Archive for category Elections
BN must respect next GE result
by John Inbaraj
The Malaysian Insider
May 21, 2011
MAY 21 — Great Men talk of Ideas, Average Men talk of Things, and Small Men talk of other Men. If I choose to be kind, I can best rate the Malaysian government as average.
In the days of old, our leaders were visionaries, people who talked of great plans and ideas for the country. They had quality — the likes of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn.
Whether or not their visions and policies achieved their desired goals, they were genuine Malaysians with a heart for the nation. There were others on the sidelines who stood strong to ideals and contributed unselfishly to nation building.
However, the prime minister after that, the great Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, began the systematic dismantling of the principles of democracy and the downward slide of an entire nation. He is widely seen as the man who almost single-handedly destroyed the basic instruments of parliamentary democracy. Read the rest of this entry »
The General Election is in July, folks!
By Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad | May 20, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 20 — I wish I didn’t have to say this but better safe than sorry, so I’m going to say it anyway. I honestly hope I’m completely wrong but my sixth sense is telling me that I’m right again.
Yes, despite whatever the prime minister has said, is saying, and will be saying, about the date of the 13th General Election (GE), I dare say that it’s all meant to coax and delude us into believing that it’s not going to be a snap poll.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bolehkah BN menang besar dengan menggunakan isu moral?
By Aspan Alias | May 08, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
8 MEI — Nampak cara pemimpin besar kita bercakap dan bergerak pilihanraya semacam dah nak dekat sangat. Kalau dikaji pula cara bergerak pemimpin pembangkang juga menambah keyakinan kita yang waktu untuk memilih siapa yang akan memerintah dan mentadbir negara sudah semakin hampir.
Yang paling menarik sekali ialah isu-isu yang dikeluarkan oleh kedua-dua pihak yang sedang berlumba-lumba mendapatkan keyakinan rakyat semakin panas dan menarik perhatian ramai termasuklah diri saya. Saya dapat agak banyak pandangan dari kawan-kawan yang serius memberi pandangan yang serius baik buruknya sesuatu isu bagi kedua-dua belah pihak itu.
Read the rest of this entry »
The rise of pop-litical culture
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Sarawak, Zairil Khir Johari on Thursday, 12 May 2011
By Zairil Khir Johari | May 12, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Midway through the Sarawak campaign I received a text message from an unfamiliar number. The sender turned out to be a woman in Kuching, wanting to know when my next layover at the state capital would be.
Feeling perplexed, I glanced at my campaign itinerary. Some days I didn’t even know where I was. Spaced out as I was by the constant travelling, I was even more bemused by the rest of her message.
She went on to explain that her teenage daughter had a collection of five Ubah (the DAP hornbill mascot) plush toys, four of them bearing autographs of various party leaders and ceramah speakers. One of them, still in its original plastic wrapping, had been especially reserved for my John Hancock. Hence, she wanted to know if Kuching would be part of my tour.
Read the rest of this entry »
Defeated PAP leader: Party must transform
Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo reiterated that the People’s Action Party (PAP) must transform to respond to the significant developments in Singapore’s political landscape, stressing it would determine the island-nation’s fate in the 21st century.
In a statement today following his remarkable defeat on home turf Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which he has held since 1988, Yeo (right) admitted that he had felt the need to voice the ruling party’s need to transform, well before the campaign for the 2011 Singapore general election began.
“It was not something I felt I could say when the campaign started.
“As we ended our campaign on May 5, I talked about the importance of transforming the PAP. This is a belief I’ve held for some time,” said the two-decade politician.
Read the rest of this entry »
Will the Chinese Vote Swing Epidemic Spread Across the Nation?
By Dajmarizal Zolkipli
Malaysian Digest
After Malaysians were struck by the Bieber ‘fever’ in recent weeks, Malaysian politics are now rocked with an epidemic of a different sort: the Chinese vote swing fever. This latest vote trend was evident in the recent Sarawak state election result. However, the Chinese vote swing may well have started when Gerakan was rejected by the Penangites in 2008 general ‘tsunami’ election when DAP took over the state – an apparent validation that the majority-Chinese (43.6 percent) population there favored the Opposition. In Penang, Malays make up 40 percent of its population while 9.9 percent are Indians.
DAP’s commendable performance – snatching 12 out of 15 seats they contested – in the 10th Sarawak state election proves that they are the dominant opposition party in Sarawak. Analysts suggest a certain kind of resurrection of Chinese protest votes taking place in the April 16 state election.
Post-Sarawak Election
Read the rest of this entry »
‘Think of it as a duty roster than a shadow cabinet’
Susan Loone | May 8, 11
Malaysiakini
Sarawak DAP state representatives played down the current spat between the party and PKR over the shadow cabinet issue, saying the temporary crisis would not mess up the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.
DAP Sarawak secretary Chong Chieng Jen (right) described the issue which recently pitted the two Pakatan allies as a ‘minor hiccup’ which will not affect the existing relationship between the duo.
Chong, who is Kota Sentosa MP, explained that the problem has cropped up because the two parties viewed the issue differently.
Chong said the DAP viewed the exercise as a “portfolio distribution’, where every assemblyperson would get to flex his or her muscle in areas where they excelled or have expertise in.
“PKR, however, viewed it as a reflection of a future ministerial cabinet (where the candidates would eventually assume the ministerial post should Pakatan seize Petrajaya in the coming election),” he said.
“So to avoid controversy, perhaps we can call this line-up by another name…for example…a duty roster?” he added, at the conclusion of the party’s mega-ceramah in Penang last night. Read the rest of this entry »
Chinese voters must decide
ON THE BEAT WITH WONG CHUN WAI
Sunday Star
Sunday May 8, 2011
The question is whether the Chinese community wishes to be in the government or the opposition in the next general election.
IT’S a month now since the Sarawak state polls and Tan Sri Taib Mahmud, who was the target of the emotional election campaign, remains the Chief Minister.
He delivered 35 out of the 35 seats contested by Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu and convincingly won in his Asajaya stronghold, with his opponents losing their deposits.
The calls for Taib, the longest serving Chief Minister, to step down have since stopped.
Despite the cry for change, nothing has changed. Taib is still the man in charge and he still holds the key to the state’s 29 Barisan Nasional MPs in the safe deposit box.
Painful as it may sound, the reality is that the only change that has occurred is the Chinese voters have committed their representation to the opposition. Read the rest of this entry »
GE: “We hear all your voices”, says PM Lee
By Chitra Rajaram | Posted: 08 May 2011 0401 hrs
www.channelnewsasia.com
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the voters have decided and he is “humbled” that they voted the PAP government back to power.
Speaking at a post-victory news conference after the General Election results were announced on Sunday, Mr Lee said voters had given the PAP a strong mandate but he is aware of the concerns and issues voters had put across.
“We hear all your voices,” said Mr Lee.
The PAP government was returned to power with a majority of 81 seats including five uncontested seats. The strong showing is a relief for Mr Lee, who was seeking his second mandate as Prime Minister.
Although it was a sweeping win in terms of seats, the PAP’s share of the popular vote slipped to 60.14 percent from 66.6 percent at the last election in 2006. Read the rest of this entry »
S’pore’s political awakening likely to impact Johor
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | May 6, 11 5:32pm
Malaysiakini
With more than half a million Malaysians working in Singapore, the apparent political shift in the Singapore election campaign is set to shake Malaysia’s political landscape, especially in the southern state of Johor – deemed to be Umno last bastion in the peninsula.
In this polls, described by many as the toughest battle faced by ruling party People’s Action Party (PAP) since 1960s, the opposition campaign had gained impressive momentum, reflected by the attendance of animated crowds numbering in the tens of thousands at their mega-rallies over the past few days.
It has not only rung the PAP’s alarm bell but also received wide coverage from both the international and Malaysian media.
“No question, Singapore’s political opening will shape all those who are here to see politics differently, whether they are from Malaysia or Indonesia,” said Bridget Welsh, an associate professor in political science at the Singapore Management University. Read the rest of this entry »
Singapore’s democratic opening
Bridget Welsh | May 6, 11 1:54pm
Malaysiakini
COMMENT
Singapore’s 2011 general election campaign has been historic, and signals a major transformation in the country’s political landscape. The intensity and tone of this campaign has been unprecedented as the ruling PAP’s (People’s Action Party) record has come under attack.
Given the impressive management of the 2008 global financial crisis and record GDP growth of 14.5% in 2010, this election should have given Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) a strong mandate and seen as a celebration of Singapore’s success.
Instead, from the first day of the campaign when thousands thronged Hougang Stadium to attend an opposition rally organised by the Worker’s Party, the PAP has been on the defensive.
A few days ago, the Singaporean premier, in a brave and unprecedented display of humility, apologised for the mistakes of ministers and failings of his government – repeatedly. This move represented an acknowledgment that all is not right in Singapore and that the concerns of many Singaporeans are not been adequately addressed.
In fact, the mood on the ground in Singapore has been one of angst, sometimes anger, as this general election campaign has stirred a revolutionary outpouring of open criticism towards the PAP. Read the rest of this entry »
Singapore’s Lee Retains Power With Smallest Margin Since 1965
Bloomberg Businessweek
By Shamim Adam and Weiyi Lim
May 07, 2011, 4:08 PM EDT
May 8 (Bloomberg) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s People’s Action Party retained power with the smallest margin of popular votes since independence amid a record turnout that tripled the number of opposition members in parliament.
The party that has ruled Singapore for more than five decades won 81 out of 87 parliamentary seats and 60.1 percent of the popular vote in yesterday’s polls, according to the Elections Department. A record 2 million ballots were counted.
The run-up to the election brought out tens of thousands of Singaporeans to rallies in support of the PAP and the opposition parties, which resonated with citizens complaining about the rising cost of living and competition with foreigners for jobs and housing. The result adds pressure on Lee, 59, to reach out to the growing number of Singaporeans who have questioned government policies.
“The political landscape has changed forever,” Suzaina Kadir, a senior lecturer at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. “There’s serious questioning of the PAP’s continued dominance. Now the work begins for the opposition.” Read the rest of this entry »
To explore further the idea of a DAP-SNAP merger in my three days in Kuching, Sibu and Miri starting tomorrow
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Pakatan Rakyat, Sarawak on Friday, 29 April 2011
In my three days of visit to Kuching, Sibu and Miri beginning tomorrow, I will also take the opportunity to explore further the idea of a DAP-SNAP merger as a follow-up to the 416 political awakening in the recent Sarawak state general elections with the twin objectives to accelerate greater political awakening among Sarawakians of all ethnic groups and deepen and strengthen DAP and Pakatan Rakyat political support in the state.
This will be in line with the decision of the DAP Sarawak State Committee at its meeting in Sibu last Sunday to give the nod to explore further the idea of a possible DAP-SNAP merger.
I propose not only to meet SNAP leaders and veterans but also to discuss the post-416 political scenario and challenges with a whole spectrum of Sarawakians. Read the rest of this entry »
Most important ingredient for national unity
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, nation building, Politics on Thursday, 28 April 2011
By: K.K. Tan
The Sun
Wed, 27 Apr 2011
DESPITE the debate on racial unity and attempts by the government to achieve it, there seems to be more disunity than ever. It appears that the silent voices of reason and moderation of the majority, who are in support of 1Malaysia, are drowned by the increasingly aggressive voices from a small minority of extremists.
Once again, the destructive and inflammatory proposal to punish a certain ethnic community in the post-Sarawak election blame game is being promoted to “force” a warped kind of national unity. I am not siding with any political party, but touching on a fundamental principle of democracy. Presumably, the punishment suggested would involve the denial of legitimate aid, funding and development to the areas concerned.
According to Newton’s third law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Hence, the attempted punishment of voters by the Sabah state government in the Tambunan by-election of December 1984 backfired in April 1985 when the ruling party was routed and lost in the state election.
If such “punishment” didn’t work in 1984, it certainly will not work in 2011. These punishment promoters are effectively undermining 1Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
New urban thinking led to BN losses in Sarawak towns
by Ronald Benjamin
The Malaysian Insider
April 25, 2011
APRIL 25 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s comments that the racist politics of DAP has been exported to Sarawak clearly reveal his ethnic prejudice and insecurity.
His simplistic comments fail to consider the current political and cultural trends among the urban population whose political sense and approach to issues is increasingly rooted in universal justice, equality and pragmatism.
Ethnic issues are minimal in this paradigm of thinking.
The Barisan National coalition of ethnic-based parties is still finding it difficult to come to terms with this new political paradigm that goes beyond mere ethnic accommodation. The urban middle-class is basically connected to a global world, where a sense of equality, meritocracy and democratic expression is the norm in any enlightened civil society. Read the rest of this entry »
Idea of DAP-SNAP merger conceived as one important measure to take 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak to its full flush of victory in next national elections
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Pakatan Rakyat, Sarawak on Monday, 25 April 2011
Firstly, let me congratulate the 12 newly-elected Sarawak DAP State Assembly representatives led by Sarawak DAP State Chairman Wong Ho Leng, Deputy Chairman Chiew Chin Sing and State Secretary Chong Jian Ren for their success in the historic 416 Sarawak state general elections the previous Saturday.
It is not so much a victory for the DAP as a victory for the UBAH generation in Sarawak spearheading a political awakening for change in Sarawak with far-reaching implications for Malaysian politics as a whole.
Just as the 2006 Sarawak state general elections (520 or 20th May) paved the way for the 308 “political tsunami” of the 2008 general elections which saw the fall of Barisan Nasional in five states and the loss of its parliamentary two-thirds majority for the first time, will 416, which saw DAP elected representatives doubling from six to twelve and a collective Pakatan Rakyat State Assembly presence of 15 representatives, herald another historic political change in the forthcoming general elections with the fall of Barisan Nasional in ten states and a change-over of Federal Government in Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat?
As a response to the 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak, I had broached the idea of a possible DAP-SNAP merger not only to learn from the lessons of the Sarawak general elections to avoid multi-cornered contests but also to accelerate the mobilization and political awakening of Sarawakians for the 13th general elections expected any time. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP-SNAP merger plan triggers concern of a Pakatan rift
By Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Amid concerns that Pakatan Rakyat might become infiltrated by enemies from Prime Minister Najib Razak’s BN coalition, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim held a “pow-wow” with top leaders of his PKR party in Sarawak.
At the closed-door meeting, they charted plans for the national elections expected to take place soon. They also discussed solutions in the event of multi-parties contesting the same seats, should an internal row brewing amongst coalition members get out of hand.
“The meeting will include top leaders from the PKR national leadership. They need to strengthen the state machinery fast in case the GE really comes early. Another hot topic will course be the SNAP-DAP merger,” a PKR insider told Malaysia Chronicle.
Sarawak recently held its 10th state election, where PKR won 3 seats and Pakatan colleague DAP won 12. Although the Pakatan victory was unprecedented, with the Chinese voters clearly deserting the BN, there is speculation Najib might hammer through snap general elections rather than allow risks to snowball by delaying.
When Malaysia holds its 13th GE, Sarawak will become another hotbed of competition, not just between BN and Pakatan but also within Pakatan itself. Component parties are all eyeing the state’s 31 parliamentary seats. There a total of 222 seats in the Malaysia Parliament. Read the rest of this entry »
When wolves cry ‘wolf’
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, nation building, Sarawak, Zairil Khir Johari on Monday, 25 April 2011
by Zairil Khir Johari
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 25, 2011
APRIL 25 — When a known liar accuses someone else of lying, whom do you trust? In a nutshell, that is the predicament faced by the proverbial boy who cried wolf. And, of late, there have certainly been many boys crying “Wolf”.
The 2011 Sarawak election has been a successful one, insofar as the DAP is concerned. However, our success has now rendered us victims of a vicious hate campaign being propagated by the BN and its media.
A quick glance at news items last week reveals a barrage of high-profile attacks on the DAP. First it began, unsurprisingly, with an editorial from Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia, calling upon the BN to forego Chinese support because, ostensibly, the community has turned its back on the government. Such ungrateful citizens! We gave them the right to vote, and they dared to vote against us?
Awang Selamat’s call-to-arms was immediately followed up by a fellow Utusan editor, who went one step further by announcing the need for a “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement in order to unite the “divided” Malay community.
And this is apparently necessary because Malay political power is now under threat by the Chinese, who, despite making up only 25 per cent of the Malaysian population, is suddenly capable of taking over the reins of power. I for one am glad I had a different maths teacher. Read the rest of this entry »
A Sarawakian voter’s dilemma
Posted by Kit in Elections, nation building, Sarawak on Monday, 25 April 2011
by June Rubis
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 14, 2011
APRIL 14 — Sarawak has never seen anything like it: the focused attention from Peninsular Malaysia during a state election.
From the political celebrities flown here especially to entertain us with their ceramahs, to the constant barrage on social media to vote for either “ubah” (change), or to keep the status quo. We should feel so special.
After all, it’s only taken 48 years for Peninsular Malaysia to finally get clued in that Sarawak (along with Sabah) is a vital part of Malaysia. And what happens in Sarawak would start the ripple of change for the rest of Malaysia.
Or as proud Sarawakians would adamantly declare, Malaysia is PART of Sarawak. I beg to remind you that if it weren’t for Sarawak and Sabah, there will be no Malaysia. It would just be Malaya.
This state election is indeed exciting. For the first time in decades, we may possibly see a political change for Sarawak. For the first time, both coalitions are equally balanced in the media front, albeit the Pakatan Rakyat-favoured media is only available online. Read the rest of this entry »
Voting hanky-panky – helis and postal ballots
Dear YB Lim,
This is in view of the last Sarawak state election. I was in Miri for a week on work then. I think Malaysia should rethink the way voting in the rural interior are carried out.
1.As I understand helicopters are used to carry the ballot boxes from the interior to the counting centres. These boxes, as I was told are carried from the voting stations by heli for counting at a central area. But I also hear that they are also relayed to a point and front there to another transfer by heli later.
The question is, how safe are these ballot boxes at the transit area NOT to be manupulated with. And are these boxes accompanied by the reps of the political parties? As I also hear they reckon that there were more opposition votes from the rural folks, this time.
2. As regards to postal votes for Security personnel, this should be discontinued, OR have the votes counted there and then and the results verified before they are recorded and announced later at the central counting area. Read the rest of this entry »
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