Day: April 1, 2013

There have been many misleading, incorrect and even baseless reports about Pakatan Rakyat negotiations on seats allocations which I think should be put straight for the record, viz:

Firstly, the Pakatan Rakyat leadership decision that I leave the comparatively safe seat of Ipoh Timor which I had won with a majority of over 21,000 votes in 2008 for Gelang Patah, which was won by the MCA/BN with a majority of some 9,000 votes in 2008 and a humongous majority of 31,666 votes in 2004 in a mission to help propel a “political tsunami” in Johore for Pakatan Rakyat to arrive in Putrajaya in the 13GE was not in exchange for any seat.

Secondly, the proposal that DAP allow PKR’s Chua Jui Meng to contest in Segamat is under discussion and negotiation. Continue reading “27-year-old Liow Cai Tung, product manager, is DAP candidate for Johor Jaya state assembly seat – a “7227” partnership of the old, middle-aged and young”

Tun Mahathir has come to Johor to help UMNO/Barisan Nasional fight Pakatan Rakyat’s Battle of Gelang Patah, which seeks to create a political tsunami from the south spreading to the rest of Malaysia, crossing the South China Sea to Sabah and Sarawak, to effect the first peaceful and democratic transition of federal power in the nation’s 56-year history.

In his speech in Johor Baru last night, Mahathir urged Johor folk to end my political career in Gelang Patah in the 13GE, saying:

“If he wants to contest in Penang, Malacca, we can understand but want to attack Umno’s fortress in Johor is stupid, doesn’t make sense.”

He further said:

“Lim Kit Siang wants to come here (to contest). I urge the people of Johor, all communities should pool their energy to ensure that the state of Johor will be the ‘burial ground’ for Lim Kit Siang’s politics.

“We must ensure that he (Kit Siang) loses in Johor. The state of Johor will continue to become the ‘fixed deposit’ for BN (Barisan Nasional).” Continue reading “Invitation to Mahathir to contest in Gelang Patah and let the voters of Johore decide whether Gelang Patah should be mine or his “political kubur””

Johor, my birth state, is arguably the most important state in Peninsular Malaysia in the upcoming 13th general elections. Not only does it have the largest number of parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia (26), it is also a state where, unlike in the past, the BN can no longer guarantee a clean sweep of all or almost all of the parliament and state seats.

I have outlined the four objectives of the Battle of Gelang Patah last week. Objective One is to target the 6 Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in South Johor. Objective Two is to target a total of 19 Parliamentary and 30 State Assembly seats in the whole of Johor, which includes the South Johor seats mentioned in Objective One. Objective Three is to target 33 out of the 83 Parliamentary seats in the BN ‘fixed deposit’ states of Johor, Sabah and Sarawak in order to reach the magic number of 112 parliament seats. Objective Four is to win an additional 12 seats to win 125 parliament seats and obtain a comfortable governing majority of 28 seats.

Why do I feel confident that the winds of change are blowing sufficiently strongly in Johor so much so that it will no longer be a BN ‘fixed deposit’ state in GE13? There are at least three reasons.

Firstly, we have seen how big swings in the past have allowed the opposition to make significant gains. If these swings are big enough, it may even allow the opposition to win a majority of seats and gain control of a state government.

We saw this in Selangor in 2008. From 1995 to 2004, the opposition failed to win a single parliament seats in this state, including the 1999 general elections where the BN suffered a backlash from the victimization of Anwar Ibrahim, especially among the Malay voters. From 1995 to 2004, the most number of state seats won by the opposition was 6 out of a total of 48 state seats (1/8th or 12.5% of total state seats). And yet, in 2008, the opposition’s share of the popular vote jumped from 34% in 2004 to 55% in 2008, a massive swing of 21%! As a result, the opposition parties – PKR, PAS and DAP – won a majority of parliament seats (17 out of 22) and well as state seats (36 out of 56), thereby ushering in a Pakatan state government in Selangor for the first time in Malaysia’s history.
Continue reading “10-day Countdown to 13GE – Three reasons why Johoreans will vote in record numbers for Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general elections”

by Martin Jalleh

by Martin Jalleh

by Mohd Farhan Darwis
The Malaysian Insider
April 01, 2013

JOHOR BARU, April 1 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told Johor folk last night to end Lim Kit Siang’s political career in Gelang Patah in Election 2013 as Barisan Nasional (BN) brought out the veteran leader to defend its political fortress from an opposition onslaught.

In his usually truculent self, the country’s longest-serving prime minister also took swipes at other opposition leaders such as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, saying the 13th general election was the occasion to end Kelantan mentri besar’s political career

“Now Lim Kit Siang wants to come to Johor as it’s easy for him to win anytime he wants. Johoreans must crush him to the end… to ensure it is his last day in politics,” Dr Mahathir told thousands at a people’s housing project launch organised by Pulai Umno outside Hospital Permai near here.
Continue reading “Dr M comes to Johor BN’s defence, tells voters to end Kit Siang’s political career”

(On 31st March 2013, the DAP Gelang Patah Declaration “A Vision and Strategy for Indian Empowerment” was formally launched in Gelang Patah at a historic meeting attended by DAP national, state and local leaders including DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegeran, DAP MPs Gobind Singh Deo (Puchong), Charles Santiago (Klang) and Manogaran (Teluk Intan), former Senator S. Ramakrishnan, DAP State Assemblymen including Perak Assemblyman for Sungkai A. Sivanesan and Negri Sembilan Assemblyman for Senawang P. Gunasekaren.

The DAP Gelang Patah Declaration will be the basis for the DAP continued espousal of the cause of the Malaysians Indians to end their deplorable status as the new underclass in Malaysia. – LKS)

DAP Gelang Patah Declaration – A Vision and Strategy for Indian Empowerment

DAP offers justice, peace and equality for all.

DAP puts the aspirations of the people at the centre of its social and economic policies.

DAP recognizes BN’s 56 year rule has created unequal distribution of wealth, resulting in poverty among Indians and other vulnerable groups. But we shall ensure fair and effective distribution of our national wealth. The needs of the marginalized groups will be addressed under DAP.

Our policies will help all marginalized communities, especially the Indian poor and the lower middle-classes.

The Gelang Patah Declaration aims to create an enabling environment for the Indian community. DAP recognizes the significant contribution and struggles of the Indian community and wants to re-affirm, through this Gelang Patah Declaration, that under our leadership there will be improvement of their inherent rights and standard of living. Continue reading “DAP Gelang Patah Declaration: A Vision & Strategy for Indian Empowerment”