Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 (Public domain; Wiki commons) WALKING can be political. East Germans tried crossing the Berlin Wall for the 28 years that it existed. Many eventually moved to the West through Hungary and Czechoslovakia after August 1989, and took to the streets in East Berlin en masse three months later. […]
Barisan Nasional
Shameful behaviour in Perak
By Deborah LohLIKE the 7 May 2009 sitting, proceedings in the Perak legislative assembly today, 28 Oct 2009, were again a showcase of unparliamentary behaviour and the state of political affairs at their worst. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s challenging of the forced seizure of its state government in February 2009 through defections and desertions is still morally […]
Umno still leads the way
By Deborah LohWill Najib wait for the MIC, MCA, Gerakan and PPP to play catch-up? AFTER the March 2008 general election, when public sentiment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) swirled dark and hopes were bright for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s multicultural politics, Umno was everybody’s favourite punching bag. Perhaps riding on public sentiment that favoured the opposition, […]
Game over for PR in Perak?
By Wong Chin HuatSIX months ago, when Datuk Seri Najib Razak first took over as prime minister in April 2009, no one would have expected him to be able to draw a mass rally numbering between 30,000 and 50,000 people in Perak. Indeed, he even avoided the campaign in the Bukit Gantang by-election a few days after his […]
Approval for Umno constitutional amendments
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Oct 2009: The Umno special general assembly today changed the rules of election for party posts by making it more open and abolishing the nomination quota system to stamp out money politics. The special assembly, which began at 12.20pm, ended an hour later with the delegates unanimously approving the proposed amendments tabled […]
Spinning Isa’s victory
By Ding Jo-AnnPolitician speak “The results show that the people have the full confidence in our two leaders. It is also a sign that voters, especially the Chinese and Indian [Malaysians], have now returned to support [the Barisan Nasional (BN)].” “My win is due to a combination of factors. People are now back with BN. They are […]
Winning the next elections
By Wong Chin HuatTHERE are three ways to understand the stunning outcome of the Bagan Pinang by-election: Najib, Isa and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). If you believe that the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s victory is really about Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia, then you would have to accept that Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and the money politics […]
The myth of Malaysian diversity
By Shanon ShahHERE’S a statistic to think about: the nine by-elections since the March 2008 general election have seen a total of 36 candidates contesting. Only two, or less than 5.6%, of these candidates have been women. The two were L Sarala, who contested in the record-breaking Bukit Selambau by-election in April 2009, and Aminah Abdullah, who […]
The Bagan Pinang victory
By Shanon ShahAFTER losing in all of the by-elections it has contested in the peninsula since March 2008, the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Bagan Pinang win must taste like ambrosia. The BN’s candidate from Umno, Tan Sri Isa Samad, polled 8,013 votes against the 2,578 votes garnered by PAS’s Zulkefly Omar. In fact, Isa’s majority of 5,435 votes […]
BN wins big in Bagan Pinang (Updated 10:40pm)
Updated at 10:40pm, 11 Oct 2009 PORT DICKSON, 11 Oct 2009: The Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Bagan Pinang state seat in Negeri Sembilan after its candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad defeated PAS candidate Zulkefly Mohamad Omar with a majority of 5,435 votes. Isa polled 8,013 votes while Zulkefly obtained 2,578 votes in […]
