Archive for category Johore
A Smiling Bully
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Law & Order, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 6 April 2013
By Thomas Fann
www.newmalaysia.org
Walking towards a Pakatan rally at Kampung Melayu Dato Sulaiman Menteri in Johor Bahru, I could hear loud music coming from the open area where the ceramah was suppose to be. Initially I thought it was the pre-rally entertainment to amuse those who came earlier but as I got closer I could see UMNO and BN flags waving from where the mega sound system was, just 40 metres from the Pakatan truck which acted as the mobile stage.
Around 30 of these flag waving UMNO supporters were hurling verbal abuses and taunting the crowd of several thousands that night who came to hear what Anwar, Kit Siang, Guan Eng and other Pakatan leaders have to say.
Scores of police personnel had to act as human barricades to separate this small group of hostile supporters from the larger crowd who to their credit was peaceful and not provoked. Rock music and UMNO songs blasted non-stop for more than 4 hours for the whole duration of the ceramah.
Read the rest of this entry »
GE13: MCA doesn’t rule out possibility that Ghani may contest Gelang Patah
The Star
Published: Friday April 5, 2013 MYT 11:26:00 AM
Updated: Friday April 5, 2013 MYT 12:18:05 PM
JOHOR BARU: The MCA does not eliminate the possibility of Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman (pic) coming down to Gelang Patah to contest in the 13th general election.
However, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Friday that there has yet to be a decision on the matter.
“There will be a discussion among the Barisan Nasional component leaders soon but what is important is that Barisan wins,” he said in a press conference after meeting with voters at the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah market in Skudai here Friday.
Dr Chua said that they want a candidate with a good track record and “Abdul Ghani has a proven track record as a Mentri Besar who is accepted by all races.”
Pakatan continues fielding heavyweights in Johor
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat, PKR on Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Malaysiakini | 11:54PM Apr 2, 2013
The flurry of heavyweights from the Pakatan Rakyat camp contesting parliamentary seats in Johor continued as former army chief Gen (Rtd) Md Hashim Hussein was announced as PKR’s candidate for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat tonight.
Read the rest of this entry »
9-day Countdown to 13GE – Pakatan Rakyat promises Accountable and Transparent, Sustainable and People-Friendly and Equitable Development for the people of Johor if voted in as the Federal as well as State government
Yesterday, I gave three reasons why Johoreans will vote in record numbers for Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming 13th general elections. Today, I give three reasons why Johoreans need to vote in a Pakatan government not just at the federal level but also at the state level as well.
Firstly, Johoreans must vote in a Pakatan federal and state government to ensure that Accountable and Transparent Development takes place in the state of Johor.
Southern Johor is the site of three mega projects that are in various stages of development namely, the Khazanah owned Iskandar Development Region (IDR) outside Johor Bahru, the Petronas owned Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang and the Benalec owned Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park project in Tanjung Piai.
Billions of ringgit have already been poured into Iskandar and billions more of are expected to be poured into the other two mega projects.
These projects require the approval of not just the federal government but also the state government especially when it comes to land acquisition, reclamation and development.
Without the presence of a Pakatan government at the State as well as Federal government, the people of Johor will suffer the same fate as the people in Penang and Selangor before the 2008 general election.
In other words, land will be sold at below market prices to politically connected parties without any benefit to the average Johorean. Read the rest of this entry »
27-year-old Liow Cai Tung, product manager, is DAP candidate for Johor Jaya state assembly seat – a “7227” partnership of the old, middle-aged and young
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 1 April 2013
There have been many misleading, incorrect and even baseless reports about Pakatan Rakyat negotiations on seats allocations which I think should be put straight for the record, viz:
Firstly, the Pakatan Rakyat leadership decision that I leave the comparatively safe seat of Ipoh Timor which I had won with a majority of over 21,000 votes in 2008 for Gelang Patah, which was won by the MCA/BN with a majority of some 9,000 votes in 2008 and a humongous majority of 31,666 votes in 2004 in a mission to help propel a “political tsunami” in Johore for Pakatan Rakyat to arrive in Putrajaya in the 13GE was not in exchange for any seat.
Secondly, the proposal that DAP allow PKR’s Chua Jui Meng to contest in Segamat is under discussion and negotiation. Read the rest of this entry »
10-day Countdown to 13GE – Three reasons why Johoreans will vote in record numbers for Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general elections
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 1 April 2013
Johor, my birth state, is arguably the most important state in Peninsular Malaysia in the upcoming 13th general elections. Not only does it have the largest number of parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia (26), it is also a state where, unlike in the past, the BN can no longer guarantee a clean sweep of all or almost all of the parliament and state seats.
I have outlined the four objectives of the Battle of Gelang Patah last week. Objective One is to target the 6 Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in South Johor. Objective Two is to target a total of 19 Parliamentary and 30 State Assembly seats in the whole of Johor, which includes the South Johor seats mentioned in Objective One. Objective Three is to target 33 out of the 83 Parliamentary seats in the BN ‘fixed deposit’ states of Johor, Sabah and Sarawak in order to reach the magic number of 112 parliament seats. Objective Four is to win an additional 12 seats to win 125 parliament seats and obtain a comfortable governing majority of 28 seats.
Why do I feel confident that the winds of change are blowing sufficiently strongly in Johor so much so that it will no longer be a BN ‘fixed deposit’ state in GE13? There are at least three reasons.
Firstly, we have seen how big swings in the past have allowed the opposition to make significant gains. If these swings are big enough, it may even allow the opposition to win a majority of seats and gain control of a state government.
We saw this in Selangor in 2008. From 1995 to 2004, the opposition failed to win a single parliament seats in this state, including the 1999 general elections where the BN suffered a backlash from the victimization of Anwar Ibrahim, especially among the Malay voters. From 1995 to 2004, the most number of state seats won by the opposition was 6 out of a total of 48 state seats (1/8th or 12.5% of total state seats). And yet, in 2008, the opposition’s share of the popular vote jumped from 34% in 2004 to 55% in 2008, a massive swing of 21%! As a result, the opposition parties – PKR, PAS and DAP – won a majority of parliament seats (17 out of 22) and well as state seats (36 out of 56), thereby ushering in a Pakatan state government in Selangor for the first time in Malaysia’s history.
Read the rest of this entry »
12-Day Countdown to 13GE: Third Objective of Battle of Gelang Patah – BN’s fixed deposit states of Johore, Sabah and Sarawak “Going, Going, Gone!” by targeting to win 33 out of the 83 Parliamentary seats in the three states
In the last two days, I had discussed the first two objectives of the Battle of Gelang Patah:
Objective One: to target the six Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in south Johore to pave the way for Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya in the 13th General Elections. The six Parliamentary seats are Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang, Tebrau, Gelang Patah, Kulai and Pulai. The 13 State Assembly seats are: Stulang, Tanjong Puteri, Johore Jaya, Permas, Puteri Wangsa, Tiram, Skudai, Nusajaya, Pengkalan Rinting, Kempas, Senai, Bukit Batu and Bukit Permai.
Objective Two: to target a total of 19 Parliamentary seats and 30 State Assembly seats in the state of Johor, including the six Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in South Johore which I had already mentioned. The additional 13 Parliamentary seats in the rest of Johore are Tanjong Piai, Kluang, Batu Pahat, Bakri, Labis, Segamat, Sekijang, Ledang, Muar, Ayer Hitam, Sri Gading, Simpang Rengam and Sembrong. The additional 17 State Assemby seats are Pekan Nenas, Mengkibol, Penggaram, Bentayam, Sungai Abong, Bekok, Jementah, Tangkak, Paloh, Yong Peng, Mahkota, Layang-Layang, Parit Yaani, Maharani, Gambir, Tenang and Pemanis.
I am not claiming that Pakatan Rakyat can score a bullseye and win all the 19 Parliamentary and 30 State Assembly seats in Johore mentioned. In fact, if Pakatan Rakyat can achieve 50 per cent of this target, it is already a “phenomenal political revolution” in Johor, bearing in mind the arrogant boasts of Barisan Nasional leaders just five years ago before the 2008 general elections that they would ensure that Johore would become a “zero Opposition” state!
I am of course expecting hitting a more than 50% success for the PR target of 19 Parliamentary and 30 State Assembly seats in Johore the 13GE. Read the rest of this entry »
Second Objective of Battle of Gelang Patah – Target 19 of the 26 Parliamentary and 30 of the 56 State Assembly seats in Johore
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 29 March 2013
Yesterday, when visiting Taman Damai Jaya in Gelang Patah, I spoke about the meaning of the Battle of Gelang Patah.
I stressed that the Battle of Gelang Patah is not my personal battle on whether I can be re-elected to Parliament.
If this is the case, I should stay back in Ipoh Timor which I had won with a majority of over 21,000 votes in the 2008 general elections, instead of going for a very high-risk contest in Gelang Patah which was won by the MCA/BN candidate with a majority of over 8,000 votes in 2008 and a humoungous majority of 31,666 votes in 2004.
In Gelang Patah I could very well lose but I am prepared to take the risk.
This is because the Battle of Gelang Patah is not so much about the victory or defeat of an individual or the gains or losses of individual parties, but whether Johore can become a “kingmaker” in the 13GE to spark a political tsunami in the country from the south and cross the South China Sea to effect the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat. Read the rest of this entry »
First objective of Battle of Gelang Patah is to target the six Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in south Johore to pave the way for Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya in 13GE
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat, Parliament on Thursday, 28 March 2013
Since March 18, 2013, when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced at the forty-seventh DAP anniversary celebrations in Johore Baru that I will be contesting in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency in line with the Pakatan Rakyat decision to make Johor the front-line state in the 13th General Elections, Gelang Patah and Johore have catapulted to national attention and captured the imagination of Malaysians about the challenges of the coming general elections.
There have been diverse reactions covering the entire spectrum, from one end regarding this a foolhardy decision to the other end hailing the decision as a most exciting and challenging test in the 13GE.
Those of the former view are concerned whether I could survive in Gelang Patah, as I will be leaving Ipoh Timor where I won in 2008 general election with a majority of over 21,000 votes to go to a constituency which has always been regarded as a “fort’ of MCA and Barisan Nasional.
In the 2008 general election, MCA/BN won Gelang Patah with a majority of over 8,000 votes while in the 2004 general election, the majority is an awesome one of 31,666 votes!
Is it possible to reverse such humongous majorities for the MCA/BN in Gelang Patah as to win the seat for DAP/Pakatan Rakyat in the 13GE? Read the rest of this entry »
Lim Kit Siang’s wisdom
By LIM SUE GOAN
Sin Chew Daily
2013-03-28
13th general election
Opinion
As wisdom comes with age, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang is having the best political view among Pakatan Rakyat leaders.
Why is Lim Kit Siang leading DAP leaders to attack Johor? He revealed his campaign layout during an interview with the Sin Chew Daily.
He believes that the 308 political tsunami has not reached its peak and the wind of anti-ruling stopped at Negeri Sembilan. The purpose of attacking the southern peninsula this time is to make the tsunami which has not completed its task five years ago to reach its peak and hit the south-central peninsula, shaking the bastions of Umno and the MCA.
Although the responses of Chinese voters in Johor have given the DAP confidence that the tsunami this time would start from southern peninsula and spread its impacts to the northern part, Johor, after all, is the BN’s bastion and thus, there is a certain level of risk for Lim Kit Siang to take such a move this time, particularly when Johor Malay voters still tend to support the BN.
Despite the risk, Lim Kit Siang, who has engaged in politics for 47 years, knows that the fleeting opportunity will be gone if they do not grab it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Charge of the Rights Brigade
By Allan CF Goh
To the south, to the south,
To Johor, they engage.
Into BN’s strong state,
Let them not fear and fade.
Forward, the Rights Brigade!
Bring change for the better.
Choose light over darkness,
Make Malaysia brighter.
Forward, the Rights Brigade!
For a cause blessed and right.
This is not a blunder.
This is for “People’s Might”.
Theirs is to reason why;
Theirs not to let reasons die.
Let Johor know the truth.
Don’t let folks live a lie.Desperation and fear,
And hostility reign.
Vulgar threats may be hurled,
Like the black falling rain,
May volley and thunder,
But will not shake their will.
Boldly they must campaign,
Thro’ all threats and all ill.Lay bare the corruptions,
Let the truth rant the air.
Expose exploitations.
Demand for what is fair.
Ban discriminations,
And unfair deprivations.
Fight with full conviction
For a better Nation. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang in Johor will be as earth-shaking as 308
K Temoc
Malaysiakini
Mar 22, 2013
I refer to your news article ‘Guan Eng sends Liew on mission to ‘K’ seat in Johor’ which informs us of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) election strategy to breach the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold in Johor. By now, everyone knows that veteran politician Lim Kit Siang will not stand in his current blue ribbon seat in Ipoh Timor in order to offer himself as an election candidate to the people of Gelang Patah in Johor to represent them in the next federal parliament.
His intention has struck terror in the BN camp, which has even drawn out former PM and Umno icon Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make what I see as a half-hearted but obligatory dismissal of the DAP man’s candidature in Gelang Patah.
Lim KS standing in and winning that Johor federal constituency will be as earth-shaking as the 2008 political tsunami. More than the BN’s fear of losing a federal seat, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) knows that such an occurrence will virtually be its death knell, for a Lim KS victory will not only defeat Tan Ah Eng, its candidate in Gelang Patah, but will effectively strike right into its political heart.
So much is at stake for BN but no more than that for Lim KS. Read the rest of this entry »
Salute Kit Siang for going for broke
by Dr Chris Anthony
Malaysiakini
Mar 20, 2013
The decision by Lim Kit Siang, the DAP adviser and veteran opposition leader, comes as no surprise from a politician of his calibre.
This is not the first time he has chosen to take such risks but this is the first time his risk is most significant in changing the political landscape of the country.
His willingness to contest in the high-risk Gelang Patah seat in Johor may well initiate a political tsunami from the south that could result in a win for Pakatan Rakyat for the first time in the history of the nation.
We salute Kit Siang for his boldness to take that risk not many politicians will be willing to undertake. Read the rest of this entry »
One Small stride by Kit Siang, One Giant Step nearer to Putrajaya
by Sakmongkol AK47
Thursday, 21 March 2013
The return of Lim Kit Siang to Johor should not matter to UMNO and BN. Why should it cause worry? Isn’t it mathematically impossible for PR to go from 1 seat to 15 parliamentary seats? The Johor Chinese are different. They have an unshakeable allegiance to the state. So the Johor Chinese are by definition, naturally indifferent to what is happening around in the country.
The Chinese are a very practical people says Chua Soi Lek. Soi lek must of course be referring to the Chinese apparent indifference to his sexual escapades. By that reasoning, the Chinese must also be indifferent to whatever stories are said of Anwar Ibrahim and they should be indifferent to Najib’s overextended and boring self-praising assessment of his Alphabet Soup vision. Ah Jib Gor does what Ah Jib Gor does best-tell tall stories mostly about himself.
Being practical they want to know, whether we can establish a good government. Which will practise good governance. Consists of good, selfless and dedicated people. They want to go about making wealth under a government that upholds the rule of law. Which in turn require that the institutions that safeguard the rule and implementation of law be strong and independent and are established on principles of integrity. The Chinese want to live peacefully with the other major races in Malaysia. These are hallmarks of practical people.
I don’t think being practical means, they accept corruption, wheeling and dealing with the powers that be, accepting hegemony from others. If they are like that- that’s not being practical but being sly and acting like hustlers. The ‘thing’ that made the Chinese practical is economic independence. So being practical as in economically independent, the Chinese can exercise wider choices. They will chose to side with PRakyat. That’s practical and acknowledging reality. Read the rest of this entry »
Johor tidak lagi simpanan tetap
oleh Subky Abdul Latif
The Malaysian Insider
March 20, 2013
20 MAC ― Bunyinya Datuk Ghani Othman tidak lagi dikekalkan sebagai Menteri Besar jika Barisan Nasional hendak mengekalkan Johor di bawah perintahnya.
Nama Datuk Khalid Nordin, Menteri Pelajaran Tinggi yang hampir menggantikan Ghani tahun 2008 dikatakan akan menggantinya kali ini.
Pemerhati yang dekat dengan Umno masih percaya Johor akan kekal di bawah BN tetapi kedudukannya tidak lagi seperti sepanjang separuh abad lalu. Nama Ghani mulai mewarisi dua Menteri Besar yang awal dulu iaitu Datuk Hassan Yunus dan Tan Sri Othman Saad sebelum mereka digantikan dengan Menteri lain.
Maka bagi memastikan Johor kekal dengan Barisan Nasional walaupun tidak segagah dulu, MB-nya mesti ditukarkan. Itu ikhtiar politik BN.
Pakatan Rakyat sangat yakin, Johor bukan lagi simpanan tetap Umno/BN. Inilah peluangnya yang terbaik untuk merampas negeri Datuk Onn, Musa Hitam dan Muhyiddin Yasin itu. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: Unleash political storm in the south
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat on Tuesday, 19 March 2013
by Lee Way Loon
Malaysiakini
11:12AM Mar 19, 2013
Some predict a handsome win for Pakatan Rakyat in the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat when the general election is held, but its candidate does not expect the battle to be easy.
Nevertheless, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang is willing to take the risk, in order to “set off a political storm” in south Malaysia and in Sabah and Sarawak as well.
Lim coined the term “political tsunami” to describe Pakatan’s gains in the last election in March 2008.
“This is a historic chance to decide whether there will be a regime change. We need to set off a political storm in Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan,” he told a press conference in Skudai, Johor, last night after he was named as the Pakatan candidate for Gelang Patah by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.
“And then the storm must cross the South China Sea and reach Sabah and Sarawak. With this, the people can complete a movement for political awareness and democracy.”
Lim, the Ipoh Timor MP, said this would be his fifth move into a new state to contest the election in his political career spanning 47 years.
“This is not an easy battle… but it is worth (fighting for) as it is for our goal, as well as for the nation and people,” he said.
He reiterated that Pakatan was targeting to win at least 18 parliamentary seats from BN in these three southern states: 15 in Johor, two in Negri Sembilan and one in Malacca.
DAP to contest seven seats Read the rest of this entry »
Confirmed! Kit Siang will do battle in Gelang Patah
by Lee Way Loon
Malaysiakini
9:47PM Mar 18, 2013
After weeks of speculation, Pakatan Rakyat officially announced tonight that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang will be contesting the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in Johor.
The announcement was made by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim at DAP’s 47th anniversary celebration and ceramah in Skudai.
“It’s true that Gelang Patah was a PKR seat. But we can discuss.
“I hold the opinion that it is still a PKR seat. But if Kit Siang comes and assists us, leads us and becomes the Gelang Patah candidate, I give him my full support,” Anwar told a cheering 20,000-strong crowd.
The PKR de facto leader then invited Lim and all the DAP leaders to come on stage to endorse his decision. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat to focus on 15 Parliamentary seats in Johore in 13GE to end Johor’s “fixed deposit state” status for UMNO/Barisan Nasional and to pave the way for PR to Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 7 March 2013
In the last two days, I visited three parliamentary constituencies in south Johore, Johore Baru, Kulai and Gelang Patah, attending seven functions and they all gave me confidence that the wind of change is blowing strong and hard from Johore in the run-up to the 13th General Elections.
In the 2008 general elections, the 308 “political tsunami” came down from the north in Malaysia, winning for Pakatan Rakyat the states of Penang, Kedah, Perak (which was subsequently “stolen” back by UMNO/Barisan Nasional through undemocratic and unconstitutional means) Selangor and Kelantan.
The political tsunami in 2008 faltered in Negri Sembilan or Pakatan Rakyat would have won another state government that year.
After my two-day visit to south Johore visiting Taman Pelangi, Taman Sentosa, Plentong, Gelang Patah, Senai, Bandar Seri Alam and Johor Jaya, and attending two major DAP UBAH Dream Truck ceramahs drawing unprecedented crowds, I feel hopeful that in the 13th General Elections, a bigger “political tsunami” is in store and will emanate from the south in Johore Baru and Johore to radiate to all parts of Malaysia and take the political change started in 2008 to even greater heights.
After his political disaster of the RM3.5 million invitation to the South Korean K-Pop superstar Psy to Penang on the second day of the Chinese New Year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak flew next day to south Johore to seek political solace and consolation.
Najib emerged from a closed-door meeting with Johor Umno and BN on Feb. 12 declaring confidence in Johor remaining a BN bastion in the next general elections. Read the rest of this entry »
The dominoes in Johor
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat, Sabah on Thursday, 31 January 2013
– Liew Chin Tong
The Malaysian Insider/Rocket
Jan 31, 2013
JAN 31 – Johor is the last bastion of Barisan Nasional but the coming general election may prove that the fortress may turn out to be merely a sand castle. If Pakatan Rakyat gets the support of 35 per cent Malay, 80 per cent Chinese and 50 per cent Indian voters in Johor, 20 parliamentary seats will fall like dominoes. Hence, Pakatan may gain the much-needed 112-seat threshold to form the next federal government with just seats from Peninsula Malaysia.
In the two rounds of seat re-delineation exercises in 1994 and 2003, many multi-ethnic mixed seats were created for Barisan Nasional to maximise its multi-ethnic appeal and to make the most out of the opposition’s inability to win across ethnic boundaries.
PAS was made to be seen by the Barisan-controlled media to non-Malays as an anathema to their interests while DAP as a threat to the Malays. Before 2008, PAS supporters rarely vote for DAP and vice versa.
The 2008 general election saw PAS benefiting from outpouring Chinese and Indian support for the “anything but UMNO” call while some urban Malays voted for DAP for the first time in their lives. Many multi-ethnic seats in the states north of Negeri Sembilan on the west coast of the Peninsula fell to the opposition. Read the rest of this entry »
Can BN Lose Sabah? Boleh Bah Kalau …
By Kee Thuan Chye
Malaysian Digest
6th December 2012
Three men in a coffeeshop with nothing much to do.
DOGOL: Hey, Ragang, you think Sabah will fall to the Opposition this coming GE?
RAGANG: I don’t know.
LUNCHAI: You don’t know? You Sabahan and you don’t know?
RAGANG: I not God.
DOGOL: Umno is now praying to God to win the GE. Najib told the members at their general assembly last week, better pray hard!
LUNCHAI: As if God will side any political party.
DOGOL: God does not take sides, so to call on God to help Umno and BN win is itself ungodly.
LUNCHAI: Hahaha! You’re right! Read the rest of this entry »
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