“ Multi Racial” PKR ? Focus on Malay votes. Racial UMNO files Indian candidate!

Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s main focus in Hulu Selangor is reaching out to the 35,200 Malay voters. ( NST 18/4/2010 at page 14 ). P.K.R. a multi racial party?
As per our commentary yesterday,( 17/4/2010 ) all eleven traditional Malay seats in all by elections since 2000 were given to Malay PKR and PAS candidates. Similarly all three traditional Chinese seats were given to DAP and PKR Chinese candidates. But when it comes to traditional Indian seats PKR grabs and snatches the same away from the Indians. But when we question these injustices PKR Supremo Anwar Ibrahim calls it the Hindraf racist agenda.
And all this in the name of PKR’s “ multi racialism ” !
Karunai Nithi @ Compassionate Justice.

Giant killer reclaims 'safe seat' for BN

By FMT Team
FULL REPORT KUALA KUBU BARU: Barisan Nasional has managed to reclaim the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat after its candidate P Kamalanathan defeated PKR's Zaid Ibrahim.
The Election Commission announced that Kamalanathan had won the seat with a 1,725 vote-majority.
Kamalanathan garnered 24,997 votes while Zaid polled 23,272.
The victory will provide a boost for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who described the election as a referendum on his leadership and policies.

Najib, who is also the Selangor Umno chief, is bent on recapturing the state in the next general election. Selangor fell into the hands of Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 polls.

However, the Hulu Selangor seat fell short of BN's targeted 6,000 vote-majority, indicating that the ruling coalition and its chairperson cannot rest on their laurels just as yet.

Prior to losing the “safe seat” in 2008, BN's then four-term MP and MIC deputy president G Palanivel had emerged victorious with thumping victories, surpassing the 10,000 mark.

In his last outing, Palanivel was defeated by PKR's Zainal Ahmad Abidin by a mere 198 votes, which also witnessed the number of protest votes greatly outnumbering the majority.
A by-election was called for the Hulu Selangor seat following Zainal's death on March 25.

Battle for Malay votes
Since the onset, observers had pointed out that BN's "morality" campaign against Zaid, branding him an alcoholic and gambler, would have an impact on Malay voters, who form the majority.

Kamalanathan was also portrayed as a down-to-earth candidate, with the media highlighting his proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia, whereas Zaid, a former law minister, was described as too high profile for the semi-urban constituency, littered with villages and estates.

More than an MIC man, the BN campaign promoted Kamalanathan as a 1Malaysia candidate and the underdog in what some observers had described as a battle between David and Goliath.

While Zaid managed to pull in a significant number of Chinese votes, it was not enough to offset the losses in the Malay-majority areas. Indian votes also appeared to be in favour of BN this time around.

On the other hand, Kamalanathan's victory would see MIC having an additional MP after the party was nearly annihilated in the 2008 general election.

Currently, MIC is represented by Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam (Segamat) and two deputy ministers SK Devamany (Cameron Highlands) and M Saravanan (Tapah).

In the run-up to the Hulu Selangor by-election, the BN leadership and MIC were embroiled in a tussle over who to field.

While MIC wanted Palanivel to run again, the BN leadership, however, insisted that a fresh face stood a better chance.

Following this, a consensus was reached on fielding Kamalanathan at the eleventh hour.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat supporters were in high spirits in the early stages of the vote count when Zaid was ahead by nearly 2,000 votes.

PAS operations director Jamaliddin Elias had predicted that the PKR candidate would win by more than 500 votes based on the turnout.

Whereas think-tank Zantrum Future Studies expected PKR to garner more than 52.3% support while BN will get 47.7%.

Zaid accepts verdict, blames 'vote buying'

By Stephanie Sta Maria and Rahmah Ghazali - Free Malaysia Today

FULL REPORT KUALA KUBU BARU: Addressing some 500 supporters at the mini stadium here, PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim said he was defeated because “vote-buying was halal” in this country.
“This is a problem we need to overcome. (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) spent RM64 million to win this election and the EC (Election Commission) turned a blind eye,” he said.

The 56-year-old former law minister stressed that Malaysia has a political system which does not respect clean elections.

“In 2008, we made headway because Pak Lah (former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) allowed the opposition to win seats.

“But then they (Umno) kicked him out and now we are back at square one,” he said.

Stressing that he was not making excuses for his defeat, Zaid underscored the importance of pressing for clean and fair elections.

“I can accept my loss, but we were not given the satisfaction of knowing that it was a fair fight, and the rakyat has no confidence (in the system),” he said.

'Najib, think of your legacy'
The PKR supreme council member said the Hulu Selangor contest was the most “dirtiest and corrupt” by-election so far.

“I call on Najib to think about the legacy he is leaving behind,” he said, adding that BN cannot employ the same underhand tactics for long.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Zaid said the high number of votes for PKR signalled the fact that "we are getting there."
Asked if he felt dejected, he replied:"Of course, when you lose you cannot be happy, but the manner in which you lose is also important. I am okay."
On whether he expected to be defeated, the PKR candidate said: "Of course. In a contest, you would expect to win or lose."
Although the mood in the stadium was sombre, with some supporters even shedding tears, they nevertheless chanted their traditional "Reformasi" battle cries.

Meanwhile, PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah, who termed the contest as a “buy election”, said that she was proud of the party's accomplishment in the face of “misplaced voters and police hostility”.

“We have succeeded in embarrassing BN by denying (Deputy Prime Minister) Muhyiddin (Yassin) his 6,000 vote victory,” she said, referring to the deputy premier's statement this morning.

Nurul, who is the daughter of PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, said the by-election has given the opposition party a good foundation for the next general election.

Next battle in Sibu
Earlier, PKR election director Fuziah Salleh pledged that the opposition party would continue its struggle.

“Just because we lost today, it does not mean that we would lose all the time. What is important is that we fight with dignity,” she said, appearing upset.

“We would continue fighting to show BN that this (setback) would not cripple us. We would give our best in the Sibu (by-election in Sarawak),” she added.

Meanwhile, PKR's director of strategies Tian Chua said losing in an election was nothing new for those who champion justice and reform.

“This is not the first time that we have lost. We would not give up the fight,” he added.

Among the Pakatan stalwarts present at the stadium are Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.

'We have learnt a lesson'
The Selangor MB thanked Pakatan supporters for their courage in facing up to the ruling coalition.

“I have faced a defeat before in the Ijok (by-election) but it never killed my spirit, and I kept on  fighting.

“Now in Hulu Selangor, I have learnt a lesson -- it is very hard to fight against abuse of power and corruption. But we have to keep fighting,” he said.

Despite the defeat, Khalid pledged that the state government would ensure that the Felda settlers get their rights.

“They may have voted for BN out of fear, but when we deliver their rights, they would be with us. Hulu Selangor would not be abandoned, it would become the basis of our struggle,” he said.

Kamalanathan: Victory belongs to Najib and Co

By FMT Staff
FULL REPORT KUALA KUBU BARU: Barisan Nasional candidate P Kamalanathan has dedicated his victory in the Hulu Selangor by-election to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and the coalition's top leaders.
Speaking to reporters after the result was announced, the MIC information chief also vowed not to let down the voters.

“This victory is not mine. It belongs to Najib, (deputy prime minister) Muhyiddin Yassin, (MIC president S) Samy Vellu, MCA, Gerakan and all the friends of BN,” he said.

An elated Kamalanathan, 44, also said that he was touched that the people of Hulu Selangor had placed their faith in him.

“I would fulfill my responsibilities and all the election promises,” he added, pledging to work hard in order to serve his constituents.

Kamalanathan also said that he would make good on his promise to move to Hulu Selangor should he win.

“I would look into it as soon as I can. I would also meet all the voters whether they voted for me or not," he added.

The BN candidate said that he would work towards winning Chinese support, which favoured PKR, and those of the other races.

Najib: This means a lot to us
Meanwhile, Najib said Kamalanathan's victory meant a lot to the ruling coalition, especially since it signalled a shift in people's support compared to the 2008 general election.

“This shift has a great meaning because we were contesting in a state controlled by the opposition but we were able to recapture the constituency.

“With this win, we would work hard to fulfil the people's faith in us and meet their hopes and expectations,” he added.

The premier said the outcome also showed that the voters rejected the opposition's style of politics, which is riddled with “lies and slander”.

“The voters cannot accept these things. They can judge what is true,” he said.

Najib was also confident that Kamalanathan, whom he described as a credible individual, would be able to capture the hearts of the people here and execute his duties well.

Chinese votes for PKR
On the Chinese votes which favoured PKR, the BN chairman said the coalition would analyse this.

“I don't want to make quick conclusions even though we lost most ballot boxes in Chinese areas,” he said, adding that there was an increase in support from the community for BN.

“I believe there is a change but not completely. What is important is to ensure that this area remains with BN,” he said.

Asked if the by-election result was an endorsement of his leadership and reforms, Najib declined to take full credit, saying that it was too early to determine such factors.

“It is too early to say, but obviously, it is a combination of national and local factors. The victory is signifcant in the sense that it gives us a lot of encouragement.

“It's a good beginning for BN, a good beginning for the new direction and agenda we have for this nation and this means we are on the right track, the right trajectory,” he added.

When quizzed on Muhyiddin's 6,000 vote-majority target, Najib said he was confident that if BN kept its word, the majority would increase in the next general election.

“We realise this is an opposition state. In the past we controlled the state, we had two strengths, federal and state governments.

“So in this context, I'm satisfied with the results. I believe that if we can fulfil all the promises and solve the rakyat's problems, our majority would increase,” he added.

Sweet triumph for PM's charm offensive

By Zainal Epi - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA KUBU BARU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak led BN to a convincing victory in the crucial Hulu Selangor by-election deemed as a referendum on his government.

His presence in the sprawling constituency the last three days before polling gave the BN election machinery a badly-needed boost after the party was trailing PKR in the early rounds of the campaign.

Najib waded into the crowd and his personal charm and PR skills won them over. This is the first by-election where the prime minister led the charge.

The victory meant that Najib has regained the trust and confidence of the Malays, Chinese and Indians.

Najib had practically “camped” himself in the constituency, and went on his walkabout to hear the grouses and problems of the local people.

He showed his mettle when he led MCA leaders into Chinese areas where MCA campaigners had been “blocked” from entering. He convinced the largely sceptical voters of the sincerity of his government to help all races in line with his 1Malaysia concept.

At first, it was a downhill fight for BN when PKR went on the attack targeting local and federal issues.

Panic button

BN went into a defensive mode and was seen to be vulnerable. But it soon launched a furious personal attack on PKR’s candidate Zaid Ibrahim.

However, the character assassination tactic did not go down well with the voters, especially the Malays, and BN’s hope of winning dimmed considerably.

Some BN campaigners said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the election director, had pressed the panic button too soon.

Just when spirits were flagging, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad entered the fray, and together with Najib, went on to demolish the PKR defences.

On the eve of election, both Najib and Mahathir made a final pitch in Bukit Sentosa, with some 10,000 people in attendance. Nearby in Kuala Kubu Baru, PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim pulled in about 20,000 spectators.

But unfortunately, Anwar's impressive show of force did not translate into votes.

For Najib, it was indeed a sweet victory and a recognition of his leadership since he took over in April last year.

I was wrong. Need I say more?

I predicted many days ago that Pakatan Rakyat would win the Hulu Selangor by-election with a majority of 1,500 to 2,500 votes. Well, the results are now in and the winner is Barisan Nasional with a majority of 1,700 votes. I suppose I will have to admit that I was wrong. Or maybe I was a victim of wishful thinking.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
A few days ago, I said, considering the millions that Barisan Nasional poured into Hulu Selangor, the MIC candidate has no reason not to win with a majority of not less than 5,000 votes. In fact, I added, a majority of 8,000 would be more like it.
This morning, it was revealed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wants Barisan Nasional to win with a majority of at least 8,000 votes. Anything less would be a poor show. His Deputy, however, announced that they are confident of winning with a majority of 6,000.
I predicted many days ago that Pakatan Rakyat would win the Hulu Selangor by-election with a majority of 1,500 to 2,500 votes. Well, the results are now in and the winner is Barisan Nasional with a majority of 1,700 votes. I suppose I will have to admit that I was wrong. Or maybe I was a victim of wishful thinking.
Anyhow, it appears that a high percentage of the outstation voters went home to Hulu Selangor to vote. We have to thank them for their effort. We will have to wait a day or two, though, to see the detail analysis of whom voted for whom before we can do a post-mortem of the results.
Umno is crying foul. They accuse PKR of 'playing dirty'. Look at the picture below to see what I mean. Umno says PKR made these fake certificates and distributed them to the Malay voters.

Actually, it was the Umno people who did this. There are some in Umno who are unhappy that MIC was given the Hulu Selangor seat. They wanted Umno to contest this seat. So they tried to sabotage the MIC candidate so that in the next general election this seat can go to Umno.
Umno, however, did distribute this fake photograph to the Malay voters. And it looks like it had the desired effect, as the results today has shown.

And this was the actual photograph before it was doctored.

At least we did not distribute the following photograph to the Malay voters, which is not a fake. The other man toasting ‘Chinese tea’ in the photograph is Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s golf partner. And remember, last month Malaysia Today revealed that Kay Hock’s company, George Kent, was given a RM100 million hospital contract in Pekan, Najib’s constituency, although the company does not have any prior experience in hospital projects.
I suppose a RM100 million negotiated-without-tender contract is reason enough to toast with ‘Chinese tea’.

Crowds don’t translate to votes (rehash of a March 2004 article)

In March 2004, I wrote an article called 'Crowds don't translate to votes', which was published in Harakah, the party newspaper for PAS. I also published it in the Free Anwar Campaign website (here). Maybe it is time to recap what I said then considering we 'won' the ceramah circuit but lost the Hulu Selangor by-election.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Crowds don’t translate to votes

In the Indera Kayangan state seat (Perlis State) by-election in which Parti Keadilan Nasional’s Cikgu Khoo contested that seat, the crowds at the nightly ceramahs (public rallies/speeches) were phenomenal. In one ceramah that I attended, I had to park my car about three or four kilometres away and walk the distance to the ceramah site. I then drove around to have a look at the Barisan Nasional (BN) markas (operations centers) and found that most of them were empty. There were hardly any people other than the handful of party officials.

Where were the BN supporters? By the looks of it, BN had absolutely no supporters and there was no way they were going to win the Indera Kayangan by-election.

Judging by the crowds at the keADILan ceramahs, and the lack of it at the BN ceramahs -- so much so that some BN ceramahs had to be cancelled due to the sorry crowd turnout -- Cikgu Khoo had already won the by-election hands down. In fact, Cikgu Khoo could end his campaigning and go out and celebrate his apparent win.

However, when the results came in, Cikgu Khoo was defeated by more than 2,500 votes. How could this be so? The crowd turnout gave no inkling this would be what would happen. Pemuda Keadilan was so confident Cikgu Khoo had already won even before the votes were cast that there was a celebrative mood in its ranks. One Pemuda leader said we had already won. Okay, even if we will lose, he said, at the most it will be by a mere 500 votes, which can also be considered a ‘victory’.

But there was no victory celebration that night in Indera Kayangan. We did not lose, we were massacred. And we all put out tails between our legs and went home. We did not even have an appetite for dinner.

And Indera Kayangan was not the first and only incident where crowds did not translate to votes. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) ‘giants’, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, attracted enormous crowds wherever they went, and still do. But, in 1999, they were defeated.

In 1986, Mustapha Ali lost his Dungun seat and Abdul Hadi Awang his Marang seat though these two can also be considered Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) ‘giants’. And they too attracted, and still do, huge crowds. Marang was so congested with supporters that the main road from Kuantan to Kota Bharu was practically closed to all traffic whenever Hadi spoke in his home base. However, though the crowds were large enough to delay traffic up to three hours, Hadi still failed to retain his Marang seat.

The opposition should realise by now that large crowds do not translate to votes. History, time and time again, has proven this point. And why is this?

People, mostly Malays mind you, attend ceramahs to be entertained. Malays like to hear the maki and caci (verbal abuse) from the penceramah, and the more the better. Speakers like PAS’ Mat Sabu and keADILan’s Gobalakrishnan are the favourites.

Gobalakrishnan would stand up on stage and call Dr Mahathir Mohamad “an Indian just like me”.

“He came from the same kampong in India that I came from,” Gobalakrishnan would shout to the crowd roaring with laughter. They just love what Gobalakrishnan has to say and they cannot get enough of it. They clap and shout and urge him on. And Gobalakrishnan willingly obliges them.

But, when the votes are counted, Gobalakrishnan loses.

It does not mean if the crowd enjoys your ceramah it will vote for you. In fact, how many of those in the crowd are voting in that area you are contesting? For that matter, how many in the crowd are even registered voters in the first place?

Don’t be surprised if many in the crowd are actually BN supporters. They attend opposition ceramahs not because they no longer support BN and will now vote for the opposition. They attend opposition ceramahs to be entertained, especially when the opposition heavyweights are talking; and entertained they are. Then they go home and vote for the BN.

The opposition can continue organising ceramahs to show it is still around. It can continue organising ceramahs to entertain the crowd. But don’t expect to win the election just by ceramahs alone.

Furthermore, if those who attend the ceramahs are the opposition diehard supporters (who will vote for the opposition nevertheless, whether there are any ceramahs or not), BN diehards who just come for the entertainment value (and will vote for the BN nevertheless, whether there are any ceramahs or not), and people who are not registered voters (who cannot vote for the opposition even if they believe what they hear at the ceramahs), then what have we achieved?

It is no use trying to convert the already converted -- who are already our supporters anyway. It is no use trying to convert the BN diehards -- who will never vote opposition. And it is no use trying to covert the unregistered voters who cannot vote for us even if they wanted to. What we must do is covert the fence sitters -- those who are not with the BN but are not yet with us either.

The only problem is, these fence-sitters will never be caught dead at an opposition ceramah so how do you convert them if they do not come to you? The English have a saying for this. “If Muhammad will not come to the mountain, then the mountain must go to Muhammad”.

In short, the opposition must go to the voters, in particular the fence sitters, and woo them over.

Take note that a rule-of-thumb to use (though not always accurate) would be 35% of the voters support the ruling party, 35% the opposition, while the balance 30% are fence-sitters. In the short 8-day campaign period between Nomination Day and Polling Day, there is too little time to work on the ruling party diehards. It is an exercise of futility. It is also no point working on your own supporters. You have had four or five years to work on retaining their loyalty. Eight days is only enough time to work on the 30% fence sitters.

30% is no small figure. Considering that a seat can be won or lost by a mere single digit percentage, 30% could make a difference between winning, or losing, an entire state.

So go door-to-door. Go meet those ‘uncommitted’ voters. Go talk to those voters who have never attended a ceramah in their life. Do not talk bad about the present government. That is too negative. These people probably know more than us anyway about what is wrong with this country and the government that is running it. Talk about how we can be a BETTER government, which does not mean you are saying the present government is no good (it is just that we can do better).

Explain the present government’s policies on education, the economy, corruption, health, religion, the judiciary, and so on. Then explain the opposition’s policies and ask the voter to compare the two. Then ask the voter to give the opposition a chance to prove itself in implementing its better policies, for at least five years. Explain that, if the opposition fails to deliver its promises, the voters can always give the country back to the present party in power.

Whatever it may be, go meet them and talk to them, and don’t expect them to come to you, especially to your ceramahs. And please talk sense when you go meet them. Leave all your rhetoric at home and do not insult them with ‘ceramah talk’.

Without Hindraf PKR is dead

Dear Editors, 

Could you please publish the article below.

Thank You very much.

We have not obtained the complete details of the results but from what we have heard a majority of the Indian voters of Hulu Selangor had cast their votes for BN.. HRP and Hindraf had stayed completely neutral in this election and this is entirely the people's decision.The people of Hulu Selangor have spoken.

Our political analyst Subramaniam Bharathy, at the outset of this election, had said that two clear conditions had to be met for PKR to win. They needed to field a credible Malay candidate and they needed to get endorsement from a strong Indian grassroots organization like HRP for a clear win. PKR met one condition, but not the other. The results prove the veracity of that prediction.

Endorsement from HRP would have come had the leadership of the PKR heeded HRP's request on the allocation of land to all the Tamil Schools in Selangor that did not sit on their own land. PKR decided it was not worth the prize requested. That probably cost them this seat.

1725 votes majority means a swing of 865 votes the other way and Zaid  would have won instead. This would have been more than achieved had Uthaykumar  gone in with the troops for one day.. But PKR probably thought the price of that was too high.

PKR now needs to keep in mind they are not going to get to Putrajaya without paying the due price. That much is clear from these elections. The ball has been in PKR's court for some time now.

We definitely want to see UMNO go, but not to be replaced by a clone.

Regards
N.Ganesan
National Advisor
Hindraf/HRP

Winning Hulu Selangor

thenutgraph.com
 

A victorious Kamalanathan with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (left)
and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak

THE Barisan Nasional (BN) has wrested back Hulu Selangor from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), but who is the real winner — MIC candidate P Kamalanathan, or Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak?
Kamalanathan polled 24,997 votes against Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's 23,272 in a closely fought race. There were 731 spoilt ballots. Voter turnout was 75.87%, compared with 75.24% in the 2008 general election. In the 2008 polls, PKR won the federal seat by a slim 198-vote margin. This time round, it lost by 1,725 votes.
Kamalanathan's campaign was run not on what his principles would be as a parliamentarian, but on what the Najib administration wanted to sell. Hence, the MIC information chief was labelled a "1Malaysia candidate". Indeed, even his name was adapted to suit his audience — Kamal to Malay Malaysians, Nathan to Indian Malaysians, and Alan to Chinese Malaysians.
For certain, the results reflect some degree of support for Najib's initiatives. Beyond that, however, what do the results mean for both the BN and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)?
How they voted
A quick count of votes in Malay Malaysian-dominated polling districts like the Felda settlement Sungai Tengi showed that Kamalanthan polled 66% of the votes. Other villages like Gedangsa, Sungai Dusun and Kampung Gesir also showed improvements over the BN's results in 2008.
These polling stations are all in the Hulu Bernam state seat, where the BN reaped an almost 1,700 majority.
In the Chinese Malaysian-dominated state seat of Kuala Kubu Baru, Zaid obtained a majority of about 1,400 votes, also a marked increase from PKR's share of votes here in 2008.

Zaid, accompanied by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah
Wan Ismail and Nasharuddin Mat Isa (far right), on nomination day on 17 April

Both rivals were neck-to-neck in the Batang Kali state seat, where voters' racial categorisations are more mixed. The BN polled just over 50% of votes here.
Meanwhile, Indian Malaysian votes in estate areas like Changkat Asa, Ladang Kerling, Ladang Nigel Gardner, and even the semi-urban area of Taman Bukit Teratai, showed improvement for the BN candidate from MIC.
Impact of results
Possibly, the most pertinent impact on the country as a result of stronger Malay Malaysian support for the BN in this by-election is the shape of Najib's future decision-making.
If Malay Malaysians, but not Chinese Malaysians, are endorsing the BN, will Najib come under greater right-wing pressure to slow down on liberalisation, including readjusting affirmative action policies, and increasing Islamisation? Conservative groups could easily argue that since Chinese Malaysians have not appreciated the government's efforts, there is no further need to fulfil their demands.
On the other hand, continuing pro-bumiputera policies and greater Islamic fervour may not necessarily be priorities for Malay Malaysian voters in Hulu Selangor, especially those concerned with bread-and-butter issues.
For local grassroots politicians, returning the seat to the BN could simply have been the desire for a return to the patronage system. By having a BN-elected representative, Umno and MIC division leaders would once again enjoy the spread of federal constituency allocations received by a BN Member of Parliament (MP).
The BN should also not be too quick to claim the win as an endorsement of Najib's government. Disgruntled Malay Malaysian voters here, especially Felda settlers who still have not obtained their land titles, may have decided to enjoy the promised campaign benefits for the next two years or less, before deciding again in the 13th general election.
This would be a similar phenomenon to the Ijok state by-election in 2007, where the BN poured millions of development ringgit into the contest. Voters picked the MIC candidate then, only to turn around and vote for PKR in 2008.

Kamalanathan with his wife Shobana Subramaniam,
after the polling results were announced

Political observer Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, Universiti Sains Malaysia deputy dean of the School of Social Sciences, says the by-election was a "test to see whether the BN has changed". But given the above scenarios, the coalition's win is unlikely motivation for change from the old school of race-based, patronage-driven politics.
Component parties
The declining Chinese Malaysian support for the BN — a consistent trend in the past nine by-elections — continues to raise questions about the role of some of the BN's component parties.
If — after 10 by-elections and a seemingly reform-minded prime minister — the Chinese Malaysian vote continues to side with the PR, the MCA and Gerakan ought to be assessing their game plan. A possible worst-case scenario within the ruling coalition is that Umno could start pressing for the return of seats "given" to component parties.
As for the Indian Malaysian vote, which showed improvements in areas where this racial group was dominant, support for the BN may have been out of practicality.

Ibrahim Suffian (File pic
courtesy of Merdeka Center) "The campaign issues about personal morality, although sensational, are less important than the development, economic as well as practical needs of the electorate," notes Merdeka Center for Opinion Research director Ibrahim Suffian.
The earlier influence of groups like Hindraf has also lessened over the past two years, more so with Najib's populist move as prime minister to release the group's activists from Internal Security Act detention. Hence, the theory that Najib's move to woo Indian Malaysians without waiting for MIC to resolve its internal problems seems to have borne fruit in Hulu Selangor.
"It seems that the momentum of the opposition has been blunted for now, and that the public has agreed to give the PM the benefit of the doubt. Najib will have to deliver on his promises," Ibrahim tells The Nut Graph.
The new MP
If Kamalanathan wants to shine, he will now have to prove his mettle in Parliament against a more popular opposition. Public relations skills may carry him only so far. To gain the respect of his peers across the floor and a more sophisticated public, he'll have to showcase his own capabilities or risk being known as Umno's lackey. He is now the fourth MIC MP.
"The fight all along was between Umno and PKR, even though he was an MIC candidate. It was a Najib versus (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) fight. It's going to be tough for the MIC [to assert itself in the BN], even with Kamalanathan's win. If he swung the Malay [Malaysian] votes, it was because they saw him as a proxy to Umno," political analyst Khoo Kay Peng tells The Nut Graph.
Khoo also feels that in this day and age, Kamalanathan cannot afford to function solely as a problem-solving MP. Khoo refers to Ijok, where PKR's Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who lost the by-election, was "resurrected" on the back of public desire for reform.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim greeting supporters in Kuala Kubu Baru town earlier on polling day

Lesson for PR
For PKR, the loss is a good lesson ahead of the next general election, USM's Sivamurugan says. It needs to urgently address internal problems and the loss of confidence among its members, as noted by the rise in party defections.
"There is a gap in PKR between top leaders and the grassroots, and between those who joined the party in its formative days in 1999 and newer members. The old guard was cast aside and left to feel threatened by newcomers who were in a hurry for power and position.
"Anwar has to balance and synthesise between the old guard and the new," Sivamurugan says in a phone interview.
Indeed, the PR as a whole has so far been riding high as the underdog. Its popularity is fuelled by external crises such as the BN's takeover of Perak, and, of course, the second round of sodomy charges against Anwar.
In Selangor where Hulu Selangor is, however, PR was the state government. National issues of corruption and injustice, too, had little traction among the more rural electorate.
PKR's challenge in the remaining two years before the next general election is to lead an effective state government in Selangor. As for the BN, without having suffered a resounding loss in Hulu Selangor, change might still be a long way off.

MACC should investigate whether Najib had committed at least two election bribery offences under Election Offences Act 1957 in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign yesterday

by Lim Kit Siang,


It has been brought to my attention that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had committed at least two election bribery offences under the Election Offences Act 1957 in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign for the Barisan Nasional candidate yesterday.

The first incident was his blatant disregard of the Election Offences Act against bribery when he tried to induce the 1,500 voters of Rasa to vote for the BN candidate by announcing the approval of RM3 million for rebuilding Rasa Chinese Primary School but with one big condition.

Najib publicly declared: “If we win this by-election, you can come to Kuala Lumpur the next day to look for me. I will write a personal letter to approve the money and it will be transferred to the school board’s account. If we lose, don’t have to come.”

The second incident was during his visit to Kampong Hassan where he promised the Chinese-majority voters in the area that the Barisan Nasional government would build 200 low-cost housing for them if the BN candidate wins the by-election.

Najib is doing what no other previous five Prime Ministers had done – promising to issue a RM3 million approval for the Rasa Chinese primary school and building 200 low-cost houses for the Kg Hassan predominantly-Chinese voters – both on the condition that BN wins the Ulu Selangor by-election today.

Has election of an elected representative, whether MP or State Assembly person, been reduced to buy-and-sell by BN leaders like in the marketplace under Najib as Prime Minister with the Election Offences Act to prevent electoral abuses and offences becoming a dead letter?
What has the MACC Chief Commissioner got to say?

BN Recaptures Hulu Selangor Seat, With Bigger Majority

HULU SELANGOR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) recaptured the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat Sunday night after its candidate P. Kamalanathan of the MIC beat prominent lawyer and ex-minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with a 1,725-vote majority in one of the toughest by-elections since the 2008 general election.

Public Relations Officer Kamalanathan, who is MIC information chief, polled 24,997 votes to beat Zaid, who had joined PKR after he was expelled from Umno in December 2008. Zaid, who is the former Kota Baharu MP, polled 23,272 votes.

There were 731 spoilt votes in the by-election which saw a total of 48,935 voters or 75.87 per cent of the electorate cast their votes today. The constituency, which is as big as Melaka, has 64,500 voters.

In the 2008 general election that was deemed a political "tsunami" for the BN, MIC deputy president and four-term MP Datuk G. Palanivel failed to retain the Hulu Selangor seat, losing by a 198-majority to PKR's Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad. Dr Zainal Abidin died on March 25 this year, necessitating the by-election.

Almost the entire BN leadership, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, was at the Multipurpose Hall and District Office Sports Complex in Kuala Kubu Baharu town tonight to celebrate the coalition's victory as thousands of BN supporters cheered outside.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, Gerakan President Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon and People's Progressive Party (PPP) president Datuk M. Kayveas.

Since the 2008 general election, there have been 10 by-elections, with the BN winning three, including tonight's victory which is regarded as crucial in its efforts to regain the confidence of the people and its two-third majority in parliament.

It was also a sweet victory for the BN, especially Najib, who had declared during the campaign trail that the by-election was not merely the election of a member of parliament but also a referendum on the new direction of the country.

Najib personally led the BN onslaught immediately after returning from an overseas trip, going into new villages, towns, Felda settlements and traditional villages while Muhyiddin almost camped in the constituency since nomination day on April 17.

Next month, the country will see the 11th by-election since the 2008 general election, in Sibu, Sarawak.

It was not all smooth sailing for the BN as it was involved in a bitter tussle to pick the right candidate at the outset, with Samy Vellu insisting on Palanivel while the BN top guns wanted a new face as demanded by the grassroots.

Finally, they agreed on Kamalanathan, a compromise candidate.

The BN also faced the opposition pact's top guns, led by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but the huge crowds at their "ceramah" (talks) failed to put the brakes on the coalition which went to the ground to solve the more pressing local problems, including the bread-and-butter issues.

Morning scenes on polling day

Orang Asli villages 'barricaded', police report lodged

Live – Hulu Selangor polling day and results - By Anil Netto

Who’s it going to be – Zaid or Kamalanatha, PKR or BN? All the action from polling day at Hulu Selangor and live coverage and discussion of the results.

Orang Asli Mykads snatched, fuels fear of phantom voters

By Muda Mohd Noor - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA KUBU BARU: A PKR official has lodged a police report alleging that a group had intimidated the Orang Asli from the Peretak village and snatched the identity card.
Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong who lodged the report at 12.30am last night said she had received a report from the frightened community.
Elizabet, who was accompanied to the Kuala Kubu Baru police station by by PKR information chief Latheffa Koya and supporters, said a group, believed to be Barisan Nasional supporters, had blocked the Orang Asli settlement with cars, motorbikes and a human barricade.
“I received a report last night from the Orang Asli who said the entrance of their village was blocked by cars, motorbikes and people.
“They said they were stopped from leaving the village and had their identity cards taken away from them, “ said the Selangro state executive councillor.
Elizabeth said an Orang Asli representative had asked her to lodge a police report.
“I believe phantom voters will use the identity cards of the Orang Aslis to cast their votes tomorrow, “ said the Selangor state councillor.
Elizabeth also said that she had been informed that a bus had arrived at the Peretak national service training camp.
She urged the police to investigate the matter.
There are 3,000 Orang Aslis spread over 16 villagers in the Hulu Selangor. One thousand of them are registered voters and kept under the watchful eye of the Orang Asli Affairs Department.
Pakatan Rakyat supporters have been barred from entering the villages to campaign.
Police outposts have also sprung up, overnight, in these settlements causing opposition to allege intimidation by BN.

PKR Youth catches 'phantom voters'

By FMT Staff

KUALA KUBU BARU: Several buses allegedly ferrying “phantom voters” were seen leaving the Institute Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) building here at 3am this morning.
The buses, which were partially full, were believed to have been ferrying the “phantom voters” to several districts in time for polling which began at 8am.

However, PKR Youth deputy chief Fariz Musa said they managed to stop the buses before they left the parking bay just outside the camp.

‘When we got there, there were also 15 cars waiting outside. Each car had between five and six people.

“We don’t know what time they began their operation to ferry the 'phantom voters' but we believe many have already been shuttled by the time we arrived,” he claimed.

Fariz said when they tried to stop the cars, a scuffle broke-out which almost ended in a fist fight when the Umno-BN supporters arrived followed by the police.

At 6am, the busses left the area escorted by the police to an unknown destination.   

Polling for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat began this morning.

The battle to wrest the seat, which fell vacant following PKR MP Zainal Abidin Ahmad’s death in March, is between BN’s P Kamalanathan and PKR’s Zaid Ibrahim.

Police keep watch over taunting supporters

By Stephanie Sta Maria and FMT Staff

KUALA KUBU BARU: Pockets of reports of skirmishes among supporters of both Barisan Nasional and PKR have been popping up throughout the day.

In Pekan Rasa earlier this morning a fist fight almost broke out but police quickly controlled situation.
Police says things have cooled down a little but supporters on both sides are “now getting hungry.”
In the Pekan Rasa incident BN supporters were seen dangling a beer bottle in front of Pakatan supporters across the road while shouting 'kaki botol' , in reference to allegations that PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim was an ‘alcoholic.’
Over in the Sekolah Menengah Ampang Pecah polling centre, two Election Commissioners were allegedly seen campaigning for BN.
Supporters who caught the duo in the act, incurred their wrath which was further compounded by the fact that a car bearing BN sticker was allowed into the neutral polling zone.
Here in Kuala Kubu Baru bikers bearing BN flags are zipping around town taunting supporters and passers-by.
Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar meanwhile has said the situation in the constituency is under control with policemen stationed at all polling stations to maintain order and ensure a smooth election process.
"There is no complaints or report of any disturbance since the polling centres were opened two hours ago," he told Bernama here.
Hulu Selangor 63,701 voters are polling today to decide on theirelected parlaimentary representative.
In the run are BN’s P Kamalanathan, from MIC and PKR’s Zaid Ibrahim.
Polling began at 8am in 48 stations throughout the constituency

Death sentences sparks protests in Kashmir

 

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir (CNN) -- Anti-India protesters clashed with Indian security forces Friday in Indian-administered Kashmir after a New Delhi, India-court handed down death sentences to two Kashmiris convicted of a 1966 bombing in a Delhi market that killed 13 people.

Another Kashmiri was sentenced to life in prison in the case.

The separatist group All Parties Hurriyat Conference called for a general strike that shut down city shops and businesses and and threw everyday life out of gear.

Indian paramilitary, central reserve police force (CRPF) troopers opened fire in the Nowshehra area of the capital city, wounding Manzoor Ahmad, 48, who was leaving of a mosque after offering Friday prayers, according to police.

"Manzoor was immediately evacuated to hospital where a team of doctors operated upon him," city police chief Javed Riyaz told CNN.

"The area had earlier witnessed a stone pelting incident," he added.

Indian police used batons and teargas to disperse stone pelting mobs shouting anti-India slogans in various parts of the capital city.

The mobs protesting the sentences took to streets despite severe security restrictions curbing pedestrian and vehicular movement in several sections of the city.

Indian police and paramilitary troops were deployed early in the morning in the old city areas to maintain law and order and prevent outbreak of violence.

Reports from Baramulla and Sopore in northern Kashmir and from the south Kashmir town of Anantnag said police there also used batons and teargas to quell violence as protests erupted.

Police detained Mohammad Yasin Malik, a senior separatist leader and chairman of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), and placed another separatist leader and chairman of the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference under house arrest.

'Gossips' are not facts, Anwar tells Najib

By Rahmah Ghazali
SUNGAI BUAYA: A sarcastic Anwar Ibrahim hit out at his bitter rival premier Najib Abdul Razak last night for believing in "gossips" rather than facts over the "secrets" spilled by  former PKR defectors Zahrain Hashim and Zulkifili Nordin.

Speaking to a 3,000 strong crowd littering a football field here  he said Najib should not be believing  "gossips" told by "people who have just jumped ship".

Anwar was alluding to the “secrets” divulged by his two controversial and outspoken former PKR men – Zahrain (Bayan Baru) and Zulkifli (Kulim Bandar Bharu), who had joined Najib on his trip to the US.

The "secrets", according to Najib, contained sordid details regarding Anwar and his party and how they had planned character assassinations against him (Najib).

"Now we know his secrets inside out, sampai seluar dalam dia pun kita tahu," Najib had told a crowd at his first ceramah in Hulu Selangor on Wednesday.

Last night a sarcastic Anwar, threw a line at the crowd: “Apa rahsia dia sampai seluar dalam saya pun dia tahu? (What is the secret… so detailed that it reaches  my underwear?)".

"Those guys (Zahrain and Zulkifili) who told him just jumped ship. They just got 'married' to the fact that they are Independent, you can't really trust them," said the maverick politician.

Najib should have instead investigated the allegations first rather than jumping to conclusions about it, Anwar pointed out.

"As a prime minister, he should know how to differentiate gossips from facts. Investigate first then only you believe in what you hear.

"But he makes his own conclusions right after hearing these two who have just defected from the party," added Anwar.

The ceramah here last night was also attended by opposition bigwigs PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, DAP MP Anthony Loke and the PKR's candidate Zaid Ibrahim.

The event was also made to welcome the party new members including former Sungai Besi MCA elected  MP Farw Seong Than, 60, who said that "he had lost confidence in the party leadership for a long time".

The party also welcomed the new membership of the son of former deputy prime minister Abdul  Ghaffar Baba, Tamrin Abdul Ghaffar.

Ibrahim Ali: Why I like Kamalanathan

KUALA KUBU BARU – Politics indeed makes strange bed fellows, Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali has now given his reasons for supporting Barisan Nasional's P Kamalanathan...their mutual love for the Constitution.
"I was told that if I'm a true Malay leader I should support the Malay candidate from PKR," he said, referring to his fellow Kelantanese, Zaid Ibrahim who is facing Kamalanathan in the Ulu Selangor by-election tomorrow.
Speaking to a crowd at the former Felda settlement in Sungai Buaya, Ibrahim said that anyone who "defends the basic founding principles of this country that we have been defending for the past 50 years will receive Perkasa's support."
"Better to support Kamalanathan who upholds the constitution than another Malay who rejects our constitutional foundation," he said, alleging that Zaid had previously questioned the special position of the Malays.
He reiterated that Perkasa was not a racist organisation and its support for Kamalanathan, an Indian, was a proof of Perkasa's openness.
Hugging rules
Ibrahim also defended his action in allowing Kamalanathan to hug him, saying it was a local custom.
"Nik Aziz hugged (DAP's) Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng. This is Malaysian culture, a sign of friendship, I'm not racist," he said.
"And what is wrong with Kamalanathan hugging me, maybe he hugged me because he wanted me to fight for the Indians," he added.
Ibrahim, who contested under a PAS ticket in Election 2008, also slammed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for using Perkasa to scare the non-Malay voters.
He also warned the villagers that a PR victory in the by-election tomorrow would lead to strife and a period of uncertainty.
"If Pakatan wins here, for the next two years until the general election, they will do nationwide road shows telling people how the people have rejected BN and how they are going to take over the country," said Ibrahim.
"The government's efforts to improve the economic situation, to attract more foreign investors will be made difficult," he added.
The by-election tomorrow is the 10th in the country since Election 2008, when PKR won the seat by a slim majority of 198 votes.

Letter to Indian voters in Hulu Selangor

The talk in the coffeshops these days is: Indian votes are cheap and easy. Just throw them some crumbs and no matter how you treat them, they will keep quiet.

The actions by some within UMNO recently and MIC's inability to stand up to them shows that this is not merely talk.

By Vijay Kumar Murugavell


Greetings Dear Voter,

Soon you will decide at the ballot box who gets the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat. Should the Indians vote for BN/MIC, let us consider the following: -

First, let us be realistic - whether Pakatan or BN wins, Hulu Selangor is not going to be transformed into a land of gold and honey. Neither will it change the State or Federal governments. There is however an opportunity for the Indian community to send the right message at the national level.

The question is, who can provide better and fairer governance while giving you due respect? Since this election will determine a parliamentary seat, it is also about national issues.

An MP's job is to represent you in Parliament, not take care of uncollected rubbish and street lamps. What is the purpose then of State Assemblymen and the Municipal Council then?

There are many instances where MIC did not stand up for your rights in Parliament, they were just not brave enough to confront big brother UMNO.

For example, what did MIC do in 1988 when they amended article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution? This has led to numerous custody, body snatching and child custody problems when one parent converts. Because of this article, many cannot even get justice, never mind if MIC says that in 1988 it could not foresee such repercussions. But in December 2007, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called on Gerakan and MIC leaders to propose at the Cabinet meeting that Article 121 (1A) of the Constitution be amended in view of the controversies relating to the burial of Muslim converts. He said the Cabinet should be bold enough to consider an amendment to rectify the injustices which were never intended to be created by Parliament when the constitutional amendment was enacted in 1988. Did MIC do anything at all about this?

Indira Gandhi took her fight to the civil courts to nullify her children’s conversion and to get custody. On March 11 this year, the Perak state High Court judge gave her custody of the youngest child, overturning the Syariah Court order. Her joy was however shortlived because the abovementioned article became a stumbling block.

This subservience by MIC has reached a state where even the MIC candidate picked to contest in Hulu Selangor is seen as meddling by UMNO. The question is, if MIC cannot even defend their right to pick a candidate, how can they defend your rights?

The Indians have largely voted for BN from independence until they joined a broadbased revolt and denied BN its two-thirds majority on Mar 08, 2008. Though MIC boasts about having 600,000 members, they could not even garner 200,000 of the popular vote. MIC suffered heavy losses but acted like it was only a temporary setback and gave vague promises to reform itself. Are you satisfied with the reforms so far?

Have they been able to be brave enough when certain factions within UMNO insulted the community? Despite incidents that degraded the Indian community like the Kugan case and the cow-head incident in Shah Alam,
the Indians in Bagan Pinang gave BN overwhelming support in the by-election. However, after that, we still have incidents like the PM's special assistant saying Indians came here as beggars and numerous other statements that either went unpunished or unchallenged.

If BN wins in Hulu Selangor especially under the current circumstances, it is likely that UMNO will become even more arrogant.

The talk in the coffeshops these days is: Indian votes are cheap and easy. Just throw them some crumbs and no matter how you treat them, they will keep quiet.

The actions by some within UMNO recently and MIC's inability to stand up to them shows that this is not merely talk.

MIC is fond of saying that though many Indian parties have come and gone, they are still standing since 1946. What they don't tell you is MIC blocked IPF's entry into BN and took credit for MMSP's work in Bagan Pinang. If MIC was so effective, why did the current and former PM show open public support for MMSP?

MIC also talks about rejuvenating with a line-up of young people but the President and many delegates are way past their expiry date.

MIC will also point out that some Indians are unhappy with the Selangor Pakatan government. Granted, they are not perfect but you must ask yourself whether any Pakatan leaders made derogatory remarks and treated the Indian community with such disdain as some within BN?

Is the Selangor MB Khalid as arrogant and corrupt as Khir Toyo? The Pakatan government is two years old and promised to help all including Indians. MIC is 60 years old supposedly exclusively there to uphold the rights of the Indians. But beyond talk, they have not been able to show much results.

The MIC/BN representative P.Kamalanathan who was handpicked by UMNO with ZERO experience in Parliament unlike veteran Zaid Ibrahim who was one of the rare ones to resign from his position as a Minister because he was unhappy with the way Teresa Kok, Tan Hoon Cheng and Raja Petra Kamaruddin were arrested under ISA. Zaid did this because he was a man of principle.

P.Kamalanathan said this in his blog :
"The MIC is aware of the grave responsibility such a position entails as is doing and will continue to do all that is needed and that is best to further spur the growth of the Indian society in Malaysia. The party will continue to be the beacon of the community in safeguarding their interests and unearthing opportunities for the community’s social, financial, economic, cultural and academic well being."

Is this not the same thing they repeated over the last 12 general elections over half a century? Look at the fate of our children today. Have your voices been heard? Do you want this to happen to your grandchildren as well? They may not be as lucky if you continue to succumb to BN like MIC.

UMNO will love to have such a candidate in Parliament who just maintains status quo and does not challenge them - what more when he owes his candidacy to UMNO - even if before this he could speak his mind it will be unlikely after this.

When you cast your ballot on April 25th 2010, please think carefully about the repercussions of your vote. This is your right as a citizen but this right also comes with a heavy responsibility.

I am not from any political party but just an ordinary citizen who wanted to share my opinion with you.

Happy voting

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6778953884

Why does GT resources have to bail out MAIKA Holdings, and not the BN Government themselves – like with the Deposit Taking Co-operatives, Bank Rakyat, MAS, Syarikat Perkapalan.Bank Bumi, Renong

The manipulations of the Indian poor continues in the MAIKA fiasco.This is yet another attempt at pre-election promises and then nothing as always. Do not be fooled.

By Naragan

The MIC/UMNO/BN leaders have decided on the following directly or indirectly:

1) The MAIKA Shareholders will be reimbursed their investments in MAIKA – a ringgit for a ringgit.

2) The company GT resources will be the vehicle which will buy back all the shares of MAIKA from its current shareholders.

3) On May 1st GT resources will make that ringgit for ringgit offer for the entire RM106 million stake.

4) The key player in GT resources Gnanalingam gave an assurance that MAIKA shareholders will get back their investments within three months of the offer or the 31st of July 2010.

There is a problem with each of these propositions.

Let me quote Gnanalingam, “We thought a fair system would be to pay back all the shareholders what they have invested even though the company is now valued at only RM85 million.” NST 23rd April 2010 front page

Contrary to what he said, the ringgit for ringgit payback is only an illusion, it is actually only 25 sen for a ringgit payback. From 1984 MAIKA has not paid any significant dividend to its shareholders.

In 1987 the Government did a bailout of the 24 Chinese Deposit Taking Cooperatives (DTC) for 1.5 billion ringgit and paid out a ringgit for a ringgit to 588,000 members, mostly Chinese. But the DTCs paid out regular dividends. A ringgit for ringgit under those circumstances was reasonable. Now, if the MIC/UMNO/BN wants to bail out the MAIKA shareholders on the basis of a ringgit for a ringgit then it should pay 4 ringgit for each ringgit of investment, as MAIKA has not paid any significant dividend all these 26 years.

Otherwise they must say that they are only paying back a quarter of the money invested by the largely poor 66,000 odd shareholders and not a ringgit for a ringgit and create an illusion of equity when in fact they have lost 3 quarters of their investment.

When the BN Government can directly bail out the DTCs in 1987 for RM1.5 billion on a true ringgit for ringgit basis, they should do the same here. They use a private vehicle of GT resources for this purpose to deflect that responsibility.

This tactic aids the Government from accepting any responsibility for the problem, for the loss encountered by the Indian poor due to a program of one of its component parties. MIC did this in response to the NEP of the 1980s where large scale channeling of the National resource went into vehicles like the PNB and created significant dissatisfaction among the Indians and the Chinese. To counter this, UMNO encouraged the formation of ethnically orientated capital mobilization vehicles. Arise Multipuprose Holding, arise MAIKA. UMNO/BN has a direct hand in the formation of MAIKA holdings and in inviting all the Indians in the country to invest in what appeared as a PNB/ASN type scheme. But MAIKA obviously was no PNB.

When they bailed out the DTCs or all the failed BUMI owned companies, the BN UMNO Government accepted responsibility outright, they did not use white knights companies. What is so special about this situation that you need a white Knight? Think about the “niat” in all this.

Because Indians do not really matter, the best way to deal with them is the cheapest way. Something necessary must be done, but what is the cheapest or most expedient way of doing this? – that is the niat. Whenever it comes to Indian issues, you will see this pattern and these things are very visible during election times. The facts in this case here speaks volumes about that.

In any case, we do not think that the GT resources will make the offer on the 1st of May 2010 to buy back the shares from MAIKA shareholders. This is a Hulu Selangor Election gimmick. Just you wait and see. This is no more than gimmick. If this is not so, then they can issue a legally binding document to this effect. But they do not. Either the MAIKA Holding Management to its shareholders and put it up on the website or from GT resources to MAIKA holdings and put it out on the MAIKA website. They will surely not do this as we see this as just a pre-election gimmick.

Also, we do not think that the shareholders will get their cheques by the 31st of July 2010 as Gnanalingam is assuring. All this is just to simply delude. There is no firm commitment to any of this. This is exactly what we have seen all these 52 years from the MIC/UMNO/BN politicians. Just the same theatrics.

Naragan

Hulu Selangor assessment and strategies

thenutgraph.com

Felda Sungai Tengi settler, Mohd Zaini Hamdan

NO doubt about it. The fight for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat is located within the Malay Malaysian community. Ceramah rhetoric on both sides has been geared towards raising emotive issues for this electorate. Barisan Nasional (BN) harps about Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's liberal ways and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's alleged sodomy. And Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) flogs the Apco-Jewish issue, among others.
But BN's character assassination of PKR's candidate for Hulu Selangor, Zaid, and PKR's de facto leader, Anwar, may not influence Malay Malaysian voters all that much, especially those who see Umno as being a hypocrite. "Datuk Zaid, masa dia minum tu, dia dengan Umno. Dia tertekan orang Umno untuk minum bersama-sama. Ada tekanan, kan kita ikut?" reasons Sungai Tengi Felda settler Mohd Zaini Hamdan.

Idrus, a resident of Kampung Keliang, outside his house

Likewise, Kampung Keliang resident Idrus brushes aside the campaign mudslinging. But it doesn't mean he will vote for Zaid. "Minum arak ke, main judi ke, itu semua taruh ke belakang. Masa dua tahun ini, apa PKR buat untuk kami? Tiada!" Idrus, who would only give his first name, says in 2009, he eventually had to repair his zinc roof by himself because PKR didn't, despite promising help.
Are any of these decisive factors for Malay Malaysian voters? And what of the Chinese and Indian Malaysian voters?
Voters' profile
The 34,020 Malay Malaysian voters in Hulu Selangor make up 53% of the total number of 64,500 voters. In the 2008 general election, this group gave PKR only 45% of its vote.
This explains why Umno in Hulu Selangor was keen to field an Umno candidate after a ground survey showed that MIC frontrunner, Datuk G Palanivel, was unpopular. Their assessment was likely supported by the fact that it was Malay Malaysians who were the split voters in 2008. These voters supported the BN at the state level but denied the coalition at the parliamentary level.
That was how BN candidates were elected into the three state constituencies in Hulu Selangor but the parliamentary seat itself was won by the late Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad from PKR.

Zaid with estate workers in Ladang Sungai Jernih, Kerling

PAS, whose party members are focusing their campaign in the Felda and rural villages, projects that PKR needs at minimum, 40% of the Malay Malaysian vote in order for Zaid to scrape through. This is a drop from its share in 2008, concedes party research chief Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who acknowledges the BN campaign's strength.
"It's crucial that Chinese [Malaysian] votes must increase to 70% or more to cover up the loss among Malay [Malaysians] if the Indian [Malaysian] vote stays the same," Dzulkefly tells The Nut Graph.
Chinese Malaysian support for PKR is expected to remain or even increase. At the same time, pundits think Indian Malaysians will be the deal-breakers come polling day tomorrow on 25 April 2010; the 2008 results showed they were split 50-50. But Indian Malaysians can only be the deciders if BN is confident of the greater share of Malay Malaysian votes. Mid-week during the campaign, unofficial readings of ground support among Malay Malaysians were around 60:40 in favour of BN.

Kamalanathan getting a pat on the back from Dr Mahathir at a ceramah on 22 April

That explains Pakatan Rakyat (PR)'s strategy in shuttling PAS's spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to campaign. It also explains why BN roped in former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for a spot on the stump.
Both men are persuasive crowd-pullers. But in the end, were the issues raised in the Hulu Selangor campaign of any substance? And how relevant were they to constituents?
Weighing the choices

Father and child in a Felda settlement.
Which way will Malay Malaysian
voters go?

Certainly, the issues of justice, and good and corrupt-free governance that PKR raised are relevant to any citizen. But two years after PR was elected to run the Selangor government, some Hulu Selangor residents say not much in their daily life has changed. BN, meanwhile, has been trumpeting its 52 years of development achievements. As for long-term policies, it says a vote for BN is a vote for 1Malaysia and for Vision 2020.
Both sides have made campaign promises for the constituency, including to the Orang Asli who are usually sidelined and ignored. The promises and goodies clearly show how a federal opposition party in power at state level can be no different from the ruling party in wooing voters with state resources.
Still, it will take more than a new highway interchange, drainage systems and one-off handouts to change the economic fortunes of ghost towns like Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa.
How about the candidates?
In terms of the candidates, BN newcomer P Kamalanathan added to his relative obscurity by refusing to take a stand on issues such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), affirmative action or broader national issues. PKR's Zaid is a former Umno minister, a seasoned politician and lawyer. He is known as a principled man who resigned from the cabinet to protest the government's use of the ISA, which allows for indefinite state detention without trial.

Kamalanathan chats warmly with an elderly Umno member who came to listen to
Dr Mahathir's ceramah on 22 April

Kamalanathan, however, sparkled on the campaign trail, embracing voters warmly with an infectious enthusiasm. In contrast, Zaid was observed to be relatively detached.
Zaid's admission to drinking alcohol and owning a race horse was targeted by BN campaigners. At the same time, Kamalanathan's apparent kissing of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's hand, defence of Perkasa, and dismissal of Hindraf were cited by PR as evidence that Kamalanathan was in Umno's pocket.
Left to be seen
Yet, all these might be no more than the media's chase for stories. Come polling day, there are other considerations as to how voters will vote.
If the split voting mentality prevails, will the Umno faithful, who believed their party deserved the seat instead of MIC, vote against Kamalanathan? This will strengthen Umno's claims to the seat in the next general election. Or will they support the MIC candidate now that it isn't Palanivel? Will the fact that the prime minister is also Selangor Umno liaison chief influence their vote?

A Felda Sungai Tengi settler. Felda schemes are government initiatives and voters here
are traditionally supportive of BN

For the fence-sitters, will they believe the BN's development promises, or PKR's? Will voters be swayed by Kamalanathan's friendliness or look past Zaid's stiffness?
PKR won Hulu Selangor with a slim majority of 198 votes in 2008. Barring any other tactics in the hours before polling tomorrow, a razor-thin margin is again possible whichever side wins.
For who knows the minds of voters? Unfortunately for Malaysian democracy, what seems likely from the past week's campaign is that the rural majority will vote less on principles, and more on sentiments and promises.

Said Zahari: Anwar Musuh Utama UMNO dan Perdana Menteri

Dari TVSelangor.com

Kerajaan UMNO-BN pimpinan Najib Tun Razak akan menggunakan apa jua ruang yang ada untuk “menyerang” keperibadian Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kerana beliau adalah musuh politik utama UMNO dan Perdana menteri .

Bekas Ketua Pengarang Utusan Melayu Said Zahari berkata, Umno tidak akan melepaskan peluang menggunakan seluruh kekuatan media dan institusi kawalannya untuk memburukan Anwar.

Malah UMNO menggunakan pilihanraya Hulu Selangor bukan untuk menangani isu-isu setempat tetapi untuk mencantas Anwar dalam apa cara sekali pun.

Anwar menjadi sasaran poster-poster dan risalah yang mengaibkan di pilihanraya kecil Hulu Selangor.

Hari ini Utusan Malaysia milik Umno melabelkan Anwar sebagai boneka Israel pula selepas beliau mendedahkan kerajaan UMNO-BN mengupah syarikat Zionis Apco serta polis menggunakan khidmat pakar-pakar Zionis untuk merombak sistem keselamatannya.

Akibat pendedahan itu yang dibuat lemgkap dengan dokumen, Umno membawa usul supaya Parlimen mengenakan tindakan displin terhadap Anwar.

Beliau boleh digantung dari Dewan Rakyat susulan daripada usul yang di bawa oleh Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Nazri Aziz.

“ Musuh politik yang pertama kepada pemerintahan Najib sekarang ini ialah Anwar. Biapun PKR sekarang ini menghadap macam-macam isu, dia punya MP cabut, letak jawatan, lompat dan sebagainya, tapi Anwar merupakan ahli politik nombor satu kepada pentadbiran Najib sekarang” kata Said.

“Pada pandangan saya, Barisan Nasional sekarang mencari apa juga alasan untuk memburu Anwar dan ini masanya untuk mereka kerana sekarang sedang berjalan kempen pilihanraya kecil” tambah beliau lagi.

Said, berkata usaha berterusan UMNO dan Najib membunuh kredibiliti Anwar berpaksi kepada keinginan UMNO untuk terus berpaut kepada kuasa.

“ Apa yang saya lihatlah, memang mereka punya target ialah Anwar sebab kerajaan sekarang, Najib melihat musuh politik yang besar kepada pemerintah kepada pentadbiran Najib ialah Anwar. Jadi apa-apa juga isu yang boleh mencemarkan Anwar sekarang ini, apa lagi kalau boleh menjatuhkan Anwar, mereka akan gunakan” tambahnya lagi.

Said berkata pengundi di Hulu Selangor tidak harus terperangkap dengan taktik umno menyerang anwar bagi menutup kegagalan parti itu untuk menunaikan janji-janji membangunkan kawasan itu

“Isu-isu setempat mereka tidak besar-besarkan, pembangunan di kawasan setempat, di konstitusi itu mereka tidak timbulkan. Tetapi timbulkan isu yang seperti ini, apa ertinya?

“Mereka menggunakan tempoh berkempen ini untuk kepentingan politik mereka, parti besar menentang Anwar. Sebab isu-isu dan pada masa-masa lain, susah hendak digunakan untuk menentang Anwar” ulas beliau lagi.

Call for public inquiry as Najib’s denial of Rosmah’s role in media censorship of ntv7 news talk resulting in resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong lacks credibility

The denial of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak that his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had a role in the media censorship of ntv7 news talks show “Editor’s Time” resulting in the resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong lacks credibility.

If Najib is convinced that Rosmah is not involved, he should set up a public inquiry to clear Rosmah’s name and convince Malaysians that he is not setting a new precedent where the Prime Minister’s wife is assuming the de facto role of a Super Minister spanning various ministries by openly intervening in public and government affairs.

Does Najib agree that any involvement of the Prime Minister’s wife in the media censorship of ntv7 talk show resulting in the resignation of Joshua Wong is completely unacceptable and undesirable?

Does Najib agree that the Prime Minister’s wife should not abuse or misuse her position and influence and should stay clear of politics and public affairs, unless she enters the political arena in her own right seeking and securing elected public office for herself?

DAP Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz will raise the important issue of ntv7 media censorship when the Senate meets next week.

Home arrow News arrow Legal/General News arrow Suhakam: Arrest of five lawyers a violation of human rights * * Malaysian Bar Web Ads * Malaysian Bar Web Ads * Malaysian Bar Web Ads * Malaysian Bar Web Ads * Malaysian Bar Web Ads * Malaysian Bar Web Ads Suhakam: Arrest of five lawyers a violation of human rights

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The arrest and detention of five Legal Aid Centre lawyers when they assisted their clients involved in an illegal assembly last year, was a clear violation of human rights, said Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

The commission found that the arrest under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 was not justified or necessary.

The lawyers were not present at the scene to participate in the cause of their clients, but were simply performing their duties as legal practitioners in defence of the 14 people arrested, said Suhakam in a 42-page decision read out by chairman Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah at the commission headquarters here yesterday.

On May 7 last year, lawyers Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Murnie Hidayah Anuar, Puspawati Rosman, Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal and Syuhaini Safwan were arrested at the precincts of the Brickfields police station and de­­tained overnight when they went to the station to assist 14 people who had earlier participated in a candle-light vigil. The group of 14 protested on the arrest of blogger Wong Chin Huat under the Sedition Act.

Suhakam felt the violation was mainly committed by Brickfields CID chief Deputy Supt Jude Pereira and Brickfields police chief Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid.

The commission had listened to testimonies by witnesses and viewing various video footage of the incident.

Suhakam, however, did not come up with any recommendation on disciplinary action on the two police officers.

The inquiry was conducted by a panel led by Muhammad Shafee and assisted by fellow commissioners Datuk Dr Michael Yeah Onn Kheng and Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria.

10,000 ceramah crowd boosts Pakatan hopes - Anil Netto

LIVE discussion on this blog today from 4.00pm to 5.00pm

Some 10,000 people turned up for a PKR ceramah at Sungai Buaya in Hulu Selangor last night, seemingly supporting the optimism in some PKR circles of a favourable result.

The crowd packed an area the size of a football field. For details, go here.

Another 2,000 turned up for a PKR Chinese dinner in Rasa last night.

A PKR MP told me he was confident of a positive result. “On paper, there is no way we can lose.” But he cautioned a lot would depend on how smooth polling day is tomorrow, especially if the 13,000 voters, whose polling stations have been changed, can find their correct polling centres.

I asked him about reports that the BN holds the edge, and he replied, “That has been our strategy (to let them believe they have the edge).” Presumably, to avoid complacency and to go in as the underdog.

His sense of the mood in the kampungs is that Pakatan is only trailing the BN marginally, but if all voters were taken into account, then victory was within reach.

But hasn’t there be an erosion in support for Pakatan since the last general election?

“Any erosion in support would be more than compensated by the gains we have made, for example, in the Orang Asli areas,” he pointed out, citing the favourable response to campaign events organised for the Orang Asli to support his assertion.

An intellectual associated with PKR, however, had a contradictory view and sounded disillusioned. “I think it (the seat) is gone. They (PKR) had two years to look into the issues, but they neglected it. They knew the guy was ill, but what did they do during the two years? Look Selangor is the jewel in the party’s crown.”

What sort of issues? “Drains, water, land titles – they have left it until too late.”

So two different views here. What do you think?

Nik Aziz goes all out to defend Zaid

We can get youth votes in Felda