KOTA BARU, 28 February: Recipients of the BR1M government welfare assistance are required to swear an oath to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN), Harakah reports.

The oath is written in Malay on A4 paper and stapled together with the BR1M cash aid voucher. Translated, the oath reads:

“I hereby solemnly swear and promise, in the name of Allah, that I will vote BN in the coming election, and that I will work to help UMNO to unite Muslims under the United Malays National Organisation, not to disunite Muslims, unlike Hj. Abdul Hadi Awang who wants Muslims and Malays in Malaysia to be destroyed and fall apart.”

The news portal also reported that this oath was distributed during a ceremony to distribute the cash aid at a secondary school in Beris Panchor, Bachok, Kelantan.

Oath not uncommon

Previous reports of similar incidents have not escaped public notice. Several netizens have reported cases where such an oath was required from recipients of the BR1M aid.

In August 2011, PKR Wanita Chairperson Zuraida Kamaruddin also alleged that illegals granted amnesty in the government’s 6P programme were made to take an oath of allegiance to BN and Umno.

The oath script written in malay reads, ““I will also continue to defend Islam and Malays. My family and I promise to keep this matter secret, or face the consequences.”

Zuraida said the statement was allegedly obtained from 6P centres in either Sepang, Hulu Selangor or Shah Alam but would not specify which. The source of the document could not be independently verified.

6P is a government rationalisation programme to legalise illegal foreign workers in Malaysia who fulfil certain criteria.

Culture of swearing

BN seems fond of taking oaths to underscore the veracity of a particular claim.

Case in point: in December last year the Perak Menteri Besar was reported as saying that all BN reps and potential candidates had taken an oath of allegiance that they will support any candidates chosen by the party leadership to contest in the general election.

Not to be outdone, 5,000 members of Malay rights NGO Perkasa held a ceremony in December last year to recite an oath of allegiance to BN in the coming election.

One of course recalls the 2008 mass swearing trend -nothing to do with cussing- where in the light of rumored defections, many BN reps publicly swore to be loyal to the ruling coalition.

UMNO reps have also been known to ask PR leaders to swear or take oaths to “prove” diverse matters ranging from allegations against Anwar to PR unity.-The Rocket