THEY say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Hulu Selangor, if a poster is worth a 1,000 votes, Barisan Nasional (BN) would win the by-election hands down. The BN has literally “gone to town” with their campaign posters. Over a dozen different poster designs proclaim the wonders of the BN government in this […]
Pakatan Rakyat
Campaign promises and goodies
By Deborah Loh, Ding Jo-Ann and Jacqueline Ann SurinIn the BN corner “The development of vacant land and the UiTM campus is perceived to be able to stimulate industrial growth in the area and capable of creating business and job opportunities.” BARISAN Nasional (BN) Hulu Selangor candidate P Kamalanathan, on how to improve the economic prospects of Hulu Selangor residents. Kamalanathan is also […]
BN’s “nice guy” offer for Hulu Selangor
By Ding Jo-AnnBN candidate P Kamalanathan, with his wife Shobana “CALL him Abang Kamal,” says Umno member Abdul Razak Baba, referring to the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Hulu Selangor candidate P Kamalanathan, when visiting Bukit Sentosa on 19 April 2010. Abdul Razak is not from Hulu Selangor, but he is accompanying Kamalanathan in the Malay Malaysian majority area. […]
Hulu Selangor’s significance
By Deborah LohUpdated 10.55am, 19 April 2010 BN candidate P Kamalanathan (left) and PKR candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim HULU Selangor, the 10th by-election since national polls in March 2008, is a fight neither the Barisan Nasional (BN) nor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) can afford to lose. The BN needs to prove its sincerity about its rhetorically inclusive 1Malaysia […]
Principles vs personalities
By Chan Kheng HoeMATTHIAS Chang seems to have a way with people. Bear in mind that Chang’s greatest claim to fame, in the public’s eye, is to have been political secretary to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for a brief period. Now ask yourself, how many political secretaries have been so publicly scorned by others? Additionally, Chang has gone […]
“A country that works for everybody”
By Deborah LohHannah Yeoh (all other pics courtesy of Hannah Yeoh) LIKE many young politicians in Pakatan Rakyat, Hannah Yeoh became one out of necessity. Opposition parties needed young professionals to stand as candidates in the 2008 elections, and Yeoh, then 29, felt she had a duty. Political life and work as DAP’s state assemblyperson for Subang […]
Democratic parties are possible
By Shanon Shah(Pic by Jirikabele / Dreamstime) WHEN the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government dismissed local government elections and school elections on the grounds that these involve “politicking”, it was telling us that it either misunderstands democracy, or holds it in contempt. But when the Selangor and Penang Pakatan Rakyat (PR) governments pushed to restore local government […]
Why is the BN against local elections?
By Wong Chin HuatAT least on the surface, the Barisan Nasional (BN) agrees with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) on two things: ethno-religious inclusion and governmental reforms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia and Government Transformation Programme are basically the BN’s answer to the PR’s ketuanan rakyat and “competency, accountability and transparency“. But the two coalitions now differ […]
PKR’s resignations
By Shanon ShahWITHIN a month, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has been rocked with the resignations of high-profile party leaders, including three federal lawmakers. Bayan Baru Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim quit in early February 2010, followed by Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng a fortnight later. It might have been easy to dismiss […]
Mission: Democratisation
By Wong Chin HuatI HAVE no doubt that a two-party system is better than the one-party state we currently live in. However, what is desirable is not necessarily viable. As I have argued, blind faith in the feasibility of a two-party system may lead to either one-party predominance (under the Barisan Nasional [BN] or Pakatan Rakyat [PR]), or […]