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Kit Siang: Soi Lek killing the people’s hope for change

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Lim Kit Siang accused Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today of destroying the people’s hopes by dictating that they had no choice but to accept the status quo in the present administration under Barisan Nasional (BN).

This, said the DAP adviser, was reflected in Dr Chua’s recent reminder to the Chinese community that their hopes should be based on the political realities in Malaysia.

Lim insisted that the MCA president had missed the point when he challenged PKR to abolish Malay privileges, pointing out that the opposition had never argued over the special position of the Malays as enshrined under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

The point of contention, said Lim, was the BN government’s “blatant abuse” of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and refusal to implement needs-based affirmative action policies.

“His (Dr Chua’s) theatrics interest no one. Article 153 is not an article of controversy… it does not arise. The point of controversy is that the NEP must go.

“Dr Chua is just trying to create something out of nothing so that the people are distracted from the focal issues.

“Now that the people have some hope that for the first time, they have a proper alternative, he is trying to quash that hope,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider today. Continue reading “Kit Siang: Soi Lek killing the people’s hope for change”

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MCA leadership showing itself even more irrelevant after its ignominious rejection by voters in Sarawak state elections

The MCA leadership is showing itself to be even more irrelevant after its ignominious rejection by the Sarawak voters in the Sarawak state elections on Saturday.

MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi had gone to Sarawak as Barisan Nasional paramount Chinese leader and other MCA Ministers and leaders as “heroes” and “saviours” of SUPP but they all returned as pygmies.

One of the biggest mistakes made by SUPP in the recent Sarawak state elections was to expect the MCA and Gerakan leaders to save them, when SUPP leaders should have realized that these very MCA/Gerakan leaders could not save themselves or their own political parties!

This is the reason for the recent extraordinary MCA political gyrations with the MCA President egging on SUPP to boycott the Sarawak state cabinet while a MCA Vice President called on Tan Sri Abdul Taib to quit as Sarawak Chief Minister as he has lost the support of the Chinese community in the state.

All very correct and proper – except they reek of political hypocrisy and raised a mountain of questions, such as what the four MCA Ministers and seven Deputy Ministers are doing in the Federal Cabinet; why Chua did not review MCA’s earlier unprincipled decision in 2008 to be part of government when he took over as MCA President but instead was more interested to get his son appointed as Deputy Minister and elevate his confidantes in government through the Senate backdoor; and whether the MCA leadership would dare to tell Najib to resign as PM as it is asking Taib to quit as Chief Minister?
Continue reading “MCA leadership showing itself even more irrelevant after its ignominious rejection by voters in Sarawak state elections”

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Call for “1Melayu, 1Bumi” by Utusan Malaysia final confirmation that Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign is big vote-getting circus

Utusan Malaysia, Umno’s official organ, today provided the final confirmation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia campaign is not a serious nation-building concept but a big vote-getting sham and circus involving 1Malaysia T-shirt, 1M Tupperware, 1M mineral water, 1M burger, 1M email a/c and other new-fangled 1M paraphernalia yet to be conjured up by 1M fortune hunters.

Utusan Malaysia’s call today for UMNO to spearhead a 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement involving all Malay parties, based on the lie and canard that the DAP is intent on toppling the country’s Malay leadership, marks the culmination of a two-year anti-1Malaysia campaign by Utusan Malaysia.

This is irresponsible and anti-national politicking at the gutter worst – trying to pit race against race in plural Malaysia based on lies, calumnies and falsehoods.

This is the old politics of race which must give way to the politics of Malaysian multi-racialism which Utusan Malaysia editors and their “real masters” are fighting against and resisting to the last – but are condemned to defeat. Continue reading “Call for “1Melayu, 1Bumi” by Utusan Malaysia final confirmation that Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign is big vote-getting circus”

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DAP’s giant killer groomed by MCA

By Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | Malaysiakini

When assigned by then MCA president Ong Ka Ting to revive the party’s UK Club in 2005, Ling Sie Kiong never thought that he would one day become a candidate for the opposition.

More than that, he has turned ‘giant killer’ at the age of 28, unseating SUPP president and deputy chief minister Dr George Chan in the Sarawak election concluded on Saturday.

“I met Ong at Sheffield University when I was looking for sponsorship as president of the UK Malaysian Law Students Union,” said Ling in a phone interview, fresh from his electoral success.

“He suggested I revive the dormant MCA UK Club. My friends and I accepted the challenge. We then set up branches in different universities and also created a website for the club.”
Continue reading “DAP’s giant killer groomed by MCA”

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Chua Soi Lek : “SUPP should stay out”

Tweets @limkitsiang

MCA ChuaSoiLek urges SUPP boycott Swak state cabinet bcos Swak 416 g/e results. Will CSL direct MCA 2quit Najib’s Cabinet 4similar reason?
April 17, 2011 9:21 PM

CSL wants 1hijack SUPP 2serve MCA interests! http://bit.ly/ftu9m1 Chua: It shouldn’t accept Cabinet posts without public support (Star)
April 18, 2011 9:08 AM

Problem when SUPP leadrs vainly looked 2CSL KSK 2save them in Swk g/e when both cannot save MCA Gkan. Will CSL now act on his advice 2SUPP?
April 18, 2011 9:17 AM

Will 4MCA Ministers 7DepMinistrs act on CSL’s advice 2SUPP n annce their posts r suspended pending MCA Central Cttee decision whthr 2resign?
April 18, 2011 9:51 AM
Continue reading “Chua Soi Lek : “SUPP should stay out””

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Why Chua Soi Lek dare not declare that Ling and Chan were innocent and that they are victims of selective prosecution by Attorney-General?

Just saw the unusual Merlimau and Kerdau double by-election polling day statement by MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, which is reported by The Malaysian Insider under the headline “Dr. Chua: Kit Siang using PKFZ as vote bait”.

Congratulations! The MCA President has issued a statement which even MCA leaders and members don’t believe, let alone the Malaysian people at large.

I am not interested in trading accusations.

What is obvious is that Chua continues to avoid the issues raised by the corruption charges preferred against the former No. 1 and No. 2 of MCA when they were Transport Ministers in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, including:

Firstly, why the MCA President dare not declare that the MCA and in particular the MCA leadership are convinced that the two former top MCA leaders were innocent of the corruption charges made against Ling and Chan in connection with the PKFZ scandal?

Secondly, why he dare not declare that Ling and Chan are victims of selective prosecution by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail, when no other political personalities particularly from UMNO, have been charged for the same PKFZ scandal? Continue reading “Why Chua Soi Lek dare not declare that Ling and Chan were innocent and that they are victims of selective prosecution by Attorney-General?”

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Why no protest by CSL at Ling and Chan being singled out for corruption charges in connection with RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal without any Umno personality being charged?

Many questions are swirling in the minds of Malaysians over the corruption charges against former MCA President, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and former MCA Deputy President, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal which do not enhance public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of the Attorney-General, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the judiciary.

Firstly, why the MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek endorsed the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s prosecution of Ling and Chan as Chua had publicly said after Chan was charged in court on Monday that “anyone who had committed an offence in the eyes of the Attorney-General’s Chamber should face the music”.

It is no secret that there is considerable questioning, not only among the general public but particularly at all levels of the MCA leadership and membership, why the two former Transport Ministers who were MCA No. 1 and 2 had been singled out for corruption charges for the PKFZ scandal when there has not been a single prosecution against any Umno personality. Continue reading “Why no protest by CSL at Ling and Chan being singled out for corruption charges in connection with RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal without any Umno personality being charged?”

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Emergency MCA GA to decide whether MCA should make public apology for producing MCA President /Deputy President charged for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?

The assertion by the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek that there was no reason to apologise for the two top MCA leaders who were Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy as whatever happened was the personal conduct of the leaders concerned and his strident denial that “MCA is a cheating party” have raised eyebrows nation-wide, even in Barisan Nasional parties including his own MCA!

Firstly, let me clarify that I had not asked Chua as MCA President to apologise over Ling and Chan on the ground that they were guilty of “grand corruption” as their trials have not even started – and I go along with the legal maxim that a person is innocent unless found guilty by the courts.

I had however asked Chua whether as MCA President he would apologise to Umno, Barisan Nasional and all Malaysians for producing a MCA President and MCA Deputy President who are charged in court for corruption in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal based on Chua’s own comments as published by the Star on Tuesday (1.3.11), viz:

Dr Chua said anyone who had committed an offence in the eyes of the Attorney-General’s Chamber should face the music.

“This shows that the Government is fair because it doesn’t just go after the small fish but also the big fish,” he said.

Since Chua as MCA President fully supported the Attorney-General’s prosecution of the two top MCA leaders for corruption in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, isn’t his next logical and responsible action (regardless of the outcome of the trials) should be to make a national apology for a MCA President and MCA Deputy President being charged for corruption in the PKFZ scandal when they were Transport Ministers? Continue reading “Emergency MCA GA to decide whether MCA should make public apology for producing MCA President /Deputy President charged for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?”

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An impossible dream for the MCA?

By Thomas Lee
MySinchew.com
2011-03-02

Both MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and party secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha have declared that the party has regained the support of Chinese community, and would do well in the next general election.

They claim that the Barisan Nasional victory in several recent by-elections in constituencies with considerable number of Chinese voters is an indication of the Chinese community support for the MCA.

How substantial is the claim?

An objective look at the roller-coaster history of the MCA will give some clues on whether or not such a claim for the current situation is justifiable, plausible and credible. Continue reading “An impossible dream for the MCA?”

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CSL and MCA leadership should declare whether they believe in Ling and Chan’s innocence or that both were “political scapegoats” for Umno

The MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek and the MCA leadership should declare their stand – whether they believe that former MCA President Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and former MCA Deputy President Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy are innocent of the corruption charges which have been preferred against them when they were Transport Minister in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal or that both were “political scapegoats” for Umno.

Ling and Chan have made infamous Malaysian history for being the first two Cabinet Ministers to be charged for “grand corruption” in misleading the Cabinet in September/November 2002 (Ling’s charge) and the Prime Minister in February 2004, October 2005 and March 2006 (Chan’s charges).

Two of Ling’s contemporaries as Cabinet Ministers in 2002 are still MPs although backbenchers – Datuk Ong Ka Ting who was then the Minister for Housing and Local Government and Datuk Fong Chan Onn, then the Minister for Human Resources. Continue reading “CSL and MCA leadership should declare whether they believe in Ling and Chan’s innocence or that both were “political scapegoats” for Umno”

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Is CSL going to apologise for producing a MCA President and MCA Deputy President who betrayed the trust of the people and country as Transport Minister in the RM12.5b PKFZ “grand corruption”?

MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek astounded Malaysians and the world with his smug reaction to the corruption charges against a second MCA Minister yesterday – former MCA Deputy President and former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chong Kong Choy – in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) “scandal of scandals”.

Chua said Chan’s court case will not affect MCA. He said when a person was charged in court, it did not mean he was guilty.

He said: “We should let the legal process take its course.”

Chua’s comments raise many intriguing questions. Has the MCA President been given an assurance by the “higher-up” that Chan was not guilty of three charges of corruption laid against him yesterday for which a RM1 million bail was posted – and that the former MCA Deputy President would be cleared in the trial, most likely after the next general elections?

Or has Chua any good reason to believe that the corruption charges against Chan as well as the corruption charges made previously against former MCA President and former Transport Minister Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik were just “a political charade” and that the charges would be quashed with the duo declared innocent after the next general elections? Continue reading “Is CSL going to apologise for producing a MCA President and MCA Deputy President who betrayed the trust of the people and country as Transport Minister in the RM12.5b PKFZ “grand corruption”?”

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32% Chinese voter support for BN in Tenang – PR should move on to get support from all Malaysians for political change

MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, who previously claimed that Barisan Nasional had secured 45% Chinese voter support in the Tenang by-election, has now upped the claim to 50%, quoting as authority former MCA Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn. (Guang Ming Daily)

However, the first professional analysis of the voter trend in the Tenang by-election has given a completely different picture, showing that I had erred on the conservative side when I estimated that Chinese voter support for the Pas/Pakatan Rakyat candidate was in the region of 65% when it was probably closer to 68%.

According to the analysis “Soi Lek wrong on Chinese support”by psephologist Ong Kian Ming, writing today in Malaysiakini, Barisan Nasional’s Chinese votes in the by-election on Sunday fell by 3% to 32% from 35% in the 2008 general election, while BN increased its Malay votes from 80% in 2008 to 86% in the by-election and increased its Indian votes from 74% in 2008 to 86% – based on Chinese, Malay and Indian voter turnout rates of 55%, 79% and 50% respectively.

PR should move on from Tenang to get support from all Malaysians for political change although MCA leaders are now claiming BN secured 50% Chinese voter support despite professional analysis that BN Chinese support had fallen to 32% in the by-election.

If PR is to succeed in its campaign to effect political changes, it is the responsibility of all the three component parties to ensure that we can continue to get increasing support from all the communities for the PR common policy programme for justice, freedom, democracy and change – whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli. Continue reading “32% Chinese voter support for BN in Tenang – PR should move on to get support from all Malaysians for political change”

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Soi Lek wrong on Chinese support

Ong Kian Ming | Feb 2, 11
Malaysiakini

ANALYSIS

Right off the bat, I’d like to state that the Tenang by-election result, including who voted for whom and at what percentage, is far less important than the property damage and hardship experienced by the voters in that constituency and in other parts of Johor as a result of the devastating floods.

Having said that, I still have the responsibility of analysing the by-election results. I had earlier predicted that the BN would win the by-election with a majority of 3,200, a 700-vote increase to the majority it got at the 2008 general elections.

The turnout assumption among the Malay, Chinese and Indian voters were 77%, 71% and 58% respectively and the support for the BN by ethnic group were 85%, 35% and 80%.

The eventual majority was 3,700 with the BN winning 70% of the popular vote on a lower than expected turnout of 67%.

One of the points of contention with regard to the election results has been whether or not the BN’s share of the Chinese vote has increased or decreased.

The DAP has said that Pakatan Rakyat’s share of the Chinese vote has increased to 70% based on the results in the 96% Chinese-majority Bandar Labis Tengah polling station. MCA has said that the BN’s share of the Chinese vote has increased to 45% based on the fact that the BN won three out of the four Chinese-majority polling stations.

At the same time, there is broad agreement that the Malay and Indian vote did indeed swing back to the BN, which explains the 1,200 increase in BN’s winning majority.

Is the DAP or the MCA right? Does it even matter? Continue reading “Soi Lek wrong on Chinese support”

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In Tenang, Malay votes won the day for BN

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — More than half of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) 1,200-vote gain over PAS in Tenang was due to increased Malay support in the constituency, DAP statistics have shown.

Malays who had in 2008 voted against Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s stewardship of BN or abstained from the general election, came out to signal its support for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

The Malays make up about 49 per cent of the 14,753 voters in Tenang. Chinese account for over 38 per cent and Indians, 12 per cent.

Umno’s Azahar Ibrahim received 83.3 per cent of Malay votes, up four percentage points from Election 2008, said DAP publicity chief Tony Pua on Twitter earlier today.

A Malay turnout of 81 per cent yesterday, up two points from 2008, translated to a 700-vote increase.

BN’s 3,707-vote majority was also due to Chinese voters skipping yesterday’s by-election.

Although Normala Sudirman managed to hold on to PAS’s 64 per cent Chinese support from the 2008 general election, an 18-point fall in turnout resulted in another 300-vote gain for BN’s majority. Continue reading “In Tenang, Malay votes won the day for BN”

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Muddy waters: Post-Tenang reflections

Bridget Welsh | Jan 31, 11 4:58pm
Malaysiakini

COMMENT

Malaysia’s 14th by-election since March 2008 scored another victory in the BN column, as they held onto their seat. This was expected, as it was home ground for Umno and the contest was purely about the winning majority.

Even with the lower voter turnout, Umno did well with a comfortable and higher majority of 3,707. Rather than provide a numerical assessment of the voting results, let me share some broader observations and tensions that arise from the Tenang campaign.

Despite the centrality of machinery and money, this election highlights the increasing challenges of engaging the diverse electorate in Malaysia. Arguably, the dynamics of the by-election in Johor muddy the waters, making the decisions about national electoral strategies and tactics even more complex.

Decision to proceed irresponsible

The most defining feature of this election was the weather. It was dreadful, and it negatively affected the polling. Watching voters drench themselves to vote, despite umbrellas, and wade in up to knee-high water to the polling station, made me question whether the by-election was worth the risks involved.

I remain deeply puzzled why this by-election was not postponed. I woke up the morning of the poll thinking that it might already be time for Noah’s Ark as the overnight downpour had already affected roads and submerged parts of the constituency. Continue reading “Muddy waters: Post-Tenang reflections”

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With 10% increase of Chinese voter support for Pas/PR candidate in Tenang, will Chua Soi Lek have the political courage to tell UMNO the truth?

I had said at the close of the Tenang by-election campaign that Pakatan Rakyat would have cause to celebrate if it could achieve three of four aims – firstly, to debunk Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s boast of winning 5,000 majority in Tenang which he had described as a Barisan Nasional “fortress”; secondly, to slash the BN’s 2,492 majority won in the 2008 general election; and thirdly, to secure the votes of more than 55% of the Chinese electorate who voted for the PAS candidate in the 2008 general election.

The fourth aim is to win the Tenang by-election, which I had not considered as likely.

In the event, only two of three aims – debunking Muhyiddin’s boast of 5,000-vote majority and increasing Chinese voter support for the Pas/PR candidate from the previous 55% – were achieved in the by-election yesterday.

I have no doubt that all the three goals would have be achieved if not for the climatic disaster, resulting in incessant rain and heavy flooding aggravated by selective and discriminatory assistance given by various government agencies ferrying only Barisan Nasional voters to the polling stations. All this caused unprecedented low voter turnouts, especially in Chinese and Indian areas.
Continue reading “With 10% increase of Chinese voter support for Pas/PR candidate in Tenang, will Chua Soi Lek have the political courage to tell UMNO the truth?”

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Pakatan decries selective assistance to voters

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | Jan 30, 11 4:50pm
Malaysiakini

The day-long downpour in Tenang had caused flooding in many areas across this rural constituency in Johor, rendering several of the 12 polling stations inaccessible to voters.

Pakatan Rakyat complained that this had significantly reduced the turnout of Chinese voters, considered the ‘vote bank’ for the opposition.

Although police, army, the Civil Defence Department and various government agencies had been deployed to assist the voters to get to the polling stations, Pakatan leaders are upset that the assistance were not provided equally to all.

According to them, more transportation facilities were deployed in Felda areas, which are BN strongholds.

“Why are there no boats to ferry the voters in Labis town, which is also flooded, but Felda gets all the police and fire department boats?” asked DAP publicity chief Tony Pua in a tweet message.

BN secured 80 percent of votes in the three Felda settlements in Tenang in the 2008 general election.

“The failure to provide sufficient boats and trucks, and distribute them evenly across all polling districts will severely tilt the outcome of this by-election.

“The police and army should not just provide their assistance to selective areas because the flood is everywhere in the constituency.” he added when contacted by Malaysiakini. Continue reading “Pakatan decries selective assistance to voters”

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MCA continues to tell lies in Tenang by-election through its newspaper Star – but good luck to Chua Soi Lek continuing as MCA President!

Today is polling day for the Tenang by-election, the fourteenth since the 2008 general election.

The outcome of the by-election should be left to the 14,753 voters but it is most regrettable that MCA continues to peddle lies and falsehoods through its newspaper The Star.

In its analysis report today headlined “Up to the voters now to choose who is best”, Sunday Star wrote:

“Never mind that the Barisan Nasional candidate Mohd Azahar Ibrahim is from Umno, it was the MCA that DAP, especially its adviser Lim Kit Siang, was after.

“A political observer viewed the DAP’s all-out effort to attack MCA as mainly an attempt to divert the community’s attention from the various breakthroughs the MCA has achieved since Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek became party president in March last year.

“’A stable and united MCA has always been a threat to DAP,’ reasoned a veteran MCA leader, pointing out that DAP’s survival hinged a lot upon MCA’s weaknesses as both parties banked on the support of the Chinese community.

“The fact that Dr Chua has adopted a low-key and personal touch in his campaign, such as personally meeting Tenang voters, has also put the opposition in a bind, remarked a political observer.

“As expected by many MCA supporters, Kit Siang had, in his ceramah in Tenang, challenged Dr Chua to step down if he failed to get the support of the Chinese community in the by-election.”

I had never in any ceramah in Tenang challenged Chua to step down if he failed to get the support of the Chinese community in the by-election.

Unlike the views of the majority of MCA leaders and delegates, I have no objection whatsoever if Chua continues as MCA President, regardless of the Tenang by-election result today. Good luck to him! Continue reading “MCA continues to tell lies in Tenang by-election through its newspaper Star – but good luck to Chua Soi Lek continuing as MCA President!”

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BN to win with 700-vote boost in majority

Ong Kian Ming | Jan 29, 11
Malaysiankini

PREDICTION

Tomorrow, Jan 30, and just four days before Chinese New Year, voters in Tenang will decide on the 14th by-election since the 2008 general election.

The outcome is not in doubt. BN will win this seat. Even the opposition has conceded as much. The only question that remains is BN’s winning majority and why the margin may (or may not) be important in the larger electoral picture.

Like most analysts and observers, I anticipate a higher vote margin for the BN than in 2008 as a reflection of the larger national trend of voters moving back to the BN in 2010, especially the Malay and Indian voters.

But the winning majority will fall far short of the 5,000-vote majority Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been predicting. Instead, I anticipate a majority of roughly 3,200 votes, or a 700-vote increase from 2008.

The increase in the BN majority will be from a five percent increase in the Malay vote, from 80 percent to 85 percent, and in the Indian vote from approximately 70 percent to 80 percent.

I expect the Chinese vote for the BN to remain at approximately 35 percent. I base these calculations on a 71 percent turnout rate, two percent less than the 2008 general election because of the proximity to Chinese New Year, and turnout rates of 77 percent, 71 percent and 58 percent among the Malay, Chinese and Indian voters. Continue reading “BN to win with 700-vote boost in majority”

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Factors that will shape tomorrow’s outcome

Bridget Welsh | Jan 29, 11
Malaysiakini

ANALYSIS

In this semi-rural constituency, rain and floods have dampened the turnout at ceramah and made for a low-key campaign. Walkabouts and quiet face-to-face campaigning, sometimes backed by ‘gifts’, have been the norm, as the BN aims to reach the lofty target of 5,000 majority and Pakatan Rakyat fights hard to win ground in an area that is far outside of its usual base.

No question, political watchers are fatigued observing this 14th by-election since March 2008, and hearing the same old issues of money politics and racial politics shaping the outcome.

For some, the fight for a few thousand votes in the protracted struggle for power is a distraction and waste of money. With an estimated RM150 million cost for campaigns in this tiny constituency, it is no wonder that cynicism has set in nationally.

It is important to understand that the Tenang by-election – its campaign and political significance – symbolise an ongoing climate change in Malaysian politics that has evolved since Najib Razak came into office. As with climate change generally, we do not yet know the impact, but its immediate effects are significant.

The Tenang contest will affect future campaigns and political fortunes, even though the actual result will likely remain in the BN column. Below, I describe three broad transforming features tied to Tenang and point to a few key factors that will shape the contest in tomorrow’s outcome and the size of the majority. Continue reading “Factors that will shape tomorrow’s outcome”