Putting the record straight
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Media on Thursday, 9 May 2013, 8:00 am
R. Nadeswaran
The Sun Daily
8 May 2013
The outburst in cyberspace reflects the anger of ordinary Malaysians who view such audacious campaigns as insulting their intelligence.
On a similar note, will the same newspapers publish an advertisement paid for by well-minded citizens which reads: “Can you trust a party which is led by a crook?”
This question can only be answered by none other than owners of publishing houses who have accepted and consented to publish those questionable and code-breaking advertisements.
– R. Nadeswaran, The Sun, April 25
I am disappointed with him because when I was president of the 4As, I sided with him when he took on the issue of corruption in the outdoor advertising industry. At that time, I received death threats after speaking up against illegal billboards in the Klang Valley.
After a year, the situation has remained unchanged. However, he has moved on from his anti-corruption stand to talking about advertising, but his own newspaper has accepted and carried the same advertisement.
– Datuk Vincent Lee, The Star, May 3
IN most newspapers, editors tell reporters to “write for the readers in simple language that they understand”. Readers of this newspaper will attest that we make a conscious effort to get rid of bombastic and pompous language. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib’s hollow victory
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, Mahathir, Mariam Mokhtar, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Thursday, 9 May 2013, 7:37 am
by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
May 6, 2013
It is widely believed that a happy and contented Singaporean is one who has achieved the 5Cs – cash, credit card, car, condominium and country club.
In neighbouring Malaysia, the victorious Umno Baru leader is defined by the 6Cs; corruption, chaos, cheating, cronyism, cowardice and concubine.
BN head Najib Abdul Razak injected many millions of ringgit into the country to secure a victory, and unleashed a violent campaign of ‘blood, sweat and tears’ to defend Putrajaya. In the end, he only managed a ‘win’ by a handful of seats.
For many Umno Baru leaders, the effort has been worthwhile because the alternative is a long spell behind bars.
Ironically, the worst damage inflicted on Najib and BN, was Najib’s own ‘1Malaysia’ slogan.
Malaysians are fairly reticent people and not known for outward displays of public-spiritedness, but yesterday, in the true spirit of ‘1Malaysia’, Malaysians of all races were united in defending their polling stations against foreign ‘phantom’ voters. Read the rest of this entry »
Lim: Stop racialising elections results
Posted by Kit in Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Thursday, 9 May 2013, 7:18 am
G Vinod| May 8, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
The DAP veteran urges Barisan Nasional leaders to improve the fraudulent electoral system instead of racialising the poll results.
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has criticised Barisan Nasional leaders for racialising the recent general election results instead of revamping the electoral system marred with irregularities.
Speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang reiterated that the massive swing of support to Pakatan Rakyat was a Malaysian wave rather than a Chinese one.
“No doubt there are was considerable swing from the Chinese but it also involved the Malays and the other communities. Do you think I could have won the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat without the support from the Malays and the Indians?” he asked.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak attributed the heavy losses suffered by the ruling coalition due to a “Chinese tsunami.”
Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia yesterday carried a provocative headline, “Apa Lagi Cina Mahu?” (What else do the Chinese want) attacking the Chinese for backing Pakatan Rakyat. Read the rest of this entry »
A People’s Election
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Parliament on Thursday, 9 May 2013, 6:53 am
In the aftermath of this historic election, we would like to thank all Malaysians for their support of DAP and Pakatan Rakyat. To all Malaysians, including those who did not support our coalition, we are indebted to the public for their extensive involvement in the campaign and commitment to the future of Malaysia. All races of Malaysians are united in one purpose to make our country strong and people stronger.
It is in this spirit of strengthening our country that we need to turn our resolve into the tasks that can move our country forward.
Foremost is the need to properly account for all of the irregularities during an election that was not only the dirtiest election in our country’s history, but also the most marred in its process. We support Bersih’s people’s tribunal as an essential step for justice and transparency. We call on all Malaysians to come forward to share their experiences and help us get to the truth.
We also will be supporting the electoral petitions to challenge the flawed contests where we have credible reports of tampering, electoral fraud and manipulation. The process for reform in Malaysia is ongoing, and we need to carry on. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang denies ‘Utusan’ article, says it proves paper’s seditious act
By Ida Lim
The Malaysian Insider
May 08, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — DAP today denied the allegations in an Utusan Malaysia article today, with the party’s advisor Lim Kit Siang saying that it was a self-admission by the Umno-linked paper that it had committed sedition.
“It is an admission that Utusan has committed seditious, incendiary and inflammatory articles and they justify by saying that ‘siapa dulu memulakan provokasi’ (who started the provocation).”
“We deny completely that we had anything to do with the various allegations made in this defence…we did not provoke them. We had nothing to do with all the things reported in this article,” Lim said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters here, referring to a piece titled “Siapa mula provokasi dahulu?” (Who started the provocation first?) by the Malay-language paper’s columnist Zulkifli Bakar. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Stop blaming one community for BN’s bad performance’
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Elections, Mahathir, Media, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 8 May 2013, 7:46 pm
BY CLARA CHOOI
The Malaysian Insider
May 08, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today demanded a stop to all attempts at racialising last Sunday’s polls by blaming a particular community for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) poor showing at the ballot boxes.
“This is unfair and unhelpful,” he said in a statement here.
The former prime minister, who stepped down in favour of Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2009 after he led BN to lose its coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority in Election 2008, agreed that following Sunday’s polls results, there was a pressing need for the country to undergo the process of national reconciliation and unity.
He also called on the opposition to accept and respect the election results, despite the fact that they had lost by slim majorities amid claims of fraud and widespread irregularities in the polling process.
“Malaysians deserve stability and certainty that can only come with finality and closure from this election,” he said in his message to the opposition.
“Let us move on in the interest of all Malaysians.” Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang accepts polls results, but questions 30 seats affecting BN’s legitimacy
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 8 May 2013, 7:34 pm
By Ida Lim
The Malaysian Insider
May 08, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today said he accepted last Sunday’s polls result where Barisan Nasional (BN) won the contest to be the federal government, saying he was only questioning 30 federal seats which could affect the coalition’s legitimacy.
“By and large, I accept the elections result, but 30 seats – the electoral fraud, electoral abuse, electoral irregularities – if these are proved, then they have to be corrected.
“And if they are corrected and Najib loses these 30 seats, he doesn’t have majority to be prime minister,” the DAP advisor said at a press conference at the party’s headquarter. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t repeat the 1987 ‘fire’, Kit Siang tells Najib
Ram Anand
Malaysiakini
May 8, 2013
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has warned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak not to “play with fire” by making “race-baiting” statements targeted at the Chinese after the Sunday polls.
Kit Siang said that Najib is risking a repeat of the racial tension that emanated prior to the 1987 Operasi Lalang.
Although Kit Siang did not elaborate on the matter, in 1987 there had been an allegation, which Najib had denied, about waving a keris and a pledge to “bathe it with Chinese blood” plus a combination of other factors that caused racial tension with the Chinese community.
“Najib must ask himself, does he want to be a prime minister for all Malaysians?” Kit Siang asked.
Kit Siang said that whilst Najib might be making those statements to appease the Umno grassroots, the latter mustn’t lose sight of the 1Malaysia concept that he had espoused four years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
The Dream Lives On
By Allan CF Goh
Election Day has now come and gone.
But our hopes have not been left alone.
Though BN won half of Malaysia,
Pakatan wins the ambrosia.
PR has won the plurality
With a national majority.
Pakatan ‘has won’ the election
By increasing its representation.
BN won by ways dark, secretive;
Losing its moral imperative.
Though it has won the seats of office,
Pakatan has won folks’ hearts, notice.
The wind of change is still blowing strong,
Most Malaysians still for “ubah” long.
The dream of citizens still lives on…..
For a true democracy to dawn.
Read the rest of this entry »
Disturbing questions surrounding GE13 polling
By Bridget Welsh | 12:05PM May 7, 2013
Malaysiakini
GE13 SPECIAL The GE13 results are in and the BN has managed to hold only power, winning by a 22-seat majority. This result is the worst performance for BN in Malaysia’s history.
For the first time, the incumbent government has lost the popular vote nationally (in 2008, it was only on the peninsula). The BN coalition has still managed to hold onto power. This piece, in a series analysing the election results, looks at the concerns raised regarding the electoral process and the potential impact these issues may have had on the final results.
In analysing the fairness of any polls, one asks whether the irregularities in the process could have affected the final outcome. Were the problems enough to change which coalition would have formed government? These issues will be debated and assessed in the days and weeks ahead. Let me share some preliminary observations that suggest that in this election, some things appear not to be quite right.
Integrity of electoral roll
This was the longest wait for an election, and both sides were extremely active in registering new voters, especially in the urban areas where the party machinery was well honed.
Read the rest of this entry »
BN’s victory ‘superficial’
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 7 May 2013, 10:18 am
Jeswan Kaur| May 7, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
BN’s dirty tricks to win the 13th general election will never be forgotten; the time for retribution will come slowly but surely.
COMMENT
Ruling coalition Barisan Nasional has little reason to gloat over its win in the May 5 general election.
Violence, phantom voters and the unreliable indelible ink were only part of the shenanigans BN resorted to in its bid to secure Putrajaya.
Victory however was far from sweet for BN; not only did it fail to reclaim a two-third majority, the 13th general election also sent home the message that the rakyat, in particular the ‘thinking’ generation want “representatives” who respect them, their faiths and who ‘walk the talk’.
Despite BN’s extensive propaganda, good sense thankfully prompted voters to reject candidates such as Malay extremist party Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali who was knocked out by PAS’ Nik Abdul Nik Aziz in Pasir Mas, Kelantan. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia GE13 an urban, not Chinese swing, say analysts
By Boo Su-LynThe Malaysian Insider
May 07, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — The outcome of Election 2013 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” as Datuk Seri Najib Razak has claimed but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen, analysts have said.
In their preliminary reading of the vote trend, analysts noted that despite the increase in Chinese support for Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the political tsunami had also swept with it “large numbers of the Malays”, many among them forming part of the country’s middle- to upper-class voters.
“They received Malay middle-class support, especially in urban areas,” political analyst Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin told The Malaysian Insider, referring to PR.
“So the DAP majority increased because of disgruntled Malay young voters’ support… in conclusion, to label racial polarisation is too easy. Two other factors operate simultaneously with race: class (rich-poor, middle class) and spatial (urban and rural),” said the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) founding director of Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA). Read the rest of this entry »
Far from a black day
— Alexandra Wong
The Malaysian Insider
May 06, 2013
MAY 6 — The day after GE13 I woke up to see all-black Facebook profile pictures.
I see something wrong with the picture here. I cast my vote based on the belief that a better Malaysia meant a more effective system of check and balance.
Post-election, I feel we’re still missing the point: we’re not focusing on the real stumbling blocks, the game-changers so to speak.
1) A disconnect with the rural voters, who either don’t care or don’t know about a better Malaysia. As far as they’re concerned, it’s more important to feed their families. If the urban supporters don’t acknowledge and address that, the opposition will always remain opposition. How many urban voters understand that a big part of the real Malaysia lies in the rural areas? How many have even been to a rural village? I have. And it smote me that they were so poor. I visited a Sarawak longhouse once and when I gave a grandma RM100 as a thank-you token, the look of shock and gratitude in her eyes haunted me for a long time afterwards. I found out later that’s how much they earn in one month — to feed one whole family.
2) Our real bogeyman was gerrymandering. As a friend put it, one vote in a Sarawak urban constituency equals six rural votes. Why was it not addressed before the election? That was the deal-breaker. Why were so much resources dedicated to the urban constituencies which were foregone conclusions? At this point, there is no conclusive evidence voting was rigged in some constituencies though I am sceptical of the manner in which some were won but “magic” alone couldn’t have orchestrated so many wins. While all eyes were on the cities with 100k voters, the sub-10k constituencies were quietly narrowing the gap.
The kampung folk were the real king makers. Read the rest of this entry »
It was a M’sian tsunami, Kit Siang tells Najib
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 6 May 2013, 8:03 pm
by Koh Jun Lin
Malaysiakini
May 6, 2013
DAP’s newly-crowned Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang has condemned BN head Najib Abdul Razak for attributing the coalition’s worst showing in a general election to a “Chinese tsunami”.
He said it was in fact a “Malaysian tsunami”, and that Pakatan Rakyat could not have achieved its results without the backing of Malaysians of other races.
“In many parts of the country, Pakatan won seats in areas that were previously considered as BN strongholds and took down many big BN guns in Malay-majority areas,” he told a press conference today.
To back his claims, Lim listed several Malay or bumiputera-majority seats that Pakatan had won, or retained with an increased majority. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia BN’s polls slump a ‘Malaysian tsunami’, ex-NSTP boss says
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, Parliament on Monday, 6 May 2013, 7:56 pm
The Malaysian Insider
May 06, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 ― Barisan Nasional’s (BN) weaker showing in Election 2013 points to a strong wave of rejection from all Malaysians and not just from the minority Chinese, a former editor of the Umno-owned New Straits Times said today.
Datuk A. Kadir Jasin observed that the 13-party coalition not only drew fewer seats in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat and 12 state assemblies in yesterday’s general election compared to 2008, but also lost the popular vote for the first time since polls in 1969.
“Is it not possible that this is not a Chinese tsunami or racial chauvinism but a Malaysian tsunami that is centred on the aspiration and new reality, especially among young voters?” the man who had been group editor-in-chief of the public-listed News Strait Times Press during the Mahathir administration wrote in his blog.
BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak had alluded to a “Chinese tsunami” in an immediate speech just after midnight when the Election Commission announced the BN as winners by a simple majority, but the veteran journalist today brushed aside the perception as unlikely. Read the rest of this entry »
Strongly condemn Chua Soi Lek’s ‘Two Race System’ and Najib’s ‘Chinese Tsunami’ statements as factually inaccurate, politically irresponsible and represents a great disservice to the almost 11 million voters who came out to participate in the 13th general election in record numbers
While Pakatan may not have achieved its goal of winning a majority of parliament seats to form the next government in Putrajaya, it cannot be denied that we have made significant strides as a coalition in this 13th General Election. It was a “Malaysian tsunami” and not a “Chinese tsunami” which increased Pakatan’s parliament seats from 82 in 2008 to 89 in 2013 and which increased Pakatan’s state seats from 197 in 2008 to 230 in 2013. The fact that Pakatan managed to increase its share of parliament and state seats is commendable given the hundreds of millions of Ringgit that were spent by the Barisan Nasional (BN) on free dinners and goodies and to print lies and falsehoods in the mainstream press in order to propagate a disgusting and morally reprehensible politics based on fear.
In many parts of the country, Pakatan won seats in areas that were previously considered as BN strongholds and took down many big BN guns in Malay majority areas.
In P36 Kuala Terengganu (89% Malay), PAS won this seat with an increased majority of 10785 votes compared to a majority of 2631 for the 2009 by-elections.
In P9 Alor Setar (61% Malay), PKR won this seat with a majority of 1873 and defeated former Minister of Housing and Local Government, Chor Chee Heung.
In P74 Lumut (51% Malay) which includes over 10,000 navy voters, PKR won this seat with a thumping majority of 8168 after narrowly losing this seat by 298 votes in 2008 and defeated former Minister of Transport, Kong Cho Ha.
Read the rest of this entry »
Lim Kit Siang wins Gelang Patah seat
By Tracy Quek In Gelang Patah (johor)
The Straits Times
DAP veteran beats Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani by 14,000 votes
Published on May 06, 2013
VETERAN opposition leader Lim Kit Siang beat outgoing Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman by a huge margin of more than 14,000 votes in the hotly contested Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.
It was as much a symbolic victory for the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in the Umno-led Barisan Nasional’s stronghold as it was a personal one for 72-year- old Mr Lim. He announced he would quit his nearly five-decade political career if he lost here.
“Now that I have been given a new lease of life, it is a heavy responsibility,” he said last night, adding that he was awed by the winning margin.
Read the rest of this entry »
Triumphant BN seen losing popular vote
BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
May 06, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Barisan Nasional may have lost the popular vote in Election 2013, despite being returned to power with 133 seats from the 222-seat Parliament.
With all results in, BN polled 5.220 million votes to Pakatan Rakyat’s 5.489 million, for a deficit of 269,130 votes based on calculations by The Malaysian Insider. The Election Commission has yet to release the official results.
This was proportionally down from the 4.082 million votes the coalition polled in Election 2008, against the 3.796 million that the parties of PKR, DAP, and PAS collected then.
The last time an Umno-led coalition lost the popular vote was in 1969, then contested by BN’s predecessor, the Alliance Party.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s BN survived a hard-fought polls battle in face of “Chinese tsunami” yesterday, but rival Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to fight the result following allegations of widespread fraud. Read the rest of this entry »
GE13: Big BN names defeated
Anisah Shukry| May 6, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
Anisah Shukry| May
Many prominent BN leaders were positively decimated in the 2013 general election, paving the way for a fresh lineup in the cabinet.
PETALING JAYA: Despite retaining Putrajaya, Barisan Nasional yesterday suffered heavy blows when it saw several prominent leaders fall at the hands of Pakatan Rakyat.
Most notable are Federal Territories and Urban Well-being minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal, Transport minister Kong Cho Ha, and Plantation Industries and Commodities minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.
Despite his vast financial resources and position in the cabinet, Raja Nong Chik lost Lembah Pantai by 1,847 votes to incumbent MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Kong lost by an overwhelming 8,168 votes in Lumut to PKR’s Mohamad Imran Abd Hamid, while PKR’ newcomer Ignatius Dorell Leiking slaughtered Bernard in Penampang by a majority of 10,216 votes. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan makes ‘big’ inroads in Borneo
FMT Staff| May 6, 2013 FMT
Free Malaysia Today
Pakatan Rakyat candidates slayed four federal ministers – three in Sabah and one in Sarawak.
KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat made impressive inroads in Sabah and Sarawak in the 13th general election which ended yesterday.
In 2008, Pakatan was hardly visible in these states.
As at 2am this morning, Pakatan candidates had slayed four federal ministers – three in Sabah and one in Sarawak.
They were VK Liew, Bernard Dompok and Joseph Kurup from Sabah and Yong Koon Seng from Sarawak. Read the rest of this entry »
