To add on the "fairness" of the Malaysian elections:

• The ruling party wins in a voting-region already before elections, because the "opposition candidate" stepped down. Why do you step down? Could there be some money involved? Or intimidation? Tactics well know from the early days in democracy in Europe…
• Only the ruling party can relentlessly advertise herself on TV and radio. And I must say hearing one voice over and over again reminds me on the days before the second world war in Europe Very scary… especially as those days they said: we won’t fight each other whatever comes…
• Advertising is one thing, but advertising in the news-bulletin as part of the news…. are there really no limits? Of course not, Malaysia Boleh…
• Painting people’s houses in the colors of the ruling party for free… since when are things for free?
• Campaigning in the streets is only allowed by the ruling party. The rest will most likely face teargas as the Indians are getting used to…
• All the banners…. lots of the ruling party in very good condition, little of the opposition in poor conditions… Are we looking at a campaign founded with taxpayers money? Well, if there is no transparency… don’t take people on their word, especially not politicians: this rule goes worldwide.
• Living in harmony I keep on hearing inside and outside the news advertisements of the ruling party… ??? That is if you only consider your own party, yet Malaysia is more than just the ruling party…

What does history tells us about democracy

If one party keeps on doing what they want and shut down all opposition, then smart people will go abroad.

Exactly what happened with Singapore: a new country was born just recently.

Exactly what happened with The Netherlands: a new country was born 500 years ago.

Both new countries are an example of tolerance and a thriving community….

But does any ruling party looks ahead or learn from the past?

If the people’s interest is at stake, then take lessons from the past and from other countries.

If your own fast profit is at stake it’s sad. If you do it at the cost of others and your country… that’s very sad.

Why did they invent the guillotine?

Because people in the street where fed up with the heads of state that didn’t care about the people in the street.

Saying you care is one thing, but show some results.

No, don’t start talking now: start showing some results!

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Technorati Tags: be fair, Belgium, bn, democracy, elections, Europe, France, guillotine, Holland, Malaysia, opposition, politics, Singapore, The Netherlands, umno

So years ago Pak Lah - Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came in power with the promise of transparency, so far sounds good.

Then you ask him February 14, 2008:

• are you going to dissolve parliament tomorrow and declare elections?
• NO says Badawi

Of course the next day Februari 15 he announces a snap election to be held March 8…

Transparency of course?

Asked if he wasn’t a bit not telling the truth the evening before, Pak Lah answered that he still needed to ask for permission of the king…

Fair enough if I am in a good mood, but transparency-wise: shouldn’t you have said: I am intending to, all I need is the permission of the king which you know is most likely a formality…

This kind of NO sounds even worse than his previous famous quote DUN-NO

How funny and fair are elections?

Some election official was asked if there were "death votes". Says the funny man: I never saw a zombie going to the voting boot… Anyway, I don’t think it’s up to me to explain how in our European democracies death voters were quite normal the first 50 years in the democracy

Then the ink you will get on your finger: a novelty in this years’s election… Isn’t that something they use in countries in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan because there is no decent infrastructure to have decent voting? Aren’t we going to be a developed country in 2020?

The fun of giving the Indians a free day off after spraying them with teargas and accusing them of murder when they tried to do some manifestation on the streets… Same like in our European young democracies: there was no such thing as freedom of speech, nor in the streets, nor in the newspapers.

And then the most funny of them all: "some voters will not be able to vote because the voting papers are not ready".

Shouldn’t you print those papers first and then call for elections? Anyway, that we never heard off in European democracies, so I must say Malaysia is quite a frontrunner here!

What about oil prices?

The faster you have elections, the faster you can start a second term (gosh, you have the majority even without all the funny ideas), the faster you can raise oil-prices and unfortunately no transparency where all the extra money goes to, neither how effective the ROI of that money is…

Yet again, that happens almost everywhere worldwide, sadly but true. It would have been nice that somebody started to make a difference…

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Hindraf supporters and 200 children will continue to gather in front of the Parliament gate tomorrow.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is quite disturbing:

“What for? Why should I attend any Hindraf event?” he said when asked by a reporter at a press conference held after chairing Umno’s Supreme Council meeting on election preparations yesterday.

Or do we have to listen better when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi speaks.

• He did say when he was elected that he will go to the people to hear what’s on their minds.
• He didn’t say the people could go and see him to tell him what’s on their mind.

Ok, it’s not easy to understand and to be understood…

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