(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): The Lunas by-election is the first anniversary of the 1999 general election and should be an ideal opportunity for the voters of Lunas to represent Malaysians to send a clear message of disapproval of the Barisan Nasional government for continuing its undemocratic, oppressive, corrupt and unjust policies and rule.
Although the Barisan Nasional was returned to power in last year’s general election with a reduced two-thirds parliamentary majority in a campaign disfigured by the politics of money, intimidation, fear and falsehoods, with 680,000 new voters disenfranchised, there are no signs that it was prepared to respond to the people’s aspirations for justice, freedom, democracy and good governance in the country and lead the nation towards greater inter- racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding.
On the contrary, in the past 12 months, all the events point to the opposite causing the crisis of confidence - both national and international - to reach new heights, as evidenced by a slew of unfavourable international assessments on Malaysia, whether on democracy, human rights, the rule of law, corruption or international competitiveness.
The continued politics of cronyism, further erosion of democratic practices and human rights, the unabated undermining of the independent organs of state in particular the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies, the continued marginalisation of the Malaysian Indian community and the contempt for the sensitivities of a multi-racial Malaysian nation as illustrated in the Suqiu and Wawasan School controversies all add up to a report card of the Barisan Nasional’s first year of governance after the last general election which must be rejected by the voters.
It is unfortunate that the run-up to the Lunas by-election has led to a Barisan Alternative crisis revolving round the marginalisation of the Malaysian Indians in the Barisan Alternative and important issues affecting the Barisan Alternative, as the consensus principle, good faith and mutual respect, as well as fair and acceptable mechanisms in the Barisan Alternative.
These are important questions which must be addressed as they affect the viability of the BA and this is why the DAP Central Executive Committee has called for a cooling-off period until after the by-election for a comprehensive review of the DAP and the Barisan Alternative so as not to adversely affect the Lunas by-election result.
On Wednesday, the Lunas voters should come forward to represent Malaysians
and send a clear message of disapproval of the Barisan Nasional government
on the first anniversary of the 1999 general election by rejecting the
Barisan Nasional candidate in the by-election and voting for the Barisan
Alternative candidate.
(26/11/2000)