In aftermath of the 8 March general elections last year, DAP, PKR and PAS came together to established a coalition named Pakatan Rakyat to govern five states namely Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan which they won over in the said poll.
It was most unfortunate that after the five Pakatan state governments started functioning, the federal government which is still dominated by Umno but without the two thirds majority in the parliament, started and continues its political offensive nationwide against Pakatan in order to curb their rising influence and popularity amongst our people.
Security forces under the jurisdiction of the home ministry were widely being used and mobilized nationwide by Umno to watch and control the increasing activities of Pakatan component parties via restrictions, banning of ceramahs, withdrawal of earlier permits given, massive arrest of supporters, issuing threats and so on.
Besides, Umno s also trying to win back the hearts of the Malay community by stirring up racial sentiments and tensions, promoting hatred and creating chaos in a number of Pakatan rule states.
First, a massive illegal rally was organized by Umno in Penang to protest against plans outlined by the DAP-led state government to implement an open tender system which encourages competency, accountability and transparency. The new state government policy was apparently being twisted by Umno to sound like the DAP had came out with an anti-Malay policy in order to stir the anger of the Malays residing in the state. The police did nothing and did not bother to disperse the illegal rally because it was organized by Umno and it did not have a permit to assemble. The Penang state government however, tolerated the rally with much patient and managed to explain to the people on its new policies. In this case, Umno’s first coup attempt failed in Penang because the overall Malay community did not support the provocative move.
Then, Umno pursued further, this time created havoc and racial tensions in Selangor by alleging that a state executive councilor had instigated the people to protest against two mosques’ azans. As a result the state executive councilor was detained by the Umno inspired police force and put under a so-called ISA detention for few weeks where her whereabouts was kept secret. The state executive councilor was an innocent lady who knew nothing of the intended protest against the mosques’ azan. It was an Umno leader by the name of Dr Mohd Khir Toyo who had stirred up the racial and religious tension in hope that there will be a riot in the state thus allowing the federal government to declare an emergency rule in the state and to have the military called in to take over the state administration from the Pakatan state government. In this case, Umno’s second coup attempt failed in Selangor as the people of the state had fully rallied behind the Pakatan-led state government.
Third, the then Penang Umno Bukit Bendera division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail again stirred up racial tension in Penang by calling the Malaysian Chinese as Squaters and Temporary Residents of this country. It resulted to massive protest from various Chinese guides and associations and even Umno’s coalition partners in the BN like MCA and Gerakan sounded their protests heavily on their political master and Datuk Ahmad’s racist statement.
Due to this, journalist Tan Hoon Cheng who had reported what Datuk Ahmad said was made a scapegoat and she was unreasonably arrested and detained under the ISA for nothing. The real culprit, Datuk Ahmad escaped justice because he is a prominent Umno leader and closely link to the prime minister.
Not enough with Hoon Cheng’s ISA detention, Umno leaders in Penang ran wild and even called for the journalist to be executed by shooting because she reported the truth. We could remember that Penang Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim personally called Hoon Cheng to be killed because she exposed Umno’s racist activities. And the police did nothing despite police reports were lodged by DAP, Gerakan, MCA and other Chinese community leaders. The police could not take action against these Umno racist due to the fact of the supremacist position that Umno leaders enjoyed in this country. This is really frustrating.
In Perak, the Umno leaders successfully engineered a coup d’etat that toppled the Pakatan state government after they enticed two of its state executive councilors and the state assembly deputy speaker to jump ship.
In aftermath of the rebellion, Umno established a rebel state government to take over the state administration from the Pakatan side. The Umno rebel government also used its newly acquired powers to seal off the Perak state legislative assembly building to prevent the state assembly from convening its meeting thus, resulting to the sitting held under a tree outside the state legislative building.
Police and paramilitary personnel were dispatched in number of regiments and battalions to prevent Pakatan leaders from entering the state legislative assembly building and the state secretariat. Apart from that the Umno-led security forces had also surrounded the Sultan’s palace in Kuala Kangsar in order to prevent any Pakatan leaders from seeking an audience with his royal highness to explain the actual situation.
Then, later the Pakatan’s Perak state assembly speaker was ousted in another coup d’etat engineered by Umno in an unconstitutional manner and he was replaced by a strange man who was not even a state assemblyman. And when the speaker tried to resist his coup plotters, the Umno rebels called in their security force and have him forcefully removed and dragged out from his chambers and locked in a dark room for few hours before he was released. These security men did not act professionally nor constitutionally but rather politically pro-Umno against the Pakatan state government leaders in order to maintain their livelihood.
These policemen really had no choice. They are all under the jurisdiction of the home ministry whose minister is a vice president of Umno, the dominant party of the BN coalition. And if they resist their political masters, what will they get in return? Everyone knows.
From here, you could clearly see that even though Pakatan Rakyat is governing some states that they had won right now, they are completely defenseless against the mighty institutions of the Umno dominated federal government like the police force, the military, paramilitary forces, prisons department, judiciary, MACC and the mainstream medias like RTM, TV3, NTV7, Radios, Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, NSTP, the Star, etc.
It is very clear that the Pakatan state government had nothing to defend themselves against any onslaughts from the Umno-led federal government and their powerful institutions. What if Umno decides one day that they had enough with all the Pakatan state governments, and decides to declare a state of emergency in these states to forcefully take over the governance of these states with the police and military forces mobilized into action on their behalf?
What can the Pakatan state governments do then? Just sit there and watch their administrations being toppled like that? Are there any other choice? Mobilize their supporters and members to protest against the Umno dominated police and military forces? This would not help much as it may somehow result to bloodshed or massive death among our people if Umno decides to offensively crackdown on Pakatan Rakyat.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the Pakatan Rakyat leaders should seriously consider this option to establish their own security force within their institution and we stress that a Pakatan-led security force is essential to create a balance of power with the Umno-led security forces which can be seen today in its effort to crackdown the activities and influences of our Pakatan state governments and to ensure the stability, security and the safety of their people are maintained in the respective states.
Take Perak by example, Selangor and Kedah might be next. You have to take up this option.
