Maximus's meaningless maxim

The coming general elections might as well have a no-campaign period as there is nothing the opposition can criticise or act without falling foul of the laws, like the Sedition Act, and being put in the slammer under the Internal Security Act. Opposing the system is treated as opposing the government and can be considered traitorous, at the whim and fancy of the Minister of Home Affairs or Minister of Internal Security.

Now, we have Maximus’s statement prohibiting racial statements and comments during the coming general election campaigning. Taking his statement at face value, it means Umno's policies cannot be criticised at all! All its unfair discriminatory racial policies and the opposition’s analyses of election results based on racial parties like Umno, MCA and MIC, which showed Umno’s disproportionate power in relation to its total votes, cannot be mentioned as well.

Though we try not to be racist, it is the Umno leadership that is forcing the ‘nons’ to react against racial discrimination and bullying. Unless and until the present leadership end its racial parties, they have no moral right to stop people from criticising their racially unfair policies. Are we to accept their patronising 'do what I tell you to do but not what I do'?

The people complained but without effect, when the system slowly encroaches on the rights of the minorities, and the leaders enriched themselves with impunity, because they can decide who not to prosecute. With a 90% majority, they were prepared to amend the Constitution to retain the indispensable Election Commission Chairman, whom they have relied on for the past six general elections. But in addition to Maximus’s statement, to have the PM’s son-in-law telling us that we do not even have the right to comment on the date of the General Election must be the last straw!