harakahdaily.

"I call upon the EC, especially EC deputy chairperson Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, toapologise to all Malaysians for making the mistake of issuing a statement without an in-

depth study and for treating lightly an issue raised by the people," she said.

"EC as the official body that conducts the election must be seen to be professional, fairand transparent, and also be impartial," she added.

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Wan Ahmad had toldBernama recently that the blackout claim was a "slander and

concocted story".

"They had staged the act even before the election to spread it on the internet as a ploy to

show that a blackout had purportedly occurred, whereas it was a lie.

"The photograph showed that EC staff were purportedly counting the ballot papers and

had to use auxiliary lamps whereas the staff were not wearing the EC uniform," he was

quoted as saying by the national news agency

In her statement, Noor Hanim stressed, that the EC staff on that day were in fact wearing

their grey uniform, adding that she was surprised that Wan Ahamd did not seem to know

the EC's own uniform.

She also expressed surprise that he could not recognise the boxes used for the vote

counting as the photography clearly showed that the EC logo was displayed on the boxes.

Noor Hanim added that during the blackout, her candidate representative had supplied

flashlights to ensure the counting process proceeded smoothly.

"I deny that there were journalists at the location because the only ones present were the

polling station supervisor, EC staff, candidate representative and police personnel onduty," she said.

Wan Ahmad had said that the "most obvious proof" that the photograph was a lie was

that it showed that there were many reporters and photographers present at the vote-counting area whereas no one was allowed into the area except for the EC staff and

agents of the candidates.

Noor Hanim won the Seri Serdang seat by a 16,251-vote majority. She polled 39,373

votes against 23,486 by BN candidate Mohamed Yusof Mohamed Yassin.

Read more: http://www.fz.com/content/ec-deputy-chief-under-fire-lying-over-

blackout#ixzz2XlIf7kSQ

Crying foul, Anwar disputes GE13 results

The Malaysian Insider Mon, May 6, 2013

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

PETALING JAYA, May 6 Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will not acceptthe Election 2013 result, accusing the Elections Commission (EC) of rigging the polls to giveBarisan Nasional (BN) victory.

As results streamed in, the PKR de facto leader said Pakatan Rakyat will not recognise thelegitimacy of the outcome, claiming that several hotly-contested seats were marred by allegationsof widespread fraud.

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As of now we are not accepting the results, the visibly upset Anwar told a press conferencepacked with supporters, local and international pressmen.

Many of the seats they have announced, we are contesting (the results) and they have notresponded to our allegations, he said.

The opposition leader added that PR would only accept yesterdays results if the EC provides asatisfactory explanation to the complaints.

Anwar had earlier declared an early victory for PR and warned against attempts to hijack theresults, as results began streaming in.

The prime minister-hopeful made the declaration on his Twitter account at 7pm yesterday, justtwo hours after counting started at tallying centres nationwide.

PKR raised suspicion of electoral fraud following reports of the early vote counts in several keyconstituencies including Lembah Pantai, Lumut and Teluk Kemang which it alleged wereoverly low and discomforting.

In a statement here, the partys communications bureau noted that these seats include highnumbers of military voters who had cast their votes via advanced voting earlier this week on April30.

There were also complaints against the indelible ink used in Sundays polls and claims thatsecurity forces were helping transport phantom voters of foreign nationalities to vote in keyconstituencies, including Anwars Permatang Pauh federal seat.

The opposition chief said his coalition had gathered a body of evidence to support its allegations,including video evidence. Two of these, which were recordings of PR workers apprehendingforeign nationals near polling centres, were showed to the media.

The EC has been very dismissive, the PKR de facto leader said in describing his frustration with

the polls regulators inaction despite widespread complaints of electoral fraud.

And now we found thousands of foreign nationals, phantom voters in a matter of hours even inmy constituency, he said.

The EC has denied the allegations while some BN leaders claimed the accusations were madeup to justify PRs plans to subvert the election outcome through street protests.

Anwar, however, said the coalition had told its supporters to remain calm but stressed that theywere loudly protesting against the purported irregularities found in this years elections.

We would not do anything that is instigative, he said.

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Counterfeit democracy

Posted by Angeline Lohon 23 May

A democracy that only looks real from the outside is nothing short of counterfeit, saysAngeline Loh.

Sixth of May was a Black Day for Malaysia.

We, the ordinary Rakyat, had worked hard for a genuine democracy. We sincerely

wanted change, we sincerely wanted to move on, to progress, to develop our thinking on

par with what seemed our advanced economic development. To liberate our minds,

expand our perceptions, most of all achieve the justice that seems increasingly elusive.

In the fifty years after Merdeka (Independence) the concept of democracy was one that

was surreal, it seemed rejected as something originating from Europe. It didnt apply to

this land, to our nation, our unique communal life-styles and cultures. We just wanted tobe left in peace, to carry on our daily lives in the traditional ways that we had for

hundreds, may be thousands of years.

We saw unity through the eyes of the ruling Alliance Party which became the Barisan

Nasional that to keep the country cohesive, the balance of power amongst the threemain races in Peninsular Malaysia could only be maintained through communal politics,

tied in with constitutional provisions to ensure the status quo.

But we had once attempted change in 1969, twelve years after becoming a sovereign

nation, but were beaten down by the ruling party that has since taken advantage of ourpeace-loving nature to justify being in power for almost 56 years.

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Now, this same ruling party, the Barisan Nasional, still seeks to preserve its hold on the

country, although, in our understanding and experience has lost the mandate that we, the

Rakyatonly, can give. We believe in our authority to refuse or grant such a mandate togovern.

We realised since 8 March 2008 that democracy wasnt an alien concept and thatmultiracialism could unify us even more than the divisive communal politics practised by

the Barisan Nasional.

Our true transformation

In the four years following our partial success in creating a different Malaysian political

landscape in which the main contention was communal and religious politics versus a

multiracial Malaysia and religious freedom we became more convinced of our need forgenuine democracy, equality and exercise of our basic human rights.

Since the tragedy of 13 May 1969, we had been cowed and kept in ignorance of theseprinciples and possibilities, believing and trusting in those who governed us.

Perhaps, it was our luck that the BN welcomed new information technology, embracing itwhole-heartedly. It is the one good thing, we should be grateful for, under this dubious

government which still insists it has the mandate to rule, despite the majority apparently

being, not on their side.

What also convinced us of the need for change to allow the Opposition the chance toprove themselves as an effective government was the proliferation of corruption, the

heightening of autocracy and cronyism in the BN, and the widening gap between the

minority rich elite and the expanding lower-middle- and low- income strata.

The economic squeezing of the middle- and low-income earners in taxes, withdrawal ofsubsidies for basic necessities, global climate disasters and fuel price hikes were the

initial catalysts of dissatisfaction.

Yet, the rich elite BN ruling class closed its eyes and ears to the situation of the common

citizen, even suppressing those who championed the cause for economic equality, justiceand exercise of basic human rights.

Worse, whistleblowers and persons viewed as threats to the ruling elite were either

bought off (PI Bala) or, more horrifyingly, found dead (Altantuya Shaariibuu, Teoh BengHock, Ahmad Sarbani), incidences of deaths in custody (A Kugan, Gunasegeran,Sugumaran), police brutality, shootings instead of arrests of suspected offenders

(Aminulrasyid, migrant suspects, etc.) alarmingly multiplied.

Crime rates seem high, despite claims by the police of its reduction. People feel less safe

now than they did about 20-30 years ago.

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These and the breakdown of integrity, allowing rampant corruption at all levels of

society, pushed us to the brink of realisation of the need to change the the ruling

administration.So, we worked hard with our grass root leaders, Opposition leaders, andall who shared our vision of a new Malaysian order. A clean, just and open government

which would act responsibly and accountably.

We had high hopes that Pakatan Rakyat would eventually fulfil this role despite its

obvious inexperience in governing a country. There is currently no other alternative to theBN and its failed governing methods, except the PR.

We decided to break away from that old order; in our struggle for clean government,

justice, integrity and a more workable, honourable system, we found harmony in mutualrespect for each other as human beings. We all belong to a human race irrespective of

ethnic, cultural, social, gender, and religious differences.

Malaysias most significant polls

So, we, theRakyat, went to the long postponed polls on 5 May 2013 with hope, purpose

and determination to re-create our independence as a nation a new two-sided politicalorder a New Malaysia!

We did our best to defend our vision despite the foul tactics, ambiguity, threats, bribes

and blatant vote-buying by the BN. Many wanted a secure future for the next generation

and many more to come.

All want unity, harmony and solidarity among the peoples of our beloved country. Unity

is not achieved by neo-colonial divide-and-rule tactics, not by riding on the backs of

others or taking credit for the toil and achievements of others. This lembu punya susu,sapi punya nama attitude must be completely rejected, if self-worth is valued.

Belief that Najibs administration has any shred of honesty or fairness left is fast

dissipating. Our hopes were dashed on 6 May 2013, in the aftermath of the election

battle by Umno-BNs perverted desire to cling to power at apparently any costs.

TheRakyathad won, but were not acknowledged. In fact, our decision to give themandate to rule to the Opposition PR was ignored as if our votes were merely an

unnecessary formality to exhibit our democracy to the world but didnt matter to Najib

and the BN, one way or another.

Najib and his cronies shamelessly swore themselves into Federal government almostimmediately on 6 May 2013 despite the dispute raised about the legitimacy of the

election results. Najib and the BN continue to treat the people like illiterate serfs, who

must be grateful for the crumbs of democracy thrown to us as a show of their generosityand magnanimity.

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As in the past, no promise has been genuine and Najibs favorite slogan, Janji Ditepati

rings hollow and false.

Questionably legitimate government

In view of the allegedly stolen election victory that thwarted our aspirations forcorruption free, transparent, accountable and just government, Umno-BNs Pyrrhic win is

disputed. Yet, Najib, who proudly clutches the reins of power in the country, claiming to

be the head of a democratic government, has not acted like one. TheRakyatand theOpposition are asked to accept the outcome of this tainted 13th general election despite

the allegations of fraud, corruption and blatant money politics before, during and after the

polls.

The task of doing what a real government should do has again fallen on ordinary citizensof this land to resolve the nations problems to determine the legitimacy of the

government, verifying the complaints of fraud on all the evidence that may be brought by

citizens themselves to a Peoples Tribunal. Bersih will again lead the Rakyat in the fightfor clean, free and fair elections. Our struggle for the one important basic right, and for

justice is not yet over.

What Najibs rule has presented to us is only a counterfeit democracy, which may seem

real from the outside, but lacks the genuine quality of true democracy. Yet, we wentthrough the motions of this false democracy and have been rewarded with a less than

genuine government whom we know will, in time, exploit theRakyatagain, especially

marginalised Malaysians who have known nothing but exploitation, neglect, and povertyfor decades.

If Najib and BN want to claim the crown, they should begin by being fair; but this seemsone of the hardest things for this BN government to do. Defeat, when it happens, would

be a sickeningly bitter pill to swallow.

Yet, for theRakyat, the day is not over, and there is much in this learning process thatwill go to educate us further on the ups and downs of politics and the changes that real

democracy may bring. All change may not be for the better and our hopes and dreams

may have to be fought for, but we must continue to strive for the ideal we seek.

If not, we will continue to be enslaved by power brokers who will only give us imitationsof democracy, denying the Rakyat genuine democracy, justice and the rights and

freedoms that should be our inheritance, without discrimination.

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About Angeline Loh

Angeline Loh, a long-time Aliran executive committee member, writes regularly for

Aliran. WIth a background in international human rights law, she champions the rights of

those who are often forgotten or marginalised in society
http://aliran.com/author/angelinelohhttp://aliran.com/author/angelineloh

massive electoral fraud during malaysia's 13 general elections

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