PAS supporters on nomination day, 17 Aug 2009 (Pic courtesy of theSun) THE Permatang Pasir by-election was an unquestionable success for PAS and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). PAS’s share of the total votes cast, excluding spoilt votes, went from 66.39% in the March 2008 elections to 65.50% — a drop of barely 1%. The reduction […]
Barisan Nasional
When the by-election dust settles”¦
By Deborah LohRANDOM, general observations about covering by-elections since March 2008: There has been a lack of substantive campaign issues. Umno always plays the race and religion card, and thinks prosperity and development are the only things that will make everyone happy. Of the eight by-elections in the past 18 months, I think the Kuala Terengganu by-election […]
The meaning of Permatang Pasir
By Deborah LohPAS candidate Mohd Salleh Man (right), Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Guan Eng on nomination day, 17 Aug (Pic courtesy of theSun) IT was a by-election the Barisan Nasional (BN) knew it would lose, but had to fight anyway. Unable to use the same excuse it had for opting out of Penanti, the BN went into Permatang […]
Permatang Pasir: PAS win likely
By Deborah LohBuka puasa delicacies outside a PAS centre in Permatang Pasir “ALL this is just to create the setting,” Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) elections director Saifuddin Nasution says. He waves his hand, gesturing towards a just-concluded press conference by PAS leaders in which they again harped on the disbarment of Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Rohaizat Othman. […]
Salleh Man’s role in Permatang Pasir
By Deborah LohPAS candidate Mohd Salleh Man THE fate of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Penang rests on the shoulders of one man, Mohd Salleh Man. If the PAS candidate in the Permatang Pasir by-election loses at the polls tomorrow on 25 Aug 2009, the alliance will have no co-operation to speak of within the state government. PAS […]
Mudslinging, Islam and betrayal
By Deborah LohWILL the Permatang Pasir by-election confirm that Malay Malaysian voters and the youth vote is returning to the Barisan Nasional (BN) just as they were believed to have in Manik Urai? Will it affirm PAS’s place as an Islamist party in the Pakatan Rakyat despite the recent flaps over beer sales in Selangor, and over […]
BN’s offer in Permatang Pasir
By Deborah LohRohaizat Othman AT 1am on Wednesday, 19 Aug 2009, Rohaizat Othman finally appears for this interview after a day of campaigning. The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Permatang Pasir by-election looks terribly exhausted as he walks into the sparse media room at the BN by-election headquarters in Permatang Pasir. The BN command centre is […]
The Permatang Pasir question
By Deborah LohBarisan Nasional candidate Rohaizat Othman (left) and Mohd Salleh Man of PAS greet each other behind face masks (All pix courtesy of theSun) THE Permatang Pasir by-election on 25 Aug 2009 is a chance for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to test what the public thinks of their cobbled partnership, post-March 2008 general election and following […]
Umno Youth: Phantom voters in Permatang Pasir
BUTTERWORTH, 17 Aug 2009: Umno Youth has claimed the existence of phantom voters in the Permatang Pasir state constituency which will be having a by-election on 25 Aug. Its chief Khairy Jamaluddin said he had received reports on a number of Malay Malaysian voters whose listed home addresses were actually occupied by Chinese Malaysian families […]
Who wants a united Malaysia?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinTM ad as featured in Berita Harian, August 2009 I DON’T know about anyone else, but I’m confused about whether our political leaders, from both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), really want national unity as they claim. Predictably, ever since the prime minister announced the ideals of 1Malaysia, we’ve had a […]