THE 1 Aug 2009 anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) street rally attracted big crowds scattered around the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The throng of people easily numbered 20,000 but could have been more. Demonstrators sported headbands, T-shirts and banners that decried the draconian law. They called for the Act, which allows for indefinite state detention without […]
Zedeck Siew
Fighting crime
By Zedeck SiewVandalised sign in Kuala Lumpur warning readers against becoming the next snatch theft victim (© Kubhaer Jethwani / Flickr) ONE night in April 2009, Hazwan Haili was out for drinks with friends in the Masjid India area of downtown Kuala Lumpur. “As I was walking back to my car I was rushed by two guys […]
Sweeping police percentages!
By Zedeck SiewSHAH ALAM, 20 July 2009: The investigation into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, 30, is 60% completed, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. FOLLOWING reactions to the terrible tragedy of political aide Teoh on 16 July 2009, I was drawn to the figure put forth by police chief Musa: 60%. […]
The BN strikes back in Manik Urai
By Wong Chin HuatThe BN campaign headquarters in Manik Urai BY any account, PAS’s marginal victory in Manik Urai is virtually a loss for the party. Its winning margin has been slashed by a whopping 1,287 votes, from 1,352 votes in 2008 to a wafer-thin 65 votes on 14 July 2009. In percentage, the decline is all the […]
PAS’s slim victory in Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewMohd Fauzi Abdullah (with pink tag) and other PAS leaders celebrating their narrow win TALKING to reporters after PAS candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah was officially announced as the victor in the Manik Urai by-election, PAS treasurer and Kuala Krai Member of Parliament Dr Hatta Ramli quoted former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “As Mahathir […]
Polling in Manik Urai
By Zedeck Siew
KUALA KRAI, 14 July 2009: Polling for the Manik Urai by-election began today at 8am at nine polling stations and would continue until 5pm. As of 1pm today, voter turnout was about 76%, or 9,359 of the 12,293 registered voters. As both PAS candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Tuan Aziz Tuan […]
Status quo in Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewThe bridge connecting Manik Urai Lama with Manik Urai Baru. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would promise on 12 July to build a new bridge — on the condition that the Barisan Nasional was voted in ON 12 July 2009, after a final rally for the Manik Urai by-election campaign, PAS spiritual leader […]
Sensationalist reporting in Manik Urai!
By Zedeck SiewCOVERING the Manik Urai by-election has been a non-stop whirlwind; it has been, by far, the most intense contest Malaysians have experienced this year. A reporter barely has time, between the tight schedule and horrific broadband speeds, to even check his or her e-mail — practically every minute was devoted to the deluge of news. […]
Sedate in Manik Urai
By Zedeck Siew
THE 10-day-long campaign period for the Manik Urai by-election has been quite sedate, with few hard issues gaining any traction in this rural constituency in Kelantan. The campaign trail was peppered instead with the question of Kelantan’s petroleum royalties; the absence of PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa from party campaigns until 11 July 2009; […]
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 […]
