Machap.
I survived it!
It was gruelling and honestly, exciting as hell :)
But I just got home and I desperately need sleep. This post should be updated real soon and with pictures I hope! Stay tuned :)
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Machap is my first by-election and the town’s lovely! We stayed in King’s Hotel apartments in Ayer Keroh which was about 20 minutes from Machap Baru. The apartment was impeccably clean but our toilet flush didn’t work. I guess the hand pail was there for a reason :) With the comfy beds and Nellie by my side, I slept soundly after all the ceramahs that day.
I went for 3 of Anwar Ibrahim’s events on Wednesday and I snapped some pictures. Here are some of the better ones (the rest are all blur as hell) with commentary.
An Elections Commission official showing us confiscated party flags. PKR and PAS flags were taken down because they were not privy to this by-elections where as DAP and BN flags were placed at illegal places.
Anwar shakes DAP candidate Liou Chen Kuang’s hand but I think he’s looking at DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng instead. Also in the picture: PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and the police officers that were overseeing the hi-tea session.
At his hi-tea session in Machap Umboo, Anwar laughs.
Deodorant commercial! L-R: PKR treasurer Khalid Ibrahim, Liou, Anwar, Lim and deputy sec-gen Dr Xavier Jeyakumar.
Hot tea for Anwar. Mmm.
Flunch meets Anwar.
I love this shot. Anwar at Machap Baru. Flanked by Lim Kit Siang and Liou.
The maddening crowd at Machap Baru. It was really difficult to get out of there. I had to do it twice.
Anwar’s expression seems to say “Celaka Umno!”
The crowd at Melaka Pindah.
Liou: “Dato Seri has said all that I wanted to say. It is as though he is the candidate instead of me.”
Anwar at Melaka Pindah with his two handles.
The view from where I was seated on the ground.
Polling day at Machap Baru.
Unmarked house said to have men in BN shirts buying votes from Machap residents.
The above house is adjacent to this set up. Mind you there is no fence between the two places. When I arrived, I saw men in BN shirts packing up chairs from the above house and shifting it here.
More pictures from Eli and Sam.
I guess I have seen enough that money does speak louder than principles or ideology. The Bilik Gerakan MCA gives out food to members and the press every day. Every night there is some food event or competition or whatever to get villagers to participate. Other events in other parts of town as well like in Felda Tan Ghafar Hutan Percha and Machap Umboo too had food and ceramahs every evening.
I mean c’mon, the town only had all these quick fixes after Poh Ah Tiam died. It’s so obvious! The amount of money pumped in is crazy. But I do think Machap residents deserve all these goodies because they are part of the rakyat. They are taxpayers, they deserved to have roads in the area repaved (even if it means doing it on the day Anwar speaks at Machap Baru and blocking all the roads).
As I bid farewell to Machap, I told myself, “I don’t think I’ll ever come back to this town any time soon. Machap will soon be forgotten by the government. Projects will be stalled for years on end, allocations will take years to clear, shoddy work and repairs will happen and they will sorely regret that they ever voted for the government.”
Prove me wrong, BN. Execute all your promises to the people of Machap quickly and efficiently. You guys owe them that much and more.
April 14th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Anwar is a done deal. He is has nothing new and realistically, people are no longer inspired by him. Too many good people abandoned him. Chandra Muzaffar, Marina Yusuf, Ruslan Kassim, Lukman Noor Adam, Jomo K Sundram all left. Even the Mighty Zainur Zakaria, who fought tooth and nail for Anwar, has left. Soon its strongman Ezam Md Nor. Raja Kommando has left. Even Raja Petra has abandoned Anwar!
Only frustrated people and spent bullets like Dato Kamarul Bahrin, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and Nalla Karupan still cling on, to another spent bullet, Anwar Ibrahim. The 50,000 people who would even been ever ready to be shot by the police at Masjid Negara on the morning of 20 Sept 1998 have all gone!
Anwar is no longer an asset in the Malaysian polical scene. His rhetorics will end up as party quirps, soon.
April 14th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
erm tks for the pix….
April 14th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
“Celaka Umno!”? Kalau boleh mahu masuk UMNO, bila Najib dpat dijatuhkan? Hai … when is KJ taking me back in?
Congratulations Anwar and PKR for helping to reduce DAP by 500 votes.
Was in his elements with his jawi pronounciation of ‘ain and ‘ro to pronounce as “makna” as “maqna” and “rajin” as “roajin”? Was Anwar throwing names of every worldly leaders in his speech? Another thing, was he there some 20-30 minutes late just in time when the crowd is big enough?
I’ve been listening Anwar’s speeches since I’m 14. ….
Forget Anwar, lah politikus … he is irrelevent!
I am counting, hoping, “doa” (praying), and begging Tan Sri Khalid IBrahim to run in Ijok by-election. But … no! PKR Indian has demanded an Indian candidate for Ijok…. hmmm … I thought race doesn’t matter. Alas .. thats realpolitik.
Tan Sri, Tan Sri … why is it still ringing in my ears (without your usual sturred words and incomplete sentences assuming us to understand) … ahhh … I am the last of the Malay Savior!!!
I have been into his house, when it was under construction. Hmmm …. I know how much you earn at PNB and of his career. How did you manage to pay for your 5% in Guthrie? How much was cost of the “kapal layar” on top of the Bt Jelutong site office? Why and for what was Anthony Tan return to Guthrie? Hmmmm …
Just for a start …
PNB did an investigation on some irregularities in Guthrie some year back … waiting the right time, I guess!
April 14th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Biggum Dogmannsteinberg said:
Anwar is no longer an asset in the Malaysian polical scene
I can’t agree more!
Sorry, Amoi comel!
i beg to differ..
April 15th, 2007 at 12:28 am
errr, nowhere did i mention that anwar will make a come back etc etc or that i’m a supporter . i just so happen to be at his functions! lol
but thanks for all your input, i hope he reads this blog :)
April 15th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
i am sure he reads this blog ;D the infamous soon li tsin of mkini !!!!
April 16th, 2007 at 2:42 am
From the Machap by-elecion result,….you can confirm Big Dog is correct on Anwar.
The facts are there….Malays do not support Anwar.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
[…] going on in my head (but in a good way). I took too many pics, so will take a while to sort, but politikus and freelunch have some really good ones :) In short, it was a bit of a bummer, but the fight is […]
April 18th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
But Anwar has one more chance to find out the real truth at weekend Ijok by election.
Lets see.