YOURSAY | ‘The reluctance to announce the date is not adding any advantage to anyone.’

Ace: PM Najib Razak, why toy around with journalists and the Malaysian public on the election date? It's actually shameful as it is a form of mockery of the democratic processes.

In other proper democracies, the election dates are fixed well in advance so that all parties, both incumbent and opposition, have a real opportunity to present their manifestos and reach out to the electorate and present their cases as to why they deserve their votes - a level-playing field where one can win or lose in a "fair and square" and gentlemanly manner.

Not here, where the element of surprise is so important, where cheating, lying, threatening, et cetera, are so proudly carried out and, in the process, diluting and removing much of the democratic rights of the electorate.

Oldtimer: I don't see the dignity of a prime minister of a country asking the reporters, "When is the election?" Is this scene part of a Korean drama?

Elections are such an important event in a country, and we have a prime minister playing a guessing game. How does the concept of a developed nation correlate with such childish acts?

VGV: Indeed, why the guessing game, Najib? What's so great about the election date being announced?

You naming the date now, then, or later, makes no difference for anyone. You call the election and we will cast our votes.

OMG!: It is unnecessary to have a variable election date that is determined by the prime minister. The US has a definite date for the presidential election, which is held every four years. So why can't we?

The various reins of power that Malaysian prime ministers hold must be cut from their hands so that the people's sovereignty remains unchallenged.

For example, having a fixed date for general elections, and a parliamentary selection committee to determine the nominations of the chief justice, attorney-general, Bank Negara governor, inspector-general of police, MACC chief and so on.

A political party must never be allowed to hold sway over all the levers of power for 61 years, or to arrange things to make it easy to hang onto power for decades.

Clever Voter: Every elected representative should be reminded that they owe their position and power to the voters through the democratic process.

The reluctance to announce the date of the polls is not adding any advantage to anyone. The ballot box remains the only piece that hasn't been taken away.

The prime minister has to know that he shouldn't have everything his way.

Nazri: Non-Muslims must vote BN parties to ensure rights remain protected

Vijay47: There may be Malaysiakini readers who oppose these interviews with Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz on the grounds they give him an undeserved platform to glorify himself.

However, I think the sessions give us the opportunity to see the real Nazri.

The only reason Umno suffers MIC, Gerakan, and MCA in government is for the sole purpose of crowing how multiracial BN is, when the reality is that the opinions of these non-Umno parties carry no weight at all.

Nazri conveniently refuses to admit that every change in official policy in over 30 years has seen only further restrictions on non-Muslims and non-Malays.

He has the gall to quote the Indira Gandhi case; how is the removal of a painful injustice that was allowed to fester for 10 years seen as an act of fairness?

Rupert16: Who stood side-by-side with Indira in her long fight to get injustice? It was M Kulasegaran, MP for Ipoh Barat.

We didn’t even hear any whimper of support from any politician from non-Muslim BN parties. So what are you talking about BN supporting Indira’s case?

If BN parties are indeed sincere in giving her support, kindly get the police to search for her missing daughter and arrest her husband for causing her and her family so many years of pain and distress.

Patriot1: He has got to be joking. We have had bibles impounded because of having the word “Allah” in it. We have had an inspector-general of police blatantly defying court orders on unilateral conversions and getting away with it.

We have had terrace houses having to be repainted because their air-wells look faintly like crosses. We have got beer festival organisers being given the run-around, et cetera. You call that religious freedom?

Anonymous_4031c: How does Nazri know that the opposition cannot govern or do better than the current government?

Mr Barrister, as a learned person, pray tell us how you can come to this deduction when we know “Kalau belum cuba, belum tahu lagi” (If you haven’t tried, you don’t know yet)”.

EmEmKay: You say that no Act was enacted that compromised non-Muslim rights, but when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister, the non-Muslim employment in the government service and intake of non-bumiputeras into institutes of higher learning/universities were gravely affected.

Even when the former menteri besar of Selangor proposed a certain percentage intake of non-bumiputeras into Universiti Teknologi Mara, it was not supported by you and the cabinet.

Now, just because general elections are around the corner, suddenly you say BN can protect non-Muslim rights.

In my opinion, we had enough of your and BN’s bluffs. We have decided to change the government, and BN must sit as the opposition for at least two terms to learn your lesson to take us for granted.

In the process, we are going for a two-party system for the betterment of Malaysia in general.

Quigonbond: Nazri seems more concerned with self-preservation. Anyway, nice try.

There is no need to hold the minority races' collective head to the gun and basically threaten them to choose BN. That day has long past since 2008.

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