Thursday, 26 April 2012 14:44
Tunku Aziz in shock collision with Guan Eng over Bersih 3.0 venue: Withdraw Senatorship?
Written by Maria Begum, Malaysia Chronicle- font size
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In a complete about-turn, DAP vice-chairman Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz has gone against the stance taken by his party and Pakatan Rakyat coalition to support the free and fair elections protest due to be held by Bersih 3.0 at the Dataran Merdeka on Saturday.
With the 13th general election close by, Tunku Aziz's emotional comments raised eyebrow, sparking speculation of a fallout with his party leadership. Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had issued a conflicting statement, urging Malaysians to support Bersih's nationwide and overseas rallies especially the one at Dataran.
"For these abuses by a politically inclined EC that has allowed itself to be used as a tool by BN, DAP fully supports and will mobilize its members for the Bersih sit-in protest for clean elections on 2pm 28 April 2012 nation-wide. DAP urges all Malaysians to join the Bersih rallies nation-wide, especially at Dataran Merdeka," Guan Eng said in a statement sent to the press after lunch hour.
Biased police and Election Commision
Nonetheless, Tunku Aziz accused all those of supporting the Bersih 3.0 main rally at the Dataran of being irresponsible. Yet some of the Bersih 3.0's staunchest supporters include the most respected Malaysians in the world, such as reform icon Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Hadi Awang, Bersih co-chairmen Ambiga Sreenevana - the former president of the Bar Council - and Samad Said - Malaysia's own national laureate.
Tunku Aziz even told Malaysians to abide by the police, completely omitting that the police have always been subservient to Prime Minister Najib Razak's government and thus, few people have any trust that the police or the Election Commission could ever conduct themselves in a neutral manner.
This bias was clear in the 2011 unprecedented police crackdown on Bersih 2.0's peaceful rally and the Election Commission's refusal to put through any of the reform recommendations submitted by election watchdog experts who have been in talks with the EC since 2009.
"We defend Tunku Aziz's right to express his opinion ad should not jump to conclusions. I think Tunku Aziz might have forgotten that Bersih 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 came about not because the organizers wanted to throw a street party like the Umno-BN and their press are insinuating," said PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua.
"The rallies including Bersih 3.0 came about because of the EC and the BN both refused to take cognizance of the Bersih's demands, which have been ongoing for years - not just in recent months. This is why Bersih demanded the resignation of EC committee - for failing Malaysians and wasting their time. If it was me, I would demand that they be sacked. But as Ambiga has already offered, they will stop Bersih 3.0 if Najib pledges to delay the 13th general election until all the reforms are in place."
What conscience, whose conscience
Nonetheless, to Tunku Aziz, he was speaking out of "conscience".
"I am not opposed to assembly, the law provides for us to assemble but what I'm saying is: Who is responsible for security in our country? The police. Whatever we do, we have to consult the police. If they advise us (to) change our route (or) should do it somewhere else, that' what we should do because (they) are an established legal authority," said Tunku Aziz.
"The whole idea is to protest. Why does it matter where? DBKL is the owner of (Dataran Merdeka). We may be part of any party or organisation but that does not mean we abandon our conscience."
Tunku Aziz's compliant response is consonant with the "unreasonable" accusations flung at Ambiga by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin at a public debate on Wednesday, but certainly at odds with his previous comments that were fiery and staunchly liberal, making him a suitable recruit for the DAP, which still lacks Malay members.
But at 78, it appears it might be too late for Tunku to match his previous avowal for people's rights with action. It would be most unfair to accuse him of jumping over to the BN side of the fence, but certainly DAP leaders should get to the root of the problem.
After all, every vote counts in Parliament and if Tunku Aziz continues to buck the Pakatan stand on major issues such as Bersih 3.0, stirring up at the 11th hour a media ruckus that is bound to be seized on by the Umno-BN press, cynics say it might be more practical to hand over his Senator-ship to a younger and more visionary leader.
Malaysia Chronicle
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105 Comments
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Thursday, 26 April 2012 18:53 posted by 5th millionth citizenAs a selangor club member and I have known this fellow ...unfortunately also a selangor member....to be full of shit....say one thing and does another.....this is tunku aziz fellow ...fit to wash dap hq toilet.....Chinese says...these are people who cannot lay eggs but only know how to shit everywhere. - Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:43 posted by PAKATAN WAKE UPI find it very interesting he comes out with this just when his relative made a police report on the kedah pakatan state govt. amendment on fatwas. Obviously the kedah royalty has declared war on pakatan.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:29 posted by Bugger offIt is only proper that he leaves dap or be kicked out just as pas had to hassan ali. After that he can go around espousing his views at stadiums.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:22 posted by Raymond Saw of PenangTunku Aziz, you are marked! Be careful from now onward.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:21 posted by Another Raja Petra Kamaruddin in the makingSenator Tunku Aziz can talk a point of law and also the moral issues. But he must either losing his senses or switching sides like RAJA PETRA KAMARUDDIN the scumbug.
The police are not police they are legal gangsters. The Attorney General is a Mafia leader and so was the ex IGP
So what is Tunku talking about.
I think Tunku better resign an join UMNO since he sympathise with them - Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:12 posted by Ronald QuayHe comes today to Parliament ranting like mad monkey. Something must be wrong. Something didn't kena today. Something, something. Did the Speaker boot him out?
What is biting you Tunku Aziz? Bed bugs? Conscience? Blood thicker than water? Bad water ?
I bet on that day and time you will be sitting it out at our Royal Selangor Club having a cold pint and watching, watching, watching. - Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:05 posted by Michael WongSee how Tunku Abdul Aziz raise his 1Malaysia finger? He is angry because no one consulted him and left him out.
Anyway, once a government man, always a government man. Tunku Aziz is no different. You can't take the government out of this man.
Similarly for his 'brother' Tengku Ahmad Yahya. Same chop. Same mould. - Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 18:05 posted by Samad ismailThis is what you get for disagreeing with this Chinese dap party. You get called a bastard, Trojan horse, mole, senile, etc. best not to associate with this fascist party. Now we are beginning to see it's too colours. You can recruit Malays, Indians, Sikhs, etc but you will still be a chinaman party. At least UMNO says its a Malay party anf MCA cleay says is a Chinese party and never apologise for it. Unlike Dap who tries to hide its stripes and promotes itself as a Malaysian party.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:41 posted by JCDAP - please allow differing opinions. Tunku Aziz or anyone for that matter needs to be able yo express his/her views freely without being branded traitor. If Tunku Aziz turns out ot be mischievous he will be found out. But if he is for the proper running of this country, then we will all benefit from his input
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:29 posted by FROG SEASON AGAINThe main reason Bersih 3 has to happen is because EC and BN are lawless. So you insist one party must abide the law and the other parties go hog wild lawless? Second, as a party man, keep your personal opinions to yourself. At your age you still do not understand team spirit? Thirdly, why raise up your opinions now, at this critical stage? Why didn't you raise them at your party meetings? Where were you when the cow head incident happened? What about police brutality with Kugan, Aminah Rashid, Anwar's black eye, etc? I sensed for sure you have sold yourself already.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:28 posted by Tengku Ahmad YahyaIt's interesting to see that the opposition party members are slowly rejecting the party leadership and ideals. It's difficult to have a coalition of parties that have differing political ideals. Pkr is led by an idealist and dreamer with no proven leadership qualities, that most number of lawmakers that jumped ship are from this party. Dap is a chauvinist Chinese party much in the same mould as Pap, who wants to run the country like a corporate body with no regard for its social responsibilities. It completely rejects Islam the official religion of this country. Pas will never waiver from its stance of an Islamic nation and hudud law and does a bad job of disguising it. don't be surprised that this unholy union called Pakatan will break up soon, whether they win or lose the GE.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:27 posted by umnosince your joining in to DAP, we have never heard of any contributions from you. i can guarantee 1000% this bastard is a trojan horse. burn him, lim guan eng.
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:26 posted by USE YOUR HEADCome on Tunku. What's wrong with Dataran Merdeka?? Are you saying our police and DBKL are not able to take care of hooligans and gangster?? I doubt that any gangster dare to create any trouble on the day itself....they only know how to bully when they have the numbers and are real cowards. Look at the big picture lah...free and fair election!!! and not some imaginary fears about security issues at Dataran Merdeka!!!
- Comment LinkThursday, 26 April 2012 17:25 posted by ylchong(Contd) Inserting an important point OMITTED in earlier comment -- the seriesof articles that Tunku Aziz wrote were in the New Straits Times (maybe Sunday), and we all know who dictates the newspaper's slants, don't we? -- YL, Desi
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- Thursday, 26 April 2012 17:19 posted by ylchongDear MC: Being a PKR member, I have restrained myself commenting on "issues" affecting PR components like DAP and PAS. As a media watcher, I read NST regularly in order to write my own pieces, of course, supporting the PR, esp PKR causes.
When Tunku Aziz joined the DAP, I had shared with "close" buddies my reservations -- cheifly, that in the few weeks leading up to his joining DAP with great fanfare, he had written a series of articles highly critical of PKR de facto leader DS Anwar Ibrahim.(I remembering COPYING these articles and I hope to retrieve from my cobwebbed archives, --hey I don't have a secretary K! -- to share the deatils, OK!) In fact, I felt further aghast when the DAP party -- in desperation to beef up its Malay leadership? -- soon appointed Aziz as one of its vice-chairmen, soon followed by the Senatorship reward!
Now we see the true picture of the helicoptered-in recruit, but I blame it on DAP's politics of BEHOLDENISM. Patience, I may continue on this subject in a Comment piece at MC. Cheers, meet at Dataran Merdeka so-ON! -
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