“One of the great attractions of patriotism it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.”
- Aldous Huxley
So, some Bersih leaders tore the photograph of the Election Commission chairman, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, in protest (or disgust) at what they perceived as his lack of even handedness, or in his failing to exhibit the required neutrality as the supposed ‘umpire’ in federal and state elections.Neutrality? This was the bloke who had the unmitigated and brazen cheek (or plain stupidity) to say Only one 'regime' is capable of running the country, where he had shamelessly said:
“A lot of people are anxious to determine the type of regime that is going to handle Malaysia in the coming years. They are always talking about regimes. I never talk about regimes. There is only one regime in this country that is capable of running (the country).”
“People get angry with me whenever I say this (but) people don’t seem to understand the critical scenario in the country. What is it that can (take) over from the present one given the political scenario we are in?”
I had then blogged: 'That’s not your bloody business, Abdul Rashid! If you have any decency and are fearful of answering to God, you should resign from the EC and join your favourite regime as a party faithful instead of sitting in the publicly paid job as a supposedly neutral and independent Election Commissioner, when you're obviously not.'
'The EC should be immediately sacked by the King on the urging of Parliament for his officially declared political bias. But I guess in making this procedurally correct and justified (but bloody silly) call I am just pissing into the wind.'
'Then he showed his UMNO bias, not that we weren’t aware of that but his daring was staggeringly breath-taking, in speaking out aloud at a seminar on Malaysian political development organised by the political science department of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuala Lumpur today.'
Can you blame people, let alone Bersih leaders, for viewing this man with utmost disrespect, disdain and disgust?
Abdul Rahman knows our feelings because he made his next stupid statement by asking for the power to sue critics who make allegations against the EC. Basically he wants to silence anyone who raises complaints against him and the several unexplained decisions and actions of the EC.
I gave him a piece of my mind in Chairman of EC should resign. I was disgusted by his nerve in making a political statement against his accusers who had complained of vote-rigging. He accused them as: “… traitors (for hurting the image of the country).”
I blogged: 'Whether those accusers are traitors or not is not for you, Abdul Rashid a public servant, to open your big mouth to say. You should immediately apologize for your reckless slandering of members of the Malaysian public.'
So Bersih tore his photo as a symbolic gesture of their dissatisfaction at what they see as his lack of neutrality and independence as the chairman of the EC, and what did our PM do?
Instead on falling back on his renowned ‘elegant silence’ he too had to blunder into the disgraceful episode by threatening to take action against Bersih for tearing up photos of Abdul Rashid.
Malaysiakini tells us in Tearing up Rashid's photo: PM mulls action that AAB said:
“We should take action if there are laws that provide for punishment for such an action. They’re rude and disrespectful. There are other ways to air their disapproval."
Since when has the photo of Abdul Rashid gained the hallowed sanctity of the iconic Jalur Gemilang?
When the PM of our nation threatens harmless acts of democratic expression with the law (whatever that is nowadays) it speaks ill of our nation’s state.
The village bully is back!
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