COMMENT There has been a lot of discussions about redelineation. A simple explanation is given in the chart.

As usual, the Election Commission (EC) will deny that it has anything to do with the alleged dirty strategy of helping the ruling party and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to win a bigger mandate in the coming election, just as had happened in 2004 after the last redelineation.

Pundits are saying that most people have given up or become politically lethargic; they are willing to submit to fate and remain pessimistic, but I think the contrary is true.

Most of us in the urban constituencies have already made up our minds for whom we will vote; it is the rural voters that need to be spoken to. While the rural folk are more laid back, most of us are peeved at what we see daily.

If you care to just check out the number of shares and the comments people made on the article, ‘Permata removed from list, no ‘lead by example’ award for Rosmah’, you will understand what I mean. It was a record of 9,000 shares and 138 comments! To me, it sounded like a cheer of Hurray!

This is the people’s response to the couple who is known for their extravagance, Rosmah Mansor in particular. Don’t think we are stupid; perhaps only someone like ‘Mrs Jagjeet’ in Teresa Kok’s satire video would want to emulate Rosmah’s antics.

Ceramahs aside, even if we do not attend, do you think most of us would shift our votes back to Barisan Nasional (BN)?

We have seen how the EC has been unfair towards the opposition, denying the people of their choice of government. And rascals have threatened the lives of civil society leaders such as Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, and getting away without punishment.

Even Dr Asri Zainul Abidin, the mufti of Perlis, is not spared from attacks even though he is not a politician himself. Dr Asri has more credibility as a mufti compared to two other controversial muftis. In fact, the gentleman himself has invited the ‘anti-Wahhabi’ group to a forum on extremism.

Big job ahead

With the redelineation and the attacks on the opposition leaders, we have a big job ahead to unseat BN from Putrajaya and to save Malaysia from sliding further down.

The Conference of Malay rulers would be a great help, if they care to show their leadership in the current situation, but as citizens of this nation, we too have a responsibility to remember this one important thing: we are a democratic nation.

It is, therefore, time for us to reclaim our power. The word ‘democracy’ comes from two Greek words, ‘demos’ (as in demographics) which means ‘the people’ and ‘kratos’ (or power). Literally, this means the power of the people. When we have become a nation of kleptocrats, it is time that we vote these people out of the corridors of power.

This is why the Citizens’ Declaration mooted by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is so important and so powerful. It’s the people’s power.

Over a million of us have already signed the declaration within a short period of two months. In fact, we should continue to get more people to sign the Citizens’ Declaration, instead of just stopping at one million. I leave this to the group’s secretariat.

When I was collecting the signatures, I could see the amount of enthusiasm that was there in many who signed the declaration; therefore, it is untrue that there is a shift in voting pattern amongst the non-Malay communities in Malaysia. In fact, more people are peeved at the inaction over the 1MDB scam.

What used to be cronyism and nepotism during Dr Mahathir’s era, is now kleptocracy, a term which was used by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and applied to a government seen as having a particularly severe and systemic problem with officials or a ruling class; such was the strong warning coming out from the civil suit filed by the DOJ to seize over RM1 billion worth of assets.

We now know who Malaysian Official No 1, thanks to Rahman Dahlan, the BN strategic director. It is none other than Najib himself.

Stand in solidarity

What is true is that within Umno itself, there are already major cracks. It is now divided into two major factions, one led by former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who agreed that Umno is now a scrap vehicle that no longer can be salvaged.

The ‘fence’ that was supposed to protect the padi has become the kleptocrats. Billions of ringgit have allegedly ended up somewhere in the world, only to be tracked down by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), while our Malaysian Official No 1 has been declared innocent.

According to former finance minister II Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, 1MDB has to pay some RM2.7 billion in interest for the RM42 billion loans taken by the state investment arm. This is a huge amount of money for a company that is owned by the state which seemingly has little or no returns.

Former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wahid Omar told CNBC that 1MDB was not sustainable from the onset. There is no question that 1MDB has become one of the biggest scams this country has to face.

Therefore, after signing the Citizens’ Declaration, it is time for us to unite as citizens of this country on seven points which will bring about a change of government as a necessity to save Malaysia:

(1) Stand in solidarity as one people, one nation, one heart, as we move forward with a clear vision that we want a change of government. We cannot tolerate any political party that is in power for more than 50 years.

(2) While we cannot expect angels from either side, we have to support the federal opposition until it has become strong enough to take over Putrajaya for at least two terms. All that we want is a balance of power that can allow a proper check-and-balance.

(3) To win in the general election against all the odds that the opposition has to face, they need all the help that we can provide as non-politicians.

(4) As activists, it is our duty to help talk to our friends, relatives and family members about what is happening in the country so that we will all vote intelligently. Those who can talk at ceramah, by all means, go ahead and offer yourselves during the coming general election.

(5) As activists, we have to safeguard the electoral system from being manipulated as in the past. We have to teach our people against being influenced by money politics.

(6) Those who cannot do much apart should at least contribute funds, whatever the amount, to the electoral campaign. A lot of things still need money - banners, flyers and even the bamboo sticks!

(7) Finally, we have to remember de facto opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim who has been in prison for nearly two years now. Like the outspoken US lawyer Kimberley Motley said, Anwar should never have been thrown into prison in the first place. His imprisonment should not be in vain, and may the fire that he alighted on each of us remain strong and powerful.

Yesterday: An attempt to demonise the DAP in Penang?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.