Sunday 7 October 2012

Chua tells Johoreans to muster courage to fight for change



Chua tells Johoreans to muster courage to fight for change
        JOHOR BARU (Oct 6, 2012): Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Meng tonight urged Johoreans, especially the Chinese, to muster courage to fight for political change in Malaysia.
“It is time for all Johoreans to stop fearing Barisan Nasional-Umno’s intimidations. After 55 years of BN rule, we cannot afford to gamble further with BN’s plundering ways that will surely bankrupt this nation.
“We also have had enough of the racial and religious discord sowed by Umno and BN,” he said at a mooncake cum ceramah outside Taman Puteri Wangsa PKR’s branch office tonight.
“Anwar has displayed marvellous leadership by example by showing that he really means business, the courage to rally his Malay community for real change to uplift their standard of living.
“In unveiling Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s alternative Budget, Anwar  made it clear that when PR comes to power, he would do away with race-based policies to stimulate and fast track Malaysia’s socio-economic progress.
  
Chua the fiery orator got the rapt attention of the audience 
   “He is the first Malay leader to truly show that he is a courageous Malaysian and has the heart for the country and his citizens. Malaysians, especially Johoreans, must therefore not disappoint the efforts of such a leader.
“We must all rise to support him to be our next Prime Minister,” he said to a rousing round of applause from the crowd.
Chua, who is also PKR vice-president, said he concurred with Anwar’s accusation that Umno had manipulated and hijacked the New Economic Policy (NEP) to enrich only the Umno elites and their cronies.
“Are the Malays in the kampong and urban poor benefiting from the NEP? You only see cronies like Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary getting richer and richer.
“Malaysians have nothing to lose by giving Anwar and PR the chance to help raise the standard of living of all Malaysians,” he said, adding PR’s macro-focused alternative Budget would in the long run ensure a progressive and prosperous nation.
He said the BN had rubbished PR’s Budget to gradually reduce car excise duty, starting with a 20% cut.
“In the first place, why must Malaysians pay more than 100% in excise duty? Why are the prices of our Proton cars so much cheaper in Langkawi and foreign countries?
“It is the uncaring BN government that is abusing its power and laws to enrich their cronies in the car industry. The AP (Approved Permit) is used for this purpose,” he added.
Chua said the irresponsible BN-Umno had been using the ghost of May 13, 1969, bloody racial conflict to frighten Malaysians into submitting to BN all these years.
“Declassified documents at the Public Records Office in London suggest that the racial bloodbath was intentionally started by Umno warlords as a coup d'état to topple
our dearly beloved First Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, following heavy defeats in the general election,” he said.
Chua said in this digital age, the people were more educated and informed, and to continue with such race politics “is irresponsible and outdated, to say the least”.
 
Chua with other PR coalition party leaders at the ceramah.
 
Part of the crowd listening attentively to Chua articulating his views at the ceramah.
“The people will not fall for such an archaic political ploy,” he said, reiterating the need for Malaysians to make the right decision to fight BN’s divisive and race politics.
He said China was a much more backward country than Malaysia in the ‘80s.
“Today, it has overtaken Malaysia by leaps and bounds. Why? The Chinese had the courage to support change led by an honest and truly courageous leader like Deng Xiao Peng.
“Today, Anwar is that man for Malaysia,” he said to another round of applause.