by Lim Kit Siang

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has suffered another attack of hesitation and indecisiveness, as a result of the unprecedented support by Malaysians for fair, free and clean elections in various parts of the country and by the Malaysian Diaspora throughout the world.

The support came from the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, class, region, gender and age who gathered peacefully in Kuala Lumpur for the Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” at Dataran Merdeka on Aprl 28.

All the “tough talk” by Najib at the UMNO anniversary at Bukit Jalil Stadium on May 11 and the specious claim that the sea of red that night was bigger than the Bersih 3.0 sea of yellow on April 28 could not hide the fact that Najib’s confidence that June would be the best timing for him to call general elections had been greatly shaken.

With Najib again agonising on when to dissolve Parliament to go for national polls, the country is now back to the guessing game, whether the 13^th general election is still in June, or pushed back to July, September or even later.

This reflects Najib’s realisation that although he may have secured high personal polls, his personal popularity could not be translated into high voting support for UMNO and BN, and the next general elections is a veritable “do or die” battle for him, UMNO and BN.

Delay will give more time for Pakatan

However, time is on Pakatan Rakyat’s side – as any further delay in elections will only provide more time and opportunity to debunk the UMNO-BN campaign of lies,  falsehoods and demonisation as well as to expose the “greatest lie” in the three-year Najib premiership that “Bersih 3.0 itu Kotor” (Bersih 3.0 is Dirty) – which is the title of a very biased 30-minute documentary shown on TV1 on May 13 to poison the minds of viewers about Bersih 3.0.

There can be no doubt that since April 28, there has been a very systematic and concerted attempt  by those in power to demonise Bersih 3.0  in the worst possible light, painting it as an anti-national conspiracy, including an attempted coup d’etat to topple the government – a wild and most irresponsible allegation made by the Prime Minister himself.

The hundreds of thousands who came out peacefully in Kuala Lumpur on April 28 know that it is the greatest lie of the three-year Najib premiership to paint Bersih 3.0 as “kotor” (dirty), anti-national and the height of disloyalty.

Those hundreds of thousands knew they had gathered in peace – armed at most with salt and water bottles to protect themselves from police tear gas and water cannons – not to topple the government but to send a clear and unmistakable message to the government that Malaysians regardless of race, religion, class, religion, gender or age want clean elections because they want a clean Malaysia!

Lies of government-controlled media

The Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told the press on May 19 that Malaysians should view the Bersih 3.0 rally “in a more rational manner” – but it is the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the UMNO-BN government who are most guilty of refusing to see the Bersih 3.0 rally “in a more rational manner”, coming out with lies like an attempted coup d’etat to topple the government.

Malaysians in the rural areas who depend on the government-controlled mainstream media for information would be easy victims of the UMNO-BN campaign of lies and demonisation, particularly about the Bersih 3.0 rally.

But if general elections are not held in June or July, it means there will be more time for the urban Malay youths to return to the kampongs to tell their parents and relatives the truth of what happened on April 28.

And when the truth about Bersih 3.0 is fully understood by the Malaysian voters in the rural areas, then the country will be ready for far-reaching changes in the next general elections.