KUALA KRAI, 13 July 2009: An independent election watchdog has slammed Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin‘s promise of a bridge in Manik Urai, should BN win in the by-election there, describing it as election graft. “The promise to give a bridge to Manik Urai voters if they vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) breaches […]
Umno
A tough battle for BN in Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewTuan Aziz visiting a school in Manik Urai Baru FOR the past week of the Manik Urai by-election, Abdul Aziz has been sitting on the porch of the Manik Urai Baru home of the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, overseeing a daily serving of breakfast. “Looking after the food,” Abdul Aziz says. “I support BN because […]
Zaid slams Najib’s administration
By Deborah LohUpdated 12 July 2009 at 11.05pm KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: In a blistering speech last night, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim attacked Datuk Seri Najib Razak on almost every score of the prime minister’s100-day administration. The former minister and former Umno member said Najib should have acted in his first three months of office “as if […]
Najib & Co. (Part 1)
By Gan Pei Ling“Give me a chance. I will reform and I will make changes.” Then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, speaking at a press conference at the Umno general assembly in April 2009, days before he was made prime minister. He said he was aware that some parties expected him to act in an authoritarian […]
The BN’s doublespeak in Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewView of BN flags on the ceiling IN George Orwell’s seminal work of dystopian fiction, Nineteen Eighty-Four, the totalitarian Ingsoc government employs, among its slogans, the phrase “Freedom is Slavery”. Orwell, who wrote at length about how “language can corrupt thought“, is credited with popularising the concept of “doublespeak”: language deliberately constructed to distort its […]
Testing PAS’s strength
By Zedeck SiewA large-sized PAS flag torn by heavy downpour in Manik Urai WITH nomination day concluded, the contest for Manik Urai is officially a two-way fight. The Kelantan state assembly seat has only 12,293 voters, of which 99.2% are Malay Malaysian. It is the smallest and most homogenous fight we’ve seen this year, and its election […]
PAS outnumbers BN at Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewIT’S official: the Manik Urai by-election is a straight fight between PAS candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat from Umno. Nomination, held at SMK Sultan Yahya Petra (1)’s Dewan Petra, began at 9am today, although supporters from both camps arrived much earlier. PAS supporters, over 10,000-strong, marched from […]
PAS-Umno fight in Manik Urai (Updated 11.40am)
By Zedeck SiewUpdated on 6 July at 11.40am Corrected at 9.15am on 6 July 09 (From left) Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, BN candidate Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin KUALA KRAI, 6 July 2009: Nomination day for the Manik Urai by-election began this morning in what is the […]
Manik Urai focuses on local issues
By Sharon TanKUALA KRAI: Religious, Malay and local issues are set to dominate the Manik Urai by-election, the seventh for the country since the 12th general election 16 months ago. Located at about the half-way point of Kelantan, Manik Urai will see political giants Umno and PAS battle it out for the votes of the Malay [Malaysian] […]
Karpal-Khairy name-calling in Parliament
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 2 July 2009: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parliamentarians staged a walkout in support of Karpal Singh who was ejected from the Dewan Rakyat today following an exchange of words with Umno Member of Parliament (MP) Khairy Jamaluddin. Karpal, the DAP chairperson, and Khairy, who is Umno Youth chief, locked horns over the fracas with […]