Final tally: BN 134, Pakatan 88
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 6 May 2013, 3:46 am
FMT Staff| May 5,2013 FMT
Free Malaysia Today
Pakatan Rakyat says that it would not accept the results, blaming the EC for manipulating the polls to ensure a BN victory.
FULL REPORT
PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional has formed the federal government by winning 134 out of 222 seats. In 2008, it won 140 seats.
Pakatan Rakyat meanwhile won 88 seats – six more than their total in 2008.
DAP emerged as the biggest winner among Pakatan parties, romping home to win 38 seats. PKR won 29 seats while PAS brought home 21 seats.
In 2008, PKR was the biggest winner with its 31 seats, followed by DAP (28) and PAS (23). Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: don’t racialise electoral results
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Malaysiakini
May 6, 2013
Refuting MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s remark that the electoral result has formed a two-race system, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang urged him not to racialise the choice of the people.
He said the labelling of the result as a “victory of the Chinese against the Malays” by Chua is a betrayal to the vision of Malaysians as well as the 1Malaysia spirit touted by BN.
NONE”It is a great disservice to the country,” he said, while asking Chua to stop his race-baiting.
Lim, who defeated former Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman in Gelang Patah by a whopping majority of 14,762, called a press conference after being officially announced as the winner at the tally centre in Skudai.
To back his argument, Lim said he could not obtain such a high majority without the substantial support of the Malay voters, who form 34 percent of the total voters. Read the rest of this entry »
Psy war as both sides leak GE13 ‘win’ numbers
By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
May 05, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) began leaking numbers of possible wins in the tight Election 2013 race just as voters finished casting their ballots today.
The BN is confident of winning 145 federal seats, with at least 118 in the white list, said sources from the coalition’s war room.
But PR is also bullish about capturing Putrajaya, with sources saying that it can win at least 117 federal seats. It is understood that an independent poll showed possibly taking at least 125 seats, with at least 40 per cent of the Malay vote in the bag.
The Umno-controlled Berita Harian has also been publishing an exit poll of various hot seats that indicate BN are in the lead. It is learnt that the numbers are from the BN war room.
PR sources say that their worst-case scenario is taking 100 federal seats and possibly wresting the Perak and Negri Sembilan state assemblies while keeping Kelantan, Kedah, Penang and Selangor.
But BN sources say they are also confident of keeping Perak and taking Kedah and Kelantan as part of their “Blue Wave” campaign. Read the rest of this entry »
Ordinary Malaysians, extraordinary day
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Elections, Johore, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Sabah, Sarawak on Sunday, 5 May 2013, 6:11 pm
by Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
May 5, 2013
GE13 SPECIAL On this historic day of GE13, Malaysians are bravely stepping into the unknown. Some are already queuing up to vote, and yet others are waiting for the crowd to disperse before heading out to the polling stations. Every Malaysian knows today will not be an ordinary day.
There are four intense but quiet battles taking place that will shape whether May 5 will indeed bring about change.
The first battle is a personal one, national in scope, taking place deep in the hearts of every Malaysian. It is a contest over what sort of country Malaysia should be. Many Malaysians are voting for a different moral foundation for the country’s politics.
The anger and sense of disbelief of BN governance runs deep, from the issues of corruption to its racial polemics. While there are many Malaysians who strongly support the status quo, among this group are many who question whether something is not quite right.
Indeed, today the country will be voting for its soul. Read the rest of this entry »
BN faces fight of its life in this general election
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Elections, Najib Razak on Sunday, 5 May 2013, 5:47 pm
by Stuart Grudgings, Reuters
Malaysiakini
May 5, 2013
Malaysians vote on Sunday in an election that could weaken or even end the rule of one of the world’s longest-lived coalitions, which faces a stiff challenge from an opposition pledging to clean up politics and end race-based policies.
Led by former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition is aiming to build on startling electoral gains in 2008, when the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
The historic result signalled a breakdown in traditional politics as minority ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indians, as well as many majority Malays, rejected the National Front’s brand of race-based patronage that has ensured stability in the Southeast Asian nation but led to corruption and widening inequality. Read the rest of this entry »
M’sians can forgo Ghani, but not Kit Siang
P Ramakrishnan
Free Malaysia Today
May 5, 2013
Today is a crucial day for Malaysia. It is crucial that a corrupt government be defeated in this momentous GE13. Malaysians must rise to this challenge and create a golden opportunity for all Malaysians.
Tied up with this effort is the fate of Lim Kit Siang. Kit Siang is a true-blooded Malaysian patriot who has sacrificed his entire life for the good of this nation. He has been incarcerated in Kamunting twice unfairly and unjustly but they could not break his spirit or deter him from his pursuit of a just society.
He has stayed the course in spite of many tremendous obstacles. He has criss-crossed the country bringing hope and opportunity for change. He is the epitome of selfless struggle so that Malaysia will attain its place as a truly democratic and incorruptible country among the nations of the world.
This man’s fate and fortune is in the hands of voters in Gelang Patah. The voters here are poised to create history for all of us. Their overwhelming support for Kit Siang will spur the tsunami to lash across the whole of Johor and bring about a new dawn of hope and opportunity for Malaysia and Malaysians. Read the rest of this entry »
This is about us!
By Joan Lau
Managing Editor
The Malaysian Insider
May 05, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Polling Day. It’s here at last. Today, we — the 13.3 million of us who are eligible to vote anyway — are going to determine what the next five years will be.
The last two weeks of campaigning has brought out the best and worst in not just the candidates but in us. The ones who were being wooed.
Some people say this has been the most contentious election ever because friends and even family members have fought with each other because of opposing views.
This has always been the case but now with Facebook and other social media available, the “fighting” just gets bigger and is spread faster.
But this, this is true democracy in action. Even before a single ballot has been cast, we already bear witness to the messy disagreements and ugly unfriendings on Facebook and elsewhere but it’s perfectly okay.
Finally, we are learning to voice out our opinions. We are learning to speak up. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with what your friend is saying. It really is okay that you think he is an idiot for supporting a certain candidate. Read the rest of this entry »
My Malaysian Dream – all the way back to 1957
One for all and all for one
We care not what colour, creed or religion you belong
For aren’t each of us Malaya’s son
Then why let silly racial quarrels prolong?
(from poem written in 1957 for class magazine – when I was 16 and in Form III in Batu Pahat High School)
Thousands throng Pakatan’s final rallies in major cities
DAY 15 LAST DAY Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place in the run-up to GE13.
12 midnight: The 15-day campaign has come to an end. There is an eight-hour cooling-off period before polling stations open at 8am tomorrow.
Voters are urged to vote early as showers and thunderstorms are expected in many parts of the country in the afternoon. Polling will end at 5pm tomorrow and the counting of votes will begin soon after. Results will start coming in at around 8pm.
Malaysiakini will be reporting LIVE all day tomorrow.
11.50pm – Gelang Patah: In his final speech before polling day, DAP supremo and Gelang Patah candidate Lim Kit Siang praises Malaysians for creating history in the 15-day campaign.
“There were thousands of people who attended our ceramah in Gelang Patah and elsewhere in Johor.
“Thousands of people want change. Ubah! Wu Yue Wu, Huan Zheng Fu! (Change, May 5th, change the government)”
The veteran politician also urges party supporters to stay calm no matter what the election outcome tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »
Anwar vows no retributive justice for political foes
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 5 May 2013, 7:07 am
by Susan Loone
Malaysiakini
May 4, 2013
Pakatan’s prime minister-designate Anwar Ibrahim has vowed that his political opponents will not face “retributive justice” should he assume power in Putrajaya tomorrow.
His political enemies, among others, is his former boss,ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad.
“I have no intention of taking revenge against him nor will we be conducting any investigation on him,” said Anwar at a press conference in Kubang Semang today.
“However, this does not mean that the wealth of Petronas will continue to remain a monopoly in the hands of his cronies,” he was quick to add.
“Such ill gotten wealth must be returned to the people,” he stressed.
“I can understand his hysterical outburst recently but no one said we will go after him,” he quipped. Read the rest of this entry »
1-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Coming-of-Age of Malaysian Dream, with PR campaigning on “hope” while BN campaigning on “fear”
Posted by Kit in Elections, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, Parliament on Saturday, 4 May 2013, 4:51 pm
Let the 13th General Elections tomorrow mark the coming-of-age of the Malaysian Dream, uniting Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region, in a common national vision and destiny to build a more united, democratic, free, just, competitive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens.
In my 47 years in politics, I have always regarded myself as a Malaysian first and last. I have never regarded myself purely as a Chinese, but as a Malaysian of Chinese ethnic descent whose loyalty is unswervingly to the Malaysian nation, having common cause with all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region to build a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.
Loyalty to the Malaysian nation is however not the same as loyalty to the government of the day.
It is a complete misunderstanding and misperception of the meaning of “loyalty” for the caretaker Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional leaders to equate support of the government-coalition of the day with loyalty to the nation. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa Melayu; jangan terpedaya dengan fitnah UMNO-BN
DAP mempertahankan kedudukan istimewa Melayu; jangan terpedaya dengan fitnah UMNO-BN. Saya merayu kepada semua pengundi Malaysia, terutamanya orang Melayu, supaya menolak fitnah dan pembohongan tentang diri saya dan DAP.
Sebagaimana yang saya jelaskan sebelum ini, saya tidak terlibat dengan peristiwa 13 Mei 1969. Saya tidak pernah berada di Kuala Lumpur pada 13 Mei 1969 kerana saya berada di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah pada masa itu. Hakikat tentang perkara ini ada dalam rekod pihak berkuasa polis dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri.
Dengan itu, sebarang pembohongan tentang saya berada di Kuala Lumpur untuk mencetuskan rusuhan atau menjadi dalang peristiwa 13 Mei adalah fitnah semata-mata. Jangan percaya perkara karut ini, terimalah kebenaran yang hakiki.
Satu lagi fitnah yang terus dilemparkan kepada DAP ialah kononnya DAP mahu menghapuskan hak orang Melayu. Ini juga tidak masuk akal, tidak bertanggungjawab dan sangat rasis. Ia amat berbahaya untuk perpaduan kaum di Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
After 56 years, will Malaysia finally get a new government?
by HARI RAJ
Former journalist for The Star in Malaysia
Crikey
Every four or five years since they won independence from British rule in 1957, Malaysians have shuffled off to the polls. Every four or five years, they have woken up the next morning with the status quo intact. The country’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, has been in power for every one of the past 56 years.
Malaysia goes to the polls again on Sunday. But many of the country’s citizens are buoyed by an unfamiliar sentiment: hope for change. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian government-linked corporations crowd out private investment
by Jayant Menon, ADB and ANU, and Thiam Hee Ng, ADB
East Asia Forum
April 25th, 2013
Private investment in Malaysia never fully recovered from the impact of the Asian financial crisis.
Foreigners have continued to shun Malaysia, but it now seems that even domestic investors are fleeing, with Malaysia becoming a net exporter of capital since 2005. One explanation for the sluggish performance of domestic private investment relates to the crowding-out effect of the growing dominance of government-linked corporations (GLCs) in many sectors. The influence of GLCs, however measured, is both widespread and pervasive.
The GLC share of operating revenue is approximately one-third in the aggregate, and they control more than half the industry share in utilities, transportation, warehousing, agriculture, banking, information communications and retail trade. GLCs employ around 5 per cent of the national workforce and account for approximately 36 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively, of the market capitalisation of Bursa Malaysia and the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index. Read the rest of this entry »
Hail the Comrades for Change!
Posted by Kit in Articles, Elections, Kee Thuan Chye on Saturday, 4 May 2013, 1:01 pm
by Kee Thuan Chye
Yahoo! Malaysia
The purest and most heartwarming feature of this upcoming general election, predicted to be the dirtiest ever in Malaysian history, is the solidarity of the Malaysians who are calling for ubah (change) and proclaiming, “Ini kalilah!” (This is the time to do it!)
In the course of a year, it has swelled into a movement. Partly from the Bersih rallies that brought people closer together because they went through adverse circumstances together. Partly from the rallies organised by the Opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, that gave hope of a viable alternative to Malaysians disenchanted by 55 years of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule. Read the rest of this entry »
100,000 rally in Penang in wake of vote-buying claims
by Susan Loone
Malaysiakini
8:31AM May 4, 2013
PENANG Pakatan Rakyat held several gatherings in Penang yesterday, including a mammoth rally at the Esplanade which was swarmed by about 100,000 people who stayed until midnight.
This is the coalition’s biggest rally on the island where it managed to collect a record RM505,000 in donations from its supporters.
The carnival-like event, which included a stage and canopy, dozens of hawker stalls and DAP’s own merchandise sales corner, kicked off at 5pm while about 500 people watched a mini-concert by local bands such as Zombie Station, TUC, and Sweet Scream.
The open field facing the iconic British-styled Town Hall building was packed by 8pm, including youths and senior citizens, and the crowd spilled over onto the surrounding roads.
Several small separate rallies were held in front of the Town Hall and nearby Clock Tower with groups of supporters waving opposition party flags while blowing the vuvuzuela, wildly deafening to the ears. Read the rest of this entry »
Elections in Malaysia: “Ubah” you can believe in?
The Economist
May 4th 2013 | PENANG |From the print edition
“NO TO racism, no to corruption,” bellows Anwar Ibrahim from a stage in front of 50,000 delirious supporters, braving heavy rain to acclaim their idol in Penang. It is the last week of campaigning before Malaysia’s general election on May 5th and the leader of the opposition has been criss-crossing the country to shore up his support and make inroads into government territory. The task before Mr Anwar (pictured) is one of the most daunting in the annals of modern democracy: to unseat the world’s longest continually elected governing coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN). It has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.
He will never have a better chance than now. In the latest poll, in 2008, Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat coalition won five out of 12 state contests and for the first time robbed BN of its two-thirds majority in parliament. This time it could be closer. Mr Anwar’s rallying-cry of “ubah”, meaning “change”, has captured a widespread feeling among younger, mostly urban and increasingly affluent voters that their country requires fundamental restructuring to break out of the “middle-income trap”, to move away from the race-based politics of BN, and to become a modern democracy. No fewer than 2.6m new voters have registered (out of a total of 13.3m). Their tweets and texts will have a vital say in the outcome of the election.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Elections, Farish Noor on Saturday, 4 May 2013, 10:16 am
— Farish A Noor
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2013
MAY 4 — It is close to midnight and I am typing this as I try to pack up my things and finish off the fieldwork that I have been doing for the past two weeks, covering the election campaign in three different places — Temerloh, Kuala Selangor and Kota Kinabalu.
Lugging an antiquated laptop that dates back to the Jurassic age made of granite has not helped, and my back is wrecked as a result. My eyes are failing me, so excuse the typos as you come across them, too.
I have been following elections in Malaysia for ages, in 1999, 2004, 2008 and now this one, in 2013. In the course of my work as a wandering academic I’ve also covered elections in Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
And I have since grown somewhat cynical about the promises that are made during campaigns, for I have seen them broken too many times as well. Read the rest of this entry »
A changed Malaysia come May 6
By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
May 04, 2013
COMMENT, May 4 — No matter which coalition makes the government in the early morning of May 6, one thing is certain — Malaysia has changed and it is business unusual for the new administration.
With the respected Merdeka Center for Opinion Research’s latest survey showing a dead heat between both Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the winner’s first job is to respond to a populace that questions and demands more from its government.
Forget the docile and subservient citizenry that thought government always knew best. That worked for some 55 years but this is a new Malaysia where the people are more advanced and ambitious in thought than their politicians.
A population where pensioners and the bloated civil service are no longer a sure vote bank, where racial barriers have collapsed and people are one as Bangsa Malaysia — concerned more about the economy than the personal lives of politicians.
This single-mindedness and unity comes despite the overt racist tones in the campaign since Nomination Day on April 20 or the fear-mongering being played out by certain political parties. Read the rest of this entry »
13GE – Justice for Teoh Beng Hock
Posted by Kit in Elections, Teoh Beng Hock on Saturday, 4 May 2013, 7:27 am
DAY 14 What’s happening during the election campaigns around the country today? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place.
11.15pm – Pasir Gudang: Soh Cher Wei, the wife of political aide Teoh Beng Hock who died mysteriously at the premises of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), asks the help of the audience of some 3,000 to “lend” her their votes to seek the truth behind Teoh’s death.
Speaking at a Pakatan function for the second time after yesterday’s ceramah at Kulai, the civil servant is unfazed that action could be taken against her for speaking at Pakatan ceramah.
“I would come (and speak at Pakatan ceramah) for the third, fourth or fifth time (if I’m asked to). I don’t think they would pardon me but at least I die (penalised) for a cause.”
Soh reminds the audience that the truth is still being denied four years after Teoh died. Read the rest of this entry »
