Zaid - Pilihanraya Kecil Paling Teruk, Kotor dan Korup

From http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/bahasa/61009-zaid-pilihan-raya-kecil-paling-teruk-kotor-dan-korup

Oleh Syed Mu’az Syed Putra



HULU SELANGOR — Calon Pakatan Rakyat Datuk Zaid Ibrahim menganggap pilihan raya kecil Hulu Selangor Ahad ini sebagai “paling teruk, kotor dan korup” selain membabitkan politik wang luar biasa di pihak Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Perkara membeli undi ini bukan pertama kali, cuma kali ini jumlahnya agak luar biasa yang ditawarkan BN kepada pengundi.

“Kalau wang menjadi penentu keputusan, saya rasa BN akan menang 222 kerusi.

“Sepanjang terlibat dalam politik saya lihat ini pilihan raya yang paling teruk, paling, paling kotor dan paling agresif yang dilakukan BN bagi memperoleh kemenangan,” katanya ketika sidang media di pusat media PKR, Kuala Kubu Baru pagi tadi.

Bekas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri itu percaya walaupun pelbagai tohmahan dan fitnah dilemparkan terhadap dirinya ia akan dapat diatasi.

Sementara itu, Ketua Wanita PKR Zuraida Kamaruddin mencabar calon BN, P. Kamalanathan untuk berdebat dengan calon Zaid di bawah tajuk “Isu Keselamatan Negara” esok.

Zuraida berkata debat tersebut akan dianjurkan oleh beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) antaranya ialah Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia dan Jemaah Islam Malaysia di Padang Awam Hulu Bernam pada pukul 8.30 malam.

“Saya cabar Kamalanathan untuk hadir. Jika Kamalanathan seorang calon yang berkeyakinan dia perlu tampil untuk menunjukkan kewibawaannya dalam mengetengahkan isu keselamatan negara,” katanya.

Zuraida yang juga Ahli Parlimen Ampang berkata, beberapa ahli panel akan turut serta pada majlis debat berkenaan termasuk bekas Ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan, Ezam Mohd Noor dan Setiausaha Agung PKR, Saifuddin Nasution.

Zaid berkata beliau sedia berdebat dengan sesiapa sahaja bagi termasuk pemimpin-pemimpin Umno seperti Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

A By-Election Both Sides Must Win

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/48-commentary/3143-a-by-election-both-sides-must-win.html
Commentary by Kee Thuan Chye


ON nomination day at Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), I bumped into an old schoolmate who told me he was analysing the data on the upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election. He predicted that if conditions remained the same on election day, PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim should win by a margin of between 2,300 and 2,800 votes.

That was April 17. It has been some days since and the campaign for votes has been in full flight. Barisan Nasional has been trying to assassinate Zaid’s character to make him appear a flawed Muslim who imbibed alcohol. Despite Zaid’s forthright admission of his having done so in his younger days and his declaration that he has since stopped, this could well stick in the minds of the Malay voters, many of whom are from rural areas and know little beyond their small world and the idiot box that spews pro-Barisan propaganda relentlessly into their living rooms.

If that happens, my old friend’s prediction might yet go awry.

Conditions can indeed change in a matter of eight days, the period between nomination and election, on April 25. Zaid might have started with a slight edge, from getting to compete against a virtual unknown instead of the MIC deputy president, G. Palanivel, who prior to 2008 had been holder of the Hulu Selangor seat for four terms, but Barisan is already throwing everything in but the kitchen sink to ensure victory.


Umno has got Hulu Selangor PKR treasurer Halili Rahmat to defect at a suspiciously opportune time. And he’s singing the same tune as the ex-PKR representatives who left before him – that the party is being run by “little Napoleons”. Suddenly, to Halili, Barisan leader Najib Razak is someone “who wants to meet the needs of the people”. Did Halili think this way just a couple of weeks ago, when he was still being considered a possible PKR candidate for Hulu Selangor? Or has he radically changed his perspective because Zaid was eventually selected over him?


On another front, former Hulu Selangor MIC vice-chairman V.S. Chandran, who had defied his party to run as an independent candidate, has decided to pull out. When he announced his candidacy, he was full of fire against the party leadership for not choosing a local resident as candidate. Now he’s bowed out with a wimpy statement confessing his continued love for Barisan.


The other independent candidate, Johan Mohd Diah, a Shah Alam Umno Youth committee member, has also pulled out. Earlier in the day, he had announced at a press conference that he had chosen the hoe as his symbol and was hoping to win the votes of the agrarian young. Enigmatically, some hours later, he signed the papers to withdraw. No reason has been given, but speculation will be rife. The field is thus now down to just Pakatan versus Barisan, with the latter no longer having to fear the danger of split votes.





Some voters who gathered at Masjid Ar-Rahmah Kuala Kubu Baru


during candidates nomination day




As for the Barisan candidate, P. Kamalanathan, victory has become such an imperative that he has even stooped to defending the Malay right-wing group Perkasa just to court the Malay voters. This is so blatantly obvious that anyone who has half a brain would be able to see through him. What’s insidious about it is that he is following his Umno masters’ lead in playing the racial card, even at the expense of selling out the community his party supposedly represents. If he can be so impressionable, “lightweight” – a word that his own party president Samy Vellu labelled him with – cannot be more apt.


To be sure, losing this by-election is not an option at all for either Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. It is a test of where both coalitions stand two years after the March 8 watershed general election. In those two years, Barisan has been trying to rebuild its tarnished image while Pakatan, especially component party PKR, has been riven by internal rivalry and reeling from defections.


PKR has more to lose if it loses this by-election. Public perception of it is likely to further diminish. What’s more, it is fielding one of its bigwigs in Zaid, a Supreme Council member and former minister while he was with Umno. To be beaten by a virtual David would be a monumental loss of face for both Zaid and his party. They may never recover from it. Worse, it could spark a new momentum for Barisan, which is also likely to win the next by-election in Sibu, Sarawak.


When Barisan deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin announced Kamalanathan’s candidacy, he was not merely being facetious when he said Zaid was not a “heavyweight” and described him as a “featherweight” instead. Zaid has not really faced a big battle at the hustings. He won the Kota Baru parliamentary seat in 2004 when Barisan was riding high. In 2008, he became minister in Abdullah Badawi’s Cabinet through the back door by being made a senator first.


It might actually be unfortunate for Zaid that Palanivel is not standing against him. At KKB, I found out from local residents that when Palanivel was MP, he was hardly seen in his constituency. The way they talked about him, anyone could guess he would probably have lost.


According to a Pakatan insider, Zaid needs to win at least 40% of the Malay votes plus 70% of the Chinese and 50% of the Indian ones in order to secure victory. This sounds tough when you consider that Saluran 1, which comprises mainly Felda settlers who are terhutang budi (owe a debt) to Umno, will almost certainly vote Barisan.


Some of the younger ones in this saluran may think differently but not the old-timers. A young Malay local expressed to me his frustration at attempting to convince his parents of the need to vote for Pakatan for positive change, but he is unable to get through to them. Their main means to information is the television. Whatever he tells them of the Barisan wrongdoing being circulated on the Internet cannot match the force of the TV propaganda.





Pakatan Rakyat supporters and Police force during the candidates

nomination day




Another Pakatan supporter confirmed this. “Most of the Hulu Selangor Malays do nothing but watch TV when they are off work. You can tell them they need to think about the ills being committed by the Government but it won’t sink in. They have been brainwashed by TV for decades.”


As for the Chinese equation, the Kuala Kubu Baru state seat is being held by an MCA representative, and there are 8,000 MCA members throughout Hulu Selangor. That alone accounts for half of the Chinese voters in the constituency. Already, Pakatan, through its control of the Selangor State Government, has made use of its office to win them over by offering the landless Chinese in new villages a 99-year lease, but will this secure the endorsement of 70% of the Chinese who will be voting?


What about the Indian voters? The test for the MIC now is whether it can close ranks, whether Palanivel’s supporters and those of V. Mugilan, who had been favoured by Umno but was vetoed by the MIC leadership, will throw their support behind Kamalanathan. At the time of writing, only four Hulu Selangor MIC branches have closed in protest. This is a small percentage of the 72 in the constituency of which nearly half had earlier threatened sabotage, so the signs may be hopeful for Barisan.


I asked an MIC supporter at KKB if Palanivel and Mugilan’s supporters were still angry with the decision not to field either of them. He said, “What’s there to be angry about? The seat is still given to the MIC.”


Whatever happens, this by-election is turning out to be the most interesting and the most crucial so far. Both sides need a victory to boost their image and morale. A local Chinese shopkeeper I spoke to sees it as 50-50. “And I prefer to keep it that way,” he added. Interpret the meaning of that how you will. A staunch Umno supporter, however, sees it as 60-40 in favour of Barisan.


A win for Barisan will bring it closer to regaining its two-thirds majority in Parliament. Goodness knows what may ensue when Barisan gets that close. A win for Pakatan, however, would retain the current balance, closer to the 50-50 wisdom of the KKB shopkeeper. A win for Pakatan would therefore better serve the cause of democracy. But whether the Hulu Selangor voters care for that is another matter. And they’re the ones who will decide which side wins.

Najib: Hulu Selangor By-Election a Referendum

From http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/36-local/3182-najib-hulu-selangor-by-election-a-referendum.html

HULU SELANGOR: The by-election for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency is not merely to pick a Member of Parliament but it is also a referendum on the new direction of the country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.



He said that among the main consideration in achieving the national direction was the New Economic Model (NEM) which was precisely planned and it was hoped that within the next 10 years, Malaysia would succeed in becoming the most advanced nation.


"Malaysian news had travelled extensively to the extent that (United States) President Barack Obama (during the bilateral talks in Washington) had asked about the country's New Economic Model. I had given a very clear explanation on the NEM. This is a recognition for the BN (Barisan Nasional) government because we have a clear direction. We know the direction we want to take the country to".


Najib said this in his speech at a dinner at the BN Command Centre at Bukit Sentosa. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, BN candidate P. Kamalanathan, the BN secretariat and the election machinery of the component parties.


He said Hulu Selangor was now the centre of attraction of the country and following past practice and tradition, the Prime Minister should not be going on the ground during by-elections.


"But there is a difference in the Hulu Selangor by-election because it takes place in Selangor where I am the Selangor BN head and chairman of Selangor Umno," said Najib who returned home this morning after accepting the invitation of President Barack Obama to attend the Nuclear Security Summit and an official visit to Japan.


"I share the responsibility when the by-election occurs in Selangor. I have asked the opinion of the Hulu Selangor By-Election Committee chaired by Muhyiddin. I had asked whether it was appropriate for me to come down and assist the BN machinery in the by-election," he said.


Najib said the committee felt that it would be good if he could also join in. Furthermore, the heat from the by-election was not only felt in Putrajaya but also in Washington and Tokyo. I felt the heat and could not wait to come down here," he said.


"I should have come back this afternoon but I had left early and arrived at dawn because I wanted to be together with the by-election machinery. Malaysia is now at the centre of world attention and this is apparent when I was given the honour to have bilateral talks with President Obama during the Nuclear Summit," he said.


Najib said if Malaysia were being belittled as claimed by the opposition, Malaysia would not have been given the opportunity to be among the 40 countries invited to the conference, and he was among the nine leaders to have had bilateral talks with Obama.


"If we were worthless, he (Obama) would not have met me, but now, the opposition said I was being subservient to the United States. If there was no opportunity for bilateral talks with President Obama, then they would have said that the US President had no time for us. But when there is (bilateral meeting), they would then turn around the story. They will turn around everything. I wish to state that we will not be submissive to the US. We are equal," he pointed out.


"We don't have to agree on every single issue, we can disagree and be cordial about it. President Obama had also met with the Chinese President, does this mean that China is subservient to the US?" he asked.


At the conference, Najib said he had also pointed out that the peace talks in the Middle-East must go on.


"Don't be an expert manipulator. This touches on Malaysia's image. Now his friends in the US know that he is a two-faced person because all this while there are leaders in the US, including Jews, who are his friends. He is too desperate to win in Hulu Selangor...he is hoping that the people will be taken in by his political game," he said.


On the by-election, Najib said there was only one major issue in the constituency and it concerned promises that had not been fulfilled.


"I want to tell the voters in Hulu Selangor that the Barisan Nasional will fulfil its promises. All this while, when we win in a constituency, we will fulfil what we promise," he said.


Najib also named Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Noh Omar as the man responsible for ensuring that all pledges made were fulfilled.


"If there is not enough allocation, I am prepared to approve it as the Finance Minister. This is the primary message I want to send to the voters here," he said.


Najib said he was also satisfied with the people's reaction towards Kamalanathan who had familiarised himself with the residents here.


On the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), he said it was in a chaotic situation now and he had now known the various secrets on the party from the Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru, Datuk Seri Mohamed Hashim Zahrain and the Member of Parliament for Kulim-Bandar Baharu, Zulkifli Noordin, who had also joined the Malaysian delegation to the US.


"Every night after the programmes had been completed, they would sit down with me and tell everything that had transpired. But I don't want to disclose them here. Let me be the one to know, they know and Allah knows all," he added.

Problem-plagued BN trailing surging PKR .

From http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/4834-problem-plagued-bn-trailing-surging-pkr

By Zainal Epi

KUALA KUBU BARU: With two more days to polling for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat, Barisan Nasional is trailing PKR.

The BN still has to tackle numerous issues which its campaigners find it hard to do because these are policy matters which only the top leaders can decide.

Some of the issues concerned the Felda Sungai Buaya land mortgaged to a bank, uncertain future for Chinese in new villages with temporary occupancy licence and contradictory statements by BN leaders over 1Malaysia.

For example, a big banner in Kampung Assam Kumbang shows Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak with its 1Malaysia concept while his deputy MuhyiddinYassin talks about being a Malay first and Malaysian second.

In the BN camp, MCA supporters are finding it hard to penetrate Chinese new villages, while MIC is riven with internal problems. Umno is faring no better: it is depending largely on Najib’s charisma to do battle in “tough areas”.

It is truly becoming an uphill fight for BN although the three state seats in Hulu Selangor are held by them – Ulu Bernama and Batang Kali (Umno) and Kuala Kubu Baru (MCA).

The ruling coalition started off as a favourite to win back the seat it lost in the March 2008 general election. But by Wednesday, it found itself in an awkward position as its strategy of development did not seem to go down well with the 64,500 voters.

Strong PKR tide

In fact, the personal attack on PKR’s candidate Zaid Ibrahim seemed to have backfired; even the so-called “shocking” move by its division treasurer Dr Halili Rahmat to cross over to Umno has had little effect on the voters.

However, BN is now banking on Najib’s his walk-about campaign to reverse its fortune.

Najib was in Bukit Sentosa on Wednesday night and visted several places yesterday to push back the strong PKR tide.

“Najib’s presence will boost our chances as he is the only leader who is trusted by voters of all races,” said one campaigner.

In the meantime, PKR’s campaign is moving into top gear, with de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim leading the charge against BN on every issue.

Tomorrow night, PKR will stage a big show when PAS spiritual chief Nik Aziz Nik Mat delivers a speech in Felda Sungai Lenggi.

While the warring parties are trying to win the hearts and minds of the voters, local “political analysts” who themselves are voters are predicting that PKR is expected to retain the seat.

“We know this for sure: as of now, BN is still trailing and if it does not pick up fast, PKR will win with a big majority,” said a shopkeeper who wishes to remain anonymous.

From http://zaiduntukrakyat.com/?p=688#more-688

Serang Peribadi Sebab Umno Takut Kepada Zaid
Posted by Zaid Ibrahim

ShareSuara Keadilan: Calon Pakatan Rakyat, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim merupakan sosok yang paling sesuai untuk dinobatkan sebagai Ahli Parlimen Hulu Selangor kerana sikapnya yang jujur dan jiwanya yang patriotik dan bersifat Malaysia.

Serangan terhadap peribadi beliau membuktikan bahawa Umno-Barisan Nasional telah ketandusan hujah dan bankrap idea dalam usaha mereka untuk menawan Parlimen Hulu Selangor.
Demikian kata Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ketika berucap pada Ceramah Perdana di Pangsapuri Sri Tanjung, Bukit Sentosa malam tadi.

“Sekurang-kurangnya beliau jujur, ikhlas dan berterus terang dengan pengalaman silam beliau. Sebagai manusia biasa, kita tentulah melakukan kesilapan.”

“Dan saya yakin Datuk Zaid akan menjadi seorang Muslim yang lebih baik, terutamanya apabila beliau menyertai kita di dalam Pakatan Rakyat”

Ceramah yang dihadiri oleh lebih 3,000 ribu orang itu turut membariskan pemimpin utama dalam Pakatan Rakyat, diantaranya Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang serta Ketua Angkatan Muda KEADILAN, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

Beliau mengajak rakyat Malaysia khususnya pengundi di Hulu Selangor untuk menghukum Umno-BN di atas dosa yang telah mereka lakukan.

“Tanggungjawab utama bagi umat Islam antara lain adalah, untuk meilih pemimpin yang baik.

“Kalau kita silap pilih pemimpin, bermakna kita meletakkan nasib dan masa depan anak-anak kita dalam bahaya” tambah beliau.

Melengkapkan program Ceramah Perdana malam tadi ialah Ketua Parlimen DAP, Lim Kit Siang yang menyelar sikap hipokrit pemimpin Umno-BN terutamanya apabila berhadapan dengan isu moral.

“Saya berani katakan, sekiranya kita ingin membersihkan Umno-BN dari pimpinan yang korup dan bermoral rendah, kemungkinan kita akan kehilangan separuh dari barisan Menteri Kabinet”, seloroh beliau.

Beliau optimis dengan kemenangan Pakatan Rakyat di Hulu Selangor yang akan menjadi cerminan kepada keputusan pilihan raya kecil di Sibu kelak.

From http://merdekareview.com/bm/news.php?n=10734

Mabuk kuasa di Hulu Selangor
Mustafa K Anuar



Kisah calon pilihanraya kecil Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Zaid Ibrahim minum arak di masa beliau muda telah dijadikan isu hangat masa kini. Isu ini dilaporkan digembar-gembur oleh parti lawan, iaitu UMNO Baru/BN, yang bertujuan untuk meraih undi Melayu-Muslim di Hulu Selangor dengan harapan mereka akan merasa "mual" dengan perbuatan Zaid yang lalu itu.

Memanglah minum arak adalah satu perbuatan yang tidak direstui oleh agama Islam, dan sudah tentunya boleh "mencuit hati" orang ramai khususnya yang beragama Islam. Sesungguhnya, minum arak adalah antara "dosa" yang harus dielakkan oleh orang Islam sepertimana mereka perlu jauhkan diri dari perbuatan rasuah, menipu, menindas, membunuh dan memberi layanan berat sebelah (favouritism), antara lain, yang boleh menghasilkan sebuah masyarakat yang tidak adil dan porak peranda.

Tetapi Zaid telah bertaubat, dan mengungkit-ungkit amalan masa lampau beliau adalah sesuatu yang boleh diinterpretasikan, sepertimana yang telah dilakukan oleh beberapa pemerhati politik dan tokoh politik seperti Presiden Pas Hadi Awang, sebagai usaha untuk sengaja mengaibkan beliau di khalayak ramai amnya dan pengundi Hulu Selangor khususnya.

Lagipun, Zaid telahpun mengaku akan perbuatannya masa lalu itu, dan telah bersikap insaf.

Bukan itu sahaja, beliau tidak mahu "melancarkan" serangan peribadi sebagai satu respons terhadap ahli politik UMNO Baru khususnya walaupun beliau tahu siapa dalam UMNO Baru yang "berkecimpung" dalam "alam arak dan judi". Ini adalah satu pendekatan gentleman yang diambil oleh Zaid, dan harus dihargai.

Namun, nampaknya ini tidak melemahkan semangat pihak lawan untuk terus melekatkan label "peminum arak tegar" kepada Zaid. Perbuatan seperti ini hanya menebalkan lagi syak wasangka umum bahawa pihak lawan begitu terdesak (desperate) dan mabuk kuasa hingga sanggup berbuat sesuatu yang melampaui batas.

Harus juga disentuh di sini, iaitu perbuatan sebilangan penyokong PKR, kalaupun tidak Pakatan Rakyat, melawan balik "serangan peribadi" ini dengan kaedah yang sama adalah sesuatu yang bercanggahan dengan ketertiban politik Zaid. Lagipun, tidak perlu bagi mereka terjerumus dalam lembah politik murahan dengan pihak lawan.

Ini kerana perbuatan aib-mengaib ini mempunyai implikasi, antara lain, mengalihkan isu besar dan penting dari pandangan umum di Hulu Selangor khususnya. Seperkara lagi, perbuatan ini juga meletakkan mainan politik Malaysia di takuk yang lama, iaitu bercorak peribadi, remeh temeh dan primitif - dalam era globalisasi dan kemajuan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi.

Kempen pilihanraya di Hulu Selangor ini seharusnya memperkatakan isu-isu yang harus diketengahkan dan ketahui umum. Misalnya, isu tempatan seperti tanah rizab untuk Orang Asli di kawasan Hulu Selangor, lebih-lebih lagi bagi mereka yang terpaksa berpindah dari tempat asal usul mereka disebabkan "projek pembangunan" tertentu. Bukan itu sahaja, perihal keperluan asas untuk mereka, seperti kemudahan perubatan, persekolahan dsb.

Selain dari itu, calon parti yang berkenaan perlu juga membincangkan hal pembangunan bagi orang Hulu Selangor secara komprehensif. Ini bukan sekadar memberi basikal atau mendirikan jalan bertar pada kadar sekelip mata sebelum berakhirnya proses pilihanraya kecil ini.

Ataupun, hal pembangunan yang seharusnya dilaksanakan di merata-rata tempat selagi ada penduduk yang memerlukannya tanpa mengira bulu, iaitu Pakatan Rakyat atau Barisan Nasional, dan tidak kira Cina, Melayu dan India, dan di Sabah dan Sarawak, Iban, Melanau ataupun Kadazandusun, antara lain.

Dalam konteks inilah seharusnya ditekankan betapa pentingnya keadilan bagi semua orang yang bermastautin di negara ini. Di sini juga boleh diselitkan isu amalan politik perkauman yang patut dikecam oleh umum kerana ketidakadilan lebih-lebih lagi dalam hal pembangunan negara yang berpaksikan etnisiti (atau kaum) boleh menimbulkan suasana dan corak kehidupan yang mengaibkan bagi sesetengah kelompok manusia.

Isu pertanggungjawapan atau accountability dalam kalangan ahli politik dan pemimpin politik juga perlu diketengahkan kerana tanpa prinsip ini, banyak salah laku seperti rasuah dan ketidakadilan oleh ahli politik akan masih berleluasa. Harus ditekankan di sini bahawa rasuah (yang lazimnya dilakukan oleh orang Islam-Melayu) melibatkan wang rakyat yang dibazirkan demi kesejahteraan beberapa kerat kelompok politikus, wang yang seharusnya digunakan untuk kebahagiaan rakyat jelata.

Tidak juga kurang pentingnya ialah isu kebebasan bersuara dan media, kerana tanpa kebebasan ini rakyat tidak akan dapat ketahui dengan lebih rapi bagaimana wang mereka dipergunakan oleh orang yang dipertanggungjawabkan untuk memerintah dan membangunkan negara ini. Lagipun, rasuah akan masih berleluasa selagi media tidak bebas untuk menjalankan kewartawanan siasatan dan membuat pemimpin politik bertanggungjawab terhadap tindakan dan dasarnya.

Isu-isu seperti apa yang dibentangkan di atas seharusnya tidak ditenggelami oleh arus kemabukan politik dan kuasa yang telah melanda masyarakat kita masa kini. Apakah mereka yang masih kemabukan kuasa dengan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) layak untuk mengkritik Zaid Ibrahim, yang telah menjauhkan diri daripada "dosa ini" sejak September 2008?

*Mustafa K Anuar ialah seorang pemerhati budaya, masyarakat dan slogan.

From http://merdekareview.com/bm/news.php?n=10733

PAS Selangor optimis Zaid menang Ahad ini



PAS Selangor optimis setakat ini calon Pakatan Rakyat mendahului calon BN dari sudut sokongan rakyat khasnya para pengundi di Hulu Selangor. Kerja-kerja kempen yang dilakukan secara bersepadu antara para petugas PAS, PKR dan DAP terus-menerus mendapat sambutan yang menggalakkan dari penduduk tempatan.

Dari tinjauan didapati bahawa rekod buruk perkhidmatan wakil MIC dari Barisan Nasional sebelum pilihanraya umum 2008 lalu telah menyedarkan rakyat untuk tidak lagi memberi peluang pada BN. Ini ditambah dengan pencapaian memberangsangkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor di bawah kepimpinan Khalid Ibrahim.

Program Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES) ternyata menyentuh hati rakyat jelata. Dan ini memberi kesan langsung kepada harapan Zaid Ibrahim hari Ahad ini lantaran rakyat selesa dengan kesungguhan dan keikhlasan pimpinan dan kerajaan PR Selangor sejak berkuasa Mac 2008 lalu sehinggalah hari ini.

PAS Selangor menjangkakan jumlah para petugas PAS khasnya dari seluruh negara akan terus meningkat menjelang fasa terakhir tempuh berkempen dan pada hari mengundi bagi menyokong dan membantu jentera PKR.

PAS Selangor mengambil kesempatan menyeru seluruh pengundi berdaftar di Hulu Selangor agar keluar beramai-ramai pada hari mengundi Ahad ini dan memberikan undi kepada calon PKR yang mewakili Pakatan Rakyat bagi memberikan isyarat kesungguhan rakyat mahu melihat PR terus memerintah negeri Selangor ini. Begitu juga pada para pengundi pos yang berjumlah 799 orang itu, PAS Selangor mengharapkan agar mereka nanti akan berani menyalurkan suara melalui undi masing-masing demi membina sebuah Negeri Selangor yang maju, bersih dan berkebajikan buat semua.

*Kenyataan media oleh Roslan Shahir bin Mohd Shahir selaku Ketua Penerangan PAS Selangor Badan Perhubungan PAS negeri Selangor.