Corrected 11.20am on 2 April 2009 IT might be interesting to find out what Datuk Seri Najib Razak privately thinks of his impending succession as prime minister of Malaysia, which looks set to happen tomorrow, 3 April 2009. Penny for your thoughts (Public domain) Would he perhaps be comparing the responses towards him with those […]
Features
No holds barred in Bukit Gantang
By Deborah LohCorrected at 1 April 2009, 11.15pm and 2 April 2009, 2.11.pm THE Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat can be considered a mini-Malaysia as its racial population breakdown reflects the country’s ethnic composition. With 63.5% Malay Malaysian and 35% non-Malay Malaysians voters in the constituency, what happens here could well reflect the national sentiment. (Corrected) Expect a […]
The return of Mahathirism
By Zedeck Siew(File pic by Samsul Said @ Flickr) THE appearance of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during the final day of the 59th Umno general assembly precipitated a riotous cheering. This overwhelmingly positive reception is telling of what the party truly wants — and what a worrying prospect that is. No doubt Mahathir’s presence […]
BN’s Mail Pian moves to the frontline
By Deborah LohALL heads turn as Ismail Saffian, Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Bukit Gantang by-election, walks into the ramshackle wan tan mee stall near the Simpang wet market on the morning of 30 March 2009. But is hard to tell who patrons are really looking at — the tall, broad-shouldered and moustached Mail Pian, as […]
Chaos and confidence in Bukit Selambau
By Shanon Shah(Corrected at 3.34pm on 1 April 2009) OF the three simultaneous and upcoming by-elections on 7 April, the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah appears to be the most fascinating. On 12 March 2009, The Star reported that the Kedah police force had identified three “hot spots” in Bukit Selambau. Then on 19 March 2009, […]
Independents’ day
By Shanon Shah“WITH independent candidates, it depends on their ‘roots’,” says Kedah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Ahmad Kasim. “For example, if they were originally from PKR, they will naturally pull votes away from the PKR candidate.” But if they were originally from the Barisan Nasional (BN), he says, they will split votes for the BN. […]
Battling over land rights in Batang Ai
By Deborah LohFOOD on the table and a roof over one’s head — these are key issues in almost any election in rural Malaysia. But in the Sarawak hinterland, it’s a more emotional subject as food and shelter are derived from a hereditary source, the forest, which has been fought over by native communities and the state […]
Battle royale in Bkt Gantang
By Deborah LohTHE sun rose over Taiping’s famous Maxwell Hill on 29 March 2009 and cast a pink glow on the hundreds of police and Federal Reserve Unit personnel who took up positions around the large sports field in front of the Taiping Municipal Council building. This was where nominations for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election would […]
Najib moves to transform Umno
By Zedeck Siew(Najib pic courtesy of theSun) THE most solid expression of reform within Umno at the party’s recently concluded five-day general assembly was in new president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s closing address. Whether change will come in the quantity or quality that Malaysians expect is unclear — but some change seems forthcoming. “Our next general assembly […]
Tug-of-war in Umno
By Zedeck SiewMuhyiddin Yassin (pic courtesy of theSun)IF the Umno general assembly debates of the past two days are any indication, there is a grave disconnect between what the party leadership is publicly indicating change to be, and what the party grassroots themselves feel. Talking to the press this afternoon, newly-minted Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin […]
