FROM day one, the Barisan Nasional (BN) has been pulling out all the stops in its Bagan Pinang by-election campaign. Sure, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) managed to muster more than 4,000 supporters — more than double the BN’s — on nomination day. But since nominations closed, it is clear that the PR is struggling to [...]

JOURNALISTS have been warning each other that Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, PAS’s Bagan Pinang by-election candidate, is not the world’s best orator. Unfortunately, this is true. At a PAS-organised ceramah in Taman Eastern on 5 Oct 2009, The Nut Graph observes that Zulkefly is ponderous in his speech. The chants of “Allahu akbar” that greet him [...]

Isa Samad poses at a Hari Raya Aidilfitri event in Bagan Pinang “THIS is part of my programme for the Bagan Pinang by-election: jalan-jalan cari undi,” says Tan Sri Isa Samad, 60, riffing off the popular TV3 food travelogue, Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan. The 3,000-strong crowd here in Taman PD Utama initially looks more interested in [...]

PENANG, 31 July 2009: The Election Commission (EC) is expected to announce the nomination and polling dates for the Permatang Pasir state by-election by 10 Aug, EC chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said. The by-election, the eighth since the March 2008 general election, has to be called because of the death of the [...]

Updated 11.50am on 14 July 2009 KUALA KRAI, 14 July 2009: Some 87.33% or 10,736 out of 12,293 voters cast their votes in the Manik Urai state by-election, polling of which closed at 5pm today. Election Commission (EC) chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the turnout was higher than the EC’s target of [...]

PETALING JAYA, 13 May 2009: The Election Commission (EC) has allowed pondok panas or party booths on polling day but they must be more than 50 metres away from polling centres. The EC reversed its 27 April decision to ban the booths at a closed-door meeting with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) yesterday, the PR secretariat said [...]