“Old Politics” Rearing Its Ugly Head in Port Dickson
Stevie Chan Keng Leong
On 3 October 2018, I signed Bersih 2.0’s pledge for free and fair elections. I have insisted for all candidates to endorse this pledge. Bersih 2.0 has been instrumental in bringing about Malaysia Baru, leading to the Rakyat’s peaceful transition of government on May 9th.
On 4 October 2018, Bersih 2.0 issued a statement saying that Pakatan Harapan committed the most election offences in the Seri Setia and Balakong by-elections recently. The offences includes using government assets, offering gifts and free food to garner support for their candidates.
In recent days, I too have seen evidence of abuses in Port Dickson such as:
– Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told voters that he has secured 2 private projects for PD if he wins – a 5-star hotel and an airline training programme (The Malaysian Insight, 1 Oct);
– A dinner costing RM 200,000 was organised by local Chinese associations and sponsored by a donor from Hong Kong to garner support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Sin Chew Daily, 2 Oct);
– The Minister of Defense, Mohamad Sabu, telling a crowd at an award-giving ceremony for retired veterans at the Port Dickson Army Museum, that their welfare will be taken care of if Datuk Seri Anwar wins. Datuk Seri Anwar also made a surprise appearance at the event (Malaysiakini, 3 Oct);
– Anwar Ibrahim Club (AIC) organizing a FREE concert from 5 – 6 October, bringing in famous artists and offering free health checks (Malaysiakini, 3 Oct)
On 4 October, Anwar Ibrahim launched FREE online tuition programme for Port Dickson. But the website is linked to ezLearn2u which has been running the same programme under assistance from the Perak State Government.
I am disappointed that such blatant attempts to “buy” votes are being employed by our candidates. I wonder what do MPs like Maria Chin Abdullah think about these infractions.
This is precisely why I am running and why I believe voters should send a clear signal to our politicians. We may have changed government on May 9th, but if we allow these “Old Politics” behaviour to continue, we will just go back to where we were before. Malaysia Baru must reject Old Politics.
