It cannot be denied that the political temperature has gone up a notch after the recent Merdeka Day celebrations.
In taking a swipe at Pakatan Rakyat, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid
Hamidi recently mentioned that Barisan Nasional has fulfilled more than
87% of its promises since the first parliamentary election in 1959 when
it was known as the Alliance.
From the first parliamentary election till now, it has been 12 terms that BN has been in power.
“Take 87% divide 12 terms and you get 7.25%. This means that for each
term BN only managed to fulfil 7.25% of its promises,” said Mahfuz
Omar, PAS MP for Pokok Sena in Kedah.
Zahid had also mentioned that Pakatan has fulfilled less than 15% of its promises.
Countered Mahfuz: “We still win hands down. Fulfilling 14% of our
promises per one parliamentary term is still more than BN’s 7.25% per
term. That is if Zahid still wants to play with figures.”
This is a clear indication that BN leaders are poor in maths. This is
evident when Umno leaders also like to tell their Malay constituents
that DAP wants to control the nation after the coming 13th general
election.
How can DAP control the nation when it is contesting only 50
parliamentary seats? There are a total of 222 parliamentary seats and
even if DAP were to win all its 50 seats, it is not even one-third of
the total. Does this not show the mathematical skills of BN leaders?
To-date, BN has continued to harp on its “Janji Ditepati” (Promises
Fulfilled) theme. This theme sounds foolish when there is still a lack
of basic amenities, for instance, a regular supply of clean tap water in
the interior areas of Sabah and Sarawak.
This problem also exists in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s home
state of Pahang, especially in the Jengka areas as reported by a local
Malay daily.
Sabah and Sarawak are also lacking in good roads, especially in the rural and interior areas.
Another example is good bus transport; for instance, in the 1990s
there was regular bus service for the Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong-KL
route. Now there is no bus service for this route. Promises by the
government to improve the bus service are nothing to shout about.
What about the oil royalty payments to the Kelantan government? Till
today, there is absolute silence about making the payments except the
setting up of an Oil Royalty Payments Committee.
“Is the committee nothing but an eyewash to dupe the Kelantan voters
in view of the coming general election?” asked Dzulkefly Ahmad, the PAS
Kuala Selangor MP.
Selective prosecution
On the promise of transparency in open tenders, this promise has not
been kept. The National Feedlot Corporation contract is one such
example.
“The mainstream media has blanked out the government’s misdeeds,
mistakes and failures in keeping promises. Therefore, the majority of
the people especially those in the rural areas are kept in the dark.
This is done with the intention of keeping them ignorant so that they
will continue to vote for the incumbent government,” said Dzulkefly.
One-sided media coverage during BN’s tenure is one thing. Another
thing is the misdeed of the current government in using its lackeys to
bully opposition leaders.
These lackeys delivered “shit-cakes” to Penang Chief Minister Lim
Guan Eng as well as holding a mock funeral rite for him and stepping on
his posters, yet these are not highlighted by the mainstream media.
In a recent incident earlier this month, another group of lackeys
threw a shoe into a mosque in Kedah when Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim
was giving a religious talk. Besides, the lights and loudspeaker were
repeatedly switched off and when Anwar started to speak using a
loudhailer, the mosque’s siren was suddenly activated.
These lackeys seem to be above the law. Are they entitled to ride roughshod over the rakyat?
“No action is taken on these goons as they are the devil’s own.
Selective prosecution seems to be the order of the day but if the
opposition makes a mistake, the government-controlled media will go to
town over it,” said Dzulkefly.
Finally, there is also the broken promise regarding the cleaning of the voter rolls. This issue needs no further elaboration.
November polls?
With regard to the polls, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has strongly
hinted that it may be held in November. This is good. He should not
later backtrack by saying that the polls will be held in October due to
the SPM and STPM examinations in November.
As prime minister, Najib should know when these examinations are held.
The prime minister should give the opposition advance notice of the
general election instead of relying on the strategy of “the secret date”
to catch the opposition unaware.
Added Dzulkefly: “Hopefully, the prime minister will keep his promise
in regard to the November polls as everyone is looking forward to it.”
The double-standard practice and one-sided action seen during the
current tenure of the incumbent government should be put to a stop.
Many are waiting to put an end to this unhealthy practice by voting in the next general election.
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