Little if any concrete action has been taken to solve the nation's problems. And this is why, Zionist-linked APCO has been able to demand hundred-million ringgit fees to help do what it does best - public relations! In other words, propaganda to deflect attention, to manipulate, brainwash and cheat the Malaysians into realizing that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes!
So say the top leaders of Pakatan Rakyat and many neutral political observers, who gauge by the economic reforms or 'alphabet soup' laid down by the Najib administration so far.
"The BN government has not solved the nation's problems as it is too busy thinking up ways and means to topple Anwar and Pakatan. DAP has always been their target, especially Penang and now after the Sarawak polls, it has become another top priority on the Umno list to attack," Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh told Malaysia Chronicle.
"But you can only fool some of the people some of the time. If Najib is not careful, he is going to be remembered as the PM whose tenure is filled with zero acheivement and 100 per cent gutter politics."
Fooling some of the people, but not all the time
Still, thanks to the blurry minds of some the general electorate, BN's questionable tactics have made headway as the rakyat (or citizens), particularly the less-informed rural Malays now have a bad impression of DAP.
Umno-owned Utusan newspaper recently reported DAP to be in league with Christian pastors to form a so-called Christian state.
Like it or not, this kind of sensationalism had some scare effect on the rural people, who were also inclined to believe the mainstream media's propaganda that Anwar had been uncultured enough to call Najib 'pandi-kutty' which is Tamil for piglet. The pig family is haram or prohibited fare for Muslims.
One thing is obvious from all the turbulence is that the 13th General Election will surely be held this year. Most political pundits opined that the General Election may be held after the Budget presentation on October 7.
Yet others think it will be in September, right after the Hari Raya when the feeling of Muslim brotherhood is riding high.
It was more plausible that Najib, who is also Finance minister, will just offer glimpses of great goodies ahead but why take the risk that his Budget 2012 will fall flat and be panned nationwide by the Opposition, they asked?
"The BN Government is trying to divert the rakyat's attention from the important issues facing the nation, for example the GST (Goods and Services Tax)," Dr Michael Jeyakumar, the PSM MP for Sungei Siput, told Malaysia Chronicle.
"The GST can only be implemented when Malaysia is a high-income nation where each of us is earning a decent wage in order to meet our daily needs as the cost of living is going up by leaps and bounds. Right now the economic climate is not feasible for GST, but the government seems to be on the side of the large corporations only."
The people must wake up to the fact that BN continues to only look after their own interests and that of their cronies, he insisted.
Dr Michael's criticism is not without basis as Najib has tried to flavour the GST, which is due to be implemented in 2012, as being more accepted by the people now than before. The PM also tried to offer carrots that with the GST, the people could look forward to personal and corporate tax cuts.
Recently too, the price of RON 97 has gone up by 20 sen and it is now RM2.90. Sugar has also gone up by 20 sen and it costs RM2.30 per kilogram now.
Inflation and prices of goods are going up despite the strengthening of the ringgit, while wages of the low-income group have stagnated since 1998.
Diverting attention from bread-and-butter issues
Yet in the meantime, the mainstream papers have busily played up 'sensitive' issues involving Christianity and name-calling. But deafening silence on core bread-and-butter issues.
The blogger who goes by the pseudonym of Marahku has already taken off his blog-posting on the Christian issue but the damage is already done. His task was to provide a springboard for Utusan, Umno and its units like Perkasa and Pembela to attack.
Anwar has denied the 'piglet' name-calling and there is a video of his ceramah that shows clearly he used the word at the BN for its "dirty tactics". Yet the government media continues to place emphasis on such incidents. When will the Malaysian people finally wake up, asks Dr Michael.
"These two recent incidents serve only to divert the public's attention from the grave economic issues facing the nation. The government must look into these issues and come up with ways and means to improve the economic well-being of the average Joe especially those from the low-income groups, who are finding it very tough to service their loans and to put food on the table," Dr Michael admonished.
Another obvious development is that the urban populace are starting to realize that the various government programmes, i.e. GTP, ETP, NEM, NKRAs, NKEAs and so forth are not as promising as they sounded.
The longer Najib holds off on the general election, the more obvious it will become that his programmes are really pie in the sky. He faces being exposed as being little better than a 'con-man' and therefore the more risky it is for him to delay, his critics say.
"The more Anwar is attacked, the more it shows Najib's fear beginning to take hold on him. The more lies that are hurled at Anwar, the more Najib loses credibility. Anwar has a good background and therefore his enemies want to drag his name through the mud. The Sodomy II trial, the sex video and the recent 'pandi-kutty' attacks are aimed at destroying the Malay community's trust in Anwar," PKR vice-rresident N Surendran told Malaysia Chronicle.
Written by Selena Tay, Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle
- Malaysia Chronicle
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