Our HP6 Ministers...

who are prone to outbursts.

Bearing in mind Bersih's memorandum to demand clean and fair elections has the following four key reforms:

1. Use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting.
2. To remove phantom voters and those who have died from the electoral roll.
3. The abolishment of postal voting.
4. Equal and fair access to the press.

From Malaysiaunplugged:

In Parliament, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (BN-Padang Renggas) called the Opposition, among others, “pondan” (wimps).

Nazri said it would be pointless to try and understand the reason behind the rally as the “brains of Opposition members do not function well.”

Nazri said the government has no intention to drawing up a law to allow citizens to be automatically registered as voters upon reaching 21 years of age.

He said:
"... If I were to describe this in the language of today’s youths, I would have to say that the wires in their heads are severed. I don’t understand why they claim that the EC is unfair.

I would understand if he (Anwar) says that the EC is unfair after losing an election, but he hasn't even contested to say that the EC is unfair and that's why I say that his head does not function well.

Yang Di Pertua (Speaker), this is a man (MP Lim Kit Siang ) whose 'wires in the head have severed’. We support the demonstrations in Myanmar (Burma) as there's no democracy there.

But we have democracy HERE , which is through the elections, not through street demonstrations.

Don't try to drag the King into this. The King and the people are behind us. They (the opposition) are afraid to face the next elections.

If you've no courage, don't become a 'pondan'.

Many Malaysians who shift to another state or district do not inform the National Registration Department of their new address.

In this case, they have to return to their previous constituency to cast their votes and it creates the possibility for a very poor voter turnout as many will be reluctant to travel to their previous constituencies to vote."

***

Below is a transcript of the telephone interview that Malaysia's Minister of Information Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM) gave to the Doha-based TV Network Al-Jazeera (AJ), moments after the BERSIH memo was delivered to Royal Palace at the close of the biggest anti-government protest in Malaysia in ten years. (reproduced from www.idlethink.com/bersih )

The transcript below of the interview (as close as it can be transcribed from the ramblings of the Information Minister):

ZAM: ....I commend your journalists trying to project, to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That, that, that, that's it. We, we are not, the, the -- and I, I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that, that's ---

AJ: As you say that, sir, we're watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water ...

ZAM (interrupts): Ya, I am watching, I hear, [?] .... trying to do it everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed, to, you know [?] ... Police have allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know, do police, first police, like, they handle them, they [?] them, they ... the police don't, don't, don't fire anybody ...

AJ: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

ZAM (speaking over her): ... You, you, you, you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind, you think that we are Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar, everything you, you are thinking ...

AJ: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

ZAM (speaking over her): ...Ya, ya, we are not like you, you have early perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

AJ: So why can't people protest then, if it's a democratic country?

ZAM (interjects at "protest then"): Ya, people protest, people then -- first they protest, we are allowing protests, and they have demonstrated. But we just trying to disperse them and then later they, you know, disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Negara. Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why do you report that and you take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak, you don't take from the government, right?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protesters --

ZAM (interrupting): Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: I can't hear you. I can't hear you.

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: No we, we are, we, this protest is illegal. We don't want, this, the, normally ... (slight pause, then continues to talk while she interjects)

AJ (interjecting): OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

ZAM (babbling on): Ya it's illegal protest because (AJ: Why?) we have the election in Malaysia. It's no, no point on having the protest, we are allowing to have every, an election every five years, never fail. We not our like, are not like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces, the, you know, these forces who are not [?], who don't believe in [?] ...

AJ (seems to want to say something, but decides not to): I don't ... many thanks for joining us.

ZAM: I don't, ya, you, Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?

(she doesn't reply. In the background, the chants of the protesters fill the silence)