Election 2008: Nomination Day News

Latest News - February 25, 2008


Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Pinang - 23/2/2008















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Latest News - Nomination Day February 24, 2008


Pas grabbed the Kijang state seat in Kelantan, through its woman candidate Wan Ubaidah Omar.


PAS memenangi kerusi Dun pertamanya di Parlimen Pengkalan Chepa tanpa bertanding melalui calonnya di Dun Kijang oleh Bekas Senator Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar setelah calon Barisan Nasional Mustopha Ahmed disahkan bankrup -pasonline.

Seven up for BN, Pas grabs one state seat in Kelantan

Pas unexpectedly grabbed the Kijang state seat in Kelantan, through its woman candidate Wan Ubaidah Omar.

Prior to dissolution of the state assembly, Pas controlled 23 seats to BN's 22.

Bearing in mind that delicate balance and with this shocked loss, BN's hopes of recapturing the Kelantan Government is now at risk while Pas' position is solidified.

BN candidates who parliamentary seat uncontested


1. Datuk Azalina Othman Said - P157 Pengerang, Johor (Umno)

2. Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh - P191 Kalabakan, Sabah (Umno)

3. Norah Abdul Rahman - P206 Tanjung Manis, Sarawak (PBB)

4. Aaron Ago Dagang - P210 Kanowit, Sarawak (PRS)

5. Joseph Entulu Belaun - P214 Selangau, Sarawak (PRS)

6. Alexander Nanta Linggi - P215 Kapit, Sarawak (PBB)

7. Tan Sri Joseph Kurup - P182 Pensiangan (PBRS)

In the 2004 polls, BN won 14 parliamentary and seven state seats uncontested on Nomination Day.


Latest News - February 23, 2008


The gloves come off today - and the scramble for the 10.9 million Malaysian votes begins in earnest. A total of 222 nomination centres will be opened this morning for candidates, who have been posturing for weeks, to file their papers for 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats.

Although candidates can only officially start their campaigning after 1pm today, the political bombs and accusations have been hurled since Parliament and 12 state assemblies were dissolved on Feb 13.

However, till late last evening, some aspirants were still lobbying to get into the list of candidates on both sides of the political divide. And the acrimony that comes with being dropped seems more intense than ever before.


Latest News - February 23, 2008


Disappointed supporters of dropped candidates throng PM's residence



Disappointed supporters of dropped candidates have started converging at the Prime Minister's Department. Even the prime minister's official residence, Komplek Sri Perdana, was not spared.

On Thursday, four buses, carrying 240 supporters of an MP whose name was not in the list, arrived at Sri Perdana at 10.30pm last night. One of the buses headed towards the PM's Department but was told to leave by security and police officers.

The bus later joined the others at Sri Perdana and the group, including some children, only left after a representative handed over a memorandum to an officer in the PM's Department, 10 minutes before midnight.

Over at the Prime Minister's Department, about 40 supporters of a Menteri Besar started "camping" outside the guardhouse. When the Menteri Besar left the building at 11pm, the vehicles, mostly luxury cars, also left.

This "unsightly" sight is expected to prevail until tomorrow, which is the nomination day


Latest News -



Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's opposition party will contest about half of the 222 parliamentary seats in Malaysia's general elections in a bid to make a strong comeback after its stinging defeat in the last polls when it won only one seat.

The People's Justice Party is looking to challenge the ruling coalition in about 100 parliamentary seats in the March 8 elections, though no final numbers have been announced yet, party general secretary Khalid Ibrahim said Thursday.

He said the party expects to win at least 30 seats with the help of campaigning by Anwar, who was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 after a political fallout with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar also was expelled from the United Malays National Organization, the main party in the ruling National Front coalition, and set up the People's Justice Party.

"Anwar attracts a lot of supporters and sympathizers," Khalid told The Associated Press. "Anwar will be bringing a new hope into the politics of Malaysia."

Once considered a future prime minister, Anwar's fortunes plunged when Mahathir accused him of corruption and sodomy. He was convicted of the charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released in 2004 after the sodomy charges were overturned by a higher court.

Anwar maintains he was a victim of a political conspiracy because he challenged Mahathir.

Although he was cleared of the sodomy charge, the corruption conviction barred him from contesting in elections until April this year. Anwar says Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who succeeded Mahathir in 2003, called elections in March to prevent him from contesting.

The National Front coalition, which won 199 parliamentary seats in a landslide victory in 2004, is expected to easily return to power but with a reduced majority given frustrations over inflation, rising crime and ethnic tensions.

Some observers say Anwar also no longer holds sway over the masses as he used to when tens of thousands took to the streets after his arrest and trial.

Malaysia's main opposition Democratic Action Front, or DAP, is expected to put up candidates for about 50 other seats, which will not overlap with Anwar's party, general-secretary Lim Guan Eng said. DAP now has 12 seats in Parliament.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, is eyeing about 65 seats, but opposition parties are still holding last-minute negotiations ahead of Sunday's nominations on collaborating to avoid multi-cornered fights, according to its general secretary, Kamarudin Jaffar.


Latest News -



Cili Padi Fong Po Kuan has returned to the frontline of the 2008 “Electoral Battle of the Century” – to end the overpowering UMNO political hegemony by denying the Barisan Nasional its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority in the March 8 general election.

The past six days since Po Kuan’s announcement that she would not recontest in Batu Gajah parliamentary seat had been an agonizing ordeal for Po Kuan, party leaders, members, supporters and the Malaysian public who see the general election as the last opportunity for change and the nation’s tryst with greatness.

Whether at the national or state party leadership, there had never been a second name for the DAP candidature for Batu Gajah in the 12th general election apart from Po Kuan. All party and state leaders, together with the concerned Batu Gajah voters and the larger national constituency, had urged Po Kuan to reconsider and return to the frontline in the critical battle shaping up in the 12th general election.

One cannot run away from the reality that Po Kuan’s action had caused harm and damage to herself, the party and the cause for justice, freedom and democracy – although she never intended so.

I have had discussions with Po Kuan in the past two days and she had admitted to the great harm her action had unintentionally and unwittingly caused to the party, party leaders and the political momentum for change in the 12th general election, and she asks for the party and people’s forgiveness for her mistake.

She has now bounced back to the frontline of the Electoral Battle of the Century and will reconstest and defends the Batu Gajah parliamentary seat.

In our discussions, we agreed that to should look forward and not back, that everyone should single-mindedly focus on one and only objective – to give a great blow to the increasing and overpowering UMNO political hegemony marginalizing not only the other Barisan Nasional component parties, but also the ordinary Malaysian masses, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan-Dusun-Murut, Ibans and Sarawak indigenous people as well as orang asli in Peninsular Malaysia.

With Po Kua’s return to the frontline of the battle, let us make up precious lost ground and enter into the 12th election campaign with gusto and confidence, vigour and vitality.

Cili Padi FPK is back!

Malaysia Election Hot News

HOT NEWS No.1






Dr M: There should be no political dynasties

Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menyindir Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengenai pencalonan menantunya, Khairy Jamaluddin dalam satu majlis di Kuala Lumpur semalam.

Walaupun tidak memperkatakannya secara terus tetapi ramai mempercayainya ia ditujukan kepada Abdullah.

Tun Mahathir memberitahu kepada media semalam bahawa tidak wajar wujud dinasti politik di negara ini.

Menurut Mahathir itulah sebabnya mengapa beliau tidak mengenengahkan anaknya, Mukhriz dalam politik semasa beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri dahulu.

Walaupun Tun Mahathir tidak memberikan penjelasan lanjut mengenai jawapannya itu, tetapi ramai yang mempercayai bahawa kenyataannya itu merujuk kepada menantu Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi iaitu Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy yang merupakan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno, akan bertanding di kerusi Parlimen Rembau Negeri Sembilan dalam pilihan raya umum kali ini.

Bercakap kepada media dalam satu majlis di Kuala Lumpur semalam, Mahathir merestui anaknya untuk bertanding atas tiket Barisan Nasional (BN), namun beliau tidak akan berkempen untuk anaknya.

Pencalonan Mukhriz ditentukan oleh pimpinan tertinggi parti (Umno). Saya tidak akan melobi, saya tidak akan berkata apa pun," tambah Mahathir yang pernah menerajui BN dan Umno lebih dua dekad sebelum berundur pada tahun 2003.

Dalam pada itu, beliau teringat kembali bagaimana empat tahun lalu apabila Setiausaha Agung Umno, Dato' Radzi Syeikh Ahmad yang mahukan anaknya, Mukhriz menggantikannya sebagai Ketua Bahagian Umno Kubang Pasu, tetapi telah ditolak olehnya kerana tidak mahu dituduh sebagai cubaan untuk merancang agar anaknya mewarisi politik keturunan.

"Saya tidak mahu orang berkata bahawa saya merancang sebuah dinasti. Kita tidak patut ada dinasti dalam politik di negara ini,"tegas Mahathir.

Menurutnya, beliau tidak ingin mengulas apa-apa mengenai pencalonan anaknya itu. "Ia terpulang kepada pimpinan Umno. Kalau mereka memilih dia, mereka pilihlah. Jika tidak pilih, saya kena terima. Tidak, saya tidak akan kempen (untuk Mukhriz),"tambah Tun Mahathir.


HOT NEWS No.2


Samy Vellu's days are numbered - Subra as next MIC leader

Moves afoot for S. Subra to become the next MIC leader as Samy Vellu’s days are numbered – with some UMNO “movers-and-shakers” forcing Samy’s political retirement and withdrawal as candidate in the next general election

Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has become the most unpopular politician in the country and probably in Malaysian history, being booed, jeered, car blocked, thrown stones, rotten eggs and even slippers almost every day in public places.

This public rejection of Samy Vellu has spread to MIC and Barisan Nasional (BN) functions, with other MIC and BN leaders becoming also the target of public resentment and fury, as illustrated by the meet-the-people session led by Perak Mentri Besar and Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali in Buntong, Ipoh yesterday.

The political days of Samy Vellu, MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister for over 28 years, are numbered. Moves in fact are afoot for the former deputy president, Datuk S. Subramaniam, to become the next MIC leader as Samy Vellu is slowly phased out of the political scene.

I expect Subra to make a political comeback on Sunday on his nomination as a Barisan Nasional candidate for the 12th general election and preparatory to his joining the Cabinet – something Subra had been denied and been waiting for nearly three decades.

I understand that there are some UMNO “movers-and-shakers” who want a faster pace of ending the political days of Samy Vellu – wanting to force Samy’s political retirement and withdrawal as candidate in the next general election.

I am not interested in the internal politicking of UMNO, MIC, MCA, Gerakan or Barisan Nasional component parties but what must be a matter of grave national concern is the consolidation of UMNO political hegemony and relentless marginalization of the other BN component parties like MCA, Gerakan and MIC.

Apart from this example of some UMNO “movers-and-shakers” wanting to pressurize Samy Vellu to step down as MIC President, showing the utterly marginalized role of MIC in BN, there is a host of examples of greater UMNO political hegemony at the price of relentless marginalization of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties.

Another recent example is the farce of the Acting Gerakan President, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, submitting three names to the Barisan Nasional Chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to pick on who should be the next Penang Gerakan Chief Minister – a most unprecedented surrendering of the Gerakan prerogative to decide who should be the next Penang Gerakan Chief Minister.

When Tsu Koon became Penang Chief Minister in 1990, it was the decision of the Gerakan Central Working Committee (although more correctly the then Gerakan President Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik) in its choice between two candidates – Tsu Koon or Dr. Goh Cheng Teik.

The Gerakan CWC took the final decision on Tsu Koon as the Penang Gerakan Chief Minister to replace Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu in 1990 and the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was not given two names by the Gerakan President to decide on who should be the Gerakan Penang Chief Minister.

If Mahathir could respect Gerakan’s right, power and prerogative to decide on who should be the next Gerakan Penang Chief Minister, why is this political situation not respected by Abdullah 18 years later?

Why should Tsu Koon and Gerakan surrender its power to pick the next Penang Gerakan Chief Minister – if the Gerakan had not been terribly marginalized in the past 18 years since 1990 that it dare not even stand on its unchallenged prerogative less than two decades ago?

Is Abdullah prepared to return the list of three names back to Tsu Koon, stating that he would respect the Gerakan’s prerogative to decide who should be the next Penang Gerakan Chief Minister?

The instances of MCA being relentlessly marginalized in the Barisan Nasional in the past few decades will fill volumes.- Lim Kit Siang