87, Mahathir sees Anwar PM on 6th May?

Mega Pakatan rallies shake Johor BN bastion

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng and Lee Way Loon 9:35AM May 2, 2013

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228751

Yesterday's public holiday opened up for Pakatan Rakyat's top leaders a golden opportunity to hold several mammoth ceramah in Johor, attracting tens of thousands and pushing its momentum to a new dimension in the southern BN fortress.

The ceramah at an outdoor car park of a shopping mall at Gelang Patah, had pulled in some 70,000 Chinese-majority crowd, breaking the attendance of 60,000 people recorded the previous night at the same venue.

Besides the unprecedented attendance, the total donation raised for the day reached a whopping RM263,328.80 comprising RM173,328.80 collected from the ceramah alone and RM90,000 from the series of events held throughout the day at the car park.

It was a clear sign of the overwhelming support of the Chinese electorate in southern Johor as many came from neighbouring constituencies such as Kulai, Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang and Pulai, which Pakatan aims to wrest from the BN in this general election.

Another ceramah targeting the Malay crowd was held simultaneously at the outdoor car park of Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos stadium in Johor Bahru downtown, attracting some 10,000 people, making it the largest Malay-majority ceramah in the state since the nomination day on April 20.

Pakatan has been struggling to garner the support of Malay voters in the BN stronghold state to meet the target of 38 percent, and this ceramah showed that still much work needs to be done in the last three days of the campaign.
Anti-establishment phenomenon
Two earlier ceramah in the town of Batu Pahat, located in central Johor, and Muar, located at northern Johor, also recorded attendance of about 10,000 and 15,000 respectively with most present being Chinese.

Those were another indicator that the anti-establishment sentiment among Chinese is a statewide phenomenon.

From the plate number of cars parked around the ceramah venues, it was believed that a significant number of participants were outstation voters who had returned home to vote on Sunday.

Labour Day was yesterday allowing outstation voters to have a five-day break until Sunday by taking only a two-day break from leave.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub took turns to address the crowd in most of the ceramah, projecting an united multiracial front.

During the ceramah in Johor Bahru, it was clear that Anwar attempted to use his spectacular oratory skill to allay the fear of Malays harboured about the DAP, particularly Kit Siang.
Opposition's 1M'sia show

Describing the DAP supremo as "the people's fighter", Anwar stressed that there is no reason to fear Kit Siang simply because he is assertive in pursuing his political principles.

"Some civil servants told me they are worried because Chinese now are more persistent in politics... Why are you afraid of him? Because he is smart? Because he is brave? Because he is assertive? Or because he works hard?

"(Because of that) you don't elect such a person but Malay leaders who are stupid?" he asked.

Anwar stressed that Pakatan needs all capable leaders to form a team to rule the nation regardless of race.

Anti-corruption and fair treatment to all ethnic communities based on provisions enshrined in the federal constitution were highlighted by all the top leaders in their speeches.

Another favourite topic among them was former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Speaking to the crowd in Gelang Patah, Anwar urged them to prove Mahathir wrong by voting for Kit Siang.

"Mahathir said let's bury him in Gelang Patah and bury Anwar in Permatang Pauh. But Mahathir, I'm not (caretaker prime minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) that has no courage to rebut you."

He continued to lambaste his former boss at the ceramah at Johor Bahru.

"I ask Mahathir, you are 87 years old already. You want to bury Anwar and bury Kit Siang, what about your own grave?"

But he was quick to stress that he never says he wants Mahathir to die as reported by BN-controlled media.

"I want him to live. I want him to watch TV3 on May 6 (to see me being sworn in as prime minister)," he said and hoops of laughter rolled across the floor.

85. PR on the way to Putrajaya in GE13

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228615

Thousands attend Pakatan rallies

9:30AM May 1, 2013

DAY 12 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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12.30am - Gelang Patah: As the mega Pakatan Rakyat ceramah ends, the emcee announces that the total collection for the day stood at RM263,328.80.

This comes from RM173,328.80 collected from the ceramah alone and RM90,000 collected from the series of events held during the day.

The amoung is the highest money collection recorded since the election campaign kicked off on April 20th.

11.45pm - Johor Bahru: PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim reiterates that this general election is a choice between old politics that practices racial discrimination and new politics that provides fair treatment to all.

He promises that if Pakatan Rakyat rules Putrajaya, it would give full assistance to all schools from different streams as long as they strengthen the national language.

He also assures the Malay-majority crowd that there is no reason to fear DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.

"Some civil servants told me they are worried because Chinese now are more active in politics.

"Why are you afraid? Because he is smart? Because he is brave? Because he is persistent? Or because he is hard working?

"Why you don't elect such person but Malay leaders who are stupid?" he asks, adding that the nation needs capable leaders of all races to lead the government.
11pm - Gelang Patah: The crowd that has thronged the Pakatan Rakyat ceramah in Skudai has ballooned to 70,000.

Speaking to the crowd, Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim urges all voters to support opposition candidates, in particular DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, to prove former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrong.

"I make no apologise. With respect to all Malaysians, his name maybe Lim Kit Siang, but he is man of principle. I salute him.

"Mahathir said let’s bury him in Gelang Patah and bury Anwar in Permatang Pauh.

"But Mahathir, I'm not Najib (Abdul Razak) that has no courage to rebut you."

10.30pm - Johor Bahru: Some 10,000 people attend a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah held at a market site beside Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos stadium, in which PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng are slated to speak.

Despite the ceramah site being dark and stuffy, with rough tarred floor, the crowd has no qualms and sit on the floor as they follow the speeches.

The order is, however, temporarily halted as a woman screams when a mouse ran across from where she sits.

10.30pm - Sibu: The DAP ceramah held near Sibu bus terminal attracts up to 5,000 people.

During the ceramah, party deputy chairperson Tan Seng Giaw campaigned for Lanang candidate Alice Lau and Sibu candidate Oscar Ling.

Tan said BN was scared of losing power as it knew nothing about the role of the opposition, and joked that Pakatan will offer the former a free course so they can take up the lesson.

Tan also told the crowd that Pakatan plans to build more prisons to accommodate BN members convicted of cheating and corruption, soliciting big applauds from the crowd.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak United People's Party ceremah attracted a much more humble crowd of 700.
10.30pm - Gelang Patah: 60,000 turn up for the Pakatan Rakyat mega ceramah at the open air carpark of Sutera Mall in Skudai to listen to the speeches by Pakatan leaders.

The cars parked along the main road stretches away for at least 3km and many more with many more people still arriving.

The crowd, comprising majority Chinese, chant "Ubah, ini kalilah" (Change, this time) and "Wu Yue Wu, Huan Zheng Fu. Wu Yue Liu, Xin Zheng Fu" (May 5th, change government. May 6th, new government).

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and Kulai candidate Teo Nie Ching are the heavyweight speakers tonight.

10.20pm - Damansara Utama: Some 250 Suaram comics books, titled ‘Hikayat Pak Monggol’ and ‘Scorpene’, sold at a opposition ceramah in Damansara Perdana are swept up by an enthusiastic crowds in just 5 minutes.

The comics refer to the relationship between murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibu, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor.

The just five-minutes, the crowd filled the donation box, and the money will be used to bear Suaram’s legal expenses in the Scorpene case.

Some 2,000 people, mostly middle-class Chinese and Indians attend the ceramah, with the crowd even spilling over the ceramah venue.
Among the speakers are PKR Subang parliamentary candidate R Sivarasa and PKR Seri Setia state candidate Nik Nazmi.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar is scheduled to give a talk later at the Damansara Perdana venue, which is in the vicinity the of Subang parliament and Bukit Lanjan state seat constituencies.
However, Nurul Izzah did not come in the end.
9.47pm - Luyang: The DAP and SAPP are holding ceramah at opposite sides in Foh Sang, which is usually identified as a SAPP stronghold.

Both sides have, however, managed to gather 1,000 people to their rallies indicating a possible narrow win for either side on Sunday.

Things are heating up between SAPP and DAP with the latter accusing the former of being a BN agent to split votes.

SAPP's Melanie Chia, who lodged a police report against DAP's allegations, is defending the seat against Sabah DAP advisor Hiew King Cheu, MCA's Agnes Shim and Star's Jafery Jomion.
9.30pm - Ipoh Barat: Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Shreenevasan takes to the stage of a DAP ceramah and addresses the 3,000-strong crowd, comprising mostly Chinese and Indians.

She urges all the Malaysians to support Bersih’s Jom 100 campaign to push for 100 percent voter turnout rate on May 5 as one vote is no ordinary vote but can rid the nation of corruption, abuse of power and racism.

"The voter turnout rate last round (in 2008) was 75 percent. I perdict this is going to be the highest voter turnout in the history of the country.

"We will vote peacefully because we are peaceful people. So on May 5, please go early, go peacefully, do not fear, because you are not alone." she adds, drawing the loud cheer from the crowd.

Meanwhile, 300 metres away, BN’s Buntong candidate C Sivaraj is holding an Indian performance and so far approximately 200 people have turned up to attend.

9.30pm - Titiwangsa: Some 4,000 people gather at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman to hold a special prayer for a Pakatan Rakyat victory.

They pray on an open field against the backdrop of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Among those speaking at the gathering include PAS vice-president and Putrajaya candidate Husam Musa.
8.50pm - Gelang Patah: The DAP mega ceramah in Sutera Mall causes a massive traffic jam in Skudai town.

Yesterday, the DAP also held a mega ceramah at the same venue, which saw a 50,000-strong crowd attending and collected more than RM190,000 worth of donations from the public.

8.30pm - Gelang Patah: An Indian concert organised by BN-friendly NGO Persatuan Sivik India Malaysia, attracts about 500 people in Tun Aminah Mini Stadium eager to listen to the Bollywood-style music.

Before officially kicking off the concert, the organiser holds a lucky draw and awards some hampers and a 32-inch LCD television.

Johor BN chief and candidate for Gelang Patah Abdul Ghani Othman is slated to speak in the event later.

6.50pm - Muar: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng makes a brief visit to Muar town where he manages to attract a crowd of close to 15,000 people.

Lim is helping DAP's Bakri candidate Er Teck Hwa and Bentayan candidate Chua Wee Beng to campaign, with four days left to the general election.

"Many of them came but we still need to work hard, only then do we have hope of winning We need to do more," said Er.
6.00pm - Gelang Patah: Among the BN and Pakatan flags that have flooded the constituency, small yellow flags are spotted today near the Sutera Mall open car park where Pakatan used to hold its mammoth rallies.

Apparently, the yellow flags represent P Waythamoorthy’s faction of Hindraf, the group which has been reported as supporting the BN coalition after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak accepted its blueprint for the Indian community.

The movement is slated to hold a ceramah in the constituency tomorrow night and featuring its chief P Waythamoorthy.

It is not surprising for Hindraf to campaign for BN here as Indian voters make up 12 percent of the total voters in Gelang Patah, one of the key seats in this general election which is being contested by Lim Kit Siang from DAP and Abdul Ghani Othman from BN. 

Today, the constituency also sees new BN banners featuring Najib. The big banners in both the Chinese and Malay languages read, "Support me, vote for BN".

2.30pm - Putrajaya: PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks to a 3,000-strong crowd at Precinct 3 in Putrajaya, as he attempts to shore up even more support from the civil service for Pakatan Rakyat and its Putrajaya candidate, PAS' Husam Musa.

Anwar promised to restore the professionalism of the civil service, and said that the current caretaker government's move to bring in foreign consultants are undermining the skills of the local civil service in the country.

His fiery 30-minute speech is received enthusiastically by the mixed crowd, who braved the afternoon heat to sit and stand around the parking lot where the ceramah is taking place.

His appearance there comes shortly after former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad came down to Putrajaya to urge the civil service to continue backing the current caretaker government.

Putrajaya, normally a BN fortress, has turned into a proper electoral battleground as Husam's relatively strong machinery looks set to give incumbent Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor of BN a run for his money.

1.05pm - Segamat: The Jementah town comes to a sudden standstill as more than 500 locals flood the street where DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng is speaking, despite the hot afternoon weather.

Taking a leaf from caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's stunt in Penang, he asks: "Are you ready for BN?" to which the mostly Chinese crowd replied, "No!".

Lim (left in photo) also urges the people to back DAP's Jementah candidate Lee Chen Choon.

The crowd later swarms the stage as they stretch out various items for Lim's autograph. Traffic is slow as the crowd has spilled on to the main road.

12.21pm - Kota Belud: More than 2,000 people are here to celebrate the annual harvest festival Keamatan at the town field.

Kota Belud is host to state level celebrations this year, and officiating the event is caretaker state Chief Minister Musa Aman.

He tells the audience that the Keamatan festival is proof of the harmony and tolerance among the various races and religions in Sabah under the BN government.

He also reminded all that Usukan - which is located within the parliamentary constituency of Kota Belud - is the birthplace of Sabah Umno, and is its stronghold.

The Unduk Ngadau competition, an annual beauty contest of sorts held in conjunction with Keamatan, is stopped for a short while to respect the azan.

Kota Belud is contested by incumbent Abdul Rahman Dahlan for BN. He is going against PKR greenhorn Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis and three others.

11.45am - Segamat: BN's Segamat candidate S Subramaniam says he is facing a tough fight and needs to serve an antidote to those whose minds were "poisoned within a short period of time" by PKR rival Chua Jui Meng.

"We believe our base is okay and we are now focusing on fence-sitters and those who have been ‘poisoned’, especially among young voters.

"It is tough because - one, is the political climate of change, two, is my opponent and three, they are making a concerted effort to give me a tough fight and we have had to work twice as hard," he adds.

Subramaniam (left), who is also the caretaker human resources minister, is also continuing his pre-emptive strike against the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) for wanting to picket against him in his constituency later today, just four days to the general election.

"There are certain parties which want to solve issues through blackmail, we cannot allow this culture to thrive," he says during a Labour Day celebration in Segamat this morning.

Asked later if the "blackmail" he mentioned is a reference NUBE, he replies, "Not specifically to them, but what they are doing is similar to that".

11.30am - Sungai Siput: About 40 residents from Cameron Highland - most of them vegetable garden owners - visit the service centre of SK Devamany to show support to the latter by holding up banners and passing out strawberries.

Devamany had been the Cameron Highland MP for two terms, before he was assigned to contest in Sungai Siput this time round.

Speaking to the press, KC Looi, the Ringlet new village chief, says that they here to tell the Sungai Siput voters to support Devamany as he is a friendly parliamentarian, as well as a “nice deputy minister of the Prime Minister's Department”.

"If his service is poor, we wouldn’t be here," he adds.

10.30am - Sungai Suput: As May Day this year falls in the general election campaign period, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is unable to hold a big celebration as they are going all-in into the campaign.

Instead, Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj (right in photo) - who contests under the PKR ticket in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat - is holding a small celebration in front of his service centre.

Addressing his short speech to 20 people, most of whom are his campaign workers and party members, the incumbent Sungai Siput MP criticises the BN government's policy which is said to be pro-corporate and investors, consequently making the workers suffer instead.

"If they (the corporations and investors) are happy, and the workers' wages are lowered, the union will be weaker. Less corporate taxes will be levied to the corporates, but taxes for the people increase," he says.

He urges the people to abandon the corrupted BN government and support Pakatan Rakyat to fight for the rights of the workers.

However, he adds that there is still a long way to go for the workers to be more organised to make sure that Pakatan policy will not be aligned with that of the rich corporates.

There is a three-corner fight in Sungai Siput, where Jeyakumar is facing the challenge from MIC vice-president SK Devamany and Independent SP Nagalingam.

10.00am - Lembah Pantai: Signages warning off "phantom" and other fraudulent voters are spotted in Bangsar today.

One banner, seen in Jalan Kemuja, warns those intending to vote with fake MyKads that their safety "is not guaranteed" if caught.

"If you are caught trying to vote using a fake IC, you will be handed over to the police.

"While waiting for police arrival, your safety is not guaranteed," states the banner by Kami Anak Bangsa Malaysia, written in English, Indonesian and another foreign language.

Meanwhile an anti-phantom voter signboard, replicating the famous Ghost Busters symbol is affixed in front of the Jalan Bangsar Tamil school, just opposite of the Malaysiakini office.

9.17am - Kota Kinabalu: Semporna police have confirmed that BN members had attacked PAS supporters with baseball bats, crash helmets and iron rods last Sunday.

Supt Mohd Azhar Hamin, the police spokesperson for the election campaign perio, was quoted in The Borneo Post as saying that it happened after "provocation following a speech by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim".

He reportedly confirmed that BN members had threatened to burn down the PAS office. The police have recorded the statements of 30 witness.

Semporna district police chief Mohd Firdaus Francis Abdullah had told Malaysiakini on Monday that the incident stemmed from both sides arguing over where to hang flags and posters.

Meanwhile, SAPP has lodged a police report against DAP for allegedly spreading false information that it received RM80 million from BN to split the Pakatan Rakyat vote.

Luyang candidate Melanie Chia (right), who has condemned the "culture of hatred", has claimed that DAP flew in people from the peninsula to spread rumours.

8.00am - Gelang Patah: Thirteen university student groups - including Solidarity Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) and Islamic Students Federation (Gamis) - have come to this parliamentary constituency to support DAP's candidate Lim Kit Siang.

Holding a press conference with Lim, GE13 Students Movement (GM13) chief Syis Abdul Kadir says the 13 student groups are campaigning for Pakatan Rakyat to reject gutter politics, and that they came to Gelang Patah as this is one of the key seats in this general election.

Mohd Safwan Anang from Universiti Malaya (UM) says he is disappointed that UM authorities have screened the controversial ‘Tanda Putera’ film to UM students.

“We feel that the university should explain the screening of ‘Tanda Putera’ to the students, especially the Malay students. Are they trying to raise racial issues? We as students are very disappointed and we reject the culture of slander,” he adds.

There are also some 400 cyclists who are participating in a 46km cycling convoy to show their solidarity to Lim. The convoy is flagged off by Lim at the outdoor car park of Sutera Mall.

85. some feedback in Johore

Pakatan leads in almost half of Johor targeted seats

Malaysiakini Johor team 10:29AM Apr 29, 2013

With only six days to go before the 'judgment day' on May 5, it is believed that Johor Pakatan Rakyat has set a solid foothold in almost half of its 11 targeted parliamentary constituencies in the southern state and is moving aggressively in another five.

According to DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang (centre, in photo), Pakatan needs to secure another 10 seats from Johor, Sabah and Sarawak each to pave its way to Putrajaya.

The five seats are  Gelang Patah, Bakri,Kluang, Kulai and Segamat, where Chinese voters form the majority of the voter base, ranging from 46 to 56 percent.

Besides Bakri, which is the only parliamentary constituency won by the opposition in 2008, the other four constituencies share other several factors:

• High percentage of Chinese voters;

• Large population of urban middle class;

• Unprecedented mammoth opposition rallies in the past two weeks;

• Contested by heavyweight leaders who brought with them formidable campaign machineries.

The formula is an open secret - that is to boost Chinese support to over 75 percent and retain 25 to 30 percent of Malay support.

Should the current trend persists in the final week, MCA would be the biggest losers as it would lose three seats – Kulai, Bakri and Kluang - out of the seven seats contested, while DAP would be the biggest opposition party in Johor with four parliamentary seats followed by PKR with one.

With Chinese Johoreans showing unprecedented support towards the opposition in the past two weeks, not only DAP campaigners, but their PAS counterpart too are also confident they will secure more votes from the Chinese, as many have openly shown acceptance of the Islamic party.

Even Umno incumbent Pulai MP Nur Jazlan Mohamed (left) admitted that BN may face problems in maintaining its Chinese support.

“The strategy of Pakatan is to weaken MCA, that's why they have a very targeted strategy to send their big-name leaders to contest here in Johor and all of them contest in Chinese-majority areas.

“We (Johor) will remain as BN stronghold but maybe with some worries in the Chinese-majority constituencies,” he told  KiniTV last Friday.

Even so, the ultimate battlefield in the final lap of this campaign is undoubtedly in wooing the Malay electorate.

The Malay voters in Johor are not homogeneous. Their political inclination largely depends on three factors – the urban and rural divide, the opposition's groundwork in the constituency, and age.

From the various Pakatan ceramah held in Malay areas, it was clear that those located at urban towns received better attendance compared to those in rural Malay villages, and the participants were mostly youths.

Most rural Malays met by  Malaysiakini were comfortable with status quo and have little understanding about the opposition, especially DAP, while the urbanites and youths were more open to alternative information mainly due to the fast-growing Internet and social media.

Wooing the Malays

In some areas where the opposition has strong presence coupled with long-time service, such as the two state seats of Sungai Abong and Maharani held by PAS, the party managed to secure up to 40 percent of Malay votes, compared to the statewide average of 20 percent.

Such areas are not that many in southern Johor where Pakatan is aiming to build a bridgehead based on the brewing 'Chinese storm'.

However, the anti-establishment momentum is quickly building up in urban Malay areas as observed in last night's ceramah at Bandar Baru Uda.

A crowd of 1,00 animated Malays had attended to follow the speeches of former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who now joined PAS.

The modern residential area located in Johor Bahru is home to many middle-class Malays working in the city.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub told  Malaysiakini last Friday that his party is confident they have secured 33 to 35 percent of Malay support, close to their target of 38 to 40 percent.

“We have seen the change. In the past we could not enter these traditional Malay villages and residential areas but now we can hold activities inside,” he said after being invited by a surau in Nusa Jaya to give a sermon.

He said the party is eyeing three parliamentary seats –  Pulai, Ayer Hitam and Simpang Renggam.

Should the urban Malay electorate swing towards Pakatan, the coalition could bag another five seats -  Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru, Pulai, and Tebrau in the greater Johor Bahru area, andMuar in central Johor, making the total seats to 10.

Although BN's Johor Bahru candidate Shahrir Samad (left) is a well-known veteran, the individual candidate factor could be overshadowed by national issues should urban voters decide to follow the national trend.

Muar makes it into the list as PAS has already built a strong foundation in the marginal seat which BN only retained with small majority of 4,661 and a vote split was observed in the 2008 general election.

In the case that significant rural Malays also accept Pakatan, another three seats would fall -  Tanjong Piai, Batu Pahat andLabis, giving Pakatan 13 seats, exactly half of the 26 parliamentary seats in Johor.

Indian factor

Labis stands out from the other two constituencies as Indians make up 15 percent of the voter base.

Contested by an Indian candidate from DAP, ex-senator S Ramakrishnan ( below, standing in photo), a swing in the Indian votes coupled with strong Chinese support would win him the seat which was held by MCA's Chua Tee Yong with only a 4,094-vote majority in the last general polls.

From the response of electorate towards candidates observed since the nomination, there is still a large portion of Malay voters who have yet to make up their mind.

Hence political parties that can adopt the most effective approaches to engage and convince these fence-sitters would be the winners.

Perhaps in view of this, Pakatan has been using different tactics in areas of different ethnicity.

Daily mega ceramah featuring prominent Pakatan leaders or 'political celebrities' were a hit among Chinese Johoreans who even traveled far to watch their favourite leaders in Malay villages, crowding out the local Malay audience.

A combination of different approaches was used in Malay areas that blended both national and local issues as well as personal touch.

Besides walkabout, door-to-door visits and nightly small-group ceramah, candidates have been attending kenduri (Malay feast) and weddings during weekends where they can meet with many voters.

However, some campaigners have started to question the effectiveness of the small-group ceramah approach as it has failed to attract non-supporters.

“It does not make sense to do the same thing (small-group ceramah) repeatedly but hope to get different result.

“Instead they should visit thewarong (stalls) in Malay villages where residents gather and give short speech there,” a DAP campaigner in Tanjong Piai toldMalaysiakini.

Whether Pakatan will use more innovative and effective approaches to penetrate Malay areas remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the opposition coalition has also started efforts to call on outstation voters, especially those working in Singapore, to come home to voter, including buying newspaper advertisements (above).

Not only returning to cast their ballots, Pakatan has asked these young voters to convince their parents to vote against BN.

BN relying on tested methods

On the other hand, BN has been banking on its tested method of organising free meals, cultural performances and community activities through local organisations, as well as giving out financial aides to consolidate its supporters from being converted by Pakatan.

MCA candidates also held dialogues with local Chinese associations to convey their messages but such associations have lost their influence within the Chinese community in cities, particularly among the youths.

Efforts were put in to emulate Pakatan mega rallies by holding ceramah but the response so far have been lukewarm.

Pasir Gudang MCA division deputy organising secretary Tan Tuan Ping told Chinese daily China Press that the time of a mega dinner slated for Tuesday will be capped at two hours and the maximum number of speakers is five, to avoid the embarrassing scene of attendants leaving before the programme ends.

Nevertheless, free meals and goodies did help BN to reach out to more fence-sitters.

With the final leg of the race at hand, many wonder whether BN will use its old tactic of throwing in more financial incentives and raise racial elements to guard its ground.

Umno has started todistribute leafletsaccusing DAP and Gelang Patah candidate Lim of causing the May 13 incident while MCA has been warning Chinese voters against hudud laws and Islamic state through its daily advertisements in Chinese dailies.

With all the uncertainties and the high number of fence-sitters among Malay voters, it is still too early to determine whether the political tsunami will sweep Johor, just like what transpired in Selangor and Perak in 2008.

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The Malaysiakini Johor team consists of Kuek Ser Kuang Keng, Lee Way Loon and Nigel Aw.

84. Careful before marking the ballot papers

Monday, April 29, 2013

Voters Be Reminded

This was written by someone who is a Polling Agent and has just completed the training required. He has highlighted a few matters which we the public voters may not be aware.

1. Be at the polling center real early, as I m suspecting that there may be a long queue due to the new polling process. Many will be sick of waiting and waste their vote. Don't be a fool to do that. Polling center opens at 8am till 5pm. Polling center gate closes at 5:00pm sharp RTM time.  ( Conduct of Elections Act.Regulation23. Closing of poll.. " No ballot paper shall be issued to a voter after the hour fixed for the closing of the poll but if at that hour there is in the polling station any voter to whom a ballot paper has been issued, such voter shall be allowed to vote."

Note the voter must have the ballot paper in hand when polls close to be able to vote..)

2. Check on-line first (http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/semakpru13.aspx) and print out your details before going to the voting center. You may be able to by-pass the Barung counter since you have a printout and know where to go and thus short cut your time. 

3. Bring your IC, if you lost your IC, then use the temp IC. If you also lost your temp IC, then you can use your passport. Avoid using passport as we the counting agents will insist you fill up a Borang 11 which will take time, and affects the queue. This time EC allows even Gov't employee tag… polling agent will seek verification if sees anyone using that. 

4. Make sure your left hand index finger is clean, any makings or stains will caused you to be disallowed to vote. If you got band aid plaster on that finger, they will require you to use the right hand index instead. The default is left hand index finger. No stains allow on either fingers. The polling kerani will mark your left index finger with an ink. 

5. Important! The ink will take about 30 second to dry. Bring along a tissue to dry off your finger before holding your ballot papers. Any smudge or stain on the ballot paper will render it spoiled vote. So be extremely careful. Now you understand why you need to be there early.

6. Your ballot paper will have a serial number, but must be clean of any extra marking or words or stains, smudge, pencil/pen marking or dots or TEAR on all the surface of the ballot papers. YOU CAN REJECT THE PIECE OF BALLOT PAPER AND INSIST ON A NEW ONE IF YOU SEE ANY OF THOSE. Do not be intimidated by anyone there as this is your ABSOLUTE RIGHT.

7. Ensure that the kerani that handed you the ballot paper, do not write the serial No. of your ballot papers next to your name on the list. He or she is suppose to just neatly cross out your name on the list. If you see that she wrote something, please raise hell. Make sure she crosses out your name on her list and we will do the same on ours.

8. If in some strange (may happen) event you were told that you have already voted, eventho you have not, and your fingers have no markings, you MUST raise hell. We the polling agents will raise hell too. It means that somebody has voted on your behalf. You will be required to fill forms and etc. Remember, your constitutional right to vote.

9. Do not wear any t-shirt or buttons or hat that is aligned to any of the political parties. You will be ask to remove or disallowed to enter the polling center. 

10. When casting your vote, be careful not to make any other marks on the ballot paper. You will be using a pen instead of the usual pencil. So if you make a mistake and it is accidental, please request for a new ballot paper. They have 10% extra papers to cater for this sort of things. 

11. Fold the ballot paper neatly in half checking to see that all is in order before proceeding to the ballot boxes. Here, we will have 2 ballot boxes for Parliament and State.

12. At the ballot boxes, SHOW and put the ballot paper into their corresponding box. Stand there to ensure that the kerani push your vote into the box. Please do not have any tissue or other paper in your hands as you may be stopped for search by the Polling agent. We are trained to look out for people who brings out their blank voting papers to sell. Don't do that, you 'll go to jail. 

14. I am not aware of any special lane for the disabled or elderly. 

Please do read again what I have written and feel free to forward to all your friends, make sure that everyone goes to vote. Every vote counts. This election is most crucial.

83. Police report on the indelible ink lodged

Hold public demo on indelible ink, Bersih asks again

Hafiz Yatim     http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228670 2:28PM May 1, 2013

The indelible ink fiasco widely reported by the media and on the Internet yesterday has reinforced calls by Bersih for the Election Commission (EC) to hold a public demonstration on the procedure immediately.

Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said the excuse given by the EC defies logic and  is unacceptable.

“I am incredulous that they would even proffer this as a reason. How is this acceptable when the whole purpose of indelible ink is that it cannot be removed? This is totally unacceptable.

“Now, this is more reason why a public demonstration must be held immediately to allay the fears in relation to its use on Sunday,” said Ambiga in a text message to Malaysiakini.

Meanwhile, fellow steering committee member, Maria Chin Abdullah, said such reported incidents may have compromised the electoral and democratic processes.

Maria said the EC should be held responsible if there is a duplication of votes, for those who voted under the early voting process yesterday could be voting again on Sunday.

'EC statement an utter dissapointment'

“Well, what can you say about the EC? It previously said the indelible ink is foolproof and can last for seven days.

“We are utterly disappointed with this development and the statement made by the EC secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria that its staff may not have ‘shaken the bottles’.

“Such incidents further diminish our confidence in the EC and show the electoral process can be compromised. How can the EC do this to the people?” Maria asked.

Kamaruddin was reported by national news agency Bernama as saying that the EC ran some tests yesterday and as a result, fingers smeared with “ink from shaken bottles lasted longer than the others”.

“Notwithstanding the impact of the indelible ink, the EC wants to emphasise that early voters who voted on April 30, 2013, cannot vote again on May 5 because their names do not exist in the electoral roll for ordinary voters.” the EC secretary said in a statement last night.

Maria (left) added the EC had claimed that its staff had been well-trained earlier this month and guaranteed that the ink would last at least seven days.

“These reinforce our demands for a public demonstration to allay such fears. I am wondering whether they (EC) are lying over the matter or they are incompetent,” said the election rights group steering committee member.

She also urged the people to be on the lookout for suspicious security personnel who may attempt to vote again.

Those who want to lodge a complaint with Bersih can do so at at 03-7931-0840 or sms 013-771-1071 or email at jompantau@ komas.org.

Early voter lodges report

Meanwhile, an early voter in Johor, who did not want to be named, lodged a police report yesterday, stating that the indelible ink placed on her finger disappeared within hours.

She said that she cast her vote at an army camp in Johor about 8.30am, after which she went to town to pick up her children.

“After arriving home about noon, I did household chores, such as cooking, washing the dishes and clothes, and cleaning the house.
“At about 3.30pm, I noticed the indelible ink on the finger was gone. I informed this to a party candidate contesting there as I fear there would be manipulation,” she says in her police report.

82. Cheating by EC would go on..

SHARE .. share .. must share.

81. Ballot boxes cheating are so common by EC

Police probe case of party rep locking ballot boxes

Bernama 4:16PM May 1, 2013   http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228690

Police are investigating a claim that a political party representative had locked nine ballot boxes at an early voting centre in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, yesterday.

IGP secretariat (public relations) ACP assistant head Ramli Mohamed Yusoof said the incident was alleged to have happened at 7.10 pm.

"It is claimed that the individual locked the nine ballot boxes without the approval of the Election Commission secretariat assistant officer on duty at the centre," he said at a media briefing at Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said the person concerned had been released on bail while the case was being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Election Offences Act 1954.

Meanwhile, Ramli said, police were also investigating two reports made by PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar (at the Travers police station) and Tian Chua (at the Jinjang police station) that the indelible ink to mark voters was not permanent and could be washed off.

- Bernama