ANOTHER BY-ELECTION?

Politics seems to have gone on an overdrive! The last few days, newspapers, Internet media and almost everyone I meet seem to be talking about Elizabeth Wong, the Bukit Lanjan state assembly person, whose nude or semi nude pictures had been circulated. Elizabeth, who is also a Selangor state exco, has lodged a police report on the matter and has offered to resign because of the unpleasant episode.
Let me state here that firstly it was wrong for someone in possession of such photos to distribute it in the public domain. It is all about her private life which should be left private. She has to deal with the perpetrator and get the police to bring him to justice. I sympathise with the energetic first term state assemblywoman.
Having said that, it must be noted that former Health Minister Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek had set a precedent back in 2007, on such issues after he resigned when a video of him having sex with his girlfriend was made public. He resigned from all positions at that time and made a fresh bid in politics a year later. He won the MCA deputy presidency last year and is back in mainstream politics.
Should Elizabeth follow this direction? That is the question the state assemblywomen has to answer herself. While I condemn the act of distributing her photos, she must also partly take the blame for the fiasco, taking into view talk about a purported video of her, which is also said to be in circulation. How could a trusted partner do this to her? My sincere sympathy for the 39-year old politician, who would now have to live with this scar for rest of her life.
If she chooses to vacate her post, then the Election Commission would have its hands full next month. It might just decide to hold three by-elections at one-go.
Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Bukit Lanjan! What a coincidence that all involves Bukits. Other MPs and state assemblymen of Bukits may need to watch-out for the time being as the time for the Bukit is not so good, I guess. (That's a joke by the way).
Statistics of the Bukit Lanjan state seat is as follows.
The seat has a total 25,550 voters. At the last election in March 2008, 19,394 voters turned-up to vote or 75.9% voter turnout.
At that election, Elizabeth polled 12,125 votes against incumbent assembly person, former Gerakan's deputy wanita chief Yong Dai Ying, who obtained 6,970 votes.
Elizabeth won the seat with a 5,155 vote majority, the second highest majority won by a PKR state assembly candidate in Selangor last year.
If a by-election is called, it will be a tough seat to contest as the seat is located in an urban area and most of the voters are non-Malays. This is based on the assumption that most voters in the urban and non-Malay majority seats are more critical towards BN.
In Bukit Lanjan, the Chinese consist about 52% of the voters, Indians 17 per cent and the rest are Malay voters.

TWO BY-ELECTIONS AN UPHILL TASK FOR THE BN

Suddenly we have an explosion of more politics in the country. After the fall of the opposition Perak state government, we have two by-elections. One is the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak and another the Bukit Selambau, Kedah state seat.
The P59 Bukit Gantang seat in Perak (near Taiping) has some 55,471 registered voters. At the 2008 election the seat was won by PAS' Roslan Shaharum with a majority of 1,566 votes.
Roslan, who died of heart attack a few days ago and the reason for the by-election, polled 20,015 against Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi of the BN-Umno 18,449 votes. Another candidate M. Morgan, an independent, polled 872 votes. Voter turnout in the seat at last year's election was 40,187 voters or 72.4% with 851 spoilt votes.
In N25 Bukit Selambau, the by-election is being held due to the resignation of V. Arumugam, initially an independent and now in Pakatan Rakyat. He beat MIC's S. Krishnan at the last general election.
The state seat has 34,977 voters. At the last election, Arumugam polled 13,225 votes against Krishnan's 10,863 votes to win with a 2,362 vote majority.Voter turnout at the last election was 25,782 votes or 73.7%.
While I hope both by-elections would be swept by the BN, I realise that the current political climate would make it an uphill battle especially with Kedah being opposition ruled while Perak has just come back to the BN in default.
It is also my feverish hope that the two by-elections would be conducted and participated in a fair and noble manner without any trouble.
The Election Commission would set the date for both the polls on Friday. Looks like February is going to be busy month with lots of travelling.
UPDATE: Both the by-elections would have its nomination on March 29 and election on April 7.

BN TAKESOVER PERAK

Over the last week, Perak has been swamped with political talk not only by a single party but also by all from both sides of the political divide. Day before yesterday, all had become clear. Four state assemblymen from the Pakatan Rakyat government declared that they had become independents and that they were supporting the Barisan Nasional. The new government took oath at about 3.45pm this afternoon.
The talk of elected representatives jumping ship was started by none other than Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Soon after the March 8, 2008 general election, where the Barisan Nasional lost its two-third majority and some five states to the opposition, Anwar declared that he had some 30 members of parliament in his fold and that they would crossover to the Pakatan Rakyat. This he had said, would ensure the fall of the Barisan Nasional federal government.
He even went to the extent of saying that the Barisan Nasional government would fall by Sept 16, 2008. Then the dates began changing based on where he held a ceramah. This was his so called trump card to keep the Barisan Nasional on its toes.
While all this was taking place the same Opposition leaders, who are now calling for fresh elections in Perak, had applauded Anwar and said that they would form the federal government in a matter of time.
Then Opposition leaders, except for DAP chairman Karpal Singh, had supported the crossover and felt that it was fair to form a government based on crossovers.
But now, the scenario had been reversed and now all of a sudden crossovers are a taboo for the opposition. Yes, I agree that the people voted for a change at the 2008general election and their wishes must be respected.
The razor thin majority in Perak where the opposition had 31 seats compared to the BN's 28 was the result of the polls. Now after the crossovers the BN's seats is still 28, while the opposition's had been reduced to 28 due to three of its representatives jumping ship. They did not jump to the BN but they choose to become independents and declare their support to the ruling federal government.
Now the score has become Pakatan Rakyat -- 28, BN -- 28 and Independent -- 3.
One fact that I noticed is that the Indian community, which threw bulk of their votes for the opposition at the polls, have become the major losers result of the latest political manoeuvre.
Under the opposition, the community had a speaker and a state exco member. But not anymore. There are no Indian representatives in the BN in the Perak state assembly.
Where does the Indian community takes its problems? Who do they go to in case of problems and they need assistance? I am not bragging or anything like that but I seem to be the only Indian BN elected representative in the state by virtue of being the member of parliament for Tapah.
The answer to the above questions have yet to be answered by the BN leadership. The leadership needs to create a position on par with a state exco to look at Indian affairs in the state. He must be given powers to instruct any state-run bodies, like an exco member. This person must also be hardworking as he would be instrumental in trying to bring back the Indian voters into the BN fold. Although it is still early days, plans must be put in place so that the community in Perak does not feels neglected or sidelined by the ruling Barisan Nasional government.
With all this in mind, I wish to remind the Indian community about one thing. Politics are played by politicians and as members of the Indian community, I urge the people to come united on this matter. Please ensure that we are not left behind in any development.
This post is just a gist of what I have to say on the matter. More will follow. Thank you.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

I would like to wish all Malaysian Chinese a very HAPPY NEW YEAR. Wish the year of the OX brings us good fortune and a better life. It is also my feverish hope that this Lunar New Year bring bring us prosperity being the year of the bull.

I had a comment asking me on my stand on the death of A. Kugan, who died at the USJ 8police station earlier this week. I had already stated my stand and it has appeared in the media. However to the benefit of those who have yet to read it, I would like to state that I am against any violent behaviour towards anyone arrested by the police. The police should be protector of Malaysians and not take laws in their own hands.
If Kugan was involved in any illegal activity, then it is only right that charges are levelled against him. If this is not the case due to lack of evidence, there are provisions in our laws to send him to the Simpang Renggam detention centre.
Instead the 23-year-old was beaten and this is evident from the photographs of him obtained at the Selayang Hospital.
It really made me angry when I saw the photos on the net. This is not the way to treat a person, even if he was a criminal.
To say that the boy sustained the injuries while being arrested does not hold water. He was arrested on Jan 15 and he died some six days later. But the wounds in the photograhers appeared fresh. The police or the Home Ministry must start an independent enquiry to find the source of the death. Did Kugan really die of asthma or was there foul play. This is not time to protect any wrongdoer.
Let the truth be known. I know that the police have a job to do. But his does not mean that they are the law. They are only there to ensure that the laws are not broken and if the laws are broken, then penalise the offender not kill the offender. This applies not only because Kugan was an Indian or Hindu. This should not happen to any Malaysian, may the person be Malay, Chinese, Kadazan and what not. This is not about a race of a person. This is about humanity and dignity of a person. I am not preaching or anything like that. What I am saying is that a person deserves to be treated humanely as possible. Malaysia is not some third world nation where lawlessness prevails. We do not have kangaroo courts. We are a striving democracy and hold on to the rule of law. This could be just one isolated case but it should not have happened. Judging from what has happened to Kugan, I would say that the deed was conducted not by one person. It would have been a collective action of a few people.
I have been an anchilary policeman previously and I know how hard the men in blue work, sacrificing the time of their family and friends. They are stationed on 24-hour shifts and get irritated easily. But taking it out on a suspect is a big NO. Respect the uniform you use. It is not just a job but a duty and responsibility for the good of the nation.
Some might even say that I have passed judgement against the police. Yes, I have. The force should have come clean on the case in the first place. Allow family members and relatives to see the body of Kugan on the first night. Be transparent, and open about things. If your man is wrong, then take the necessary action. Do not at anytime cover-up things. That is all the rakyat ask.
If the police are not guilty then tell it all. From what I have learnt, Kugan was never held in a cell during this stay at the USJ8 police station. He was kept in the questioning room the whole while. I hope this is untrue. I am really saddened by the death of a 23-year-old who had a future in this promising land but now all is dashed. No matter what action we take against the perpetrators, it is not going to bring him back or heal the hurt suffered by his family and friends. But at least, it would a lesson for others. It would be an eye opener for many. Once again my deepest condolence to the family of A. Kugan.

THE KUALA TERENGGANU BY-ELECTION

Attended the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat by-election nomination early this morning. It was with fanfare from both sides of the political divide.
The seat would witness a three-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional (BN), PAS and an independent candidate.
The BN candidate would be Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, against PAS' Mohd Abdul
Wahid Endut and an independent Azharudin Mamat @ Adam.
Election for the parliamentary seat had been fixed for Jan 17. The Election Commission revealed that the constituency had 80,229 voters. Indian voters here are less than 800 with Chinese numbering more than 15,000 voters.
The BN as well as Pakatan Rakyat have brought in their heavyweights to campaign for the polls. Let us hope we would have a trouble-free by-election that is free and fair.