Source: The Star
People’s Verdict from the 2 Bukit’s By-elections Results
Press statement
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives
The unsurprising verdict from the recent by elections in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau is resoundingly clear – that the majority of Malaysia’s voters – rural and urban, Malays and non-Malays, rich and poor – no longer have faith in BN rule. These are several key messages that BN leaders and their supporters have to take to heart if they want to win back the support of the electorate.
1. The Malaysian electorate clearly sees through electoral charm offensives and political sloganeering and can distinguish between what it perceives to be truth from falsehood, honesty from deception and sincerity from hypocrisy. The continued political spinning and unashamed partisanship of the official mass media is now no longer a plus for the BN. It is a disaster. When the new Prime Minister in one of his first official functions has to go on record to remind the media to be a critic of government so that leaders would not be arrogant and abuse their power as well as to ensure that BN leaders do not feel that they are “invincible???, it is a loud wake up call to our media editors and their senior staff to go back to class to relearn their basic journalism ethics 101 and to begin practicing reporting “without fear of consequence???.
2. A second key message is that there is such a thing as “overkill??? in trying to attain power through fair or foul means. The vicious and racist campaign to demonize Nizar, Anwar and the opposition backfired not only because many Perak voters – including many Malays – feel that the BN have unfairly toppled the legitimate state government from power but also because the tactics employed by the BN went well beyond the limits in terms of public notions of decency and acceptable political behavior. One would have expected that the BN would have learnt this lesson from recent past elections but there appears to be an almost automatic and mechanical response amongst BN leaders in reaching out for the nearest grab bag of the most opportunistic political tricks and rhetoric to ensure staying in power.
3. The third key message is that most Malaysians want real change now and not in the distant future. The more the BN leaders engage in the wayang kulit of rhetorical promises and false reform, the more Malaysians will become cynical and will refrain in voting in support of them. Tee Keat, the MCA leader, in his post elections statement has acknowledged that there is a long journey ahead for the BN and conceded that “much to be done as well as undone before we can firmly say BN is well grounded with the people and to know how to serve the people.??? The problem with this statement is that it comes more than one year after the momentous March 08 results when the tide of popular opinion was already clearly in support of reform. During that one year when the window for reform and change was wide open, BN leaders – collectively, and not UMNO alone – have not only slammed the door shut but have taken the country backwards, especially through the opportunistic seizure of power in Perak, and through the enactment of watered down and illusionary reforms.
In summary, the electorate wants the BN to stick to its promise of reform now not later. It wants the BN to walk the talk on accountability, the fight against corruption, the protection of basic rights and freedoms, and scrupulous adherence to the norms of a developed and not mutant democracy. Finally, it wants the BN to fight the elections fair and square and not attempt to rig the contest for the right to lead the country through underhand tactics such as cooptation of what should be neutral agencies of the state. There is for all political organizations – even the most entrenched ones – a certain moment in time when they can act to change direction and salvage their fortune before it becomes too late and they become irretrievably consigned to the dust-bin of history. That moment is now before the BN.
Kuala Lumpur, April 8, 2009
By-election results news coverage and commentaries from different media sources
CPI tries its best to collate from a variety of sources the news coverage and commentaries on the three by-elections, their significance flowing from the results, especially just days after Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak assumed the nation’s premiership; and also the longer term implications for the key leaders involved from both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat parties. — Editor, CPI
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Pakatan scores higher in 2 Bukits, BN keeps Batang Ai – The Malaysian Insider
UPDATED AT 11pm
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Wounded from losing Perak, Pakatan Rakyat fought back with greater ferocity to retain both Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau with bigger majorities, reinforcing a two-party concept and striking a blow to new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “One Malaysia??? idea.
Najib’s ruling Barisan Nasional kept the Batang Air state seat in Sarawak with a bigger majority but the results laid bare the lie that its Election 2008 defeat was due to former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s weak leadership.
Ironically, Abdullah’s trenchant critic and predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad campaigned vigorously yesterday for Barisan Nasional in both Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau and endorsed Najib as a better leader for the country’s future.
The people in Peninsular Malaysia decided otherwise, with Bukit Gantang giving PAS candidate Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin a higher majority of 2,789 votes in what was seen as a referendum of BN’s putsch in Perak when it ousted the popular mentri besar.
Far from being a washed-up has been politician known for defying a state Ruler, the Pasir Panjang state assemblyman will now have a national stage to fight his cause apart from increasing the Pakatan Rakyat numbers to 82 in Parliament.
In the Kedah state seat of Bukit Selambau, the first scent of BN’s loss came when candidate Datuk S. Ganesan told reporters he will not turn up at the counting centre in Sungai Petani. PKR’s S. Manikumar retained the seat with an increased majority of 2,403 votes and won himself a state executive councillor post.
Their victories have brought to four by-election wins by the Pakatan Rakyat after earlier victories in Permatang Pauh last August that returned PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Parliament and in Kuala Terengganu which was won from Barisan Nasional.
Anwar was happy with the results, conceding they did not expect to win in Batang Ai which he had earlier declared was the beachfront to take Sarawak.
“Malaysians want to change irrespective of the new PM. They still want a change. They are stronger in their support for Pakatan Rakyat,” he told reporters near Taiping.
He said he was satisfied with the results and glad about the Bukit Selambau win where Manikumar was one of 15 candidates, the largest field of candidates in Malaysia.
Asked if the Bukit Gantang results reflected the people’s desire for fresh state elections, Anwar said: “Certainly there should be fresh elections.”
Perak Umno secretary Datuk Ramly Zahari said: “We still maintained the Malay votes that we got in 2008.”
He said the non-Malays voted for PAS because of the populist policies of the PR-led state government including awarding permanent land titles to new villagers.
“And probably our strategy was also not right. We couldn’t focus much on the by-election because of the party elections and in Perak itself we have been busy with the political turmoil,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas said the results were more disappointing than his own defeat in Election 2008, adding he believed BN could win and this was not a referendum on Najib who is widely blamed for ousting Nizar.
“Don’t prejudge him. He has not formed his Cabinet yet, give him time,” Kayveas said in Taiping.
“Najib’s takeover and changes are yet to be felt on the ground. It will take six or seven months for it to be felt,” he said, adding some did not even know that ISA detainees had been released.
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the defeats reflected a desire for real change and it would take time for BN to regain the people’s trust and accept there is only one political master, the people.
“We have a long journey ahead and there is much to be done as well as undone before we can firmly say BN is well grounded with the people to know how to serve the people.
“We must seize the opportunity to change or be forever silenced,” said the Transport Minister, adding the setback will spur BN to work harder while the win in Batang Ai is encouraging ahead of the Sarawak state election.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said the results were a reminder that BN has to effect reforms more concretely. “Admittedly, the results showed BN has yet to turn the tide in regaining support from the people, especially the non-Malay voters,” he said in a statement.
The former Penang chief minister said BN should learn lessons from these by-elections and retune its strategy and approach, which he described as the great challenge for the next two years.
But he said BN has a good platform to perform, implement positive reforms and good policies benefiting the people as it remained the federal government and, in winning Batang Ai, retained the confidence of Sarawak’s rural people.
Barisan Nasional’s only consolation was in Sarawak where Batang Ai returning officer Nelson Mujah declared BN’s Malcom Mussem Lamoh the winner at 7.40pm to thunderous applause.
He won with 3,907 votes against PKR’s Jawah Gerang’s 2,053 in the remote constituency of 8,006 voters where the voter turnout was 71 per cent (5,670 voters).
Election officials said the final turnout in Bukit Gantang was 75 per cent or 41,626 out of 55,562 voters while it was 70 per cent in Bukit Selambau or 24,687 voters from 35,140 voters.
Counting started at 3pm in Batang Ai while election officials said counting began at 5.30pm in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.
There were stand-offs between rival supporters in both Bukit Gantang, where riot police earlier fired tear gas, and Bukit Selambau where police had to stop them from throwing water-bottles at each other.
Riot police fired tear gas in Pengkalan Changkat Jering to disperse rival supporters in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election but voters continued to stream in to cast their ballots.
Polling was more peaceful in Batang Ai and Bukit Selambau, although the Kedah state seat had tense moments when PAS supporters stopped several busloads of people suspected of being phantom voters. Police said they were just BN supporters.
Witnesses said the FRU were called into the SMK Pengkalan Aur polling centre in Air Kuning, Changkat Jering to diffuse tension between rival supporters who threw bottles and chairs at each other between 11am and 12.30pm.
Some of the elderly who came out to vote were affected by the tear gas which was apparently fired at the Barisan Nasional side. Apart from the FRU, police Light Strike Force personnel had to rush around the parliamentary constituency to keep both PAS and Barisan Nasional supporters apart.
A downpour at 1pm in Bukit Gantang did not last long, and the sun was back within the hour, bringing the voters streaming back.
Election officials said the final turnout in Bukit Gantang was 75 per cent or 41,626 voters while it was 70 per cent in Bukit Selambau (24,687 voters). In Batang Ai, Election Commission chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said it was 71 per cent (5,670 voters).
Bernama reported that six out of the 25 polling stations in Batang Ai were closed by 11am due to the small number of voters.
Sarawak EC director Takun Sunggah said the polling stations were at SK Ulu Engkari, SK Nanga Delok, SK Nanga Aup, Sempang Kemas kindergarten, Salcra Batang Ai multi-purpose hall and the Nanga Patoh Agriculture Office.
It is learnt that at least three buses with suspected phantom voters were stopped in Lubok Antu. They are now being held at the police station.
The EC said in the three by-elections, senior citizens and women were the majority of voters in the morning, while more young voters were expected to cast their ballot papers in the afternoon and evening.
In Sungai Petani, Kedah EC director Zainal Abidin Zakaria said the voting process for the Bukit Selambau seat went on smoothly and the fine weather was the reason many came out to vote in the morning at the 22 polling centres.
Kedah police chief Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said police were patrolling the roads and monitoring all the voting areas besides carrying out air surveillance.
“So far, so good. No untoward incident has happened except for some shouting and jeering by party supporters in the hot spots,??? he said.
He also said a busload of BN supporters was mistaken for phantom voters by their political rivals.
Later, police said two men, one aged 37 and the other 54, were detained at Kampung Bukit Lembu this morning for stopping the bus, which was carrying BN election workers to their assigned stations across the constituency.
Police said the two men, driving a Toyota MPV, cut across the path of the bus and forced it to stop before boarding it and preventing the driver from proceeding with his journey.
Manikumar arrived at his SMK Taman Ria Jaya voting centre and told reporters he was hoping for a bigger majority. He is one of 15 candidates running for the state seat, making it the largest field of candidates in electoral history.
His BN opponent, Datuk S. Ganesan, was seen casting his vote at SJKT Ladang Perbadanan Kedah.
Independent candidate M. Vinsen has complained of discrepancies in the ballot papers at the Institut Kemahiran Mara polling centre.
He said that his name was placed next to someone else’s logo in the ballot paper. He also said that his name was misspelt in the ballot counting box which would be used for the counting process later.
Vinsen said he has lodged a police report and intends to take action against the EC. But the commission said it was a mistake that has been rectified.
Earlier, some supporters prayed for Nizar’s success at the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election, where a victory will be seen as vindication for his short tenure as Perak mentri besar before he was ousted in February.
He was mobbed by supporters outside the Sekolah Kebangsaan Changkat Jering but booed by BN supporters who greeted him with shouts of “Traitor??? for having defied the Perak Ruler by refusing to quit as mentri besar.
The Bukit Gantang constituency has traditionally been pro-Umno but they voted for PAS in 2008 due to dissatisfaction with outside Umno candidate, party treasurer Datuk Azim Zabidi.
The BN candidate is local boy Ismail Saffian, who is confident of faring better and regaining the seat.
Ismail arrived at the SRK Bukit Gantang about 8.45am to cast his vote and told reporters later that he expected victory with a 3,000-vote majority. Apart from Nizar, the other candidate is independent candidate Kamarul Ramizu Idris.
BN supporters were quieter and seemed content to wave BN and Umno flags. All shows of support have been peaceful thus far.
However, seven police Light Strike Force personnel complete with helmets, shields and armed with batons had to form a barrier between vocal PAS and BN supporters outside one voting centre.
Taiping OCPD Asst Commissioner Raja Musa told reporters Light Strike Force personnel have been placed outside all voting centres to monitor and prevent rising tensions. The normally sleepy constituency and its main town of Taiping was heavy with traffic and there was congestion in some areas.
Supporters from both sides are providing transport for voters to the polling centres which closed at 5pm.
The by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai were held following the death of the incumbents, Roslan Shaharum (PAS) and Datuk Dublin Unting Inkot (BN) respectively, while in Bukit Selambau it was due to the resignation of its assemblyman V. Arumugam (PKR).
Picture source: The Star
Pakatan Rakyat win in Bukit Gantang a strong signal to BN – The Sun
Giam Say Khoon
TAIPING (April 7, 2009) : The Pakatan Rakyat convincingly retained the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat today with a “landslide??? majority of 2, 789 votes.
Former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad, garnered 21, 860 votes in the three-cornered fight against Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Ismail Saffian who obtained 19, 071 votes while independent candidate Kamarul Ramizu Idris, received only 62 votes.
A total of 41, 626 voters or 75.1% of the registered voters casted their ballots which was higher than the 72.4% turnout during the general election last year. There were 456 spoiled votes.
The parliamentary seat which fell vacant following the death of PAS MP Roslan Shaharum, of a heart attack on Feb 9,
Roslan had secured the seat with a majority of 1, 566 votes also in a three-cornered fight against BN’s Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi and independent candidate M. Mohganan during the general election last year.
Meeting the Press after the announcement of result was made by the Election Commission returning officer Datuk Mahmud Mursidi at 9.40pm, Mohammad Nizar, 52, said he was very happy that PR had won the by-election.
“As a MP for Bukit Gantang, I will do my job cleanly, proudly, justly and transparently…
“The result is a great signal to the federal government that the people do not want any more corruption and injustice. They want fairness, justice, good governance and a good democratic system,??? he told reporters.
“I think this election, with the majority that I have been given by the voters actually sends a lot of signals to everyone….. even to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the people want good governance.
“In a way it (the by-election) is very much a referendum; it is a manifestation of the requirements and needs of the people in Malaysia and Perak.
“It is a referendum to show that we want pure democracy, the right to the people to elect their government on a fair and just manner.
“As a prime minister (Najib), he should have the unifying factor, which he is actually lacking at the moment, so the signal is that credibility is lacking on his side.
“Something needs to be cleaned before the whole Malaysia will unanimously agree that he is the prime minister and that is the message which is strongly sent to him now,??? he added.
Mohammad Nizar said the people want the Perak state government to be dissolved to give them the right to choose the right government under an arranged democratic system.
“We do not want any policy made with racial elements and discrimination in governing Malaysia and Perak,??? he said.
Asked as to his immediate concerns, Mohammad Nizar said he wants to unify the people of Bukit Gantang so that they can work with PR.
“We are going to request for a quick and urgent dissolution of the Perak government so that the constitutional crisis in Perak can be resolved and that will be my immediate action to stabilise the political scenario in Perak,??? he added.
More than 5,000 of supporters from the PR had filled up the Jalan Kota in the Taiping town from 7pm to await the results of the election.
This is the third election for a parliamentary seat that the BN has lost to the Pakatan Rakyat after the Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu seat since the general election last year.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, through a phone interview, told the press that the by-election results sends a message that Malaysians want to change irrespective of the new prime minister.
“They (the people) are stronger in their support for PR,??? he said.
Asked if the political tsunami still blows after the last general election, he replied: “Certainly.???
Anwar also said he was very satisfied with the results of the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections although PR did not expect to win in Batang Ai.
On the most important factor in winning the two seats, he said it was the result of three parties working cohesively as a team.
The total number of registered voters is 55,462, of which 63.5% are Malays, 27.1% Chinese, and 9.1% Indians.
Ironically, Abdullah’s trenchant critic and predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad campaigned vigorously yesterday for Barisan Nasional in both Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau and endorsed Najib as a better leader for the country’s future.
The people in Peninsular Malaysia decided otherwise, with Bukit Gantang giving PAS candidate Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin a higher majority of 2,789 votes in what was seen as a referendum of BN’s putsch in Perak when it ousted the popular mentri besar.
Far from being a washed-up has been politician known for defying a state Ruler, the Pasir Panjang state assemblyman will now have a national stage to fight his cause apart from increasing the Pakatan Rakyat numbers to 82 in Parliament.
In the Kedah state seat of Bukit Selambau, the first scent of BN’s loss came when candidate Datuk S. Ganesan told reporters he will not turn up at the counting centre in Sungai Petani. PKR’s S. Manikumar retained the seat with an increased majority of 2,403 votes and won himself a state executive councillor post.
Their victories have brought to four by-election wins by the Pakatan Rakyat after earlier victories in Permatang Pauh last August that returned PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Parliament and in Kuala Terengganu which was won from Barisan Nasional.
Anwar was happy with the results, conceding they did not expect to win in Batang Ai which he had earlier declared was the beachfront to take Sarawak.
“Malaysians want to change irrespective of the new PM. They still want a change. They are stronger in their support for Pakatan Rakyat,” he told reporters near Taiping.
He said he was satisfied with the results and glad about the Bukit Selambau win where Manikumar was one of 15 candidates, the largest field of candidates in Malaysia.
Asked if the Bukit Gantang results reflected the people’s desire for fresh state elections, Anwar said: “Certainly there should be fresh elections.”
Perak Umno secretary Datuk Ramly Zahari said: “We still maintained the Malay votes that we got in 2008.”
He said the non-Malays voted for PAS because of the populist policies of the PR-led state government including awarding permanent land titles to new villagers.
“And probably our strategy was also not right. We couldn’t focus much on the by-election because of the party elections and in Perak itself we have been busy with the political turmoil,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas said the results were more disappointing than his own defeat in Election 2008, adding he believed BN could win and this was not a referendum on Najib who is widely blamed for ousting Nizar.
“Don’t prejudge him. He has not formed his Cabinet yet, give him time,” Kayveas said in Taiping.
“Najib’s takeover and changes are yet to be felt on the ground. It will take six or seven months for it to be felt,” he said, adding some did not even know that ISA detainees had been released.
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the defeats reflected a desire for real change and it would take time for BN to regain the people’s trust and accept there is only one political master, the people.
“We have a long journey ahead and there is much to be done as well as undone before we can firmly say BN is well grounded with the people to know how to serve the people.
“We must seize the opportunity to change or be forever silenced,” said the Transport Minister, adding the setback will spur BN to work harder while the win in Batang Ai is encouraging ahead of the Sarawak state election.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said the results were a reminder that BN has to effect reforms more concretely. “Admittedly, the results showed BN has yet to turn the tide in regaining support from the people, especially the non-Malay voters,” he said in a statement.
The former Penang chief minister said BN should learn lessons from these by-elections and retune its strategy and approach, which he described as the great challenge for the next two years.
But he said BN has a good platform to perform, implement positive reforms and good policies benefiting the people as it remained the federal government and, in winning Batang Ai, retained the confidence of Sarawak’s rural people.
Barisan Nasional’s only consolation was in Sarawak where Batang Ai returning officer Nelson Mujah declared BN’s Malcom Mussem Lamoh the winner at 7.40pm to thunderous applause.
He won with 3,907 votes against PKR’s Jawah Gerang’s 2,053 in the remote constituency of 8,006 voters where the voter turnout was 71 per cent (5,670 voters).
Election officials said the final turnout in Bukit Gantang was 75 per cent or 41,626 out of 55,562 voters while it was 70 per cent in Bukit Selambau or 24,687 voters from 35,140 voters.
Counting started at 3pm in Batang Ai while election officials said counting began at 5.30pm in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.
There were stand-offs between rival supporters in both Bukit Gantang, where riot police earlier fired tear gas, and Bukit Selambau where police had to stop them from throwing water-bottles at each other.
Riot police fired tear gas in Pengkalan Changkat Jering to disperse rival supporters in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election but voters continued to stream in to cast their ballots.
Polling was more peaceful in Batang Ai and Bukit Selambau, although the Kedah state seat had tense moments when PAS supporters stopped several busloads of people suspected of being phantom voters. Police said they were just BN supporters.
Witnesses said the FRU were called into the SMK Pengkalan Aur polling centre in Air Kuning, Changkat Jering to diffuse tension between rival supporters who threw bottles and chairs at each other between 11am and 12.30pm.
Some of the elderly who came out to vote were affected by the tear gas which was apparently fired at the Barisan Nasional side. Apart from the FRU, police Light Strike Force personnel had to rush around the parliamentary constituency to keep both PAS and Barisan Nasional supporters apart.
A downpour at 1pm in Bukit Gantang did not last long, and the sun was back within the hour, bringing the voters streaming back.
Election officials said the final turnout in Bukit Gantang was 75 per cent or 41,626 voters while it was 70 per cent in Bukit Selambau (24,687 voters). In Batang Ai, Election Commission chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said it was 71 per cent (5,670 voters).
Bernama reported that six out of the 25 polling stations in Batang Ai were closed by 11am due to the small number of voters.
Sarawak EC director Takun Sunggah said the polling stations were at SK Ulu Engkari, SK Nanga Delok, SK Nanga Aup, Sempang Kemas kindergarten, Salcra Batang Ai multi-purpose hall and the Nanga Patoh Agriculture Office.
It is learnt that at least three buses with suspected phantom voters were stopped in Lubok Antu. They are now being held at the police station.
The EC said in the three by-elections, senior citizens and women were the majority of voters in the morning, while more young voters were expected to cast their ballot papers in the afternoon and evening.
In Sungai Petani, Kedah EC director Zainal Abidin Zakaria said the voting process for the Bukit Selambau seat went on smoothly and the fine weather was the reason many came out to vote in the morning at the 22 polling centres.
Kedah police chief Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said police were patrolling the roads and monitoring all the voting areas besides carrying out air surveillance.
“So far, so good. No untoward incident has happened except for some shouting and jeering by party supporters in the hot spots,??? he said.
He also said a busload of BN supporters was mistaken for phantom voters by their political rivals.
Later, police said two men, one aged 37 and the other 54, were detained at Kampung Bukit Lembu this morning for stopping the bus, which was carrying BN election workers to their assigned stations across the constituency.
Police said the two men, driving a Toyota MPV, cut across the path of the bus and forced it to stop before boarding it and preventing the driver from proceeding with his journey.
Manikumar arrived at his SMK Taman Ria Jaya voting centre and told reporters he was hoping for a bigger majority. He is one of 15 candidates running for the state seat, making it the largest field of candidates in electoral history.
His BN opponent, Datuk S. Ganesan, was seen casting his vote at SJKT Ladang Perbadanan Kedah.
Independent candidate M. Vinsen has complained of discrepancies in the ballot papers at the Institut Kemahiran Mara polling centre.
He said that his name was placed next to someone else’s logo in the ballot paper. He also said that his name was misspelt in the ballot counting box which would be used for the counting process later.
Vinsen said he has lodged a police report and intends to take action against the EC. But the commission said it was a mistake that has been rectified.
Earlier, some supporters prayed for Nizar’s success at the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election, where a victory will be seen as vindication for his short tenure as Perak mentri besar before he was ousted in February.
He was mobbed by supporters outside the Sekolah Kebangsaan Changkat Jering but booed by BN supporters who greeted him with shouts of “Traitor??? for having defied the Perak Ruler by refusing to quit as mentri besar.
The Bukit Gantang constituency has traditionally been pro-Umno but they voted for PAS in 2008 due to dissatisfaction with outside Umno candidate, party treasurer Datuk Azim Zabidi.
The BN candidate is local boy Ismail Saffian, who is confident of faring better and regaining the seat.
Ismail arrived at the SRK Bukit Gantang about 8.45am to cast his vote and told reporters later that he expected victory with a 3,000-vote majority. Apart from Nizar, the other candidate is independent candidate Kamarul Ramizu Idris.
BN supporters were quieter and seemed content to wave BN and Umno flags. All shows of support have been peaceful thus far.
However, seven police Light Strike Force personnel complete with helmets, shields and armed with batons had to form a barrier between vocal PAS and BN supporters outside one voting centre.
Taiping OCPD Asst Commissioner Raja Musa told reporters Light Strike Force personnel have been placed outside all voting centres to monitor and prevent rising tensions. The normally sleepy constituency and its main town of Taiping was heavy with traffic and there was congestion in some areas.
Supporters from both sides are providing transport for voters to the polling centres which closed at 5pm.
The by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai were held following the death of the incumbents, Roslan Shaharum (PAS) and Datuk Dublin Unting Inkot (BN) respectively, while in Bukit Selambau it was due to the resignation of its assemblyman V. Arumugam (PKR).
Picture source: The Star
Opposition wins 2 seats – Straits Times Singapore
April 7, 2009
BUKIT GANTANG (Malaysia) – A MALAYSIAN minister has conceded defeat for the ruling National Front coalition in two of the three constituencies where special elections have been held.
The results from Tuesday’s elections are a setback for new Prime Minister Najib Razak as the elections were seen as a referendum on his leadership.
International Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin says the National Front lost elections in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in the northern Perak state. He says the Front also lost in Bukit Selambau where a seat was contested for the Kedah state assembly.
The Front won an assembly seat in Sarawak state.
Mr Muhyiddin says ‘the feel-good factor’ from Mr Najib coming to power on Friday is still ‘too new and has not sunk in.’
Facing the worst recession since the Asian financial crisis of a decade ago, voters turned out in large numbers in the poor northwestern state of Perak in a parliamentary election triggered by the death of the MP.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamist Party (PAS) said the result in which their majority for that seat rose to 2,789 votes from 1,566 votes was a judgement by the people of a putsch staged by Prime Minister Najib Razak this year to seize power in the state.
‘People are just sick with the political turmoil in Perak and this is an indictment on them (the government),’ PAS Deputy President Nasharudin Mat Isa said after the results.
The results were in line with expectations and showed that Mr Najib and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) that is the lead party in the ruling coalition have failed to reconnect with voters after a poor showing in elections a year ago.
‘The results show that UMNO can no longer hope to be successful campaigning mainly on ethnic nationalist issues on the back of an economic crisis and governance issues,’ said Ibrahim Suffian, of the Merdeka Center, an independent pollster.
Overall, nearly 100,000 voters were eligible to cast ballots on Tuesday. Turnout in Perak was 75 per cent, more than that in the 2008 general election when the government stumbled to its biggest ever election losses, ceding control of five states and losing its once iron-clad two-thirds parliamentary majority. — REUTERS, AP
Picture source: The Star
PAS retains Bkt Gantang – The Star
TAIPING: PAS’ Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin won the Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election with a majority of 2,789 votes.
He beat Barisan Nasional’s Ismail Saffian and independent Kamarul Ramizu Idris.
The 52-year-old former Perak mentri besar garnered 21,860 votes against Ismail’s 19,071. Kamarul Ramizu only managed to secure 62 votes and lost his deposit.
Ismail, 49, is the only local candidate in this three-cornered contest. Nizar, who hails from Kampar, is a registered voter in Pasir Panjang in the southern part of Perak.
Barisan’s expectation of securing more support by fielding a local candidate did not materialise. The coalition managed to get 622 more votes compared with the 18,449 votes it had secured in 2008 general election.
PAS, through Nizar, who was said to be banking on sympathy votes after the Barisan takeover of Perak state, improved its vote count by 1,845 votes compared with the 20,015 votes it garnered in 2008.
The by-election — largely seen as a referendum on Barisan’s move to capture the state from Pakatan Rakyat by getting three of the latter’s state assemblymen to quit parties of the Pakatan alliance — was called following the death of its Member of Parliament Roslan Shaharum of PAS in February.
In the last general election, the late Roslan had scored an upset over Umno’s Datuk Abdul Azim Zabidi with a majority of 1,566 votes.
Intermittent rain did not deter voters from coming out to exercise their democratic rights. Turnout was 75.1% or 41,626 of the total 55,562 voters, slightly higher than 72.65% in the 2008 general election.
In fact, the turnout this time was the highest ever for the constituency which was created in 1986. In the last six elections, the average turnout was only 70%.
This semi-rural parliamentary constituency is made up of the three state constituencies of Changkat Jering, Trong and Kuala Sepetang.
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PKR’s Manikumar wins in Bukit Selambau – The Malaysian Insider
By Shannon Teoh
The win in the mixed constituency is a fillip for the PAS-led government of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak as speculation of defections to topple the Pakatan Rakyat continues to swirl.
With Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu’s MIC also failing to deliver the crucial tie-breaking Indian votes who make up 30 per cent of the electorate here, it also brings the beleaguered party on the brink of irrelevance.
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Nizar wins! – The Malaysian Insider
By Adib Zalkapli and Debra Chong
The by-election was widely seen as a referendum on the newly-formed Perak government led by BN’s Datuk Dr Zambry Kadir and today’s outcome was the clearest sign yet that the move by the coalition to form the new state government has not gone down well with the people.
BN formed the government in February after three PR lawmakers left the alliance to become BN-friendly independents and Nizar’s attempt to dissolve the state assembly to pave the way for state-wide election failed.
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Polls loss puts pressure on Perak government and Najib – The Malaysian Insider
By Lee Wei Lian
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — The win by Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, the ousted mentri besar of Perak, in tonight’s by-election in Bukit Gantang will likely place additional pressure on the Barisan Nasional state government, say some political analysts.
The by-election was widely perceived to be a referendum of sorts on whether Pakatan Rakyat’s Nizar or BN’s Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir, who was sworn in by the Sultan of Perak in February, is the people’s choice.
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A good result for Malaysia — The Malaysian Insider
APRIL 7 – No matter which way you cut it, this was not the result Datuk Seri Najib Razak or Umno/Barisan Nasional hoped for. They dreamt of 3-0 but believed that 2-1 (Batang Ai and Bukit Gantang) was in the bag, based on ground reports.
Instead, the scorecard read 1-2 for the ruling coalition with the BN candidate victorious only in the state seat in Sarawak. Worse yet, Pakatan Rakyat’s candidates not only withstood the might of the BN machinery in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, they returned with bigger majorities than 12 months ago.
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New PM fails to staunch opposition rise – The Malaysian Insider
TAIPING, April 7 — New Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak suffered an early blow after just four days in power when the opposition scored a big win in a tense by-election that was billed as a referendum on his premiership.
Facing the worst recession since the Asian financial crisis of a decade ago, voters turned out in large numbers in Perak in a parliamentary election triggered by the death of the MP.
PAS said the result in which its majority for that seat rose to 2,789 votes from 1,566 votes was a judgment by the people of a putsch staged by Najib this year to seize power in the state.
“People are just sick with the political turmoil in Perak and this is an indictment on them (the government),” PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa said after the results.
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Voters rejected Najib: Anwar – Straits Times Singapore
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
KUALA LUMPUR – THE defeat of Malaysia’s ruling coalition in two by-elections signals a clear rejection of new Prime Minister Najib Razak, the opposition said on Wednesday, voicing concern he will resort to repression to cement his power.
The ruling coalition brushed off the losses, saying Mr Najib needs more time to make an impression.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said his People’s Alliance increased the margin of victories in Tuesday’s polls despite Mr Najib’s pledge of wide-ranging reforms after taking office last Friday.
‘Clearly, it is a referendum (on Najib) because the entire line of (the government’s) campaign was that ‘We have a new leader, give him a chance.’ That has crumbled,’ he told reporters. The results ‘demonstrated that the people of Malaysia remain committed to change,’ he said. The three-member People’s Alliance retained a Parliament seat in northern Perak state and a state seat in northern Kedah state.
It lost in the race for a rural state seat in Sarawak on Borneo island, but Mr Anwar said the opposition suspected foul play because vote-counting was not done in the polling booths but taken to another center in at least 14 areas. The polls were to fill vacancies caused by two deaths and one resignation. The results do not change the balance of power at the federal or state level.
The National Front coalition has downplayed the loss, saying Najib has yet to make his mark. ‘The feel-good factor from the power transition is still too new and has not sunk in,’ said Mr Najib’s right-hand man, Muhyiddin Yasin.
‘I am confident that when the new leadership begin their duties and when reforms are implemented, it will convince the people,’ said Mr Muhyiddin, who is expected to be appointed deputy prime minister in the new Cabinet. Mr Najib is likely to announce his Cabinet on Thursday or by next week.
Mr Anwar warned that Mr Najib may resort to draconian measures to seal his rule, especially following the return of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to the ruling party. Dr Mahathir, who ruled for 22 years until 2003, was known for his authoritarian ways.
‘We expect more repressive measures by Najib as advised by the old prime minister. There is this strong consternation that the old order, the old regime that is repressive and intolerant, will be back,’ he said.
Mr Anwar said Tuesday’s by-elections had given renewed momentum to his opposition alliance and voiced confidence it could ‘easily form the next government’ in general elections due by 2013. He renewed his call for fresh elections in Perak state, which was won by the opposition in March 2008 general election but controversially clawed back by the National Front earlier this year through defections. — AP