Private eye Bala's reply handed to MACC

PAS demands Suhakam inquiry on postal votes

Bagan Pinang victory 'perfect tonic' for MIC - Malaysiakini

Penang MIC Youth's reading of Barisan Nasional's Bagan Pinang victory is that the Indian voters have realised that Pakatan Rakyat is only interested in politicking and political dramas.

The movement's chief J Dhinagaran said last Sunday's by-election result indicated that Indians were flocking back to the party and BN.

He cited the Penang DAP government's 'broken promise' to save the Indian heritage village of Kampung Buah Pala as an influential factor in turning the tide.

"Bagan Pinang could be the prefect tonic for MIC to be used as a launching pad for the party's revival," he told Malaysiakini today.

He said Pakatan's failure to promote and develop Tamil schools and protect Hindu temples in its states were also among the reasons that could have prompted Indian voters turning their backs on the opposition coalition.

However, Penang Deputy Chief Minister (II) P Ramasamy had since discounted the possibility that the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco could have swung Indian votes in favour of BN.

'Only MIC and BN can deliver'

Pakatan, Dhinagaran said, rode on the 'Makkal Sakti' mantra (people's power) in the last general election to rob BN of its traditional Indian voter bank across the country.

"However, today Indians have realised that Pakatan state governments have failed to address their grouses effectively despite being in power for the past 18 months.

"Indians realise that only MIC and BN could help and deliver, not Pakatan," he said.

Dhinagaran said MIC's own campaign strategy by organising various grassroots programmes to reach out to the voters had also effectively and decisively swayed the Indians back to BN.

He claimed that 80 percent of Indians, who cast their ballots in the by-election, backed BN and the MIC.

He suggested that the remaining 20 percent, who backed PAS candidate Zulkefly Mohd Omar, could be family members of hardcore Pakatan supporters.

He also said at least 600 Indian voters abstained from voting "to teach both BN and Pakatan a lesson."

"Many Indians told me personally that they don't trust both political blocs," he added.

In the Bagan Pinang poll, BN's Isa Samad bagged 8,013 votes while Zulkefly polled 2,578 votes.

Analysts said more than 60 percent of the Malay voters had backed Isa, a popular local political icon, with non-Malay support rising to almost 70 percent.

Rakyat di Bagan Pinang bodoh?

By Rocky's Bru,

Blame the rakyat, YBs. After so many by-election victories, you don't expect the Pakatan Rakyat camp to be graceful in the Bagan Pinang defeat. But I expected the leaders to be retrospect, to also look at themselves for flaws.

Anwar Ibrahim, in his blog, reproduced Azmin Ali's posting here which unabashedly, and quite unfairly, blamed the voters for electing Isa Samad. So bitter was Azmin that he suggested that there was now no need for Umno to reform the party as its candidate at Bagan Pinang was clearly the choice of the rakyat despite his "corrupt past" (Isa was found guilty of money politics by Umno when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was president).

Azmin wrote:

"UMNO perlu membuat persiapan awal untuk menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke 13 dengan menonjolkan barisan calon-calon UMNO di kalangan perasuah kerana itulah cita rasa rakyat Malaysia."

Blogging from New York, YB Zul could not believe that the people of Bagan Pinang had voted for Isa. In his posting here, he lamented:

"Saya melihat ini dengan suatu perasaan yang gementar, apa dah jadi dengan masyarakat Malaysia. Bagaimana kita boleh menjadi toleran kepada sang koruptor, dan membenamkan Hang Jebat. Apakah ini petanda masyarakat Malaysia sudah menjadi masyarakat yang rosak, atau apakah UMNo/Be End sedang mempercepatkan proses menalqinkan diri mereka."

Kit Siang hints at foul play by Umno ("What was unexpected was Isa’s 8,013-vote and thumping majority of 5,435 votes sweeping all the eight voting streams – the result of gross abuses of power, money politics as well as the postal ballot chicanery") but the veteran is probably the only one brave enough to ask the Pakatan Rakyat leaders to also look within:

"With the rout in Bagan Pinang, Pakatan Rakyat must go back to the drawing board and address the many issues bedevilling the coalition but which had been swept under the carpet, aggravating public concerns about its unity, discipline, cohesion, viability and sustainability as the alternative of the Barisan Nasional for federal power in Putrajaya.

"For a start, Pakatan Rakyat leaders must stop being shy about the need to demonstrate discipline and common sense of purpose at all levels of Pakatan Rakyat as well as have the courage to admit and to resolve any crisis of confidence undermining public support for the coalition."

Isa scores landslide win, majority 5,435 - Malaysiakini

8.05pm: Official Election Commission's results (final)

Mohd Isa Abd Samad (BN): 8,013
Zulkefly Mohamad Omar (PAS): 2,578

Majority: 5,435
Spoilt votes: 223

As returning officer Abdul Wahad Samsuddin made the official annoucement at the tallying centre, jubilant Umno supporters cheered.

7.31pm: Umno's Isa Samad claimed victory. He thanked party workers for their effort and voters for their support.

Asked if he had expected a landslide win, he said: "I didn't expect it to be that massive but I knew the majority would be bigger than 2008 (general election)."

He said his victory showed that Malays, Chinese and Indians have all returned to give their support to BN and Umno.

Asked to comment on the criticism by Umno veterans Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah over his candidacy, Isa said: "I just smiled."

7.17pm: Official Election Commission results so far:

Mohd Isa Abd Samad (BN): 5,746
Zulkefly Mohamad Omar (PAS): 1,505

Majority: 4,241

Dejected PAS supporters have left the party's operations centre in Bagan Pinang. There were 150 people an hour earlier, now there are no more than 10.

7.15pm: Unofficial - with all votes counted, Umno's Isa won by a whopping majority of over 5,000 votes.

In the 2008 general election, Umno won the state seat with 2,333 votes.

Mohd Isa Abd Samad (BN): 8,013
Zulkefly Mohamad Omar (PAS): 2,578

Majority: 5,435
Spoilt votes: 222

7pm: Official Election Commission's results so far (with 5,318 votes counted)

Mohd Isa Abd Samad (BN): 4,377
Zulkefly Mohamad Omar (PAS): 941

Majority: 3,436

Polling begins in Bagan Pinang

PORT DICKSON, Oct 11 – Voters began streaming into polling stations at 8am for the Bagan Pinang by-election that appears to be Barisan Nasional’s to lose after Pakatan Rakyat struggled through the campaign period to get its message across in a constituency where one-third of the electorate are postal voters.

The ruling Barisan Nasional state government is fielding the popular Tan Sri Mohamed Isa Samad, who as Negri Sembilan mentri besar for 22 years, brought development to the seaside resort town dominated by a large army base. The dimunitive leader is making a comeback after a three-year party suspension for vote-buying.

Pakatan Rakyat, which has won seven by-elections in a row in the peninsula, is likely to face its first-ever defeat despite fielding PAS Negri Sembilan commissioner Zulkefly Mohammad Omar as its ground network is weak and national issues have little traction in the coastal town.

BN and PAS supporters outside SK Kampung Baru Si Rusa a polling station with 1,553 civilian voters. – Picture by Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

The Election Commission (EC) has opened eight polling centres with 18 polling streams for the 9,060 registered normal voters while another 4,604 have cast their ballots through the post last Thursday and Friday. PAS has claimed that most of the postal voters are actually retired servicemen but the EC says the onus is on the ex-soldiers to re-register as normal voters.

Voting begins at 8am and ends at 5pm and with a weather forecast of rain, the EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof has appealed to voters to turn up early. He also expected the results to be announced by 8pm tonight.

“If all goes well, we should be able to know the result between 7.15pm and 7.30pm. But it’s better we announce it after the Maghrib (evening) prayers at 8pm when the supporters of both parties will be present,” he told reporters after visiting polling centres in Ladang Sua Betong here Saturday.

The Bagan Pinang by-election is a straight fight between Isa and Zulkefly when the seat fell vacant on the death of state assemblyman, Azman Mohd Noor of the BN, on Sept 4. He had won the seat in Election 2008 by 2,333 votes.

Barisan Nasiona currently rules Negri Sembilan with a simple majority and a victory will slow down Pakatan Rakyat’s efforts to take over the state government by the next general election. The opposition currently controls 15 seats in the 36-member state assembly.

Isa is expected to win as Teluk Kemang, within which Bagan Pinang is situated, is his stronghold and he had been an elected representative in the neighbouring state constituency of Linggi since 1978.

The former Umno vice-president, whose candidacy was opposed by party veterans including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has been credited with Umno’s revival of spirits despite the fact that he was indicted for money politics by the party.

But PAS remained confident despite fighting in an unfamiliar territory, where it lacks local machinery.

“There has been no response from the other side,” said Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad the campaign operation director for PAS, referring to the issues brought up by the party’s campaign, specifically, the alleged failure of Isa’s administration.

Across the Teluk Kemang parliamentary constituency, the Islamist party only has 4 branches, three in Bagan Pinang and one in Port Dickson town with total membership of about 600. Umno has 12 branches in Bagan Pinang alone.

For the final two days of campaigning, PAS was relying on the presence of Anwar to mount a high profile campaign, after days of focussing on local issues.

“We started from inside out, touching on issues close to the people before we embark on high impact programmes with Datuk Seri Anwar and Tuan Guru Nik Aziz,” Dzulkefly told The Malaysian Insider in response to criticism to the party’s campaign strategy.

Dzulkefly, who is the party strategist, remained confident when met on the last day of campaign.

To win, party officials hoped to increase its share of postal voters, where it obtained 25 per cent of the total votes from the members of the security forces. PAS is also relying on more than 1,000 outstation voters mostly residing in the Klang Valley to vote for Zulkefly, who had contested three times in the Lenggeng seat and lost.

DESPERATE FOR VICTORY MILLIONS OF RINGGIT MAKING INROAD

The Bagan Pinang State Assembly by-election campaign is about to over tonight where the clear signal of act desperate can really be seen.

I had personally visited few Estates beside other areas where part of Indian voters are believed to be. However in real situation most of them already retired or their family migrate to nearby housing estates. A situation similar which I encounter at Bukit Selambau, where majority of their houses reside by Indonesian workers.

However, Barisan Nasional leaders trying to eye wash the general public with the assistance of pro government medias that they are most caring human beings ever exist in the world. After more than 150 years of been conquered into jungle colonies the Malaysian Indian had already migrated out of estate where most younger generations works at factories or struggling with their own business.

Just to spend some easily RM30million or more and for the of having “Recycled New Menteri Besar “ for Negeri Sembilan the BN election machinery pouring their financial resource into wrong basket. Beside usual election campaign materials Neon Lighted Billboards too pave ways at Bagan Pinang. Yes, we can predict Barisan Nasional very much desperate to retain their Bagan Pinang Sit as losing it may open door for The State Government been shown similar exit door to Perak Pakatan Government. Surely there is “FROGS” at their camp too and some precedent already been set by themselves.

Forget about the Army votes as they already cast theirs, while PAS and PKR confident in gaining more Malay votes , DAP continue to gain the Chinese voters support but the Indian votes looks set to swing again to BN based on perception at Bagan Pinang . It’s merely because Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) , Mutton Curry and Briyani , Hampers, Sarees and Ang Pow knocks their door every day.

But what a pity, the Intended Indian Votes are not there at the estates. Surely some of them are there which BN managed to hijack them from PR camp by inducements. Even , they instructed toblock Estate fields for BN uses where we can easily estimate about RM30,000- RM40,000 been spend just to set up canopies and stages alone a dinner, entertainment cum political speeches function. Look at their mindset cann’t even spend few thousand to the Tamil Schools, Temples or even to poor households but for sake of winning a State Seat they can throw easily RM200,000 for a night. Who get the Benefit? The estate worker could probably receive max RM300.00 worth of goodies , while other end up where?

After 52 years of ruling Federal and State government Barisan Nasional suddenly set their eyes towards estates workers not because it’s majority Indians there but with another hidden agenda of converting those Indonesian workers as Malaysian then as Malay voter for future election campaign purpose . This happening not only at Bagan Pinang but other estates nationwide too. The estates owned by GLC companies like Sime Darby need real workforce not trouble makers as per their dictionaries. That’s why suddenly RM35,000 housing project not for those put their muscles at work for generations but for the Indonesian based at these estates.

I believe the coalition parties with BN able to sense the political ploy by their supremo’s and will not continue to mislead the poor voters for the sake of winning an election or try to prove something in order to retain their positions.

The voters cann’t be fooled simply with KFC , Mutton Briyani , sarees or pledges for future development. Why not last 52 years or since last 12th General Elections but why now? Simply becuase the Opposition parties getting strong, the amount of ang pow and goodies increases too.

I do agree on their claim that BN and it’s coalition members making Inroads into Estates but in road in terms of dollar $$$ , food and promises may not last longer. It happens at all the by-eleaction but how do you capture the voters mindset? Wish you goodluck BN should the FAKE victory sided to your camp while for PAS/PR it’s job well done since we managed to poke their noses with Chili Padi. My Congratulation to PAS /PR incase God sided us and crown us the Victory or even if HE don’t.

Anwar makes last-ditch effort for Bagan Pinang win

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian Insider

PORT DICKSON, Oct 10 — Making his first appearance in Bagan Pinang last night, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gave everything he could to try and revive Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) flagging campaign to win the by-election here.

He called his former party racists, hypocrites and used virtually all derogatory reference there is in a last-ditch effort to stop what is looking to be a likely victory for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), the first in all eight by-elections held in the peninsula since the general election in 2008.

The probability of BN snapping its losing streak in by-elections since the March 8 polls, however, did not deter some 1,500 hardcore "Anwaristas" from turning up at his ceramah, the biggest turnout for the coalition's rally since the campaign started last Saturday for the Oct 11 vote.

It caused massive traffic congestion to the usually quiet semi-rural residential area where the ceramah was held at. People from all races, men, women and children, began showing up as early as 8pm despite knowing that the PKR de facto leader was only scheduled to arrive 1½ hours later.

As time went, the density of the crowd was almost to the point of absurdity. The queue was five minutes just to walk five steps forward, and the cars with plate numbers from all over the country parked by the side of the narrow street made it more difficult for PR workers-cum-traffic marshals to help reduce the congestion.

Anwar speaking at last night’s ceramah. — Picture by Choo Choy May

But it all seemed worth it for them as upon Anwar's arrival on the stump, the charismatic leader, through a mixture of humour and fierceness, brought palpable energy to the crowd. In just seconds, the slightly dull ambience transformed into a BN-hating frenzy.

"Who is the traitor to the Malays? Long have the have-nots suffered at the hands of the few rich elite in the form of Umno politicians," said Anwar, followed by thunderous applause from the angered crowd.

"The poor Malays are robbed in broad daylight, government contracts are awarded to crony companies, we see poor Malays, Chinese, Indian everywhere throughout all BN governed states, and they call me a traitor?" added Anwar.

His ceramah lasted for about half an hour. It was followed by other PR heavyweights like Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PKR vice-president Azmin Ali.

Anwar will continue his campaign for PR today starting with a programme with the Indian community here in the evening.

The sacked deputy prime minister has been the subject of Umno racial attacks ever since the Bagan Pinang campaign started. On nomination day itself, books accusing him of selling out the Malays were distributed freely. In BN ceramahs, the same song has been rewound and played again and again.

PR, on the other hand, has been preying on its rival's tainted past. Former Umno vice-president and Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Tan Sri Isa Samad, who is facing PAS state commissioner Zulkelfy Ahmad, was suspended by the party after he was found guilty of money politics.

But the opposition's focus on Isa's past has not given PR the desired effect. And even if it did, PR will still have difficulty bagging the majority of the 4,000 postal votes which have been traditionally considered BN's “vote bank" and it is uncertain if the Anwar factor can do much to change things.

Bagan Pinang, which falls under the Teluk Kemang parliamentary constituency represented by PKR's Datuk Kamarul Salleh Abbas, is also known to be a traditional Umno stronghold.

In March last year, BN's Azman Mohammad Nor defeated Ramli Ismail of PAS by 2,333 votes. His death last Sept 4 paved the way for the country's ninth by-election in less than two years after the general election.

Scenes from Bagan Pinang

Just to give you a flavour of what it’s like in Bagan Pinang a couple of days ahead of the by-election.

Photos by Jong

Bagan Pinang Voters Reminded Not To Repeat Mistake

PORT DICKSON, Oct (Bernama) -- Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the Bagan Pinang by-election, Friday reminded voters in the state constituency not to repeat their mistake of opting for an Opposition member to be the member of parliament for Teluk Kemang in the last general election.

Bagan Pinang is one of five seats in the parliamentary constituency of Teluk Kemang.

Isa, who had been menteri besar of Negeri Sembilan for over two decades, said the Opposition MP (of Teluk Kemang) had proven to be unreliable.

"We should not vote on emotions. In the 2008 general election, many did not support the BN candidate purportedly because he was not a good candidate and opted for a person from the Opposition.

"What did they get in return, he can hardly be seen ...always missing. This should be a good lesson for us," he told reporters after receiving application forms to join Umno from 80 former members of Teluk Kemang PKR, here Friday.

Mohd Isa, who is also Teluk Kemang Umno chief, added that he was confident more PKR members would follow suit not only in Teluk Kemang but in other places as well as they had lost faith in their leadership.

Mohd Isa is pitted against PAS state commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar in the by-election on Sunday.

Rayuan pusingan akhir

antara bahan kempen yang dikeluarkan
Bn memunggah budak sekolah dan membayar mereka

Kesempatan pilihanraya ini cheGuBard gunakan untuk mendidik rakyat berfikir. Bahan kempen yang menarik dan santai namun bersifat serius menjadi tumpuan cheGuBard dan kawan - kawan.

Antaranya ialah banner gergasi 15 kaki x 12 kaki yang tertera dengan jelas mengingatkan janji Bn di Rembau. (gambar atas). 3 keping disediakan.

Bahan kempen lain seperti mengenegahkan isu tanah adat, air dan perbagai lagi turut disediakan. Terima kasih kepada semua penderma. Untuk bahan kempen dan mengerakkan team dari Rembau kami menerima sumbangan rasmi RM500 dari keADILan Negeri Sembilan dan RM 1000 dan RM 200 serta RM 300 dari penyumbang individu.

Dengan wang modal yang terhad kami keluarkan bahan kempen tidak kurang dari 20 jentera bertugas setiap hari. Tumpuannya ialah menghantar bahan kempen ke rumah - rumah secara senyap, mempamerkan (menggantung bahan kempen spt bendera, banner dan lain - lain). Selain dari jentera kempen rayu undi yang diketuai oleh Yusof tapa dan Zahirul (AJK dan Ketua AMK Rembau)

Rembau berpusat di Bt. 6 1/2 Jalan Pantai (sebelah PD World Marina).

Di sini kami telah berjaya meratakan tanah seluas hampir 2 ekar untuk dijadikan tapak Karnival anak muda. Di sinilah ceramah dijalankan setiap malam, gerai jualan dibuka dan aktiviti anak muda berlansung.

Semuanya lancar dengan dana yang amat terhad, kami juga telah terpakai buget untuk membayar sewa pejabat Rembau selama 2 bulan untuk perbelanjaan PRK ini. Namun semuanya 'indah' kerana nikmat mendapat PRk tempat sendiri.

Namun sikap penakut Umno untuk menjawab isu telah mencuri bahan kempen kami. Mereka gunakan pegawai penguatkuasa namun setelah gagal berhujah penguat kuasa gagal mencuri namun gangster upahan Umno akan melaksanakan tugasan di awal subuh hari.

Namun ia tidak mematah semangat. Kami akan teruskan. Kepada penyumbang yang sudi menyumbang harap dapat membantu sikit untuk kami membuat serangan bahan kempen saat akhir.

Boleh terus bank in kan ke akaun

• Maybank no. 555126105482 atas nama Angkatan Muda Keadilan Rembau
• Hong Leong bank 19951001018 atas nama Badrul Hisham Shaharin

selepas menyumbang sila sms ke 0123696474 untuk maklumkan.

PAS uses Altantuya to warn against abuse of postal votes

Written by Chua Sue-Ann, The Edge

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub today evoked the spectre of murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in issuing a stern warning to government and Election Commission (EC) officials not to partake in any abuse of postal votes in the Bagan Pinang by-election.

"Remember the issue of Altantuya. If someone else does something wrong, it is government officials that will be blamed. If someone else may have done something wrong, it is security personnel that will become the victims," Salahuddin told a press conference here today.

Salahuddin was referring to Altantuya's controversial death where two special action squad officers Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were found guilty of her murder and sentenced to death in April.

The high profile murder trial, which spanned a record 159 days, gripped the nation’s attention and drew international media coverage for the gruesome manner in which Altantuya was believed to be killed.

Altantuya, an interpreter, was said to be shot twice in her face before military-grade explosives were detonated on her body in a jungle clearing in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam between Oct 19 and Oct 20, 2006.

Salahuddin, who is leading PAS' election campaign in Bagan Pinang, also said the party had prepared a system to prevent the abuse of postal votes but declined to elaborate on it at this point, saying the system was part of their strategy.

On Wednesday, PAS Central Elections Director Datuk Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahim is scheduled to lead the party's delegation to meet EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof in Putrajaya to voice its concerns on postal votes, including findings of alleged "double voters".

This will be the second meeting between PAS and the EC in relation to the Bagan Pinang polls. Both parties met on Sept 14, where PAS attempted to propose a review of the postal voting system.

On the "double voters", Salahuddin claimed PAS had a list of several hundred army personnel who were registered to vote in different places, based on their military identification numbers and national identification card number.

Ballot casting by military personnel is fixed for Oct 8 and Oct 9, ahead of the Oct 11 date set for the rest of the Bagan Pinang constituency.

"Oct 10 is the question mark," Salahuddin said, adding that the party was "suspicious" about would happen to the postal votes on that date.

"We are not accusing BN but we have a right to be suspicious," said Salahuddin, who is Kubang Kerian member of parliament.

Met later, Abdul Rahim said he would remind the EC chief to ensure that whatever was decided at their meetings would be implemented by the military camps during polling.

On whether PAS was confident of winning postal votes, Abdul Rahim said "If the army is free, I am confident but there is a fear factor at play here. It could be difficult."

During the general election last year, PAS' Ramli Ismail managed to obtain 1,189 or 25% of the postal votes.

This places high expectations for PAS candidate Zulkefly Mohamad Omar to either defend or increase the margin in an uphill battle against Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, who was Negeri Sembilan menteri besar for more than two decades.

Postal votes, which are considered a reliable source of votes for the BN, have been a source of anxiety to opposition parties who alleged abuse of voting process due to the purported lack of transparency.

The beach-side semi-urban constituency has a sizable number of postal voters, with postal voters making up 4,604 of the 13,664 voters.

The 4,604 postal voters comprises 4,571 military personnel, 31 police officers and two overseas students.

Bagan Pinang has 13,664 voters of whom 8,577 or 62.77% are Malays, 1,498 (10.96%) Chinese, 2,834 (20.74%) Indians and others, 755 (5.54%).

The battle for Indian voters in Bagan Pinang

By Baradan Kuppusamy - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — In Election 2008 in Bagan Pinang, the majority of Indians there had voted for PAS while the majority of Malays voted for Umno, with the minority Chinese, who are about 10 per cent of the electorate of 13,334 voters, evenly backing both factions.

It was largely because of strong Indian support that PAS managed to reduce Umno’s majority from 4,411 votes in the 2004 general election to 2,333 votes in the 2008 polls.

Will this pattern repeat itself on Oct 11?

In 2008 PAS won in five streams — Ladang Atherton, Pekan Siliau, Ladang Bradwell, Sua Betong and in Kampung Bagan Pinang.

While the first four areas have an Indian majority, Kampung Bagan Pinang is predominantly Malay with a large Indian population of 500 voters compared to 1,731 Malays and 113 Chinese.

With former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Isa Samad returning to contest against PAS state chief Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, there is no reason for traditional Umno supporters and fence sitters to shy away from Umno.

Hardcore PAS supporters will continue to back the party. The question is how the Indians, who are a sizeable 20 per cent of the electorate, will vote.

Herein lies the confusion — there are now simply one too many groups out to woo the Indian voters.

The irony is that while Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar is urging Indians to boycott the polls, others are actively wooing them either to vote PAS or Umno and these include the DAP, PPP, MIC, PAS and Umno itself.

In addition various factions opposed to these political parties but supportive of Umno/BN are also campaigning for Indian voters, making the campaign a true merry go round.

Among these groups of leaders are the Barisan Nasional Supporters Club led by former MIC Youth leader S.A Vicknesvaran, the Makkal Sakthi Party led by former Hindraf national co-ordinator R. S. Thanenthiran and expelled PPP member Datuk S. Murugiah.

On the stump for PAS are the DAP and PKR Indian leaders like Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, Sungkai state assemblyman A. Sivanesan and PKR’s Padang Serai MP. P. Gobalakrisnan and Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam.

The 2,800 voters are spoilt for choice.

“I have never seen so many people knock on my doors with all kinds of hampers,” said S. Athimugam, in Bradwell estate. “I am not even a registered voter,” he said with a wink.

He said many older Indians see the by-election as a contest between Isa and PAS not Umno. “Umno does not come into the picture because Isa is such a dominant figure in Teluk Kemang,” he said. “His father was likewise a dominant figure before Isa.”

But the younger generation of Indians, who work elsewhere but will return to vote, they see the contest as a struggle between Umno and Pakatan Rakyat supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“They see Anwar as a credible leader for the Indians not Samy Vellu or Kulasegaran or Thanenthiran or Uthayakumar,” said Wilson Sagamani, a retired teacher in Port Dickson.

“They are so badly discriminated in everyway they want to punish Umno…it’s that simple for them,” he said, adding that nobody is expected to heed Uthayakumar’s call to boycott the election.

“It is a carnival for them, they are diehard Pakatan supporters and the last people in the world to boycott the election,” Sagamani said.

While Umno and its many affiliates are all consistently wooing the Indian votes to raise Umno’s winning majority, PAS is also courting them in the hope of combining their support together with Malay fence sitters to tip the balance in their favour.

The only difference between now and in 2008 is the Isa factor which by all counts is a big factor in Teluk Kemang.

Umno to ask delegates to vote reforms, not debate it

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Showing seriousness in expanding democracy within Umno, the party leadership will ask its 2,400 delegates to forgo further debate but just vote to accept or reject proposals to abolish nomination quotas and expand the voting base.

The amendments propose to expand the voting base from the current 2,400 central delegates to some 146,000 delegates from branches to divisions who will choose the top leadership in one day of nation-wide elections.

“The special Umno meeting on Oct 13 is just tasked with approving or rejecting the amendments. There won’t be any debate,” a party official told The Malaysian Insider.

The special assembly is on the eve of its annual general assembly from Oct 14 to 16.

The influential Umno political bureau has also dropped a proposal to only allow supreme council members who have served for at least three terms to contest for top posts. The current proposals being voted allows anyone to contest top party posts.

The party official said delegates have had more than enough time to digest the proposals and vote rather than continue debating or fine-tuning the amendments.

Najib, along with Datin Rosmah Mansor (right), wave to the crowd before their departure to France yesterday. - Bernama pic

“Datuk Seri Najib Razak proposed the amendments at the end of March and there has been enough time for debate and tweaking the proposals. It boils down to voting, that’s all,” he added.

Najib, who took over the party presidency in March from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had pushed to scrap the unpopular nomination quota system as it narrowed the pool of leaders eligible to contest.

Among those who have failed to qualify for the party presidency contest has been veteran party leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who has only been nominated by his Gua Musang division. Former president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad introduced the quota system when the party was reconstituted in 1988 to ensure only popular challenges.

Currently, those eyeing the presidency had to win nominations from at least 30 per cent of the 191 Umno divisions while 20 per cent of nominations was needed for the deputy presidency, 10 per cent for vice-president and 5 per cent for the supreme council.

The proposal to expand the voting base from 2,400 to 146,000 will see elections being done on a single day during which division annual general meetings are held. Each branch will send a full complement of delegates including one each from the wings — Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri.

The Umno technical committee tasked with the amendment is led by party vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who had said the single day voting will make it harder to buy votes and will curb the practice of money politics.

Hishammuddin added that the yearly membership fee will be replaced with a one-off payment so as to do away with the hassle of unpaid fees.

However, there are no proposals to limit the term for top party officials unlike recent amendments made by Umno allies MCA and MIC, both of whom are imposing three-term limits for the party presidency.

Isa Samad: Phoenix rising from the ashes?

Only Umno can lose Bagan Pinang, they say. In other words, the party can only be beaten by itself - by intrigue, infighting, internal sabotage. But not by the opposition.

Malaysian Mirror

Old politicians never die, they just fade away. Nope, this won’t apply for Isa Abdul Samad, the man chosen by Umno to represent it in a crucial by-election despite a glaring corruption and vote-buying record.

A phoenix rising from the ashes.Yup, this is could be more appropriate. Not only is the 60-year former Negeri Sembilan mentri besar poised to snap his party’s losing streak, many believe he is en-route to his old post – the chief ministership of the state of nine.

No wonder, there has been so much bickering over his selection.

Not only does it pave the way for him to rebuild his power-base at the party, as part of zero-sum game, it would require someone else to be displaced.

And that would have to be his successor Mohamad Hasan, the current mentri besar.

But the wily Isa has been careful not to get dragged into the speculation, neatly sidestepping the issue of the No. 1 post in the state.

“I only want to serve my kampung people. I have been in politic for more than 20 years and this is the first time that I will be contesting in my own place. I believe they choose me as their leader,” Isa told the press on Saturday.

Ambitious still

Yet his words and his confidence in himself belie his ambition.

“I believe that I can win because I have the experience. I know Negeri Sembilan and I believe that I can help in solve the problems being faced by the people,” he said.

For someone who was mentri besar for 22 years from April 1982 to March 2004, it won’t be easy to stay content minding a constituency of just 13,664 voters.

Indeed, his caliber as a politician well-versed with national issues has started to show as campaigning for the state seat kicks off in earnest.

“I will use both defensive and offensive strategies,” said Isa.

“Although the opposition is always saying there is no problem at their side of the fence, everyone knows it is not that rosy there. Just look at all the states that are under their governance, and you will understand why I say this.

“They have many unsettled issues among themselves. They are also unable to deliver their promises that they made during the general election. I hope the people will not be lulled by those who do not practice what they preach.”

Only Umno lose Bagan Pinang

Balloting won’t take place until next Sunday Oct 11 and his rival from PAS Zulkefly Omar could well spring a giant-beating feat.

But it is not expected by pundits.

Only Umno can lose Bagan Pinang, they say. In other words, the party can only be beaten by itself - by intrigue, infighting, internal sabotage. But not by the opposition.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Hasan has rubbished the talk, pledging his full support for the diminutive Isa. But already the rumour mills are running on over-time.

The latest scandal is a letter bearing the official letterhead of Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan. Circulated widely and in cyberspace as well, the bombshell it contained was that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the head of Umno, had wanted Isa to be picked.

As such, the nominees recommended by Mohamad Hasan’s committee were binned - an omen of what's to come. Tengku Adnan has rushed to deny ever issuing such a letter but that is unlikely to stop the rumblings on the ground.

“This is a lie. It is a forgery by the opposition to try and cause disunity in Umno specifically in Bagan Pinang,” said Tengku Adnan.

Not really a local boy

The bespectacled Isa was actually born in neighbouring Malacca state. But he studied at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Bagan Pinang in Port Dickson during his early years.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Malaya, he worked as a teacher in Seremban from 1973 to 1978.

Life changed when he decided to go into active politics. He won the Linggi state seat in 1978 and never looked back, becoming the Negeri Sembilan mentri besar in 1982.

He held this powerful post until 2004, when he contested and won the Jempol parliamentary seat. For this, he was promoted to the federal cabinet as Minister of Federal Territories.

And if his cup was not filled yet, he also won one of Umno’s coveted vice-presidencies during the September 2004 party election, scoring the highest votes.

Recycled

Then suddenly almost everything went wrong for him. The sky darkened and heavy thunder clouds followed him everywhere.

He was accused of money politics and vote-buying at the Umno election. Nine charges including offering food and monetary bribes to delegates were preferred against him.

In 2005, he was found guilty of five of these charges and sacked as vice-president. His party membership was also suspended for six years although it was later reduced to three years.

That same year, his wife Hazizah Tumin died after a long battle with cancer. They had four children Mohammed Najib, Megawati, Lelawati and Juhaida.

“Even though the opposition is saying that I am a recycled product, that doesn’t matter. It is up to the voters, the Bagan Pinang people to decide whether I am a recycled product or not,” said Isa.

Penamaan Calon

Najib dismisses Dr M protests over Isa candidacy

Service level is most important, claims Najib (right) — Picture by Jack Ooi

PEKAN, Oct 3 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said voters in Bagan Pinang should choose wisely and pick the candidate who would be best able to serve them.

He said the by-election for the state seat on Oct 11 was not one that could alter the government but was only to choose an elected representative to serve them.

“As expected, it is a straight fight (in Bagan Pinang). As such, we urge voters to evaluate wisely as to who among the candidates can best serve them.

“In a by-election, what is important is the service an elected representative can render. He should be able to resolve the problems voters face, this is the yardstick. Like in Bagan Pinang,” he told reporters after presenting aid to 161 people from the Pekan parliamentary constituency who will be performing the Haj, here today. Najib is also the MP for Pekan.

The Bagan Pinang by-election will see a straight fight between the Barisan Nasional’s Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, who is also former Negeri Sembilan mentri besar, and Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, the Negeri Sembilan PAS commissioner.

Asked about comments by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Isa should not have been picked as the BN’s candidate in the by-election, Najib: “I do not think the matter arises any longer, we must look forward. What is important is the service the assemblyman can offer the constituents.”

On untoward incidents that happened during the nomination process today including an incident which involved Putera Umno chief Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahimm who claimed to have been punched by a supporter of the opposition, Najib said such incidents would not happen if everyone showed respect for the law.

“If he was punched, I hope he makes a police report. We should not be doing anything that is against the law and this includes roughing up someone.

“We should also be showing good examples, showing respect to the democratic process is one of them.” said Najib. — Bernama

Umno still faces an angry Indian electorate

By Baradan Kuppusamy
PORT DICKSON, Oct 1 — There is one reason why the majority of the 2,800 Indian voters in Bagan Pinang, who voted PAS in Election 2008, are likely to again vote for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the Oct 11 by-election.


The reason is total neglect of the community, not just between March 2008 and now but over several decades.


In fact the worst neglect happened during the 24-year tenure of Tan Sri Isa Mohamad Samad, the Barisan Nasional (BN)/Umno candidate in the by-election.


“It is such an irony that the man who is to be largely blamed for the neglect of the Indian community in Bagan Pinang has returned to become the candidate,” said Vasantha Kumar, a former Hindraf leader who is urging the Indian voters to back PR.


“BN/MIC/Umno have all neglected them,” he said. “Now they are facing the same voters again and making the same unfulfilled promises.”


His former compatriot P. Uthayakumar, who is head of the yet unregistered Human Rights Party, is urging the Indian voters to boycott the by-election and refrain from voting to register their anger against their neglect.


The MIC and the newly formed Makkal Sakthi Party are also promising Umno that they can win over the Indians.


A cursory survey of the Indian votes, which form about 20 per cent of the total of about 13,000, shows they are marginalised and sidelined from mainstream development.


They are ripe for PR’s “change now” propaganda because they have suffered for many years watching development pass them by.


Issues close to their hearts — Tamil schools, temples, a Hindu lifestyle and upward mobility — have all been severely neglected in the past 30 years.



The seven Tamil schools in the constituency are in a dilapidated state with leaking roofs, creaking floors and crumbling walls.


The toilets are damaged, the pipes broken and the electrical wiring exposed, posing a danger to the students faced with an education that takes them nowhere.


One can see the same neglect in the temples, in the burial ground and in the sole crematorium which is so dilapidated that villagers are shy to show it to visitors.


Many of the youths have left the constituency and now work as unskilled labour in factories in Nilai, Seremban and in Johor, returning once a week with provisions for their aged parents and other siblings.


Many also do menial work in KLIA while others work in orchards and fish farms.
“I have tried my hand at many things — fish breeding, rearing cows and goats, lorry transport… you name it I have tried it,” said Ganesan, 37, who operates a tea stall by the roadside.
“We are on our own… no loans, no skills training, no recognition, nothing,” he said. “They have no eyes for us… they don’t see us.”


“Why should I vote for them?” he asked, referring to Umno.
How about the MIC? Ganesan snorts: “They take care of themselves… every branch chairman here has made it. It is tough to become a branch chairman… I tried but failed. I would have made it if I had succeeded.”


It is not that Ganesan and others like him in Bagan Pinang love PAS or they hate Umno. “It is more like we are frustrated… we want to be cared for, we want to be looked after, we want our children to have a future,” he said.
“I will vote PAS again because I am angry,” said Ragu, a patron at the stall. “We want to show our unhappiness. PAS is not great, it cannot change our lives but like us they are also poor, they are also struggling like us.”


“Like us they (PAS) are also under attack,” he said
A local Tamil school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Isa was down to earth and respected but Indians who voted PAS in 2008 will stay with PAS.
“The older Indian voters would support Isa out of respect but don’t expect any kindness from the younger generation,” he said. “The youths are one angry lot… they are struggling to make ends meet. They will stay with PAS.”
Malays here have always liked Isa and it is home ground for him, said the teacher, adding that the former mentri besar has generated positive momentum and is leading the race.
He said the Indian votes are crucial for Isa to win by a big majority but he can still win just on the Malay and army votes.

Umno plays safe with Mr Popular

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — The upcoming Bagan Pinang by-election is the best chance for Barisan Nasional (BN) to end the opposition's winning streak, but the ruling coalition is starting off on a defensive note.

In an all too familiar scenario, Umno yet again enters the campaign defending its choice of candidate.

It picked former Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Tan Sri Isa Samad to contest the by-election.

Isa, 59, is popular with the grassroots but is tainted, having been suspended for three years from Umno for buying votes during the 2004 party elections.

By picking Isa, Umno is seen as riding roughshod over public sentiment.

The by-election was called after a former Umno assemblyman died last month. Polling will take place on Oct 11.

Umno was also on the defensive in the last by-election in Penang when it fielded a disbarred lawyer. It lost that round.

Its leaders are trying to paint the choice of Isa as that of the people of this coastal constituency in Negri Sembilan.

“The people of Bagan Pinang and Teluk Kemang, and not only Umno but people of all races, wanted him,” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.

Few would disagree that Isa has what it takes to win. He has a loyal base of support in the area.

An Umno divisional leader told The Straits Times that the party could not afford to lose after six consecutive losses in by-elections in the peninsula since last year's general election.

“The party is fragile now,” he said.

It is thus reluctant to take a risk even though the demographics of the seat heavily favour the BN.

Of the 13,600 voters, 4,600 are postal voters from a nearby army camp. Postal votes are a safe vote bank for the BN.

The remaining 9,000 voters are divided into 63 per cent Malays, 21 per cent Indians, 11 per cent Chinese, and the rest classified as others.

Umno won the seat in last year's general election with a majority of 2,333 votes.

Analyst Ong Kian Ming, who specialises in electoral politics, said 63 per cent of the Malay vote then went to the BN, excluding the postal votes.

As for the non-Malays, the BN picked up 42 per cent of the votes.

The high level of Malay support and large number of postal votes are factors that favour Umno.

But it is clear that Umno does not want to take any chances.

Its pledge to reform has suddenly started to ring hollow, say critics.

“Malaysians shook their heads in dismay at Isa's nomination,” said veteran opposition MP Lim Kit Siang.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who strongly opposed the choice of Isa, said he will not be campaigning for the BN.

“Well, he is the party nominee... My personal feelings do not count,” he said.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, an MP in Negri Sembilan, said the party has to be proactive in countering the inevitable backlash.

“He has paid the penalty. There must be some rehabilitation,” he said.

He also pointed out that the opposition cannot take the moral high ground because it, too, has tainted leaders.

Isa will be up against Negri Sembilan PAS commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, 44.

A Parti Keadilan Rakyat divisional leader, Shahruddin Abdul Hamid, 52, plans to contest as an independent. — The Straits Times

Zulkifly calon PAS PRK Bagan Pinang