Dilemma for Sg Siput voters

SUNGAI SIPUT (April 23, 2013): The battle between two strong names – PSM's Dr Michael Jeyakumar and MIC's Datuk S.K. Devamany – leaves voters in a dilemma over who to choose to champion their interests.

The tug-of-war is not just between the "clenched fist" and the "balance", but between a face that is familiar and hardworking but lacking in resources, and someone who has not been tried and tested but has access to resources.

Although Devamany is known to have strong support in Cameron Highlands, where he served for 10 years, in Sungai Siput, he is a new face.

"Devamany is from Ipoh but he was not here for many years and in Sungai Siput, he is a new face. We are not sure how much he can do for us.

"Dr Kumar (Jeyakumar), on the other hand, we know very well. We have seen his work, his efforts," said R. Kalaiarasi, 40, who attended Devamany's meet-the-people session here on Sunday.

The Indian community's anger towards MIC may seem to have subsided since the last general election but their impression of the party has not changed.

"Devamany may be a good man, but MIC is not …" Meenakshi Ratnam, 38, told theSun.

This general election will be a tough fight for Devamany as the people in Sungai Siput are trying to see him separate from his party.

The people generally greeted him warmly and praised his humility.

However, their reactions noticeably changed when Devamany's MIC allies appeared.

Asked why this was so, a few who attended, said on condition of anonymity that the people here still had doubts about MIC championing their interests in the long term.

"I am not sure about his (Devamany's) influence here but if my family and I decide to vote for him, it may be because of his reputation and not in support for the MIC.

"Many of us still cannot accept MIC as the Indians' party… they always do things for themselves, their own families," said a 43-year-old man who only wanted to be identified as Manikanthan.

He said it was not easy for the people to vote for MIC again, but added that he went to the sessions organised by MIC to see how much the party was doing for the people.

A 69-year-old retired school teacher, who did not want to be named, said: "MIC cannot be in denial. They must accept that people have seen how they have been all these years."

He said MIC is offering funds to develop Tamil schools and said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has approved the funds, but added: "But it seems like the Indians are only relevant to the government in times of election."

Acknowledging the "good work" of Jeyakumar during his tenure, especially in land issues and housing lots for the communities, M. Malliga, 50, said he has to struggle to obtain funds for development.

"But MIC is rich," she said, referring to the accessibility of funds by MIC through the BN.

She said people can see that if MIC wins Sungai Siput it has the resources and funds to help the constituents but asked: "Will this be permanent?"

Several men at a Chinese kopitiam in town shared the retired teacher's sentiment, saying: "The poor people are only visible during elections."

"We see MIC flags here and there for the last few months. They are trying to show their presence here again. We will see…" said Chau Hong, 53, who was having breakfast with some friends at a coffee shop in town.

"That MP Kumar (Dr Jeyakumar) did help the people. You ask these people doing business, they will tell you about Kumar," said Chau Hong's friend who declined to be named.

It was an interesting sight when a mechanic, who has been operating a small workshop for over 30 years, welcomed Jeyakumar into his workshop and showed him all the previous campaign brochures and letters from Jeyakumar.

Although he openly expressed his support for Jeyakumar, he refused to be named, saying: "I am doing business here, I do not want to face problems later."

Jeyakumar, who relies mainly on his service to the people and their loyalty to him and PSM, would have to struggle for the bigger picture of his service under the Pakatan Rakyat banner, while Devamany's struggle is to convince voters to trust him and MIC.

Best man win!!!

The mother of all battles

IN the months leading up to the polls, the general sense that everyone had was that the Lembah Pantai battle between PKR's Nurul Izzah and Umno's Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin would be the one to watch. Nothing would be more exciting.

Even when DAP's Lim Kit Siang announced he would be contesting in Johor, of all places, that in itself would not have eclipsed the Lembah Pantai contest. However, when Umno decided to field former Johor mentri besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman to defend Gelang Patah, it became THE contest to watch.

This is, to borrow a phrase from Saddam Hussein, "the mother of all battles" in GE13. No other contest involving any other national level leader would be this exciting. Not even close.

Most of us probably had not heard of Gelang Patah before this. Like many constituencies in Johor, it's a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold. Despite the fact that it has a slight Chinese majority demographic, it managed to withstand the political tsunami that swept through most of Peninsular Malaysia in 2008.

Gelang Patah was firmly in MCA's grip through four election cycles. In 2004, its candidate Tan Ah Eng had a whopping majority of more than 30,000 votes. Although her majority was decreased to slightly under 9,000 votes in 2008, it was still a comfortable margin.

So, why is Kit Siang doing this? There are multiple reasons. One very basic one is to win a new parliamentary seat for DAP. This is something he has done throughout his career, moving from one constituency to another and establishing new strongholds for his party.

He stumbled once, in 1999, when he tried to win a new seat for DAP in Penang and lost. But he came back and managed to take a new seat for DAP in Perak in 2004. Overall his track record is pretty impressive.

But going to Johor is not just about winning an additional seat for his party. There is some psychological warfare at play here. It's about striking into the heart of BN country, much like how PAS's Datuk Husam Musa is contesting in Putrajaya.

It does wonders to boost the morale of his party and the Opposition coalition.

When Kit Siang chose Gelang Patah, he probably thought he would end up going against Jason Teoh, a relative lightweight next to him. Even if MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had taken up his challenge to contest there, Kit Siang probably figured he could win rather easily.

BN responded with a shock-and-awe strategy by fielding Ghani, without question the biggest name in Johor politics. And he's not some divisive figure like Ibrahim Ali or Zulkifli Noordin, but rather a leader with a genuinely moderate image who is seen to have done a good job as mentri besar.

This surely would have taken Kit Siang by surprise but it's not something that will rattle him. He's battled big names before. In 1986, he took on then rising star Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, and won. Then in 1990, he took on the legendary Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and won. Will he be able to score a hat-trick?

To analyse the odds, one has to look at the demographics. About 53% of the electorate is Chinese, 34% Malays and 13% Indian.

A lot of different voting configurations have been bandied about but there seems to be general sense that Kit Siang has to win at least 70% of the Chinese votes, 50% of the Indian votes and 20% of the Malay votes to defeat Ghani.

Will he be able to garner at least 70% of the Chinese votes? Most political observers seem to think so. Whether he can get at least 50% and 20% of the Indian and Malay votes, respectively is another thing. That's the big unknown.

Next, let's look at the prospects for these men. Both Ghani and BN have to win in order for Ghani to still have any political career to speak of. If Ghani wins but BN loses, he doesn't have much to look forward to as an opposition MP.

If Ghani loses but BN wins, his career is over as he probably won't be made a minister via senatorship in a BN cabinet.

In contrast, if Kit Siang wins but Pakatan Rakyat (PR) loses, he would be regarded as a hero who's set the stage for a further onslaught into BN territory in the next election, much like what he did in Perak (he won in 2004 and by 2008, PR was able to win that state).

If Kit Siang loses but PR wins, it's almost certain he would be made a senator in a PR cabinet.

So, although it's a high stakes game for both, in the final analysis, Ghani probably has more to lose. One thing's for sure though, the whole nation will be watching the outcome of this most exciting contest in Gelang Patah.

Bila ada 3 nakhoda dalam 1kapal,karamlah jawabnya!!!

Hukum hudud akan dilaksanakan sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih kerajaan Persekutuan walaupun DAP menentang keputusan tersebut, kata Timbalan Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Dr Haron Din.
"Saya yakin DAP akan menerima hukum hudud kerana kesanggupan mereka untuk bertanding dengan menggunakan lambang PAS. Namun ia hanya akan dilaksanakan selepas Pakatan Rakyat diberi mandat untuk memerintah negara.
"Pakatan harus mengambil alih kerajaan Persekutuan. Selepas itu barulah kami boleh meminda Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud," katanya selepas melawat ibu tunggal di Guar Sanji, Selasa.
Walaupun DAP membantah pelaksanaan hukum hudud beberapa tahun lalu, Dr Haron berkata kini ia tidak lagi menjadi isu.
Dr Haron, yang merupakan calon PAS Parlimen Arau berkata, parti Pakatan haruslah 'memberi dan menerima' dalam usaha untuk bekerjasama.
Sebagai contoh, katanya, DAP harus bersetuju dengan keputusan PAS untuk tidak membenarkan penggunaan kalimah Allah di kalangan orang bukan Islam.
Sementara itu, dalam satu majlis berasingan di Alor Setar, Ketua Dewan Ulama Pas, Datuk Harun Taib berkata semua wanita Islam harus memakai tudung, bukan saja di kalangan pelajar tetapi penyampai berita.
Memuji pendekatan bekas Naib Presiden Umno, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib untuk mempromosikan cara hidup Islam, beliau menegaskan kempen tersebut adalah untuk menggalakkan wanita Islam memakai tudung dan tidak disasarkan kepada kumpulan spesifik.
"Ia perlu disasarkan kepada semua wanita Islam," katanya pada Selasa.
Bagaimanapun, beliau berkata wanita Islam tidak boleh dipaksa untuk memakai tudung.
Harun berkata demikian bagi mengulas kenyataan Muhammad pada Isnin selepas menyertai PAS yang menegaskan terdapat pembaca berita di kalangan wanita Islam dan kanak-kanak sekolah tidak memakai tudung..Mstaronline

DAP tak akan laksanakan,PKR pastikan tiada hudud lepas menang tapi PAS nak hudud.Kata sekepala ,tapi dalam kes hudud pun da tak ngam..ape cite nie ??

Ceramah Anjuran BN Nibong Tebal Dicemari Insiden Letupan

Seorang petugas keselamatan cedera di kaki kanan akibat terkena bahan letupan ketika majlis ceramah perdana anjuran Barisan Nasional (BN) berlangsung di pekarangan Bilik Gerakan BN Nibong Tebal di sini Selasa malam.

Timbalan Ketua Polis negeri Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar berkata mangsa berusia 30-an itu dikejar ke Hospital Sungai Bakap untuk rawatan lanjut dan keadaannya dilapor stabil.

Beliau berkata polis sedang menyiasat punca sebenar kejadian yang berlaku pada 10.15 malam itu, dan tidak menolak kemungkinan ia perbuatan khianat.

"Kita telah arahkan Unit Bom dan Forensik untuk menyiasat jenis letupan yang digunakan," katanya kepada pemberita di lokasi kejadian.

Abdul Rahim berkata hasil siasatan akan dimaklum secara terperinci pada satu sidang akhbar secepat mungkin.

Terdahulu, majlis yang dihadiri 3,000 orang itu menjadi kecoh apabila orang ramai bertempiaran lari selepas terkejut mendengar satu letupan kuat pada jarak kira-kira 10 meter dari bahagian belakang pentas ucapan.

Ketika kejadian, Pengerusi Gerakan Pulau Pinang Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan sedang menyampaikan ceramah.

Bagaimanapun, majlis yang bermula pada 8.30 malam itu diteruskan seperti biasa dengan kawalan ketat anggota polis dan berakhir pukul 12.30 malam.

Sementara itu, beberapa saksi kejadian yang berada berhampiran pentas ketika ditemui berkata mereka terkejut mendengar letupan kuat berkenaan dan masing-masing berlari menyelamatkan diri.

Seorang saksi yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Micheal, 39, berkata sewaktu kejadian, beliau baharu tiba di lokasi kejadian dan hanya sempat mendengar ceramah kira-kira 10 minit sebelum terkejut dengan letupan itu dan menyelamatkan diri bersama isterinya.

Katanya, letupan itu sangat kuat seperti bom menyebabkan semua orang terkejut dan suasana menjadi riuh rendah sebelum beliau ternampak seorang lelaki cedera dan dibawa ke hospital.

Seorang lagi saksi yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Ahmad, 58, berkata letupan itu dari longgokan sampah di belakang pentas.

"Letupan itu menyebabkan sampah berterbangan sehingga terpercik dan mengotori beberapa buah kenderaan, mujurlah serpihan bahan letupan itu tidak mengenai saya," katanya.

Pengerusi BN negeri Teng Chang Yeow pula menyifatkan insiden itu mencemar nama baik demokrasi dan mahu segala bentuk amalan politik yang menjurus ke arah keganasan dihentikan serta-merta. - BERNAMA

Siapa dalang disebalik kejadian ini??Dalang harus dihukum!!

Undi awal 30 April, tetapi polis sudah mengundi semalam?

Warga internet semalam kecoh apabila laporan yang mengatakan kertas-kertas undi untuk anggota polis sudah mula diedarkan semalam sedangkan pengundi awal hanya akan berlaku 30 April ini.

Beberapa blog semalam mula menyiarkan beberapa gambar kertas undi untuk Parlimen Setiawangsa dan Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur mula diedarkan kepada anggota polis untuk proses undian.

Padahal menurut SPR sebelum ini, istilah pengundi pos sudah tidak ada dan hanya berlaku pengundian awal.

(Kertas undi untuk Parlimen Bandar Tun Razak yang diterima anggota polis undi undi pos)

Pengundian awal pula menurut SPR akan bermula 30 April, lima hari sebelum pengundian berlaku iaitu pada 5 Mei.

"Salah seorang sahabat seorang anggota Polis mendakwa telah diarahkan untuk mengundi hari ini meskipun difahamkan tarikh pengundian awal sepatutnya ialah 30 April," lapor blog Milo Suam semalam.

Selain itu, terdapat foto yang menunjukkan kertas undi kepada petugas pilihan raya terbabit turut dicetak dua nombor siri berbeza iaitu di borang dan kertas undi.

Pengendali blog Milo Suam ketika dihubungi mengesahkan perkara ini.

Beliau menerima panggilan dari rakannya itu dan memaklumkan mengenai.

"Saya minta dia memberikan bukti, lalu dia ambil gambar kertas undi itu dan dihantar kepada saya," katanya kepada Harakahdaily.

Selain itu, anggota polis di Bandar Tun Razak juga mula menerima kertas undi bersama sampul semalam.

Laman facebook Polis Diraja Malaysia pula mengesahkan undi pos bermula 23 April 2013 di samping undi awal yang akan bermula 30 April.

Berikut penjelasan polis dalam laman web Polis Diraja Malaysia itu.

#PRU13 #GE13 KEKELIRUAN ANTARA UNDI POS DAN UNDI AWAL:

Merujuk kepada kekeliruan yang ditimbulkan melalui media sosial berkaitan anggota polis sudah mula mengundi, berikut adalah perbezaan di antara Undi Pos dan Undi Awal:

UNDI POS - akan diadakan lebih awal iaitu sebaik sahaja kertas undi dicetak dan pengundi pos perlu mengembalikan kertas undi yang telah ditanda kepada Pegawai yang bertanggungjawab untuk menyerahkan kepada Pejabat Pegawai Pengurus selewat-selewatnya pada jam 5.00 petang pada hari mengundi. Bagi PRU 13, undi pos telah bermula PADA 23 April 2013 iaitu setelah pihak PDRM menerima kertas undi dari pihak Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR).

UNDI AWAL - akan diadakan lebih awal sebelum tarikh pengundian biasa. Kertas-kertas undi yang telah ditanda akan disimpan dengan selamat dan akan dibuka untuk pengiraan pada jam 5.00 petang pada hari pengundian sebenar. Bagi PRU 13, pengundian awal telah ditetapkan pada 30 April 2013.