Sunday, March 09, 2008

A day to remember in the history of Malaysia

5 states in opposition hands : Penang, Kedah, Kelantan Perak and Selangor
82 seats in Parliament : 23 seats PAS. 28 seats DAP and 31 seats PKR
No longer can race be used as an issue - I hope we are on the way to burying race based politics forever!

A New Dawn for Malaysia -

My fellow Malaysians,

Today at the ballot box, you listened to your heart with the firm conviction that the time for change has arrived.
The people of Malaysia have spoken. This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation’s history.
Today a new chapter has opened. The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognize that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture and religion are a nation of one.
The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law.
Today unity, consensus, and mutual respect triumphed.
Tomorrow, we start working to build a brighter future, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. This is a new dawn for Malaysia.


ANWAR IBRAHIM

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My fellow Malaysians

The recently concluded elections marks an important milestone in the nation's path towards greater accountability and freedom to express our opinions.
Credit must go to all Malaysians who braved the blasts of chemical laced water and the threat of the ISA , to stand for what they felt was just and right.
Our voices have resonated into a deafening call for change ... but this is only the beginning of our quest to restore the believe of all Malaysians in the administration of our country, and our birth right to the greatness we can all achieve together, but have long forgotten.

Over the course of the last 3 weeks, we have witnessed countless tactics employed by politicians in their bid to reserve their seats.
While all may be fair in love and war, there is a select group, to whom we entrust to provide us with information and reasoned intelligent opinion, have misplaced that trust.
The Malaysian Media - in particular, the press.
While the press should have focused on institutional scrutiny and accountability, and uphold the ideals of democracy itself, it has instead focused on biased character assassination and one sided arguments in their attempt to influence our judgment while they deceive us.

While almost all major newspapers are involved in this shameful act of journalistic prostitution, one of the seemingly more reputable and serious newspaper, The Star, has irresponsibly allowed articles which have little , if any, background work and due diligence that is associated with responsible and professional journalism.
Numerous articles featuring criticisms of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, insinuations of the inability of the Opposition parties to work together , the highlighting of supposed unruly behaviour of supporters of the Opposition, the caution towards the loss of "our liberal life" if we voted for PAS, the list goes on.
The freedom of the press and the access to information is not only a fundamental right we all have, but serves as one of the essential pillars in a democratic society. If a major and respected daily can have its integrity compromised, then, it is up to us, as Malaysians, to remind them of the importance of their role.

Over the years, The Star has increased in thickness, its readership numbers, its advertising rates.... and of course, its profits. While It does NOT depend on the sale of its papers to provide the profits, a high sales volume translates to a high number of readers, which just means that it becomes a TOP choice for would be advertisers - this is where their profits come from.
We need to remind the STAR that they HAVE an OBLIGATION towards us, and if they are NOT prepared to honour that obligation, we have the right to reject them.

I AM PROPOSING THAT WE BOYCOTT THE STAR. JUST STOP BUYING IT, TILL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES. IF WE DO THIS COLLECTIVELY, THE READERSHIP NUMBERS WOULD FALL, AND EVENTUALLY, ADVERTISERS WOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE.
IF WE SUCCEED IN BRINGING STAR TO ITS KNEES, ALL OTHER (SMALLER) PRESSES WOULD TAKE NOTICE.

IF YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE THE NEWS - GO ONLINE- THIS WOULD GIVE YOU THE NEWS, BUT WONT GIVE THEM THE READERSHIP NUMBERS THEY NEED.

Now, that we have started the Wave of Change, let's ensure that we bring about TOTAL Change.