A NEW VULTURE EMERGES UNDER THE NAME OF MAHATHIR
The Might of the Pen
Dr. Munawar A. Anees
As a student I knew of the horrors of the Holocaust and other 
human tragedies, but merely as a distant thunder: The violation of human rights and crimes against humanity were only an abstract notion.
That was all fated to change with my arrest under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) of Malaysia, which allows for indefinite detention without trial. My crime? I had known Anwar Ibrahim, the deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia, as a close personal friend for many years. We shared and strove for a vision of life firmly rooted in human dignity. We struggled for building an intellectual and political milieu for free expression. Together, we subscribed to the idea of economic prosperity, gender and racial equality and a civil society.
Alas, the Malaysian dictator, Mahathir, under the growing burden of corruption and cronyism, conspired to halt the march of freedom. In order to build his fraudulent case against Anwar, Mahathir himself ordered my arrest.
To read more please go to : http://sjsandteam.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/a-new-vulture-emerges-under-the-name-of-mahathir/
Big momentum for the rakyat
The Malaysian Insider
By Debra Chong
Nizar sharing the joy of victory in the Bukit Gantang by-election with his supporters. – Pictures by Danny Lim
TAIPING, April 8 – It was wet and cold but the thousands of PAS supporters who turned up in the football field fronting the town council near the Lake Gardens here last night were far from miserable.
They had been keeping tabs on the Bukit Gantang by-election results through mobile phones and knew their candidate had won. But they were not certain of the majority, and were simply impatient for the Election Commission to announce the official results of the by-election.
They kept their blood from freezing in the rain by singing Islamic religious songs, cheering and waving the “white moon” flags at the lone helicopter circling the night sky above the field.
Finally, the figure was announced: Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin from PAS had trumped Ismail Saffian the Barisan Nasional (BN) nominee by 2,789 votes, almost double the majority gained by his predecessor.
Fireworks lit up the inky darkness. The crowd roared in jubilation: “Nizar! Nizar! Nizar! Nizar! Allahuakbar! Takbir!”
Bukit Gantang had voted, and they had voted in favour of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), whom they had elected into office in last year’s general election.
For many in the crowd that night, it was a “big momentum for the rakyat”, as one supporter shouted out while hurrying home in the quickening rain.
“This is a very strong signal from the people that they reject corruption, but they want democracy and they want a free and fair election,” Nizar had said in his victory speech last night.
From the very beginning, Nizar and his PR team had pushed the by-election as a “referendum” for Perak. They had been elected into office on March 8 last year and ended up unceremoniously booted out of office by the BN after 10 months.
An Indian local, who wanted to be known only as Megan, affirmed Nizar’s statement. He hoped the Sultan of Perak would take this cue and reconsider dissolving the State legislature to pave the way for fresh elections, in the best interests of the public.
“We must make BN fall down already. The people have had enough already. 2009 is for the new government,” the 37-year-old told The Malaysian Insider as he wound his way home between the cars, bikes and SUVs tooting each other joyfully in greeting.
He scoffed at the promise of reforms from newly-installed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, which triggered Monday’s release of two Hindu Action Rights Force (HINDRAF) leaders who had been detained for over a year in the Kamunting camp nearby under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
“What promise?” he sneered, and criticised the release as an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the Indian community.
Megan said Najib may have realised the need for reform, but added the new premier will never be able to carry it out if he continues to retain people who are linked to corruption in his administration.
Mohd Ali from Tanjung Malim who had turned up to show his support for PAS said the results showed the younger public was no longer willing to tolerate corruption.
Full of conspiracy theories, he warned there would likely be repercussions from this latest round of election losses. But the rakyat would be ready to face them, he added.
The younger generation of voters were growing savvier about politics and better educated to filter out information, he said, pointing to the growing cyber network in support of PR.
Piliharaya kecil satu referendum dan mesej jelas rakyat mahukan perubahan : Anwar Ibrahim
Mereka berkata, Umno telah membuat kesilapan pada masa lalu dan ia kini harus diberi peluang di bawah kepimpinan Najib, mereka membawa balik Dr Mahathir itulah masalahnya,”
Suara Keadilan
Anna Yusof
KUALA LUMPUR, 8 April (SK): Hari ini rakyat menghantar mesej yang jelas. Mereka mahukan ‘Perubahan’ yang nyata, bukan sekadar janji politik untuk terus kekal berkuasa.
Ketua Umum KeADILan Anwar Ibrahim berkata demikian di sidang akhbar yang berlangsung di Ibupejabat KeADILan, Petaling Jaya hari ini dengan penuh semangat bahawa tiga pilihanraya kecil ini menunjukkan rakyat menolak kepimpinan Perdana Menteri, Najib Razak.
“Syabas saya ucapkan kepada pengundi di Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang dan Batang Ai kerana sokongan yang anda berikan menjadi bukti kekuatan rakyat untuk berani berhadapan dengan kekuasaan. Undi yang telah anda berikan untuk Pakatan Rakyat menjadi saksi akan kemahuan yang kuat menuntut Perubahan,” kata Anwar.
Beliau juga mengucapkan tahniah kepada para calon dan petugas Pakatan Rakyat kerana bekerja keras untuk memastikan kejayaan hari ini dengan kemantapan kerjasama di antara Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Pas dan Dap semakin hari semakin utuh.
Kemenangan di Bukit Selambau dan Bukit Gantang serta sokongan pengundi Batang Ai membuktikan rakyat masih yakin terhadap kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat untuk terus menerajui perjuangan menuntut perubahan bagi mencipta Malaysia Baru yang adil dan saksama.
Sementara itu, kemenangan Nizar Jamalauddin di Bukit Gantang merupakan satu referendum agar dikembalikan Kerajaan Perak yang sah. Rakyat menuntut agar Dewan Undangan Negeri dibubarkan dan pilihanraya diadakan di seluruh Negeri Perak.
Kepada pendukung Pakatan Rakyat di Batang Ai pula, kita berhasil mengungkapkan isu tanah adat dan peminggiran rakyat yang terjadi di Sarawak.
“KeADILan dan Pakatan Rakyat akan terus berjuang membawa perubahan kepada rakyat Negeri Sarawak,” Tegas Anwar.
Sekali lagi kewibawaan proses pilihanraya menjadi pertikaian. Pengiraan awal yang tidak dilakukan di tempat pembuangan undi serta penggunaan helikopter untuk mengangkut membuka ruang kepada penipuan.
“Ini seharusnya menjadi pembakar semangat untuk terus bekerja keras membawa perubahan bukan sahaja di Batang Ai, tetapi juga di segenap pelusuk tanah air,” tambah beliau.
Pakatan Rakyat akan terus mempertahankan keluhuran Perlembagaan dan berusaha melaksanakan agenda serta dasar untuk membantu sesiapa sahaja yang terpinggir tanpa berasaskan kaum.
“Mereka berkata, Umno telah membuat kesilapan pada masa lalu dan ia kini harus diberi peluang di bawah kepimpinan Najib, mereka membawa balik Dr Mahathir itulah masalahnya,” kata Anwar di sidang akhbar pagi ini.
“Mereka mengutarakan konsep perpaduan Najib – Satu Malaysia – di samping isu Ketuanan Melayu, namun semua kempen tersebut tidak berhasil,” tempelak Anwar.
Beliau menegaskan supaya Najib mesti bersedia menerima hakikat bahawa gesaannya untuk perubahan dan pembaharuan telah gagal.
“Walaupun berulang kali berhadapan dengan kekerasan, fitnah dan ugutan penguasa, ianya tidak akan menghambat Pakatan Rakyat dari menunaikan janji yang telah diberikan serta tidak akan sesekali mengkhianati amanah yang telah diberikan rakyat,” jelas Anwar dalam kenyataan beliau.
“Saya menyeru rakyat Malaysia untuk tetap bersama-sama dengan agenda Perubahan dan Pakatan Rakyat. Sudah tiba masanya kita meniup nafas segar kepada demokrasi dan memperkukuhkan kembali kedaulatan undang-undang di negara ini,” kata anwar mengakhiri sidang akhbar beliau hari ini.
Rakyat tolak politik kotor BN — Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang
Bersyukur kehadrat Allah SWT setelah kita semua bertungkus-lumus berusaha akhirnya dengan keizinan-Nya, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) dianugerahkan kemenangan dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang melalui calon parti, Datuk Seri Ir. Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
Sesungguhnya kemenangan ini adalah sangat bermakna buat PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) khasnya di Perak kerana ia membuktikan bahawa rakyat menolak sama sekali amalan kotor “politik pintu belakang” yang direncanakan oleh Umno dan Barisan Nasional (BN) sehingga menjatuhkan kerajaan negeri yang dipilih dan diberikan mandat oleh rakyat dalam pilihanraya umum yang lalu.
Mudah-mudahan kemenangan ini akan menyedarkan semua pihak bahawa satu-satunya penyelesaian kepada konflik politik dan perlembagaan yang sedang dihadapi di negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan adalah dengan cara membubarkan Dewan Undangan Negeri dan seterusnya menyerahkan kembali mandat untuk diputuskan oleh rakyat dalam pilihan raya kerusi DUN di seluruh Perak.
Sehubungan dengan kemenangan ini juga saya ingin mengambil kesempatan mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada semua para petugas dan pekerja parti dari seluruh negara termasuklah rakan-rakan dari PKR dan DAP, pimpinan dan ahli Kelab Penyokong PAS, kelompok Media Baru, para NGO dan orang perseorangan yang telah bekerja tanpa jemu dalam menyumbang ke arah kemenangan ini.
Mudah-mudahan segala pengorbanan dan kerja kuat itu akan dibalasi dengan ganjaran yang setimpal oleh Allah SWT.
Kemenangan ini juga adalah menunjukkan keberanian suara rakyat yang mempunyai harga diri dan tidak mampu digugat oleh janji dan ugutan dari jentera Umno dan BN yang terus menerus berselindung di sebalik jentera kerajaan.
Kehadiran serta kempen Tun Dr Mahathir dan pimpinan baru Umno yang kononnya melaungkan nada baru dalam pilihan raya ini juga bukan sahaja tidak mendatangkan kesan, malah memburukkan lagi keadaan.
Ternyata bahawa kegagalan Umno dan BN dalam pilihan raya umum yang lalu adalah bukan berpunca semata-mata dari kelemahan bekas perdana menteri Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tetapi adalah suatu hakikat bahawa sememangnya parti Umno dan BN semakin lemah dan tidak mampu berhadapan dengan rakyat yang semakin celik di negara kita ini.
BN hanya berjaya mempertahankan kerusi di Batang Ai dan di lain-lain tempat yang rakyat sememangnya dinafikan hak untuk mendapat maklumat sahaja.
Saya juga ingin mengambil kesempatan mengucapkan syabas dan tahniah kepada PKR kerana berjaya mempertahankan kerusi DUN Bukit Selambau melalui calonnya S.Manikumar. Sesungguhnya kemenangan ini memperkukuhkan lagi kedudukan Kerajaan PR Kedah pimpinan Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak.
Kedua-dua kemenangan ini di samping kemenangan terdahulu di kerusi parlimen Permatang Pauh dan di kerusi parlimen Kuala Terengganu insya-Allah akan merubah lanskap politik tanahair dengan menempatkan PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat sebagi parti arus perdana baru yang disokong dan didokong oleh rakyat jelata. — harakahdaily.net
Dr M: No deal with Najib on Mukhriz
Many observers claim that Mahathir was one of the reasons behind BN’s by-elections defeat, saying the former premier’s spiteful speeches had influenced the non-Malay voters and fence-sitters to vote against BN.
Malaysiakini
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he had not brokered a deal with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for the inclusion of his son Mukhriz in the cabinet.
He rubbished talks that he had canvassed for Mukhriz to be named in Najib’s cabinet despite his youngest son losing the Umno Youth chief post to Khairy Jamaluddin.
He told a press conference held at his office in Putrajaya that he was not the sort to campaign or ask for special treatment for his son.
“Even though I am his father, I don’t make that sort of deal, nor would I speak for, campaign or ask for special treatment for him. If he loses in the (party) elections, that is his business.
“I never placed my son in the government even when I could have when I was the prime minister, but I did not,” Mahathir said.
He added that even when some Umno leaders had offered their constituencies to both his sons – Mukhriz and Mokhzani – but Mahathir said he did not condone this.
Speculations are rife that Najib would drop a bombshell by not picking Khairy to the cabinet and instead make Mukhriz a minister.
‘Already been found guilty of corruption’
Mahathir has openly demanded that Najib not include Khairy in the cabinet citing his alleged corruption charges made by the Umno disciplinary board.
“If he is appointed, it would bring bad omen to BN as he has already been found guilty of corruption (by the party disciplinary board),” reasoned Mahathir.
However, Najib could instead pick both Khairy and Mukhriz as deputy ministers as a compromise to appease both Mahathir’s and Khairy’s supporters in the party.
Even if the two Umno Youth rivals were appointed ministers, the former premier said he would still continue to “condemn” Khairy as he believed the latter’s alleged corrupt reputation would only sully the cabinet and the government’s image.
When asked who he thought should make it to the cabinet list, Mahathir said regardless of who they are, Najib has the duty to pick those who are not involved in any corrupt practices or seen to be corrupt.
Many new faces are expected to come into the picture apart from keeping the few leaders already known to be part of his camp in Umno.
Mahathir’s spiteful speeches upset non-Malays
Meanwhile, Mahathir also dismissed claims that he had been a major factor behind the two BN defeats in the two by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.
“BN’s vote did not decline, in fact it went up but not as much as PAS’ votes lah,” he said.
Many observers claim that Mahathir was one of the reasons behind BN’s by-elections defeat, saying the former premier’s spiteful speeches had influenced the non-Malay voters and fence-sitters to vote against BN.
Mahathir, however, conceded that the by-elections result show that the people have yet to change its mind about BN despite having a new leadership leading the ruling coalition.
“There are a lot of things that BN must do before the next general elections. It is difficult to change the people’s minds. Najib must be firm in healing the image of BN, especially Umno,” he said.
One of the ways to do this is to rid the government of corrupt leaders and practices, said Mahathir.
He also said it was up to Umno to decide whether the proposal made by MCA for a second deputy prime minister post from the MCA is a feasible one.
“But I must remind them that it is their (Umno’s) duty to consider the feelings of all other parties and not just MCA’s,” said Mahathir.
MCA leaders have claimed that should the new post be created, it would reflect the true nature of the country’s population and this would tally with Umno’s much publicised sloganeering of power sharing among the various races in the country.
The By-Elections: A Case of Too Little, Too Late for the Government?
By FARISH A NOOR
The by-elections in Malaysia this week have demonstrated in many ways the fact that Malaysia’s political landscape has changed very little over the past year. The ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) that is dominated by the UMNO party won the by-election in East Malaysia, but lost both by-elections in the West Malaysian states of Perak and Kedah. In the case of the latter, the results of the elections have shown that the prevailing political mood in West Malaysia remains in favour of the opposition made up of the parties of the Peoples’ Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), which won a majority of the votes in the Peninsula during the general elections of March 2008.
Political commentators and analysts will now set about dissecting the results of these elections and engage in the arcane art of political predictions: Not least for the simple reason that the by-election results will be seen as the peoples’ verdict on the standing and popularity of the country’s new Prime Minister, Datuk Najib Razak.
To read more please go to :
Khairy not expected to be in new Cabinet line-up
The SunDaily.com
|
|
KUALA LUMPUR (April 8, 2009) : Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin is not expected to be on the new cabinet line-up. Instead, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, who lost to Khairy in the Umno Youth election, is likely to be given the Youth and Sport portfolio, Sin Chew Daily reported today.
The report said Umno Youth vice-chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim, too, would probably be made a minister.
At least four ministries will be merged as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak downsizes his cabinet.
The most likely mergers are between Education and Higher Education Ministries and between Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and International Trade and Industry Ministry.
Sources said Najib will continue to helm the Finance Ministry while Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is expected to be named Deputy Prime Minister, will take charge of the Home Ministry.
|
|
Umno sources said Najib is taking bold steps in introducing new blood into his Cabinet as his list is said to contain a number of people who have no previous experience either as deputy ministers or parliamentary secretaries.
The new faces are said to include:
> the Umno supreme council member who was elected with the fourth highest number of votes, Datuk Azian Osman, who is tipped to be appointed minister in the Prime Minister’s Department;
> Razali, who is likely to replace Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib as rural and regional development minister; and
> Pontian MP Ahmad Mazlan, who is expected to to be appointed information minister, replacing Datuk Ahmad Shabbery Chik.
The second finance minister’s post is expected to go to Najib’s close ally Datuk Jamaluddin Jarjis who held the post in 2002 and was science, technology and innovation minister before he was dropped in the 2003 cabinet reshuffle.
|
|
Meanwhile, there are no clear indications regarding Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. A source said she will not be in the Cabinet while another said she will probably be made a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department or women, family and community development minister.
Former deputy defence minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin has a good chance of being appointed defence minister but there is also speculation that the post will go to Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal who was also a former deputy finance minister.
There is also speculation that Shafie will move to Foreign Ministry, beating early favourite Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz to the job.
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Umno vice-president elected with the highest number of votes, is tipped to take charge of the Trade and Industry Ministry, the merger of two ministries.
Another Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who has indicated his desire to stay in the Education Ministry, will likely be granted his wish.
Sources said there could be an Education Minister II post which is likely to go to the current deputy minister, Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who is MCA Youth chief.
|
|
However, there is also speculation that Ahmad Zahid will be appointed education minister whereas Hishammuddin will be moved to Trade and Industry.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, meanwhile, is tipped to be appointed tourism minister, replacing Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, who is likely to be dropped.
Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Mohd Nor Omar is expected to stay put.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is likely to be given a post but there are no indications whether he would be made energy, water and communications minister as speculated.
Apart from Jamaluddin, another former minister, Tengku Adnan Mansor, is also tipped to make a comeback. He is likely to be named Federal Territories Minister, a post he once held.
Altantuya accused Azilah: ‘I want to be free’
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 – One of the two accused in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri said in an interview that he wanted to be freed from the charge of murdering the Mongolian woman.
The Shah Alam High Court will deliver its verdict tomorrow and could hand out the death sentence on him.
Azilah, who is accused of murdering Altantuya Shaariibuu three years ago, made the statement to Bernama on the last day of his trial at the court in February.
Azilah’s words brought a smile on his fiancée Nur Azila Baharuddin. She had always been at his side throughout the trial to provide support.
And according to Nur Azila, if Azilah’s hopes come true, they will set their wedding on the possible earliest date.
Nur Azila said that that she is anxious about the court’s verdict tomorrow.
Meanwhile Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, the second defendant in the case, who prefers to keep to himself compared with Azilah, expressed the same feelings when asked the same question.
Corporal Sirul, smiled with a big grin and replied :”God willing there is some hope.”
Both members of the Special Action Force (UTK) completed their own defence without any witness.
Azilah, 33, who is represented by lawyers, Datuk Hazman Ahmad and J. Kuldeep Kumar presented his verbal testimony from the dock while Sirul Azhar, 37, who is represented by Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, Hasnal Redzua Marican and Ahmad Zaidi Zainal chose to read out the written testimony from the dock.
In the high profile trial that hogged the local and international media, the duo were charged with murdering the 28 year-old Altantuya, on Oct 20, 2006.
Initially they were tried together with the Executive Director of Malaysian Strategic Research Centre (MSRC), Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 48, who was charged with conspiring in the murder of Altantuya.
However on Oct 31, 2008, the political analyst walked out as a free man after the court found that the prosecution had failed to furnish proof on an important element on the conspiracy charge.
With Abdul Razak no more in the picture, the case lost its `glamour’ and the huge crowds who initially followed the case closely, dwindled.
Many Malaysians are not aware that the fate of the remaining two defendants will be decided by the court tomorrow.
Abdul Razak since has left to United Kingdom and is said to be taking up PhD at Oxford University.
The case has set many records including being the longest trial (159 days) with 84 witnesses being called for the prosecution and two for the defence.
According to records, Azilah has been incarcerated at the Sungai Buloh Prison for 891 days while Sirul Azhar 895 days. – Bernama
Sweet victory for Nizar in Bukit Gantang
The Nut Graph
TAIPING, 7 April 2009: In a major boost for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Perak, PAS’s Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin won the Bukit Gantang by-election tonight with a comfortable 2,789 vote majority over his Barisan Nasional (BN) opponent.
The embattled menteri besar, who was ousted in the BN takeover of the state in February, received 21,860 votes, against 19,071 votes for the BN’s Ismail Saffian. Results were announced by the Election Commission at 9.14pm at the vote-tallying centre at the Taiping Municipal Council Hall.
Independent candidate Kamarul Ramizu Idris received only 62 votes and will lose his RM10,000 deposit. Voter turnout was 75.1%, with a total of 41,626 votes cast out of a total of 55,562 voters. There were 456 spoilt votes.
Turnout was slightly higher when compared with last year’s general election at 72.6%. The winning majority was also significantly bigger as compared with 2008, when PAS candidate Roslan Shaharum won by 1,566 votes.
The Bukit Gantang by-election was necessitated by Member of Parliament (MP) Roslan’s death on 9 Feb. With this win, PAS keeps its number of parliamentary seats at 22, with the DAP having 28, and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) 30, giving the PR a total of 80 seats in Parliament. The BN has 138 seats, and there are four independent MPs.
It was sweet victory for Nizar, who is also the assemblyperson for Pasir Panjang. He had come under increasing attack in the run-up to polling day, with BN leaders portraying him as having committed treason against the Perak sultan, and for being the DAP’s puppet.
But the PR had hit back, calling on voters to use the by-election as a referendum on the BN takeover of the state, which they claimed was done illegally, and also on the new premier, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
To read more please go to :
http://www.thenutgraph.com/sweet-victory-for-nizar-in-bkt-gantang
Hard lessons from Bukit Gantang
Malaysia Today
Referendum on Perak and new PM
PAS’s win means it must continue to be centrist to retain support. It confirms the new trend realised in last year’s general election, that PAS can only perform among non-Malay Malaysian constituents when it cooperates with the DAP and PKR.
By Deborah Loh, The Nut Graph
DESPITE the Barisan Nasional’s earlier denial that the Bukit Gantang by-election was not a referendum on the country’s new leadership, the ruling coalition turned it into just that within the last few days before polling.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was brought in for the campaign and publicly endorsed Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the new prime minister, showering praises on his capabilities.
Mahathir plugged the new Umno leadership elected at its recent general assembly. “I am confident that Najib’s leadership reflects the original Umno,” the octogenarian ex-premier said.
Around the constituency, too, are BN posters and banners calling on voters to reject the PAS candidate as a way of showing disapproval, disgust even, for “traitors”. That is what PAS’s embattled menteri besar and candidate Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin has been called for his resistance to the Perak sultan’s decision not to allow a dissolution of the state assembly and refusal to step down.
But the BN seems to have forgotten that it, too, has “traitors” on its ship. The takeover of the state was formed through one defection by the Bota assemblyperson and three deserters who became “BN-friendly independents”.
At the end of the day, this might have been an ordinary by-election had it not been for two factors that preceded it: the Perak constitutional crisis, and Najib taking charge of the country’s administration.
In a way, PAS cleverly fashioned this by-election into a referendum on the Perak crisis when it chose Nizar as its candidate.
But even though PAS has won, it is still hard to gauge which issue voters had in mind as they cast their ballots today. Can sentiment about the Perak crisis and the sultan’s role be separated from public perception of the transition of national power to a new regime under Najib?
READ MORE HERE: http://www.thenutgraph.com/
The Power Of SMS 
leave a comment