This blog endorses Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, candidate for the Seri Setia (N32) Selangor state seat.
Vote for this man because I for one can testify to his integrity, credibility and intelligence. If he does not deliver when he’s in the state assembly, tell me and I will whack him with my large trout.
This could well possibly be the first time that I’m blogging on this rare day. It is almost as rare as a general election. Y’know, four years once and all.
:)
Some brief thoughts on the elections.
Development
If BN keeps saying they bring in development to the country, then are are urban areas getting more developed while kampungs are being neglected? Kampungs in both the East and West Coast as well as East Malaysia are the kind where you would label as destitute. Ironically, their MPs and state assemblypersons are majority Umno i.e. BN. Look at opposition held areas - they range from being towns to sprawling metropolitan hubs and are packed to the brim with people. Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Kubang Pasu remains a kampung despite having the PM being its MP. Maybe the theory that Umno intends to keep Malays poor in order to keep the party relevant is true.
Conclusion: Vote opposition if you want development. This was already evident in the by-elections (Machap and Ijok had new roads, town halls, schools and street lights.
Bribery
The top brass in the executive are going to hot seats in Penang and Perak to win the hearts of the people and to wrestle the difficult seats away from the opposition. They officiate new schools, buildings and programmes because they can. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is working twice as hard having speaking engagements up to 5 times a night. He does it because he has been doing so in the past few years. He can’t give you money but at least you enjoy his speeches.
Conclusion: We are being bribed with goodies by BN for their votes. Very Hadhari.
Threats
MIC says votes us or pay the price. MCA candidate for Ipoh Timor Thong Fah Chong said his proposed RM10mil allocation plan for a flood mitigation project fell thrugh cos he was elected. He let the floods continue. Deputy Finance Minister Dr Awang Adek Hussin said Kelantan may not get a part of the RM112,000 billion to be pumped in by foreign investors for projects under the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECER) if the state continues to be led by PAS while Terengganu and Pahang would get the investments instead because they had credible state governments. More and more threats to us voters.
Conclusion: A threat is a threat, and I don’t do threats. Remember how it’s better for us to have the opposition by their balls as opposed to letting BN squeezing ours with a firm grip? Yeah, that. Balls to BN. If they are not genuine in wanting to uplift the rakyat’s life and resorting to scare-mongering tactics, they are clearly not representing our interests but their own.
:|
I’ve stopped reading the papers for the past week entirely. All papers should be boycotted EVERYDAY during general election.
Anyway, here are some very cute community message videos by Youth4Change. Spread the word. Spread the video.
More here.
I actually REALLY REALLY wanted to go for Backstreet Boys’ concert last night. Instead I ended up at a church listening to an election debate.
lol.
All I can say is that I may not have faith in religion, but I sure have faith in the residents of Petaling Jaya :) Donald Lim was ripped apart by erm, himself. You should’ve seen him squirm in his seat and how he kept passing the microphone to Dr Lim Thuan Seng in attempt to shirk from answering legitimate questions on oil subsidies, meritocracy and religion. Thuan Seng made some sense at least by explaining how things work and the restrictions he faced in his job. He was pretty darn defensive though. If he can’t handle the rakyat, then why on earth are we voting him in?
Then there is opposition Hee Loy Sian. I was disappointed. He was silent throughout the night. Not even a peep after his lack-lustrous speech. sigh. Do better PKR! We need vocal candidates for Parliament! The most impressive individual that night was most certainly Edward Lee in his beloved ‘Uncle Edward’ style :) Find someone who can give you an answer on how assessment rates are dealt with by Petaling Jaya City Council, trust me you won’t find any. I bet even people within MBPJ won’t know themselves. Edward was also really good with his clear stance on resolving the crime endemic in PJ. I’ve always had immense respect for people who take matters in their own hands instead of always whining or shifting the blame on other people. How did Thuan Seng fare? He justified that MBPJ had to do what they did in raising the assessment rates.
:|
Who would you vote for - the man who says “that’s an issue I’ll pick up since I don’t know anything about it” or someone who already knows the concerns of the residents because he is one himself and is resolute in finding viable solutions?
The entire dialogue was good in general. Now I can REALLY gauge my candidates in order to make an informed choice. More debates from politicians please because only an immature democracy do you have one-sided ceramahs. I think DAP has sent out some invitations, are any Barisan candidates matured enough to response?
I guess not.
I recently discovered this along Lorong Timur - just beside the Taman Jaya LRT (where I’ve done my share of activism in demanding taxi signs for the station - see here and here) and opposite A&W and Shah’s Village Hotel.
AN ELECTION GOODIE!!!! *grrr roarr*
So why wasn’t it here after 2004? Why is it only a few meters long and it doesn’t cover the whole stretch? Why now???? I take the LRT every day. This was only built last week!
So it’s a community project by my ADUN whom I’ve never met ever. I have only heard of him on three occasions - last year on Chinese New Year and Hari Raya (cos got open house) and this Chinese New Year (for open house, again). Fucking racist cos no open house on Deepavali and Christmas. Damn you Malaysians. But what the fuck? Now only he bothered to put up walkway roofing and he had the nerve to put his name and sign there. Celaka. So big for what, you think people blind issit?
As you can see I am very annoyed with this roofing thing. It’s almost pointless. The roofing only extends to the walk way, which means a person would’ve gotten wet the moment he/she crosses the road. And it ends halfway. Not even all the way to the end of Lorong Timur that joins with Jalan Sultan. It’s like if I vote for Dr Lim Thuan Seng, it would be with one line and not a cross. Half a vote lah. Nah. Take lah.
Ish.
I hate this whole last minute election goodie shit. It’s a bloody insult to residents of PJS’ intelligence. I for one am not suckered into voting for him. PJS has deteriorated beyond recognition. I have not forgotten the extremely poor upkeep of roads, drains and the bloody congestion on more roads … I think I hate PJ roads so much, it sickens me to drive. And all the money wasted on stupid fugly street lamps that don’t work. Have you seen the gawd awful roundabouts in PJ? They are obscenely disgusting, a waste of public funds because they are so damn ugly and pointless and broken and unkept and lame!!
Lim Thuan Seng and Donald Lim (sheeesh, cronies as both work in the Tourism Ministry) did not do diddly squat about the money allocated to celebrate PJ’s city-hood issue. The whole ‘the city council will spend RM10 million to celebrate our city-hood, but oh since people complain about this huge amount, let’s cut it down to RM2 million but when date came, nothing happened so where the fuck did the RM10 or RM2 million go’ fiasco went unnoticed. The MBPJ remains corrupt and opaque. They don’t give a shit about its residents and all they’ve ever done is to close its door whenever we demand for something like disclosure of funds and accounts. OMG and all the stories I’ve heard about MBPJ officers going around demanding ‘protection’ money from local business owners. REVOLTING.
The local council must be lobbied against. We cannot vote for Dr Lim Thuan Seng and Donald Lim Siang Chai for letting this happen without doing anything about it. For four years, PJ has gotten worse in terms of livelihood, safety and environment. Also, assessment rates have been raised and people were not happy about it. I think after elections, I’m going to start something to get local council elections back in place again. I’m sick of MBPJ corrupting my beloved ‘kampung’. I’ve had enough.
Save PJ. It’s the only place I call home. Please vote for change and take proactive stance to make our lives better.
ps: I’m still incoherent. Busy busy busy!
pps: I haven’t seen Donald Lim around ever either. Last I saw him was at Parliament. He called me ‘leng lui’ after I told him I was one of his constituents.
o_0
Heads up from Crankshaft. I haven’t read the papers yet and I’m at work on a Sunday! This is dedicated to all the politically apathetic people out there!
For Malaysia’s sake, go and vote!
By Huzir SulaimanOnce every five years, our columnist gets all worked up. It’s that time again.
I started voting as soon as I was old enough to be eligible, and I’m proud to say I cast my ballot in the 1999 and 2004 General Elections. To be honest, I haven’t been hugely lucky with elections – nobody I’ve voted for has actually won, or even come anywhere near winning, the poor chaps – but that hasn’t stopped me. Whether it’s because I love suffrage, or merely because I love suffering, I keep coming back for more.
I only wish more of my friends and acquaintances shared my passion for the polls. Some say there isn’t any political party they feel comfortable supporting; others say they never quite got around to registering; a few, I suspect, just don’t want to wait in line on a day they could spend catching up on American Idol, or eating tiramisu, or doing sudoku.
I realise I might be preaching a particularly fundamentalist strain of democracy, but I have always believed that having the right to vote translates directly to having a responsibility to vote.
In the parliamentary system, the idea of electing representatives is that we symbolically turn over to them our innate authority both to make laws and to form a government to implement those laws and pursue the national interest. That symbolic transfer of authority is crucial. If we can’t even be bothered to participate in the process of selecting the proxies who will legislate and administer on our behalf, we give up the right to criticise the manner in which we are subsequently governed by those proxies.
In short: Vote, or shut up.
Than Chee Beng made the effort to vote in Bukit Merah, Perak, in 1999. What about you?Note that this is very different from “Vote, and then shut up”, which is the view taken by most Asian autocracies. Ongoing criticism, debate and dissent are vital. But if, after being offered the chance to choose, we decline to get involved in the beginning of the political cycle – the election – there’s little point in wandering in later with our grouses.
If you’re not eligible to vote, whether you’re too young or a Malaysian abroad, you still have the right to comment, in my book, because you are subject to policies that you couldn’t possibly have influenced. But once you gain (or regain) the right to vote, you are morally obliged to take a stand and cast your ballot.
Look around Southeast Asia, and you see Communist states, military dictatorships, recovering dictatorships, fractious democracies, fragile democracies, “guided” democracies? and then there’s us.
We’re one of the few places where people don’t have to worry about tanks rumbling through the streets if they vote in the wrong party. In the context of Southeast Asia, our democratic freedoms, deeply flawed though they may be, are a precious commodity, and shouldn’t be taken for granted. If we aren’t vigilant in the exercise of our rights, those few freedoms might evaporate.
In short: Use your vote, or lose your vote.
Our voter turnout has never been anything to boast about. The high was back in 1964, with 78.9% of eligible voters showing up. The low point was in 1986, with just 69.97%. At other times we have bounced along in the low 70s.It’s better than the United States, but that’s not saying much.
We should aim for an 80% voter turnout at this election. After 50 years of independence, it’s time we got more involved.
(We might not be able to do better than 80%, realistically, because there will always be some voters in hospital with dengue fever; and of course, going by the alarming crime rates, a large number of voters will be the victims of snatch theft on the way to the polling station, thereby losing their identity cards and being unable to prove that they are actual living, registered voters, as opposed to, say, one of 200 dead voters living in the same two-room house.)
Anecdotal evidence suggests that voter turnout is low among the educated and English-speaking. Readers of The Star, basically. I sincerely hope someone will come up with figures to show that I’m wrong, but that’s the way it looks.
Excuses for not voting abound.
The idea that by not voting one can somehow register “a protest against the whole political system” is utterly nonsensical. You wouldn’t be registering a protest.
You wouldn’t be registering anything. You’d be erasing yourself.
You’d be disemboweling your own citizenship.
You’d be tearing out the intestines of your patriotism and throwing them onto the barbecue of your apathy.
In short: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
All right, but what if you don’t believe there’s a problem? One friend said to me, “I fully support the Barisan Nasional, and I know they will win, so why should I bother voting?” Well, obviously, if enough people think the way you do, Barisan won’t win in your constituency, and then you’ll feel pretty silly for having spent the day eating tiramisu, won’t you, you complacent middle-class tiramisu-eater?
On the other side of the spectrum, someone said to me, “I support the Opposition, but there’s no way they will win, so why should I bother voting?” Well, that’s why they don’t win – because of stupid ideas like that.
And even if you claim not to like a single one of the candidates in your constituency – which is entirely understandable, given that political parties of all sorts are occasionally obliged to distribute seats based on loyalty rather than competence, or indeed sentience – there will always be one candidate very slightly better than the others: the “least worst”.
Please vote for the least worst. Doesn’t Malaysia deserve the least worst, at least?
Happy voting, and good luck!
SO MANY OF THEM THIS TIME !!!!
Sounds like a ploy from BN to throw in some candidates, pay their deposits, force a three corner fight and use this to confuse the rakyat. Too impossible to be conspiracy? I’m already half convinced that all the KL mat rempits have been sent to Kelanatan to be phantom voters!!
In this country, nothing is impossible. Blowing up translators, creating a sex scandal, millions lost in commission, a royal commission that acts like a circus, having a Prime Minister that lies in public.
Whoever has information on any suspicious independent candidates across the country, do let me know!! :)
This is it.
We all know deep in our hearts what we need to do. This is OUR chance to make a change. The opposition carries our hopes and in return they need our support. If they win, we have them by the balls. If we let BN win, then say bye-bye to our balls and be cursed for another 5 years.
Vote opposition for the sake of our balls.
I may not find time to update in the coming days as I will be on the ground most of the time. I will try my best to share little snippets along the way whenever possible.
I’ll be in Kepong tomorrow! :)
To all my friends contesting - Tony, Jeff, Lih Kang, Nik Nazmi, Nurul Izzah, “Keat Ping” and the nicest politicians you can ever meet (genuine punya, not arrogant) Kak Wan, Uncle Kit, Guan Eng, Tian, Po Kuan, Teresa, Shamsul, Zul, Ronnie, Weng San, Aru, William, Sivarasa etc. …
… LAWAN TETAP LAWAN !!!
In the meantime, there is still time to donate to the parties!! :) See previous post.
Dear friends,
The opposition needs funds to put up a good fight against the mighty meanie BN machinery. Words elude my right now and I can only urge my readers and friends who are scared to contribute energy and effort to instead try to help build a better Malaysia by monetary means. Prompt I know, I need my ZZZs now. lol.
Here are some details for Jeff Ooi’s campaign (sokong blogger!):
After weeks of rigorous groundwork, I find myself very vulnerable facing this General Election. The BN machinery, with $$$ to throw, is immensely formidable.
If you could help me raise some campaign funds, and do it superfast, please email me at jeff001 @ jeffooi.com. Or drop me an SMS at my exclusive data line: +6012-2944907.
For those who want to cut the chase, you can Maybank2U or ATM to my MBB Subang Jaya Account:
Name: OOI CHUAN AUN
Number: 512222409165Please forward this blog entry to your friends and pass the word around. Thanks.
Contribute to DAP:
Dearest Malaysians & fellow supporters,
The time is near for us to chart our nation’s destiny in the 12th General Elections where you can tell the next government what laws and policies are acceptable and what aren’t. The DAP is hopefully your choice of political vehicle to drive home such important points.
With limited resources, we are punching several levels above our weight and we hope, with you help, we will put in a sublime performance in this crucial round.
We urge you to help finance our election campaign. We are short of everything, from volunteers to funds; but we are not short of determination to help make Malaysia a better home for you and I. Remember, we are all in this together
There are 3 methods of donation:
1. Via Credit Cards & Maybank2U
You can make your donations online, right here, right now. Other online payment mechanisms such as inter-bank transfers, PosPay, MEPs are also available.2. Via Public Bank Account
You can bank in cash or cheques directly into our Public Bank account with the following details:Cheques payable to:
“DAP Malaysia”
Bank Account Number: 306 382 83093. Via post or by hand
You can make your donations by cheque or cash directly at our Headquarters in Petaling Jaya:DAP MALAYSIA
No. 24 Jalan 20/9, 46300
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Contribute to PKR:
Sebagai sebuah parti politik yang memperjuangkan keadilan dan pembaharuan, Parti KeADILan Rakyat memerlukan sumbangan anda untuk memastikan program kami berjalan lancar dan terus berkhidmat demi kepentingan rakyat tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama.
Bantulah kami membina sebuah negara Malaysia yang baru. Setiap sumbangan, baik yang kecil ataupun yang besar, amat bermakna dan akan membantu dalam perjuangan menegakkan keadilan dan reformasi tulen di negara kita.
Sumbangan derma anda boleh dibuat melalui :
1. Cek / Draf Bank / Wang Pos
Dermaan dibayar kepada Parti KeADILan Rakyat dan dihantar kepada alamat dibawah.2. Bayaran Terus Ke Akaun Bank
Nombor Akaun : 19901000076 (Hong Leong Bank Berhad)
Sila pastikan bahawa pemilik akaun ini adalah Parti KeADILan RakyatJikalau resit diperlukan, sila muat-turunkan borang dibawah untuk diisi berserta dengan cek ataupun salinan slip simpanan (cetakan resit simpanan jikalau perbankan internet digunakan) dan hantarkan kepada:
Bendahari Agung
Parti KeADILan Rakyat
110-3 Jalan Tun Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur
MalaysiaFaks : 03.2272.1220
Sumbangan derma juga boleh dibuat di mana-mana pejabat bahagian/negeri/ibu pejabat kebangsaan Parti KeADILan Rakyat atau pada majlis anjuran Parti KeADILan Rakyat.
Sumbangan anda amat dihargai dan diucapkan jutaan terima kasih.
» Muat-Turun Borang Sumbangan Derma (PDF)
—
I’ve got not time to translate so the gist is that donations can be made via cheque, bank drafts or money order to be addressed to :-
Bendahari Agung
Parti KeADILan Rakyat
110-3 Jalan Tun Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur
MalaysiaOr transfer funds to:-
Name: Parti KeADILan Rakyat
Account no.: 19901000076 (Hong Leong Bank Berhad)
Also, donate to PAS:
Parti Islam SeMalaysia
1402 3010 0008 85 - Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
5640 7070 3248 - Maybank
You can also contribute to Zul Noordin (for Kulim!)
Donations can be made to Maybank, Jalan Masjid India Branch no: 1645 9302 9443.
Cheques can be sent to ‘Zulkifli bin Noordin’ at Messrs Zulkifli Noordin & Associates, 7th Floor, Wisma Yakin, Jalan Masjid India, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.
Assistance in any form whatsoever are welcomed, please contact Saudara Rosli (019 547 5811) who is my chief, he’s ably assisted by Saudara Iwan (019 416 9993) while Saudara/Cikgu Zulaimi (017 535 3007) is assisting with coordinating and logistic matters.
Any information, questions and comments? Please send emails to zul4kulim @ gmail.com.
I’m posting [UPDATES] on top of this post. Remember, if the consulate, high comms or embassy gives you an unsatisfactory answer, keep on asking why until you get an answer or as Med puts it ‘bombard the consulates and high comms for clarification’. Documentation of all correspondence are important as evidence of their complacency. Please keep those emails coming in! :)
[UPDATE] Tirath just wrote in with this!
STUDENTS IN MELBOURNE… go to Malaysia Hall tomorrow (Weds, 27.02.08) for absentee ballot registration:
Malaysia Hall Melbourne
K4, High Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Tel: +613-9529 4507
Fax: +613-9529 4509The High Comm. in Canberra only *just* started organizing all this (10 minutes before closing time), so fingers crossed that everything gets sorted properly. Tomorrow is the ONLY CHANCE to register. DO YOUR CIVIC DUTY FOR A BETTER MALAYSIA!
[UPDATE] Yen wrote that the Malaysian Embassy in Berlin no longer accept registration for postal voters since Oct 2007. Interesting, they predicted the elections! Anyway, the Borang A forms are still available at other Malaysian consulate branches in Germany. Please click document below for contact details.
Letter from Malaysian Embassy in Berlin.
[UPDATE] Calling all students in New York, this is how you can vote! Thanks to Carolyn for the information. I’m reproducing her comment below:
For those in NYC, these are the details
1. If you’ve not registered, you have to go to the Malaysian Consulate General located at 313 East 43rd Street, NY.
2. Get the Borang A and fill it up.
3. The people will send it back to Malaysia for the registration. Or something to that effect.
According to the man I spoke to, Mr Raimy (sp.?), they will be emailed an electoral roll one week prior to the elections. If your name is on it, you can vote on March 8.
The phone number for the Consulate General - 1-212-490-2722 / 23
Hours are: 9am - 4pm
Original post:
All Malaysian students who are registered to vote can participate in the coming general elections! The process is rather obscure because many don’t know it is possible. I found a website that gives you a step by step guide on how to get registered as a postal voter in United Kingdom. Watch and learn. And do it! :)
Thanks to Lay Chin for the info (which is taken directly from her website. Please contact her for more details!)
Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulation 2002 states the following is qualified to perform postal voting:
1. in the public service of the Government of Malaysia or of any State or in the service of any local authority or statutory authority exercising powers vested in it by Federal or State law, who is on duty outside the boundaries of Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak;
2. the spouse of a person in the public service of the Government of Malaysia or of any State or in the service of any local authority or statutory authority exercising powers vested in it by Federal or State law who is living with her or his husband or wife outside the boundaries of Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak at the date of application for registration as a Parliamentary or State elector,
3. engaged in full-time studies at any university, training college or any higher educational institution outside the boundaries of Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak; or
4. the spouse of a person engaged in full-time studies at any university, training college or any higher educational institution outside the boundaries of Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak who is living with her or his husband or wife at the date of application for registration asa Parliamentary or State elector.
If you fall under any of this categories you may apply through the Malaysia embassy located nearby. Upon completion of the form (Borang A),you can submit it back to the embassy or can mail it to EC HQ in Putrajaya. Thank you.
ANYWAY. Students.
Okay, so now this is what you should do ASAP.
1) You should contact the Malaysian Students Department at 020-79851252 or go to http://www.masduke.com/.
2) Ask for them to send you Borang A.
These are what they look like.
There is this lovely, polite woman named Suzana who should help you just fine with this, and she’ll answer any questions you might have.
2. Also, if you have any questions for the embassy itself, go to http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/london or call 02072358033. The one to talk to is Mr Ravi Pillay (at least I think that’s the spelling)
3. For those who want to check your name on the electoral roll, go HERE. (My recent check left me in horror when I couldn’t find my name, then I realised I had been typing my student number quickly instead of my IC. Yesh, I am losing some brain cells)
Now. What am I doing about all this?
I am going to haul ass to the embassy at Belgrave Square on Friday to fill this all in, with my passport, right in front of them and all.
If there is anybody out there who knows how to register with the relevant authorities and get that Borang A in your respective countries, PLEASE EMAIL ME THE DETAILS and I will update the blog accordingly.
This is a link to ALL Malaysian embassies, high consulates and high commissions. Please contact them and get the details on how to be a postal voter.
… so what? What’s the big deal? Don’t contest mai don’t contest lor. Why’s everybody getting their knickers in a twist?
Are we sooo stupid to think the opposition is perfect? Of course not. Neither are you and neither am I. Is this the first time some internal party quibble is going on? Of course not. Quibbles happen all the time. But is it only DAP that had a quibble that warrants a frontpage in our mainstream papers? Hell no.
There are PLENTY of party infighting in Umno, MIC, MCA and PPP that warrants only the tiny 6 paragraph article on the twelfth page of the newspaper. So please, spare me the drama about Po Kuan quitting and how deep a hole DAP is digging for itself.
But why do we choose to focus on Po Kuan? Is it because it is interesting to bitch about a woman MP who has taken enough shit from her own party and even more filth from the cavemen in Parliament? Is it because it’s so much for fun to complain about DAP because we feel vindicated when we said the opposition don’t have their act together?
No.
It because the media made a mountain out of a molehill and we bought it.
I’ve seen Po Kuan in action and I have immense respect for her. I swear had I been in her shoes with all that sexist shit thrown at me, I would be incarcerated now for beating Jerai MP to a piece of pulp. lol. Her decision to not contest invites plenty of gossip, sure it’s good to know but we can all take it with a pinch of salt. All I can say is that I hope her decision takes her to greener pastures and we as voters are now wiser. Most of all, that DAP learns a valuable lesson. We all do.
Don’t let menial BN propaganda distract us from the issues.
