Manikavasagam: The election, then and now

Altantuya's father pleads justice for his daughter

Murdered Mongolian translator Altantuya's father Shaariibuu Setev has made a passionate plea to the millions of Malaysians voting on Sunday: Please help bring justice for Altantuya, whose date of birth…

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Murdered Mongolian translator Altantuya's father Shaariibuu Setev has made a passionate plea to the millions of Malaysians voting on Sunday: Please help bring justice for Altantuya, whose date of birth is May 6.

In a four paragraph statement, Shaariibuu said the two sons of his daughter, who was brutally murdered in Malaysia, have no mother since 2006.

"The children's rights to call her 'mother' have been violated. Since the murder, we Mongolians have been waiting for an apology from Malaysians.

"The children have been waiting for access to and kind support from (Prime Minister) Mr Najib (Abdul Razak) for seven years.

"It is unfortunate, that the murder has lingered on, but it is still important to have a new court hearing and find justice.

"I would like to ask all Malaysians to vote for justice as the election is on the eve of Altantuya's birthday, on May 6," Shaariibuu says in the statement.

Had she been alive, Altantuya would be 35 years old on Monday.

Human rights NGO Suaram's lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri (left) met with Shaariibuu last week, when she was in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbataar for a conference.

Shaariibuu met up with Fadiah and issued this statement that he wanted released in Malaysia.

Fadiah said she briefed Shaariibuu about the ongoing judicial inquiry in France, that the French investigation judge has promised to look into his daughter's murder, apart from the payment of illegal commissions and kickbacks.

Altantuya was brutally murdered in a forest near Puncak Alam, near Shah Alam in Selangor, sometime between Oct 18 and 19, 2006.

Three people were charged with her murder, including two Special Action Force officers Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a close confidante of Najib, was charged with abetting in the murder.

However, Abdul Razak was acquitted without his defence being called while the two policemen were found guilty and sentenced to death.

The appeal against conviction and sentence by Azilah and Sirul is to be head by the Court of Appeal on June 11.

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Reject Pakatan, independent tells Indians

Former DAP man contesting for the Bagan Dalam seat in Penang warns that if the opposition takes federal power, PAS will forge ahead with its hudud agenda.

BUTTERWORTH: An independent…

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Former DAP man contesting for the Bagan Dalam seat in Penang warns that if the opposition takes federal power, PAS will forge ahead with its hudud agenda.

BUTTERWORTH: An independent candidate here has called on Indians not to trust or vote for Pakatan Rakyat.

Bagan Dalam candidate G Asoghan warned Indians that PAS’ objective to establish an Islamic state and enforce hudud law would come into effect if Pakatan took over the federal government.

He urged Indians not to be swayed by lies spread by DAP leaders that PAS cannot implement hudud without a parliamentary two-thirds.

He warned that PAS can implement hudud in this multi racial country by amending certain criminal laws with simple parliamentary majority.

He said DAP leaders were hoodwinking the people merely to enjoy federal power and perks.

“DAP can’t and will not do anything to stop PAS. Even now DAP is justifying PAS’ extremist intention to enforce hudud by claiming that it will only affect Muslims.

“Is the DAP saying that if it affected Muslims, it’s okay? It means DAP does not care about others, except for its Chinese backers?

“Is the DAP a racist party?” said Asoghan when declaring his support for Johor DAP deputy chairman Norman Fernandez’s call on voters to reject PAS and hudud.

[Fernandez however today retracted his anti-PAS remarks and reaffirmed that he would be supporting Pakatan Rakyat in the May 5 polls.]

Former DAP Jalan Bagan Luar branch chairman Asoghan faces incumbent A Thanasekaran (DAP), M Karuppanan (BN – MIC) and Lim Seang Teik (PCM) in a four-cornered fight for the Bagan Dalam state seat.

He pointed out that since March 2008, PAS had managed to implement various policies in Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor that breached the rights and interests of non-Muslims.

In Kelantan, he said non-Muslim couples faced the brunt of PAS’ Islamic extremism when they were fined for alleged khalwat (close proximity) for merely sitting together in a park.

He said women were also banned from cutting men’s hair in saloons.

He said the PAS-led Kedah government demolished a pig slaughterhouse without any replacement until today, limited liquor selling licences and raised bumi quota for public housing to 50%.

In Selangor, he said even though PAS only had eight state seats, it somehow managed to implement its extremist policies through local councils.

He said PAS banned unmarried couples from sitting together in cinema halls, seized alcohol drinks from retail outlets in Shah Alam and stopped construction of a cinema hall in Bangi.

“PAS did all these in name of religion although it violated the rights of others. But Pakatan partners DAP and PKR just stood and watched. The same thing will happen if Pakatan takes over the federal government,” he said.

Asoghan also hit out at Pakatan diehard supporters for putting up a brave front claiming that they don’t mind if hudud comes into force.

But, he claimed that the Pakatan non-Muslim supporters were clearly bothered by it and only trying to imply some face-saving remarks.

He also claim that many Indians in Bagan Dalam would not back DAP this time because of PAS and the failure of the Penang state government in doing anything worthy for Indians.

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Uthaya! don't mention Indian, a 'dirty word' in Malaysia!

Why didn't Hindraf think of the others, especially the Orang Asal who have stood with them since 2008 not only in Malaysia but at numerous international forums? The Hindraf-BN MOU…

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Why didn't Hindraf think of the others, especially the Orang Asal who have stood with them since 2008 not only in Malaysia but at numerous international forums? The Hindraf-BN MOU is a Judas-like betrayal of the Orang Asal who have been left out.

Joe Fernandez

Let's hope that De Facto Hindraf Makkal Sakthi Chief P. Uthayakumar, educated in law in the Christian west, stops mentioning Indian during his ongoing political campaign.

Indian is a 'dirty word' in Malaysia.

MIC is a dirty term.

Tamil is an even dirtier word unless confined to the Tamil language which is a sacred cow in Malaysia along with Tamil schools, Tamil films and Hindu temples.

For that matter, except for the Malay language created by the Hindus and Buddhists, Malay is a 'dirty word' too, as the imminent downfall of Interlok Pariah (shit carrier) Umno indicates.

Kaka from Kerala and hara kiri advocate Mahathir Mohamad who now claims to be a lawyer without a law degree, Ibrahim Ali, Pariah (shit carrier) Keling Zulkifli Nordin and noted shit-stirrer Perkasa are all already dirty words.

Mahathir claims that Dap and Lim Kit Siang are racists because they are only standing in Chinese-majority seats. Isn't Umno standing only in Malay-majority seats in Malaya and Muslim-majority seats in Sabah while seeking to further divide and rule the Orang Asal in order to marginalise and disenfranchise them and steal their country? Not racist?

Robber baron Petronas is a dirty word in Sabah and Sarawak.

The Chinese, being pragmatic, apparently don't mention race although they are accused of being closet racists, whatever that means. Indians and others should emulate -- not the closet part -- them.

Only Orang Asal is not a dirty word because historical, ancestral and traditional land rights and Adat are involved.

I have been urging this issue-based non-racist line since 2008.

Uthaya wouldn't hear of it. He added that his work was to highlight Indian problems and not solve them. "It's not my work to solve Indian problems. I don't have the resources. Only the Gov't has the resources to solve problems," said Uthaya. "I want to be in Parliament just to make noise (on Indian problems)."

Waytha said from the Christian west, where he was educated in law, that if he's going to be tagged a racist just because he's fighting for a place in the sun for Indians, "so be it". He reckons that it's not his work to fight for non-Indians, an approach which will be seen by many as definitely racist, unChristian, uncharitable and most unWaytha-like.

It was at this juncture that I got Hindraf and the Orang Asal working together to give the NGO a more non-ethnic public image. Even then, I was castigated by hardcore Hindraf activists who belabour in the misconception that Christians do charity work just to convert others. "We don't care for Jeffrey Kitingan and the Christians," they said defiantly in Facebook. I have never come across such insolence and ingratitude.

I reminded the Hindu fanatics that they can't keep away from charity works just to ignore the suffering of people and attribute them to their bad karma or whatever. In that case, I ask them, why not accept your fate under Umno as your bad karma and wait to be reincarnated with good karma?

Hindus, swearing by karma, believe in the superstition that no one must interfere with the bad karma of others lest they suffer the same tragic fate -- that's why they stay away from doing any charity -- and neither should anyone interfere with the good karma of others.

Is it any wonder therefore that rich Indians, MIC included, don't help poor Indians? Tony Fernandes of Air Asia has helped many people of all races, but what good has Ananda Krishnan done for anyone? His son, having seen the light, is at a Buddhist monastery to mitigate for the sins of the father! Meanwhile, the man himself is packing Astro with advertisements after solemnly promising that his pay TV channels will be ad-free.

Chinese, likewise, will especially ignore Chinese beggars and obviously fear the same fate befalling them but will contribute generously to schools to maintain the Mandarin language control of the retail economy.

The Chinese approach to Chinese beggars shows the extent to which the ancient Indians, or rather Hindus, poisoned them with their superstitious hogwash which was passed off as divinely-inspired philosophies based on pearls of wisdom. The Chinese, being a superstitious lot even to this day, swallowed the Indian bullshit hook, line and sinker despite having long deluded themselves into thinking that "all Indians -- because of their known capacity for abstract thought -- are snakes", whatever that means.

Karma, if it does exist, is neither good or bad, not beautiful, or ugly or beautiful but neutral.

It's our human perceptions that makes us see karma as good, bad, evil, ugly and beautiful.

Christians believe in knocking on the door so that it will be opened, asking so that they will receive, seeking so that they will find.

There's much to be said for looking for the silver lining in the clouds, considering everything that happens as a blessing in disguise, seeing problems as opportunities in disguise and counting one's blessings and being thankful and grateful for the little mercies in life so that one will have even more reasons to be thankful and grateful.

We have to get back to our roots and get our politics and relationships right.

Uthaya can mention displaced estate and other workers, stateless persons everywhere in Malaysia, squatters, the marking system in public exams being a state secret to cover up the Gov't fiddling with the marks of students for political reasons, quota system for even critical disciplines at govt universities instead of going for the brightest and best, denying top scorers entry into Gov't universities for political reasons (so Umno can hand out free degrees to morons), the civil service lacking in diversity and not reflecting the demographics in the country because it's packed with Umno members and supporters, corruption in the award of government contracts, lack of openness, transparency and accountability and Umno/BN politicians taking government contracts for themselves instead of making it open and available for all.

I have also said that you don't need Indians in Parliament, elected by non-Indians, to claim to represent Indians.

That's political mandoreism, a point raised by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi.

Indians in Parliament must represent all citizens. But if they swear by karma and reincarnation, they should not aspire to be legislators. Better spend their days at the nearest temple washing away their sins which created their bad karma.

We have a Hindraf-BN MOU on stateless Indians, among others, through Himas (Hindraf Malaysia Association).

Why didn't Hindraf think of the others, especially the Orang Asal who have stood with them since 2008 not only in Malaysia but at numerous international forums?

The Hindraf-BN MOU is a Judas-like betrayal of the Orang Asal who have been left out. The Orang Asal and this writer were also supposed to be in the Hindraf delegation to meet with unelected caretaker Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, but were conveniently left out.

What about the other stateless people in Malaysia especially in Sabah and Sarawak, including among the Penan?

What about the other people living below the poverty line? Must they be left to their bad karma?

What about the people in Sabah displaced by the Mamut Copper Mine and others in the two Borneo nations displaced by dam building projects and plantation development by Malayan companies?

Are they going to get a MOU too like Hindraf to neutralise their bad karma brought about by Umno/BN and others?

Everyone is supposed to be equal under the law, not some people more equal than others. We don't need to promote the undemocratic anti human rights Brahmins (priest scholar) v Pariahs (shit carriers), and everybody else in between, dismal theory of life.

I am disappointed in Hindraf after all that I did to get the Orang Asal to back them.

If not for me, the Orang Asal wouldn't touch Hindraf with even a ten foot pole.

Sometimes, I think that the Orang Asal backed Hindraf not because they really wanted to back these people in Malaya but more because they didn't want to hurt me. Besides, they trusted instinctly in my judgment. Most Orang Asal can count on their fingers the number of Indians they know and still have fingers to spare.

I reminded them (Orang Asal) that the enemy (Hindraf) of my enemy (Umno) is my friend.

As requested by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chairman P. Waythamoorthy, I even arranged for Hindraf activists to stand under the Star symbol in Malaya.

Now, both enemies -- Hindraf and Umno --have embraced and hugged each other because they see Pakatan Rakyat as their common enemy. They have kissed and made up.

The neo-colonialist parti parti Malaya are sworn enemies of the Orang Asal for squatting on their nations, Sabah and Sarawak.

How will Hindraf redeem itself in the eyes of the Orang Asal in particular and Malaysians in general?

Uthaya, on his part, should openly apologise to all Malaysians for anything that he may have done or said in the past to give them the impression that he was a rabid racist in the Himas mould.

Uthaya must pledge that if elected, by some miracle, he will work for all Malaysians especially the poor. It's not enough to make noise. Anyone can make noise.

He should also openly apologise to the Orang Asal on behalf of Hindraf Makkal Sakthi for Waytha making no mention of them (Orang Asal) in the Himas MOU and abandoning the idea of a Ministry of Orang Asal and Minority Affairs (Moama) which was endorsed by them in Kota Kinabalu.

Interlok Pariah Umno has managed to drive a wedge between Hindraf and the Orang Asal through the Himas MOU.

It will take much work, indeed superhuman effort, to rebuild the trust between Hindraf and the Orang Asal as 3rd Force allies facing common foes bent on doing them in through internal colonisation in Malaya and continuing the colonisation of Sabah and Sarawak.

By that time, Hindraf will realise that Umno/BN and/or PR will use its MOU as shithouse paper -- a leopard cannot change its spots --although the NGO no doubt meant well for the underclass Indians in particular and acted in good faith. I am already working on my "I told you so" masterpiece. He who laughs last, laughs the hardest, and the longest.

The Indians will have to start all over again with its 3rd Force allies for the 14th General Election if their historical window of opportunity hasn't slipped away.

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CheguBard Kantoikan Anwar

Hour-long standoff as protesters try to confront Waytha

Police escort for Waytha after Johor ceramah

DAY 13
What's happening during the election campaigns around the country today? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place.

[PHOTO GALLERY]

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10.31pm - Gelang Patah: A…

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DAY 13
What's happening during the election campaigns around the country today? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place.

[PHOTO GALLERY]

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10.31pm - Gelang Patah: A standoff has been going on for some 30 minutes after Waythamoorthy finishes his speech as the protesters refuse to let him leave the venue unless he agrees to talk to them.

Johor Bahru Utara district police chief ACP Ruslan Hassan arrives with more men in blue and they form two human walls to keep the two groups about 20m apart.

Waythamoorthy stays in his Toyota Camry at one end while the protesters shout "Waythamoorthy traitor! Waythamoorthy traitor!" at the other end.

Rather than dispersing the protesters, Ruslan is trying to broker a solution between the two camps.
Soon afterwards, Waythamoorthy leaves the premises with a police escort as  the FRU arrives.

10.00pm - Bentong, Pahang: Despite a heavy downpour, some 5000 people stand on a muddy football field listening to a DAP ceramah.

DAP Bentong parliamentary candidate Wong Tack says the downpour is auspicious, because it "bersih" (cleanses) the skies of Bentong - alluding a win for the opposition.

"This is the first time I see umbrellas flourishing on the field. Very beautiful.

"We will unite and work hard to form a new country on May 5!" he tells the crowd who shout "Wong Tack" several times.

One of the attendees, Yeok Jah, says she stayed to show support for Wong.

"I want to show the people's voice. This is for the next generation, we don't want Lynas, or a cyanide gold mine," the Himpunan Hijau clad housewife says from under her umbrella.

She admits that incumbent Bentong MP Liow Tiong Lai is a nice guy but opines Wong will win the sleepy hollow of Bentong.

Among the speakers are PAS deputy president Mohammad Sabu, DAP Wanita chief Chong Eng, DAP Bilut state candidate Chow Yu Hui, Ketari state candidate Lee Chin Chen and PAS Pelangai state candidate Abdul Hamid Bahatim.
9.15pm - Gelang Patah: A scuffle breaks out when some 10 individuals attempt to stop Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy when he is about to take the stage to address some 300 Indian residents at Taman Nesa, Skudai.

However some 30 policemen immediately move in to stop supporters of both sides from clashing and drag the group away from the tent where the ceramah is held.

The ceramah is on the Hindraf blueprint which caretaker Premier Najib Abdul Razak has signed recently, a move which prompts Waythamoorthy and his followers to support BN in this general election.

The group which tries to disrupt the event is led by K Selvakumaran, who is a PKR member.

"I just want to ask him a question, who is he to represent Indians? Who give him permission to lead Hindraf?

"We came in nicely but the Hindraf people stopped us," he says.

Some feel that Waythamoorthy, who was in the UK when the government cracked down on the movement in 2007, and only came back to Malaysia before this general polls, has betrayed the Indian community by supporting BN.

"He can join BN but don't influence our people!" another man shouts.

"Ubah (change)! Ubah! Ubah! Bodoh (stupid)! Bodoh! Bodoh!" they continue to shout, some 100m away from the tent while Waythamoorthy is giving his speech to the attendees.

Waythamoorthy calls on the audience to support Johor BN chief Abdul Ghani Othman who is contesting Gelang Patah against DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.

"Reject Lim Kit Siang!" he says.

8.30pm - Segamat: Some 5,000 people crowd a field in Segamat to see DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang speak.

Lim notes the recent death of an elderly man in Segamat due to injuries sustained during a robbery and pledge to improve the police force if Pakatan takes over the federal government.

"It is not that our police is not capable of carrying out their duties but political interference from the government (is hindering them)," he said.
8.10pm - Segamat: The granddaughter of a man who was assaulted in his own home during a robbery and who died two days later in a hospital yesterday - an incident which has been widely reported in the Chinese press - takes the stage in a DAP ceramah at the Segamat town.

"I do not side with any particular political party, but after the incident, my family contacted (BN's incumbent and Jementah candidate) Lee Hong Tee (right in photo).

"His reply was: You are within the parliamentary constituency of Sekijang, it has nothing to do with me," says the teary teenage girl as the crowd gasps collectively.

The Segamat town is divided in its middle between the parliamentary constituency of Segamat and Sekijang. Jementah is a state seat under Segamat.

7.00pm - Penang: State BN chief Teng Chang Yeow has lodged a police report in Bukit Tengah after his operation centre in Juru received a mystery box containing a dead chicken and a "threatening" note.

Teng, who is BN's Bukit Tengah candidate, says he lodged the report to protect his safety and that of his family.

He adds that the note contains a message directed to him reading, "If you refuse to withdraw from the election, this is what you and your family will face".

According to People’s Progressive Party Batu Kawan division chief T Muniandy, someone knocked the door of the operation centre which is located on the second level of the building, but at the time, he had been talking to another staff.

"We told the person who knocked the door that we are coming. When we opened the door, a Chinese man wearing a helmet put the box on the floor and left the scene quicky," says Muniandy.

"I did not see the face of the man, but I remember that he was wearing jeans," he adds.

Muniandy then contacted the police, and they came to the scene after the incident occured at about 4pm.

5.30pm - Pasir Gudang: Incumbent Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin has skirted a question on whether BN will be taking responsibility and apologise over the alleged molestation incident that occured at the Southern University College on Monday.

"If it indeed happened, let the law take it to case," he says when asked by reporters after attending a function in Pasir Gudang this afternoon.

Khaled (centre of photo) - who is contesting the Permas state seat and is touted as the potential Johor menteri besar should BN recapture the southern state - urges the two female students to lodge a police report over the incident.

He says this can allow the police and enforcement authorities to initiate the investigation into the matter.

4.15pm - Klang: Incumbent Klang MP Charles Santiago is complaining of incidents of vote-buying in the Pandamaran area.

He claims that between 9am and 10am yesterday, a trailer stopped at the constituency and distributed bags of rice in blue 1Malaysia bags that prominently displayed an ‘x’ mark beside BN’s logo.

Santiago in a statement says this makes a mockery of incumbent Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's integrity pledge, which he signed with Transparency International-Malaysia, where among others, includes a pledge that neither money nor items will be used to fish for votes during the election period.

"I want the Election Commission to do something about it as these are instances of buying votes by giving (away) rice," he says, showing several pictures purportedly taken at the scene.

4.00pm - Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur: MCA president Chua Soi Lek today rebuts the allegation by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim that the Prime Minister's Office is involved in purported operations to fly in dubious voters from Sabah and Sarawak to the peninsula.

"He (Anwar) is best in lying. If he thought that BN is playing foul, he should just boycott the election."

Chua was asked to comment on the allegation after he attended the ceremony of Tunku Abdul Rahman College, which is being upgraded as a university college.

The ceremony was also attended by BN Wangsa Maju candidate Shafei Abdullah, who faces protests from local MCA grassroots for his candidacy in the seat, which has been traditionally contested by the Chinese based party in the elections.

3.30pm - Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan: Posters of Independent candidate for the Lenggeng state seat Zulkifli Abdullah are seen featuring the ‘1Malaysia’ logo.

According to one of his supporters met at his campaign centre, Zulkifli is an Independent who supports BN.

He himself supports Zulkifli because the latter is a local candidate.

“If he wins, we Indians will get to ‘eat porridge’ a bit,” he says, asserting that the life of Indians in the area would be better if the pro-BN Independent candidate wins.

3.15pm - Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan: BN polls workers have been spotted putting up flags around the town of Ulu Beranang, Lenggeng.

However, it is noted that posters for the party candidate are not put up together with the flags.

“We just received the flags at 7pm last night,” a polls worker says.

It was previously reported that the BN candidate, Seremban Umno chief Ishak Ismail, had been rejected by the grassroots in Lenggeng.

When asked on BN's chances of victory, the worker replies, “I don't know what to say. We'll see how our struggle goes afterwards”.

3.00pm - Tamparuli, Sabah: Tuaran PKR deputy division chief Gaibin Ransoi has urged the party leadership to sack division chief Ansari Abdullah for endorsing Independent candidates, including the latter's daughter Erveanna.

Flanked by division committee members, he notes that the division declares support for Pakatan Rakyat ally APS president Wilfred Bumburing, who is contesting Tuaran on the PKR ticket.

"We also want the PKR leadership to withdraw letters of termination issued by Ansari to several PKR division leaders who did not support him in fielding his daughter against Bumburing.

"There are no legal grounds for these leaders to be sacked... (instead,) Ansari should be sacked immediately," he says at a press conference.

The 'Tuaran mutiny' is weighing down on Bumburing's quest to retain the seat, which he won in 2008 on the Upko ticket.

1.40pm - Perak: Kuala Kangsar Independent candidate Kamilia Ibrahim says an Independent MP is truly the voice of the people as he or she is not tied to any party line.

“They can act as an agent of the people who are truly transparent, because they are not tied to any party policy,” says the former Umno Wanita deputy chief on her Facebook.

Kamilia (left) laments that as a party member a rep is not free to support another party’s suggestions, even though it is a good one.

“The political foundations of a party is based on the majority voice of its members. This leads to a culture of cronyism and internal sabotage,” she writes.

1.36pm - Kota Kinabalu: A mid-day DAP ceramah at the Hakka Hall on this working day attracts a surprising 1,000 people, including those in office attire.

As the seats fill up, about 100 are seen standing throughout star speaker Hew Kuan Yew's (in black T-shirt) speech - which lasted for over 30 minutes.

The DAP collected RM21,050 this afternoon, more than double the amount that was collected at Grand Port View where they had hosted a dinner on Tuesday night.

The campaign momentum in Kota Kinabalu is quickly picking up, but so are smear campaigns.

One victim is DAP's Likas candidate Junz Wong (right), who is going against SAPP president Yong Teck Lee and two others.

Photos are circulating in the social media alleging that Wong is a womaniser, apparently having even impregnated and abandoned a woman from Inanam.

"I am grateful that some people think I'm a rising star in politics, but I am not Andy Lau or Edison Chen to have been able to have slept with so many women," the twenty-something quipped when asked to comment on the matter today.

12.25pm - Segamat: The National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) continues its second day of picketing in Segamat - beginning at 11am today - but was then asked by the police to disperse some 90 minutes later.

The 200 red-clad picketers, like yesterday, were met with a counter-protest by BN even though their numbers are significantly smaller today, at around 10.

About 10 Light Strike Force officers are also deployed at the scene as a precaution.

Nube plans to hold another two-hour picket later today, but is unsure whether the police would allow the go-ahead after today's early dispersal.

11.45am - Ipoh: Caretaker Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir arrives at Terminal Aman Jaya to visit the newly-built bus terminal.

At a press conference after the visit, Zambry (right) comments on the progress of BN's campaign in Perak, which has been running smoothly.

What is important, he says, is to maintain the peace and stability in a government.

"Everything that is done must have an objective. What is most important is to form a government which is stable and peaceful," he stresses.

When asked whether he was confident that BN would get a two-thirds majority, Zambry replies: "Insha Allah, we will work towards this objective."

11.25am - Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party chief Yong Teck Lee had reportedly stormed a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah with a group of supporters last night.

He confronted Sabah PKR security, immigration, and electoral reform bureau chief Dr Chong Eng Leong who was speaking at the time and challenged him to a debate.

Yong was supposedly unhappy that Chong had linked him to ‘Project IC’, an alleged citizenship-for-votes scheme that took place in Sabah around the early 1990s.

The police intervened to diffuse the situation, and the two spent the rest of the ceramah sitting side-by-side, amid sporadic boos and shouts of “Debate!”.

11.20am - Labis: DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang begins his blitz across the Labis parliamentary constituency.

At Bekok, a small and ageing town in Labis, Lim is seen telling the locals that for the first time, Johor - including Bekok - wields the power to decide the federal government.

"Even the Japanese media is here, this is how important Bekok is, it is not only Malaysia who is watching you, but also the world.

"If you have relatives in Japan, they will be surprised when they see news about Bekok there," he adds.

Several excited local villagers later decide to pose for photographs with the Japanese media.

10.00am - Sibu: DAP Lanang candidate Alice Lau has lodged a police report over a posting in Facebook alleging she has bought a total of 999 votes.

She describes that the details posted as fakes.

Meanwhile, a protestor at yesterday’s Lanang bridge demonstration found his car scratched today.

He believes it to be the act of someone unhappy with his presence at the protest, where he related how he had been forced to move out of the area after being forced to pay RM32 daily to use the tolled bridge.

He had lodged a  report at Sibu central police station and says he will not be deterred from fighting for justice.
8.00am - Sibu: BN Lanang candidate Tiong Thai King had filed a report yesterday over online news and Facebook postings alleging attempts of vote buying.

One Facebook posting on April 24 alleged he had bought 5,000 votes for RM5 million.

According to Sin Chew Daily, another posting on April 29 alleged he bought 596 postal votes, while whistleblower website Sarawak Report has reported him purchasing votes for RM1,000 each.

He had urged the police to investigate the source of the reports.
7.30am - Temerloh: A plastic bag filled with a chicken head and what appears to be its blood, is discovered on the front porch of the homestay accommodation of PAS' Temerloh candidate Nasruddin Hassan in Taman Sri Semantan.
His officer Yusuf Siddiq says the bag was spotted at about 7 this morning and is believed to have been thrown onto the porch anytime between 3am and 7am.

"A threatening note reading 'Take this pig's blood' was also found in the bag," he tells reporters in a SMS.

A police report is currently being lodged.

Nasruddin, who is also PAS Youth chief, is facing incumbent deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

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