Anwar set to win Permatang Pauh by-election

Malaysia's Anwar set to win Parliament by-election The Associated Press August 25, 2008 - IHT.com PERMATANG PAUH, Malaysia: After 10 days of racist insults, accusations of sodomy and oblique references to murder, campaigning drew to a close Monday in a key by-election to Malaysia's Parliament that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim looks set to win. Anwar is pitted against Arif Shah Omar Shah of the governing National Front coalition in Tuesday's by-election in this semi-rural district in the industrial heartland of Penang state. "God willing we will perform well. We will manage against all odds, unless there is massive rigging. Any independent observer will concede we have an edge," Anwar, 61, told reporters Monday. A former deputy prime minister with an eye for the top job, Anwar sees his imminent entry into Parliament as the next step in his effort to topple the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by mid-September. If Anwar succeeds and becomes prime minister, it would be a stunning political comeback for the man who was ousted from the ruling coalition in 1998 and served six years in prison for sodomy and corruption. Anwar has always said those charges were political frame-ups. Democrats try to heal bruises as convention kicks offGhosts amid the wreckage in MyanmarStocks fall as banks look fragileFew expect Anwar to lose, despite being charged anew with sodomizing a male aide in June, said Ibrahim Suffian, director of the independent Merdeka Center, which conducted a telephone poll of 544 voters from Friday to Sunday. Ibrahim said 57 percent of those polled believe that Anwar is "capable of bringing change that will benefit the people regardless of race." In general elections in March, Anwar's three-party opposition alliance won an unprecedented 82 of Parliament's 222 seats — 30 short of a majority — as well as control of five states. Among the seats won by the opposition was Permatang Pauh by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Anwar could not contest the March elections because of a ban on holding political office stemming from a previous corruption conviction. It was slapped on him in 1998 when he was also charged and later convicted of sodomy. The sodomy conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2004, and the political ban expired in April this year. In June, Wan Azizah resigned her seat to allow Anwar to contest it. But his campaign received an early setback when his former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, swore on the Quran at a Kuala Lumpur mosque on Aug. 15 — a day before Anwar filed his candidacy papers for the election — that he was raped by Anwar. Anwar said the ruling party "orchestrated the entire malicious, dirty campaign in time for this election." The ruling coalition's campaign posters have also described Anwar as an Israeli agent who would allow American military bases in the country the minute he becomes prime minister. The opposition has delivered a few punches under the belt too. Anwar has called ruling party leaders stupid, idiots, scoundrels and damned. His party posters have shown images of slain Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu with the word "Justice" stamped on her forehead in red. Shaariibuu, 28, was shot in October 2006 and blown up with explosives in a jungle. Abdul Razak Baginda, a close friend of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, is on trial for abetting the murder. Najib also has been linked to the woman with allegations that he had an affair with her. Najib denies this vehemently, and recently took an oath in a mosque that he never knew the woman. ...source

‘V’ for Rakyat, ‘V’ for Anwar Ibrahim

‘V’ for Rakyat, ‘V’ for Anwar Ibrahim August 25, 2008 - http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com On the ballot paper for P44, Anwar Ibrahim is the second candidate. For us, it symbolises ‘V’ - for victory - not just in terms of votes, but for victory of People’s Power. Even before a single ballot has been cast, Pakatan Rakyat has won for its commitment to multiculturalism and justice. The last ten days have seen the most racist and vilest campaign ever, launched by Barisan Nasional. I am too tired to upload photos of these publications. All that so-called reflection of BN after its devastating loss on 8th March was a whole lot of hot air. That so-called apology over the keris-waving of Umno Youth was as empty as Saiful’s ‘sumpah‘. Since 8 March, BN has not changed. There is no repentance, no remorse. Instead, this time round, they issue even more blood-curdling calls for vengeance against the Chinese and Indians. We have been called ‘babi’ (pigs), ‘bangsa asing’ (foreigners), amongst other derogatory terms. Leaders of MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP - buat tak tau aje. So this is the future that Barisan Nasional has in store for us. Anwar could have played to the gallery. He could have left out the bits about his vision about a truly multicultural Malaysia when he spoke in the Malay villages. He could have said, “You guys first, the rest second’. But he didn’t. He defended the right for all to coexist and work together for a better Malaysia. His courage to stand up for his vision humbles all of us. Kita percaya Malaysia yang makmur, adil dan perkasa untuk umat Melayu, orang Cina, kaum India, Iban, Kadazan dan lain-lain. Ini membezakan di antara kita dengan Kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang diketuai UMNO. (Anwar Ibrahim) Today, we wear our Parti KeADILan Rakyat badges with even more pride and hold our heads up high, come what may. All intelligence data coming in shows Anwar Ibrahim will win tomorrow. The only thing that can stop this are BN’s 6000 postal and phantom voters. By now, BN’s massive machinery would know how many outstation voters will not be returning and from its ‘cash-for-your-IC-details’ campaign drive. It has worked out the ‘winning’ formula for Arif Shah, who ran a lacklustre lonely campaign, yet was confident of a victory between 500-1000 as early as two days ago. Which is why, if anyone out there - in KL, Selangor, Johor, Kelantan etc - knows of any outstation Permatang Pauh voters, please urge them change their minds and return to cast their ballots. If they have transport problems, please help them out. If they don’t, someone else will be voting on their behalf for BN. And to please return to cast their votes as early as possible. Their one vote makes a difference. Of giving 27 million people a real future against Barisan Nasional’s corrupt racist rule. One vote can give 27 million people a chance of a lifetime. That one vote can save Malaysia and put us back on track. One vote to free us all. MERDEKA! Please pray hard too. ...source

Permatang Pauh voters - you've gotta to do it

Permatang Pauh voters - you've gotta to do it Kannan K Aug 25, 2008 - Malaysiakini Letters The result of Permatang Pauh by-election will definitely determine the future direction for Malaysia unlike no other ever in the past. A win for BN, though it seems unlikely, will maintain the status quo and Umno-led cronyism and negotiated contracts worth billions of ringgit will continue unabated draining away national resources permanently. It would be a step backward for Malaysia making Malaysians more race and religion conscious and dividing the people even further. Corruption and taking things for granted will continue happily since voters would have decided to support the ‘devil’ (BN) they knew. It would be sad if that happens and it would be a rare opportunity lost. However, if Pakatan Rakyat’s Anwar Ibrahum wins with a larger majority, Malaysia will have a rare chance to move forward after having stagnated for the last decade after being in power continuously for 51 years. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and that was what has happened to the Umno-led BN government since they had absolute power for the past 51 years. Any chance they will change for better? There is no sign of change at all even after the recent general elections in which they lost their two-thirds majority. There were some talk about changes, but now everything back to old BN ways of doing things. Malaysians should not allow the situation to continue worsening. Malaysians’ only hope is for Anwar to bring about the much-needed changes in the way the government is run. Anwar has been consistent with his positive messages in recent years. If Anwar Ibrahim wins as anticipated, there is a real possibility of change of government in the near future. If PR comes to power with Anwar as the PM, we can expect some of the following to happen: - a decrease in petrol prices immediately - income from petroleum be utilised for long-term people-oriented projects such as public transportation - the release of all ISA detainees including the 5 Hindraf leaders - Ketuanan Rakyat Malaysia will be the order of the day, racial politics reduced - Transparency in all government tenders as is being practice by the PR state governments - Meritocracy in selection of students for local universities and the awarding of scholarships - Increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been bypassing by Malaysia for several years now - There will be check and balance and transparency to curb corruption and abuses - Changes for better in the judiciary, the police force and civil service. Permatang Pauh voters have the rare opportunity to bring some positive changes to the political landscape of Malaysia if they elect Anwar as their MP. Malaysians elsewhere are hoping Permatang Pauh voters will be voting for Anwar this time and create history in doing so. ...source http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/88537

Why gazetted electoral roll not used in Permatang Pauh?

710 may not be able to vote tomorrow Beh Lih Yi Aug 25, 2008 - Malaysiakini With just a day left for polling, confusion reigned over the electoral roll that is to be used for Permatang Pauh by-election with at least 710 voters may be unable to cast their votes tomorrow. The problem came amid dispute over two sets of electoral rolls - one gazetted and one ‘updated' - adopted by the Election Commissions (EC) for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat. A heated argument broke out between EC secretary Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor and a group of journalists as he attempted to clarify the matter at a 90-minute press conference in Penang today. He was met by reporters during a meeting and final preparation works by the EC workers at the Tuanku Bainun Teachers' Training College, which will be used as the counting centre tomorrow. At the end of the press conference, he suggested to the media to take him to court if they are not happy with the explanations he provided to quell doubts raised by opposition PKR yesterday. The heated argument however did not stop at the media session as it continued in a separate 40-minute meeting between Kamaruzaman and PKR leaders R Sivarasa and Fuziah Salleh later. ‘This is a lie' The controversy began with claims from PKR yesterday that there are a total of 868 names which could not be found in the electoral roll which was ‘updated' on July 31 - to be used tomorrow - as compared to the roll which was gazetted on June 19. Usually, a gazetted electoral roll will be used as the official roll in the conduct of an election. The gazetted roll is final and cannot be questioned in court even if there is any dispute. However, strangely, the EC has decided to use the ‘updated' roll on July 31 - and yet to be gazetted - for the by-election tomorrow and led to questions over it. Apart from that, PKR also claimed the electoral roll was tainted with over 400 doubtful postal voters and argued these defects could eventually affect about 2,000 votes in total for the party. Explaining on the 868 names which went ‘missing' in the ‘updated' roll, Kamaruzaman clarified today that there were only 158 names which were removed in the latest roll. The reasons why these names were removed among others include ‘wrong' voters registration, deaths, those who aged above 100 and deemed fit by the EC to remove their names from the roll on the presumption that they have passed away. Hitting out at the PKR's claim, a visibly annoyed Kamaruzaman said: "This is a lie. This is done to tarnish the good name of the EC." There are a total of 58,459 eligible voters who can cast their vote tomorrow, an increase of 10 new voters compared to the March general election. Temperature at the press conference ran high as journalists repeatedly attempted to clarify the discrepancy in the figures provided by the EC secretary, which could not be tallied. Pressed on why a non-gazetted roll was being used in the by-election, he shot back and said: "Can you show me which provision of the law (which requires) me to gazette the roll?" "Those names which I have deleted (from the roll) was done under the power given to me as a chief registrar, I don't need to display (the new roll)," he argued. The press conference ended after 90 minutes with the group of journalists leaving in an utterly confused state. High turnout expected At the separate 40-minute session with the two PKR leaders later, Kamaruzaman insisted that the EC has come clean and complied with laws in the election's conduct including the electoral roll. As the two parties insisted on their own stand, the meeting ended with the PKR agreed to submit the 868 names which they have found to be removed to EC this afternoon for verification. Requests by the journalists to have another EC press conference this evening to clarify the matter was not entertained when Kamaruzaman repeatedly replied that he will check the matter first. Nevertheless, upon the repeated requests by Fuziah and Sivarasa, Kamaruzaman retracted his earlier claim at the press conference that the PKR was lying. Meanwhile, Kamaruzaman said he expected a high voters' turnout at the polling tomorrow. In the March general election, it recorded a 81 percent voters' turnout. The polling result is expected to be announced between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim faces BN's Arif Shah Omar Shah and Akim president Hanafi Hamat in the three-way fight. ...source http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88553

Permatang Pauh: 'Forgive, not forget'

'Forgive, not forget' vs Sodomy 2.0 Joe Fernandez Aug 25, 2008 - Malaysiakini Anwar Ibrahim’s campaign theme in the run-up to the Aug 26 by-elections in Permatang Pauh - Forgive, Not Forget - has struck a resounding chord with the constituency’s multiracial electorate. The eve of voting mood among the electorate makes Anwar, the self-proclaimed prime minister-in-waiting, a virtual shoo-in for Parliament. It’s all systems go. The opposition has pulled out all stops to ensure the logistics of getting their voters to turn up in droves at the polling stations. They are leaving nothing to chance. The aim is an even bigger majority than the last time when Anwar’s wife, party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, came in with a thumping majority. permatang pauh by election candiadtes anwar and arif shah hanafi hamatThe energetic and charismatic Anwar - who has put in stints as a visiting professor at two American universities - has an unassailable lead over challenger Arif Shah Omar Shah from Umno. The electorate, meanwhile, was tickled pink by media disclosures that Arif Shah, who holds a diploma, once signed up for a bogus PhD programme at a foreign ‘university’. The contrasts could not be greater. He also had to fend off allegations in the media that he was linked with a company run by his scandal-tainted brother. The main Umno theme was the second sodomy allegations against Anwar by an ex-coffee boy, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. On the eve of nomination, the Uniten dropout came out of weeks of hiding and swore on the Quran at a mosque - an attempt to support the veracity of this claims. He followed this up the next day with a much publicised visit to the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Religious Department, in the words of a veteran opposition leader, “to discuss his infamous anus”. Economy, not sodomy Here is a sampling from various campaign watchers including several veteran political observers and analysts in cyberspace, by email, SMS and Skype: lewd vulgar sodomy stunt display by umno bn puteri umno supporters at permatang pauh nomination day 180808 03“Umno was petty, personal, trivialising the important issues and even more childish than usual.” “People are not concerned about a person’s sex life, their sexual preferences, or the lack of it.” “”The voters are more savvy now and are interested in the big issues, the state of the nation and local issues, not what Umno had to say.” “Umno should not say things like: ‘Anwar is prepared to even destroy the nation in order to achieve his personal ambition of being prime minister’. So, it’s okay for someone like Najib to want to be prime minister but not Anwar. Why? Najib should not see himself as the heir apparent or crown prince.” “The Chinese are saying: Let’s give Anwar a chance.” “No Indian will vote for Umno. That’s why they arrested the Hindraf activists in the area and even sponsored a bogus group claiming to be a splinter Hindraf faction.” The government, in an attempt to turn the tide, lowered the fuel price. Traders refuse to lower their prices in response, leaving consumers with an even more “bitter taste in the mouth” at best and “fuming” at worst. Inflation is 8.5 percent and raging, is at its worst in over two decades and Bank Negara, the central bank, continues to sit on the Overnight Policy Rate of 3.5 percent. There are sharp criticisms amongst the weary citizenry that the federal government is in panic mode. “One day, Consumer Minister Shahrir Samad says that the fuel price will only be reviewed in December, Prime Minister (Abdullah) Badawi contradicts that it will be reviewed Sept 1 and the very next day he hurriedly lowers the price without any explanation whatsoever,” points out a analyst who detects an uncertain note in the stock market. “These kinds of flip-flops are not good for the government. This is the second incident of its kind - shifting dates - involving the fuel price. It’s a PR disaster” The consensus is that the Abdullah government wanted to take the wind out of the sails in the opposition’s re-current theme, ‘Hari ini bentuk kerajaan, esok turun harga minyak’ (Today form the government, tomorrow down with the fuel price). The opposition - 81 compared to BN’s 140 – had pledged to wrest the reins of the federal government in Putrajaya by Sept 16 - the anniversary date of Borneo’s entry into the federation. In the midst of campaigning and leading the charge in Permatang Pauh, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, swore in a local mosque that he “did not know the Mongolian woman” - alluding to the Altantuya Shaariibuu whose murder trial in ongoing. Time to leave behind the past In the end, what appears to matter is the long-promised prospects of change pledged by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, a coalition of PKR, DAP and PAS with present support from Hindraf. PKR pledges ‘ketuanan rakyat’ (supremacy of the people); PAS wants a government free of racism which is prohibited by Islam; DAP pledges a Malaysian Malaysia; and Hindraf, under its ‘makkal sakthi’ (people power) platform, wants equal rights as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution. “‘Forgive, Not Forget’ sums up the mood of the opposition and the people,” says a PKR insider. “We want to move on and leave behind the baggage of the past. Still, there must be a proper accounting of the past. What we need is a complete re-making of Malaysia and the re-building of our national institutions which have been destroyed and compromised during the 50 years of BN rule. We need to come together as a people and as a nation. We can’t be side-tracked by petty politics and politicking.” Adds a ranking PAS insider: “The Malays who voted for Wan Azizah will all vote for Anwar as they voted for him before. There’s no reason to vote for Umno which has become irrelevant. They don’t have an ideology. In the past, they used to harp on development and threatened the voters with it. “Surely, you don’t expect the Indians and Chinese to vote for Umno when they keep talking about ‘ketuanan Melayu’ (supremacy of the Malays) and waving the keris. BN is looking more and more like an unholy collection of race-based parties thriving on the old colonial tactics of divide-and-rule. This is not surprising since they stepped into the vacuum created by the British when they left.” ...source http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88556