Malaysia's Elections 2008 (Before, During & After)

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Originally Posted by pyroboy1911

This is exactly what i was thinking

As far as i know, the culture of Kuching is more similar to West Malaysia compared to other towns, so the exposure to Kuching ppl is wide, thus DAP winning there is not a surprise for me.

IMO, If Sarawak were given more attention by the Opposition, the numbers of seats won can be more beautiful, since Sarawak have a total of 31 seats, the most among the states.

PS: it ticks me off that Bintulu's Tiong King Sing won again, only to attend dinners and getting free foods and ang paos..
he eats so much that, if he appears on the front page, he covers half of the newspaper

Exactly, the opposition didn't give much attention to Sarawak/Sabah. Just look at Bintulu, you don't see much opposition's campaign going on like BN's. The only exception is Kuching as far as I know, DAP is actually very strong there, campaigning budget also higher

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It's too bad the oppositions didn't unite and avoid 3-cornered fight in Sabah and Sarawak. Or else, the ending would be so different. But still without the exposure to real news and Internet are the real disadvantages there. If I only read newspapers and watch tv everyday, I'd have ended up voting for BN instead.

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MIC - A new era begins

On March 8, MIC president S Samy Vellu turned 72. It was also the day, the curtain fell on his political era.

After nearly three decades in power, the politician who commanded a cult-like following in his party was defeated in the fortress where he reigned for nine terms.

It was a cleansing of MIC's top echelon. The casualties included deputy president G Palanivel, vice-president S Sothinathan, Youth chief S A Vigneswaran and Women's wing chief P Komala Devi.

The party only managed to retain three out of nine parliamentary seats and six out of 19 state seats. The message was loud and clear.

According to Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar, this could signal the birth of a new era for MIC.

But firstly, he said, the party must conduct an in-depth analysis to determine the reasons behind its crushing defeat.

"When you fall, you must pick yourself up and look at the reasons as to why you fell so that you do not fall again," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Likening the damage inflicted on MIC to the destruction brought about by the Sept 11 terror attacks, he said it also served as a lesson for the younger generation of leaders.

The factors

Sivakumar said the first, and most important, factor which contributed to the devastation of MIC was the advent of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and the wave of discontent it created.

On Nov 25 last year, some 30,000 disgruntled Indians took the streets to vent their frustration against the government and MIC, namely its president.

"These were not the voices of a few hundred, but tens of thousands of people. Many organisations also came out to help MIC and the government on this issue, but no immediate attention was given, except for some assurances," he said.

MIC - to the chagrin of the community - had also joined the government in condemning the Hindraf movement whose five key leaders are now held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Another factor, Sivakumar said, was the silencing and removing of dissenting voices in MIC, including Samy Vellu's former estranged deputy S Subramaniam.

"Thousands of Subramaniam's supporters were left in the lurch and they also expressed their anger in this polls," he noted.

Thirdly, the Miba president pointed out that the manifestos of the opposition parties, which stressed on equality, were also well received by the Indians.

"The Indian community is not questioning the special rights and the privileges accorded to the Malays, but just want their due rights and equal opportunities as citizens of this country," he said.

The future

On the future of MIC, Sivakumar said the most important issue to address now was unity in the party.

"MIC must look into the possibility of bringing those on the outside back into the fold in order to strengthen the party," he added.

Asked if this included Subramaniam, he responded: "Why not? He has a large following and he was the longest serving deputy president."

Subramaniam, whose ties with Samy Vellu had been strained for years, was defeated in the 2006 party polls by Palanivel, who was endorsed by the president.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar also stressed on the importance of MIC to craft a new image for itself.

"The party must break free from the image of violence and thuggery. It must become a party which is willing to accept constructive criticisms and feedback

"A conducive environment must be created to attract the thousands of well-educated and talented Indians in the community who prefer to speak freely about issues," he said.

"We need a large number of dynamic young minds to chart the future course of the party. More bureaus must be set up to look into the critical issues facing the community instead of leaving it in the hands of one or two think-tanks," he added.

Still relevant

Sivakumar also reminded MIC leaders that the younger generation of Indians are more aware of their rights.

In view of this, he said the party must create a leadership which blends the experience of the veterans with the dynamism and talents of the young.

On that note, the Miba president also stressed that MIC was still a relevant political force in the country.

"BN (Barisan Nasional) is still ruling the country, so MIC is still relevant. We must not forget that the founding fathers had entered into a social contract between MIC, Umno and MCA. MIC is still a good platform for the Indian community," he said.

Sivakumar advised the younger leaders in MIC to pay heed to the valuable lessons from this tragic episode for the party.

"Do not cull talents because of rivalry. MIC is a powerful party, talents must be nurtured and not expunged," he said, adding that the ball was now in the president's court.

"This is a new beginning for MIC. Samy Vellu's next step is crucial," he stressed.

Agreeing with Sivakumar, a party observer said the younger leaders must also realise that they cannot afford to ignore the voice and sentiments of the people.

"Samy Vellu had given the kiss of life to the political careers of the leaders in MIC and now he has taken it away. These leaders have learned, albeit bitterly, the true meaning of democracy," he said.

"From the ruins of yesterday, hopefully a new and more vibrant MIC will rise tomorrow. A party which the Indians will once again embrace," he added.

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Mukhriz tells PM: Do the right thing

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi faced mounting calls to quit today after his ruling coalition suffered a humiliating setback in elections seen as a referendum on his leadership.

A visibly exhausted Abdullah conceded there was a question mark over his future after the Barisan Nasional coalition turned in its worst ever results Saturday, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority and four states.

Asked if the outcome was a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which has been criticised as weak and ineffective, Abdullah responded: "Maybe. There are a lot of messages from the people."

"There is no pressure at this time," he said when asked if he faced calls for him to resign.

But pressure did come, notably from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who handed over to Abdullah in 2003 after two decades leading the Umno which dominates the Barisan Nasional coalition.

"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.

He suggested Abdullah should resign, and admitted he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister.

"I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
Meanwhile, his son Mukhriz (left), a member of Umno's powerful youth wing who was elected to parliament for first time on the weekend, urged Abdullah to "do the right thing".

"It is yet to be seen what he will do but I think it's a very clear message that there is wholesale dissatisfaction with the prime minister for the way he has been running the country these four years," he said.

"I hope he takes heed of that message and does the right thing," he told AFP. "We need to really do some soul searching."

Very difficult for him to stay on

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said it was a "very tense" time for the party as it digested a vote that was a mandate for reform.

"The factions in Umno are already asking for Badawi's resignation and this is a very significant development," said Welsh, who is currently in Malaysia.

"It's going to be very, very difficult for him to stay in power. The warlords in the system will push him because his administration has failed to address the voters' issues."

Ibrahim Suffian, of the Merdeka Centre research firm, said Abdullah faced a torrid time at Umno party elections later this year if he did not resign.

"There will be some tough questions asked there," he said.

Under Umno tradition, Najib is heir apparent to Abdullah and expected to become Malaysia's next prime minister, but Welsh said other contenders could emerge in a leadership battle.

Abdullah won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in the 2004 elections, but analysts said he was being punished this time for high inflation, rising crime and mounting ethnic tensions.

He has also faced flak for failing to act on election promises to eradicate corruption.

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Jubilant Anwar hails new dawn for M'sia

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim described the victory of the opposition parties in five states and its breach of Barisan Nasional’s two-thirds majority in Parliament as "a defining moment" in the nation’s history.

"The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognise that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture or religion are a nation of one," he told a packed press conference at his residence in Kuala Lumpur last night.

"The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law," he said.

"Tomorrow, we start to build a brighter future hand-in-hand, shoulder to shoulder. This is a new dawn for Malaysia," he added.

Flanked by PKR deputy-president Dr Syed Husin Ali and party information chief Tian Chua, Anwar said among the first items on the agenda is to get down to the business of forming the state governments together with DAP and PAS.

This includes the issue of who will be chosen to lead as the respective chief minister or menteris besar of the various states now under the opposition parties, he said.

"Unless the party has an absolute majority, we will have to consult with our partners," he added.

Asked about whether PKR and its allies would hold any victory celebrations or rallies in the coming days, Anwar said its leaders and those of PAS and DAP have decided this would not be advisable "in light of the shock among Umno and BN members".

Up to BN to decide on Pak Lah

On what he thought of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's future given BN’s dismal performance, Anwar said the fate of both Abdullah and his deputy Najib Razak was up to BN to decide internally.

However, he said a large part of the reason for BN component parties’ defeats is because of arrogance and the policies of Umno.

On his own plans given the expiry on April 15 of his five-year ban from official politics, Anwar said this was among the things he has to deliberate on in due time.

"Whether (or not) I will choose to run in May, I have to decide a bit later. Forming a state government is not a small matter," he said.

Asked how he feels, Anwar expressed a sense of vindication after a large portion of the people expressed their preference for the opposition parties.

"I feel vindicated, not by the court of law of ‘correct, correct, correct,’ but by Malaysians at large," he said in reference to the words uttered by senior lawyer VK Lingam in the ‘Lingam tape.’

Anwar also said he was glad his wife PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had emerged triumphant in her parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh in Penang.

Opposition now a credible alternative

A jubilant Anwar said the opposition now had to prove it was a credible alternative to the coalition which has completely dominated Malaysian politics for half a century.
PKR won 31 seats for the biggest opposition presence in the new 222-seat parliament, from just one in the outgoing parliament.

Meanwhile, DAP won 28 and the Islamic party PAS, 23.

Anwar said the results exploded Malaysia's race-based political structure, under which parties have traditionally represented individual ethnic groups.

"The opposition that has been voted in is a truly multi-racial party. It is a fantastic setup," he said.

The biggest triumph of the 12th general election, he said further, was the feeling that Malaysians had overcome communal considerations, voted less on racial grounds but on issues of good governance.

Political comeback

He also dismissed worries regarding the lack of experience in governing among the opposition parties as well as fears that opposition victories would usher in a period of instability and conflicts.

"We have enough Malay leaders, we have enough Chinese leaders, and we have enough Indian leaders in the opposition fighting against corruption and poor governance. You can’t have that (communalism) anymore. It’s not relevant anymore," he said.

He also dodged questions on the many accusations cast against him by various quarters in the days leading up to the general election pertaining to his actions while heading the ministries of education, finance, and as deputy prime minister.

"You have these allegations, you have to substantiate that. I don’t want to dwell on that. Not in victory. I will deal with it (such questions), if necessary at the appropriate time," he added.

The stunning election results yesterday has cemented Anwar's political comeback after being sacked and jailed a decade ago.

The performance has even revived talk of the charismatic 60-year-old as a future prime minister, after the lost decade that followed his 1998 fall from grace when he was convicted on sex and corruption charges.

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BN was overconfident: Dr M's ex-aide

Former Kamunting assemblyperson Dr Abdul Malek Mohamed Hanafiah attributed Barisan Nasional’s poor showing at yesterday’s polls to ‘overconfidence’.

"Barisan was overconfident and had taken things for granted," said Abdul Malek when met at the Taiping town hall while waiting for the election results to be announced last night.

Abdul Malek, who was formerly ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s political secretary, said Barisan grew overconfident as a result of their landslide win at the 2004 general election.

Taking the example of the Taiping parliamentary seat and the three state seats within the constituency, Abdul Malek said BN candidates for nearly all the four seats were decided at the eleventh hour.

"They (BN) didn’t bother to resolve the problem in Taiping. We didn’t even have a proper Taiping Barisan chairperson. We couldn’t meet and do anything.

"We couldn’t even propose candidates properly. Too many issues have been swept under the carpet," he added.

There was a protracted tussle between Gerakan’s Tan Lian Hoe and PPP’s M Kayveas over who should be the Barisan Nasional Taiping division chairperson.

By tradition, the member of Parliament for the area, in this case Kayveas (pix), would be the Barisan division chair. However, because the seat was initially supposed to be contested by Gerakan this year, Tan, too, claimed the position.

Abdul Malek also said that economic problems had played a major role in precipitating the huge swing in votes against BN.

Economic problems

"The majority of voters are not bothered about foreign investment, economic corridors or the share market. They are worried about the money in their pocket.

"In Taiping, the economy is not progressing despite Barisan having held the seat for so many terms. What else can Barisan promise? We only keep saying we want to do something," added the two-term assemblyperson.

Meanwhile, Kayveas, who failed in his bid to defend the Taiping parliamentary seat, told reporters that he accepted the voters’ decision and would continue to serve the Taiping constituency.

"I feel the voters want drastic change," said Kayveas.

Kayveas mooted that one way for BN to regain its former status was for all its component parties to merge into one entity.

"That way, all the component parties will be saved," he claimed.

Kayveas, who is PPP president, joins Gerakan acting-president Koh Tsu Koon and MIC president S Samy Vellu (left) as Barisan component party leaders who suffered humiliating defeats at the polls with their respective parties being nearly wiped out.

Kayveas lost to DAP’s Nga Kor Ming by a margin of 11,298 votes - believed to be an opposition record for the seat.

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Khalid promises radical changes as S'gor MB

The establishment for state coalition government in Selangor will be a litmus test on whether the opposition will be able to show critics that they can indeed work together.

At a press conference today, PKR secretary-general Khalid Ibrahim said the opposition parties share a similar vision when it comes to developing the state.

"I think in terms of people's development, all three parties are of the same mindset [..] of course we have different political agenda but Selangor as a testing ground for a coalition parties.

"But on the whole we can work together it is a question of leadership to work together," he told reporters.

Khalid has been chosen to lead the coalition for the establishment of a new state government for Selangor.

The opposition won 36 out of 56 seats with PKR grabbing 15 seats followed by DAP (13 seats) and PAS (8)

According to him, the opposition party leaders will seek an audience with state Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah tomorrow at 2pm.

"We will also meet with the Selangor state secretary to ensure the transfer of governance of Selangor is executed in a smooth and orderly manner," he said.

Asked if Khalid will indeed be the next state chief minister with two deputies from DAP and PAS, he said this is all unconfirmed until he meets the sultan.

"The outcome depends on the sultan's acceptance in allowing such a coalition to run the state (but if successful) the sultan will be consulted on the list of names to form the state executive councilors," he said.

A new transparent government

The former CEO when probed as to what would be the first measure the new state government will take, he said “we would make the governance in Selangor more transparent”.

"I want to discuss with the state legal advisors whether we can pass a legislation that allows document to be exempted from the OSA (Official Secrets Act) for business conducted.

"From that I would ask to make laws to discuss in the state the freedom of information act," he said.

He also hoped that relations between the state and federal government would be less discriminatory when it comes to fund allocation.

"With a number of states are in the hands of non-government parties, I think the government now should be more people oriented in the allocation of resources rather than base on political allocation.

"The taxpayers should not be discriminated on the basis of political allocation," he said to applause from the newly elected state assembly persons from the three parties.

He added that the state government plans to hold press conferences every fortnight to keep the public informed on the projects and policies being implemented.

Nurul staying put in Lembah Pantai

In another press conference, the new Lembah Pantai parliamentarian Nurul Izzah Anwar thanked the voters and her supporters.

She said she will be arranging a few kenduri (dinners) for her constituents and get to work straightway especially over the housing problems faced by the lower income group.

Asked if she will be giving her seat up for her father - de facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim - she indicated that it might not happen.

"I have already begun working for the people in Lembah Pantai so that question does not arise," she said.

Considered a 'giant killer', Nurul Izzah defeated deputy Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil as the country's 12th general elections ended last night.

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News websites crash as poll results pour in

Malaysian news websites, popular as an an alternative to government-linked mainstream media, crashed under the demand for news as elections handed the ruling coalition a stunning upset.

Operators said they were unsure if it was a systematic attack or if high demand on websites had triggered a shutdown mechanism when results began going online yesterday night.

"The traffic was so high that it triggered an automatic mechanism which assumed we were under attack, automatically shutting down our website," said Steven Gan, co-founder of online news journal Malaysiakini.

"But we cannot be sure if it was a deliberate attack or just a genuinely high volume of traffic," Gan told AFP.

Malaysiakini was among many online news websites that were inaccessible to viewers after elections for parliament and state seats.

The slow pace of the mainstream media in communicating huge gains by the opposition also contributed to viewership.

"Traffic really picked up then because the mainstream media was really blacking out the news of the results," said Malaysiakini's CEO Premesh Chandran, adding it was drawing a million viewers an hour before it crashed.

"Maybe some people wanted the results to be delayed. Almost all news websites and the forums were down," said Ng Chong Soon, operations manager of another alternative news website Merdekareview.

Under systematic attack?

Ng said other websites which went down included cari.com.my and several Mandarin-language sites.

Operators reacted by creating alternative links to their domain through blogspots and back-up servers.

"If indeed it has happened to most news websites then it would be good grounds to assume that it was some sort of a systematic attack," Premesh said.

The Barisan Nasional suffered its worst ever result in Saturday's polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition.

The government is hostile to independent news blogs and websites, and has threatened them with action under draconian internal security laws.

Source: News websites crash as poll results pour in

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Q&A: Khairy to blame for BN's electoral defeat

I think his son-in-law played a big role (in the defeat). This young man who has no achievements before but apparently the PM listens to him. said Mahathir at a press conference.


Are you surprised by the results?

Mahathir: I think it’s shocking. Although I expected BN to lose but I did not think that they lost five states.

I'm sorry that I made the wrong choice in Pak Lah. I never expected a PM to reverse all the policies of the government. So I think the people on the whole must have been very angry. All the three communities, the Chinese, the Malays and the Indians, have reacted.

Will Tun pressure Pak Lah to resign?

I think he should accept responsibility for this. Just as in 2004, the huge majority, the huge victory was purportedly due to him 100 percent. Now he should accept 100 percent of the responsibility.

What do you mean by taking responsibility?

He has destroyed Umno, destroyed BN. And he has to be responsible for this terrible defeat.

If he doesn't want to take responsibility, do you think that Umno will do something to make him go?

I think Umno people on the ground are fearful of this man as they have never been before. During my time they would challenge me. Here I was not allowed to speak. I was given invitations to give talk to Umno members but these were withdrawn. They say that the police told them to withdraw it.

When you say ‘step down’, do you mean (from) Umno or PM?

I think he should (step down). The Japanese would have performed ‘hara-kiri’. I think that Najib (Razak) has done very well. He has scored an amazing victory, more than the 2004 elections.

What do you think led to this defeat?

I think his son-in-law (Khairy Jamaluddin) played a big role. This young man who has no achievements before but apparently the PM listens to him more rather than the police, the special branch and the armed forces, who are closer to the ground. They were so taken up with their own newspaper reports that they couldn't hear anything else. They dismissed everything they didn't like.

Do you think the timing of the election was a miscalculation?

It can be called a miscalculation but I doubt if they had waited another year, the results would have been any different.

What were the issues which led to the loss of the states?

Many issues led to the pent-up feelings of the citizens of which despite the economic growth, the people aren't feeling anything. They feel the rise in the cost of living a big factor. They also see that this government is run by one family. When family takes precedence over cabinet, over government, then people will be against it.

Do you think this damage is permanent for BN?

Everything can be reversed if you do things properly. They have been so arrogant that they have suppressed any opinions they don't like and believe in their own reports which are not consistent with what is really happening in the country.

With the opposition making so much inroads in Malaysia, what do you think will happen?

Well, there will be instability for some time. If the opposition is good, they should be able to remedy the situation.

Do you think that Anwar Ibrahim is still relevant?

I think he is relevant but he is not going to become the prime minister of this country.

If you were in Pak Lah's shoes, would you be in a hurry to form the government?

I would take responsibility. If the people want me to resign, I would resign.

After this setback, do you think that Barisan has any hope to remedy this situation?

There is hope. But whether the leaders have the will to repair BN is another question.

Who should succeed Pak Lah?

Najib won by 26,000 votes and this is much more than in 2004 when the BN was very, very popular. On the other hand, Pak Lah - who had a majority of 18,000 before - only has a majority of 11,000 now. The fact is that he lost a number of votes. And there are not many people who have improved (their majority) since 2004.

Yes, his son-in-law won but he only won by a small majority, smaller than previously. He was also in a safe seat.

How to cure Umno?

The person responsible should retreat.

If the Malays had not voted for opposition this would not have happened. Why did the Umno supporters vote for opposition this time?

They feel their situation is under pressure. Inflation is high. Their lives are on the line. The people know that you can say that there is 6 percent growth but where is the 6 percent on their body? They are having to spend more money.

I've said this to Malaysiakini. When you say 6 percent, it is an average. This can be achieved by one person having a very high percentage but the rest have nothing. You can't have this sort of figures and expect people to vote for you.

The intelligent people would know that this is not correct. Those that don't understand all these figures, rather be guided by what is actually happening to them. What is happening to them is the higher cost of living and a lowering of their standard of living.

Going back to the 1969 elections, after the Alliance had lost, you were one of the main agitators for the prime minister (Tunku Abdul Rahman) to transfer his powers to his deputy (Tun Abdul Razak)...

I am in a dilemma as I'm an Umno member.

Are you the agitator again?

I will voice out my opinion. If people ask, I will give my opinion. And my opinion in this matter is that the person responsible should step down.

Looking at the current BN line-up, do you think that the BN government can manage the economy?

No, I don't think they can manage. Even when they have full force and tons of money at their disposal they have not done anything.

Why?

You have to ask the state leaders.

Penang has fallen to DAP, how do you think this will affect the Malays?

It's not just about Penang. If we want to correct that, we have got Malay leaders, we've got a Malay government and the citizens who are Malay must know how to overcome their problems.

What can veterans like Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) do to help Umno at this juncture?

They can give ideas.

Is it to revolt and cause Pak Lah to resign?

I am not talking about a rebellion but there must be pressure. And if that pressure is ignored by Pak Lah, then this would turn the matter into a heated confrontation.

Do you think that the opposition success is attributed to Anwar?

I don't think it is so. This is more of something against BN than strong support for the opposition.

They (voters) have no choice. If you don't vote BN, who do you vote for? There are only two candidates. So you vote for the opposition or you don't vote at all. Either way, the BN was going to lose a lot of support.

People say that Umno is still afraid of Pak Lah. So how can they pressure Pak Lah to step down?

I'm sure that there are some brave members out there.

Are there any alternatives for Pak Lah other than to resign?

I don't see any other alternative. The man that is 100 percent responsible has to show that he is responsible.

Some people were saying if BN's two-thirds majority is denied, a repeat of May 13 would take place. Why won't it happen now?

No I don't think it would happen. In the first place, the police have been very careful, telling people no demonstration and no parades.

In 1969, the police gave permission for the opposition to hold a victory parade. And they went to Kampung Baru and started insulting the people there, which caused a reaction. This ended up as a riot. If the police remain strong on these demonstrations and victory parades, I don't think there will be any problems.

Is it time to end racial politics?

I'm going to tell you this (rejection of BN) involves all the races. It's not as if the Chinese reject BN or all the Indians reject BN. Here, you see Chinese, Indian and Malay reject BN except for Sabah and Sarawak.

Umno has retained more seats compared to the other component parties like MIC and MCA. Will they pressure Pak Lah to step down?

That depends on them to whether to apply pressure or not but the Barisan Nasional concept is still relevant. If there is no (MIC chief S) Samy Vellu, then find another Vellu.

Can you comment on Zam (Zainuddin Maidin)?

He won or lost? Oh, he lost. Well, the way he was campaigning was really funny, telling people to look at his face and how it doesn't change. But I think that a face that doesn't change can be very boring. Sometimes you must laugh, sometimes you must cry.

He was telling everybody "Ini muka tak bertukar, tak bertukar". Who is interested in his ‘wajar’? If he was Britney Spears, then….

If you had suffered the same defeat, would you have resigned too?

Yes, I would resign if that is the wish of the people. I've always abided by the wish of the people, so much so that people who were against me were brought back into the cabinet, and that includes Pak Lah, Syed Hamid (Syed Albar), Rais Yatim and (Abdul) Kadir Sheikh Fadzil. All these (leaders) were against me.

But when Pak Lah was elected vice-president, I cannot (not appoint him) as he was wanted by Umno. As such I appointed him back into the cabinet.

But you did not resign in 1999?

I did not because we won two-thirds. We won with full Chinese support. Yes, we lost Terengganu and Kelantan but we have always lost Kelantan and Terengganu was for very specific reasons.

Did BN lose because too many people like Samy Vellu had hung on to power too long?

I think that Samy Vellu played a big part in the defeat. When he was in BN, he doesn't allow any of the MIC people to come up to his level. If they come up (to be) deputy or vice-president, he will knock them down and even expel them from the party.

And he wouldn't allow any other Indian party to join BN. (MG) Pandithan tried to join, begged me to allow him and I wanted to agree but we have this consensus in BN that if one party doesn't agree we cannot accept them.

Are you surprised by (ISA detainee) M Manoharan's victory?

This has happened before in 1959 or is it 1964, when PAS used to go from village to village carrying the candidate's shoes and he won.

What can you say about the media’s - especially the mainstream ones' - role in this campaign? Do you think that there should be changes there?

There should be changes. They should report what actually happens and make a proper analysis. Before, they were able to feed back to me what was happening on the ground. Maybe, when they talk about races and things like that, I would have to clamp down on them, which I did in 1987.

Should all the bosses of the newspapers resign too?

They have their constraints. Some of them are my friends and supporters too and they apologise say that they can't help. "It's all this Kali. This Kali," they tell me.

Has Umno become irrelevant?

For the moment, yes. It's not always so. If Umno serves the country well, and looks after all the different races, then Umno will be relevant again.

What is your comment on the young BN candidates losing?

There is this rumour that some of these candidates are Khairy's and that he wants to be prime minister.

Do you think that other BN component leaders should resign too?

I think that one component leader has already been knocked out. As for Ong Ka Ting, it's up to him. This is a very bad defeat for him and MCA and it's never been this bad before.

Everyone says that PAS and DAP cannot work together but if they don't in Selangor and Perak, they can't form state government. What is your take on this?

If they work together they can form state government. If not, then representatives of Umno - if there are many - can form a minority government. But it will be a shaky government.

Are you sad with the results?

Yes, I am although I had hoped that a message would be sent to the government.

Will you return to active politics?

I won't return to active politics but if they want advice, I can give them. How can I return when once I stepped down they treated me like a pariah?

Source: Q&A: Khairy to blame for BN's electoral defeat

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Raja Petra thanked everyone…

Thank you Malaysians, wherever you are

Thank you Malaysians, for having the confidence to opt for change.
Thank you Malaysians, for grabbing back power and handing it back to the people.
Thank you Malaysians, for giving back Malaysia its future.
Thank you Malaysians, for believing that your one vote can make a difference.
Thank you Malaysians, for ensuring that my grandchildren will have something to look forward to.

Source: Malaysia Today: Your source of independent news - Thank you Malaysians, wherever you are