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

[pyroboy1911]

it may sound funny, but i'm kinda serious here, maybe he has a hard time thinking where to put all his family members once the house is demolished by the new govt ( i mean if it does happen), that's why he had a sudden heart attack...

[bslee]

Its quite amazing that for the first time too, the rakyat are just as alert watching the aftermath of a GE. People are watching, people are talking, people are assuming, people are speculating all sorts. The fever really ain't over quiet yet.
The mainstream media are still spinning a somewhat negative perspective of opposition held states being in a quandary in the aftermath. One could speculate BN to using all this spin to hit back. I'm really hoping there's a coalition very soon and they get down to serious work fuflilling their promises and pledges. Meanwhile, rakyat who have voted wisely, lets be behind and give them generous moral support to our new 1/3 majority, regardless DAP/PKR/PAS!. Just bear in mind, 50 years of shi*t cannot be removed in one-fifth the time.
I'm hoping that Dewan Rakyat would be telecast live in future. It'll be interesting. I don't have to puke over those flers who "bocor" or "Kalau tak suka, boleh ....."

[Dashken]

Disquiet: The 75th Candidate

[Dashken]

Short Takes: Error in vote count

GEORGE TOWN: DAP veteran Chong Eng actually won her Bukit Mertajam parliamentary seat with a bigger majority than announced earlier.

She received 37,882 votes compared with Barisan Nasional candidate Ong Tang Chuan’s 11,985 votes giving her a 25,897-vote majority. The state Election Commission yesterday clarified that an error had occurred in the tabulation of votes. It had earlier reported that Chong Eng received 27,817 votes and Ong 22,050 votes giving her a 5,767-vote majority. Chong said the EC had given votes from seven polling centres to Ong instead of her.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/N...cle/index_html

[peaz]

Change will take time, especially since there are legal issues to overcome as well since most of the corrupted deals are also legally binding contracts. Give them a year or two. So it's important not to just judge the "opposition" government superficially but to judge them by how to go about tackling the rakyat issues.

[Dashken]

huh huh huh... the show has started.

http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/c.../view/4246/84/
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/c.../view/4244/84/

[Adrian Wong]

Regarding Zakaria, I know some may not agree with me, but I personally feel he deserved it.

Not dying... oh, no, no... but dying AFTER his daughter-in-law proxy failed in the elections. In other words, he died knowing that for all the hanky-panky deals he made behind the scenes, he still failed to retain power.

He may have chuckled at our lack of power, but I think we still got the last laugh.

Sayonara, Zakaria.. and good riddance!

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by peaz

Change will take time, especially since there are legal issues to overcome as well since most of the corrupted deals are also legally binding contracts. Give them a year or two. So it's important not to just judge the "opposition" government superficially but to judge them by how to go about tackling the rakyat issues.

Personally, I think the Opposition has a really tough job ahead. They will be short on cash as the federal government will attempt to cut down on the funds made available to them.

Plus, with the BN federal government "owning" more than 50% of the Parliament seats, they can easily pass most laws even if the Opposition protests.

However, I think we can count on the Opposition to do their best at the State level.. and make even more noise in Parliament. Even if they cannot stop BN from passing bad laws, they can at least make the mistakes more apparent to the people.

[Adrian Wong]

Go! Go! Opposition!!!

Malaysia opposition takes aim at cronyism

By Niluksi Koswanage

PENANG, Malaysia (Reuters) - The opposition took power in Malaysia's industrial heartland on Tuesday and immediately said it will no longer follow the nation's controversial affirmative action policy in state administration.


"We will run the government administration free from the New Economic Policy that breeds cronyism, corruption and systemic inefficiency," said Lim Guan Eng, whose Democratic Action Party (DAP) won control of the state at the weekend's watershed general election.

Under the policy, majority ethnic Malays, whose politicians dominate the ruling national coalition, receive preference in terms of state contracts, jobs and financial assistance.

Penang is the only one of Malaysia's 13 states so far to openly spurn the "Bumiputra" (sons of the soil) affirmative action policy.

Lim also said he wants to use cash from state oil firm Petronas to fund a new $940 million bridge project, and would seek a meeting on that matter with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"I shall be seeking an appointment to meet with the prime minister ... on listening to and addressing the needs of the people of Penang expressed in the general elections on 8 March such as using Petronas proceeds to fully fund the construction cost of the federal government's second Penang bridge project," he said.

Lim's government, led by his DAP party backed mainly by the ethnic Chinese minority, was sworn into office on Tuesday in Penang in a quiet ceremony witnessed by somber-looking civil servants who have only ever worked for the long-ruling National Front coalition.

The strongly Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) will lead or share power in four states, including three -- Kedah, Perak and Kelantan -- that share borders with Thailand, which has been battling an Islamic insurgency with historical links to Malaysia.

PAS and the DAP have vowed to review federal projects on the drawing board in their areas, but said would not stand in the way of projects that were already approved and were beneficial to the people, and have warned they would not tolerate cronyism.

POLITICS OF PATRONAGE

Malaysia's politics of patronage, whereby state contracts are given to businesses aligned with ruling-party interests, has nurtured a powerful political-business establishment whereby contracts are often awarded without open, competitive tenders.

The Edge Financial Daily said in an editorial on Tuesday that was a major factor in Saturday's election, which handed the ruling National Front its worst electoral setback in history.

"Indeed, one can say that one reason why the people voted so strongly for the opposition in the elections is to send a message that they have had enough of political cronyism and awards of contracts and deals to politically connected companies.

The prospect that this nexus could be cut, and the possibility of policy gridlock now that the National Front has lost its iron-clad two-thirds majority in parliament and faces strong opposition in heartland states, has spooked the markets.

Malaysian shares plunged 9.5 percent on Monday, wiping out some $30 billion in market capitalization, probably the biggest single-day loss in the market's history.

Stocks had rebounded 2 percent by 0445 GMT, but analysts saw it as a short-lived reprieve. "It's a dead cat's bounce," said Kenny Yee, research head at OSK Investment Bank. "Certainly our market will be undergoing lengthy consolidation."

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front will be undergoing consolidation as well in the days to come.

He has a tricky task ahead in fending off leadership challenges, especially with his UMNO party -- the dominant coalition partner -- set to hold leadership elections in June.

He will also need to fill gaping holes in his Cabinet -- four ministers lost seats in the weekend election, including Works Minister S. Samy Vellu, the head of the main Indian party in the coalition, who lost his seat in the weekend debacle.

The winning opposition parties have a delicate task ahead as well. The Chinese-dominated DAP has long harbored deep suspicions about the Islamist agenda of PAS, which advocates Islamic law for Muslims, including punishments such as stoning and amputations.

The DAP, PAS and the People's Justice party of former Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were still hammering out their power-sharing arrangements on Tuesday in Kedah, Perak and central Selangor state in the first test of how well they will govern.

PAS kept power in Kelantan state and its government was due to be sworn-in on Tuesday evening.

[Adrian Wong]

Patrick Lim is so SCREWED. He's now scrambling to court Lim Guan Eng so that his PGCC project is not canned. I hope it is... It's ridiculous for him to trash that beautiful place just to build his high-rise towers and condos.

I hope Guan Eng doesn't fall for his wily tricks. DYKT : He sent a giant bouquet of flowers to KOMTAR where Guan Eng was making his first tour of the place as Chief Minister? Suck up! Why don't you go suck up to your pal, Khairy now?

DAP to review $11b project in Penang

THE opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) will review plans for a US$8 billion (S$11 billion) real estate development project in the northern industrial hub of Penang, a party official said yesterday.

It is the first major project the opposition wants to review after winning five of the country's 13 states in an election upset at the weekend, and the project has close links to the federal ruling coalition.

The project's major backer is a company partly owned by businessman Patrick Lim, a friend of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's son.

The Chinese-dominated DAP is forming the state government after the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition lost the state in an election upset at the weekend.

'Once the DAP state government is sworn in, Penang Global City Centre will be reviewed,' the party's state treasurer, Mr Phee Boon Poh, told Reuters.

'It will definitely be reviewed because it was not included in Penang's development structure plan.'

The Penang Global City Centre forms part of a US$51.2 billion plan unveiled last July by Datuk Seri Abdullah to turn Malaysia's mainly rural north into a logistics, food-processing and tourism powerhouse by 2025.

Malaysian property developer Equine Capital, valued at just US$87 million, owns 25 per cent of Abad Naluri, the unlisted company behind the government project. Plans include luxury homes, shopping malls, parks and a convention centre.

In January, Malaysian media reported the government had asked the developers to revise their plans, which could delay the project, following widespread protests from residents.

The revisions sought included such measures as scaling down its density, complying with affordable housing norms and leaving hilly land untouched.

Yang Berhormat Lim Guan Eng, please live up to your election promise and can the PGCC project!

No Approval Yet For PGCC, Says New Penang CM

PENANG, March 12 (Bernama) - The question of reviewing the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project does not arise as the project which was hotly-debated during the election campaign has yet to be approved, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.
"It has not been given the okay (by the Penang Island Municipal Council or any other relevant agencies). Not a single letter of approval has been given to the developer," he said when asked on the outcome of his meeting with the council and its agencies with regard to the project.

The project is to be built by Abad Naluri Sdn Bhd, an associate company of Equine Capital Bhd.

The proposal for the project was still in the processing stage, Lim told reporters at his office at Komtar here.

However, he said, the application for the project will go through the normal procedures but whether it will be approved or not was a different issue.

The PGCC was to be built on the existing 104 hectares of the Penang Turf Club land, which Abad Naluri purchased for RM488 million in 2002.

The total gross development value was reportedly at RM25 billion.

Lim said the views and concerns of Penangites with regard to the project would be taken into consideration.