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In defending his seditious speech, Mohd Noor Abdullah has proven he is racist through-and-through and raised question how a closet racist could rise to be Court of Appeal judge

Former Court of Appeal Judge Mohd Noor Abdullah has compounded his crime of sedition when he defended making the most racist and seditious speech in the country in the past 44 years.

On Sunday, in his speech at the forum titled “GE13 post-mortem Muslim leadership and survival” organised by UiTM Malaysia Alumni Association and Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semanjung in Kuala Lumpur, Mohd Noor warned that the Chinese Malaysians must be prepared for a backlash from the Malay community for their “betrayal” in the recently concluded 13th general election.

He said: “The Chinese betrayal towards the Malay’s hand of friendship – that is true. Because they plotted to seize political power even though they already have economic power”.

Mohd Noor’s racist and seditious speech had been defended on the ground that it was “as a whole constructive and within the boundaries of what is in the federal constitution”, and in line with his expertise as a former judge.

Can Mohd Noor quote chapter and verse as to which article or part of the Malaysian Constitution justified his making irresponsible, fictitious, inflammatory, racist and seditious allegations that the Chinese in Malaysia “plotted to seize political power even though they already have economic power” or his criminal and gangsterish threat of a “Malay backlash” to a completely non-existent “Chinese betrayal towards the Malay’s hand of friendship” ?
Continue reading “In defending his seditious speech, Mohd Noor Abdullah has proven he is racist through-and-through and raised question how a closet racist could rise to be Court of Appeal judge”

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Dear Interim Prime Minister…

LETTER: From John Ung, via e-mail
Free Malaysia Today
May 15, 2013

I have to address you as the Interim Prime Minister as you are really standing on shaky grounds. Some say you may not even last till the end of this year.

Why are you the Interim Prime Minister? Five reasons. Firstly, the majority of Malaysians want you out along with your party and their bag carriers, MCA , Gerakan and MIC. You have only obtained 45 % of the votes inclusive of some add ons . At least two of your bag carriers will soon be no more. So you may need some recently ‘ made ‘ citizens to carry your bags.

Secondly, your own party, Umno is crying for your head. You gave so much money to the Malaysian Chinese and got eggs thrown at your face. Your poor reading what makes Malaysians tick has got you into trouble.

Imagine thinking that Psy can get us to ‘gangdum style’ with you. Free food , ang pow and last minute donations to temples and Chinese schools cannot buy the Chinese votes. Time and time again, these have been proven. Who are your strategists by the way? They must have got their degrees from fake universities. Sacked all of them! I truly cannot believe you are that stupid!

Thirdly, a defection of several BN candidates may swing the Federal government to the Opposition. This is not desirable but will make you at least, the Opposition head, if your party members do not throw you into the ocean by then. If this happens, I hope the Opposition when they form the government, will delineate a fair boundary for all and then call for fresh elections. Continue reading “Dear Interim Prime Minister…”

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Most disappointed over UMNO betrayal of Ghani Othman who was completely by-passed instead of being appointed Senator and Minister in new Cabinet line-up

I am disappointed over the UMNO betrayal of former Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman who was completely by-passed instead of being appointed Senator and Minister in the new Cabinet line-up announced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday.

The UMNO leadership had praised Ghani sky-high during the 13th General Election campaign when fielding him as a parliamentary candidate for Gelang Patah against me, and it is most unfair and ungrateful for UMNO leaders to drop Ghani like a ton of bricks after Ghani failed to defeat me in Gelang Patah in the May 5 polls.

General elections should not be regarded as a zero-sum game, and in the case of Ghani, whom I had openly acknowledged as having made invaluable contribution to the development and progress in Johor, his talents and experience should be tapped by the Federal government as Ghani can have still many years of national service and contribution in him.

I am surprised that Ghani is facing so much resistance in UMNO as there are powerful forces who object to his return to national politics, to the extent that MUBARAK, the association of former Barisan Nasional wakil rakyats, have come out with a statement opposing any UMNO candidate who lost in the 13GE being appointed a Senator and a Minister – clearly targetting at Ghani.
Continue reading “Most disappointed over UMNO betrayal of Ghani Othman who was completely by-passed instead of being appointed Senator and Minister in new Cabinet line-up”

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Most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history

The Cabinet unveiled by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday is the most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Malaysian Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history.

It has in fact accentuated the great divide between Pakatan Rakyat and the Barisan Nasional in the recent 13th General Elections – that Pakatan Rakyat holds out hope and a vision of new politics for Malaysia while Barisan Nasional represent the old, tired and discredited politics of race, fear, corruption, abuses of power and injustices.

The injustices of the 13GE results and the nagging question for the first time in Malaysian historty of the legitimacy of the Prime Minister have spawned a spontaneous “black” political consciousness movement in the country, as witnessed by the 30,000-crowd at the “Black 505” rally at Ulu Tiram, Johor Baru last night, following massive crowds at other “Black 505” rallies in Kelana Jaya, Penang, Ipoh and Kuantan, drawing support from Malaysians regardless of race, religion and region finding special strength in the young generation of Malaysians who until now have been very apathetic to politics and political developments in the country.

Malaysians, particularly young people regardless of race, religion or gender, are outraged by the injustices of the democratic and electoral system to make a stand about their disappointments, frustration and anger at the outcome of the 13GE as well as the legitimacy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister, as they feel robbed of their fundamental democratic right to help determine the political future of the country.
Continue reading “Most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history”

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Paul Low as marketing gloss for Cabinet

– Fakry Osman
The Malaysian Insider
May 15, 2013

MAY 15 – The appointment of Datuk Paul Low as a minister today appears to be another symbolic gesture in the fight against corruption and to promote transparency in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

On the face of it the Transparency International president’s appointment is a nod towards how serious the government is in tackling graft.

But is it?

After all Datuk Seri Idris Jala was also made a minister when Datuk Seri Najib Razak came to power to tackle the same problems.

Now after the GTPs, ETPs and many other acronyms, and not to mention the hundreds of millions of ringgit spent, the BN government is still seen as a failure in solving issues like corruption, rising crime and government bureaucracy.

So what can Low add to the mix? Continue reading “Paul Low as marketing gloss for Cabinet”

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Why I will not move on

— Lishan Low
The Malaysian Insider
May 16, 2013

MAY 16 — 1. Barisan Nasional (BN) does not have political legitimacy

There are two elements to legitimacy — procedural and substantive legitimacy. BN fails on both counts.

Procedural legitimacy requires that the instituted election mechanisms (however unfair) are carried out and complied with to the fullest extent. This means that even with an uneven delineation of constituencies and a questionable electoral roll, if the elections had been conducted in a professional manner, the results would have been procedurally legitimate by account of the “rules of the game.”

Nevertheless, even on this count, BN has failed to adhere to its own heavily biased and terribly unfair procedure. Allegations of ballot boxes disappearing, double voting, and ballot stuffing mar the elections purely on a procedural level. Moreover, a widespread and fairly indiscreet campaign of vote-buying is illegal and further taints the electoral process. So even if you ask me to accept the grossly unfair procedure that BN themselves have instituted, I cannot grant that the outcome was legitimate.

Substantive legitimacy on the other hand, has more to do with perception. The people, the rakyat, themselves need acknowledge that BN has a legitimate mandate to rule. Here, you cannot say that gerrymandering or a dirty electoral role are merely facts that have to be “lived with” and can only be changed in Parliament (ergo, wait till GE14). If the process itself is not perceived by the rakyat as fair and free, there is no sense in suggesting that the outcome it produces is legitimate. Furthermore, given that BN LOST the popular vote, that itself is enough grounds to discard the entire elections as an irredeemable sham.

So to those who argue that gerrymandering cannot be legally challenged (yes I am referring very specifically to a particular camp of people), I say ay, of course it can’t be legally challenged. Given that reality, wouldn’t it make sense that we call the election what it truly was in the first place — a gigantic sham! And shouldn’t it then follow that we should not accept the outcome of GE13 and demand a re-election, along with the decimation of the Election Commission? Continue reading “Why I will not move on”

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Forcing a paradigm shift in MCA and Umno

by Oon Yeoh
Malaysiakini
May 15, 2013

COMMENT

Much has been written about MCA and Gerakan’s decision not to join the cabinet following their poor performance in the recently concluded general elections.

Some commentators have said that because Malaysia is a multiracial country, there must be Chinese representation in the cabinet to look after Chinese needs. That’s an interesting notion because MCA and Gerakan ministers have never assumed the position of Chinese affairs minister or anything like that. Such a position doesn’t exist.

They take up other positions like transport minister or health minister or energy, water and communications minister. So, how do they look after Chinese interests if their job is to look after transportation, health or energy, water and communications issues?

Perhaps, they can speak up about Chinese-related issues privately to the prime minister. But do they have to be in the cabinet to speak the PM about such issues? Aren’t there other channels to highlight such issues besides being in the cabinet?

In fact, if the PM really wanted to understand Chinese concerns, he should speak to opposition leaders for it’s obvious they have a better handle of Chinese grouses than MCA or Gerakan leaders.

Besides, if it’s Chinese representation in the cabinet that people are worried about, the prime minister can always appoint prominent members of the Chinese community as senators and make them ministers.

But who exactly is calling for Chinese representation in the cabinet? Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for it. So has Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. Columnist Azman Ujang has done so, too. Continue reading “Forcing a paradigm shift in MCA and Umno”

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Analysts: Umno-heavy Cabinet reflects Najib’s party polls focus, could affect reforms

By Amin Iskandar, Debra Chong and Syed Jaymal Zahiid
The Malaysian Insider
May 16, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — Umno’s domination of the 2013 Cabinet shows Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s desire to shore up his personal support ahead of party polls but at the expense of the prime minister’s national reform measures, several observers say.

While the pundits held grave reservations over the large number of veterans in the 32-man Cabinet, they said Najib deserved a chance to prove he could deliver on his promised government and economic transformation agenda once he had secured his party presidency.

The Umno president had cast 17 of his party colleagues in ministerial positions when naming members of his Cabinet yesterday. Of the line-up, most were old government hands being switched around or promoted with the exception of new faces Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Such an Umno-studded cast was “clever”, according to William Case, a professor in Asian and International Studies at the University of Hong Kong.

“My take is that while many critics are dismissing the Cabinet as made up most of old hacks, I see it as more mixed, possibly in clever ways, as it includes Najib’s personal supporters, reformers, and nativists,” he told The Malaysian Insider in an emailed response yesterday.

There has been speculation that Najib, 59, is likely to face a challenge to his presidency from within Umno in the party ballot due this year for failing to return the BN’s two-thirds supermajority in the May 5 general election despite improving the Malay party’s number of federal seats to 88. Continue reading “Analysts: Umno-heavy Cabinet reflects Najib’s party polls focus, could affect reforms”

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BN’s reduced wins put spotlight on ‘war room’ strategists

By Jahabar Sadiq
The Malaysian Insider
May 14, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — Questions are being asked about Barisan Nasional’s (BN) “war room” strategists whose plans with a substantial budget did not appear to stop the ruling coalition from losing more federal and state seats in the May 5 general election.

The BN war room was tasked with selecting the candidates and advising various strategies to win the polls. It counts Rompin MP Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, PWTC chairman Datuk Seri Dr Alies Anor Abdul, Petronas director Omar Mustapha Ong, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor, party information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan and former minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as among its members.

“It was just a crapshoot. Their ideas didn’t work and their white list predictions were wrong,” a senior Umno divisional leader told The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity.

The war room had stuck to its prediction of BN winning between 145 and 150 federal seats and also getting back Selangor in Election 2013 although some senior BN leaders were privately doubtful of the figures.

And by noon on Polling Day, the war room had issued its “white list” of 118 federal seats it was sure to win, but some like Pasir Mas, Shah Alam and Lembah Pantai were lost, which some Umno divisional leaders said reflected the disconnect between the leadership and the ground. Continue reading “BN’s reduced wins put spotlight on ‘war room’ strategists”

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10 things Najib must do

by P Gunasegaram
Malaysiakini
May 10, 2013

QUESTION TIME The dust from the 13th general elections has not quite settled and there is some chance it may be kicked up again as Pakatan Rakyat could challenge some of the results in court. For Barisan Nasional and Najib Abdul Razak, they rule with a minority of the votes, a morally illegitimate government that reflects a flawed and fraudulent election system.

If BN wants to pick up and regain the people’s trust and recover some lost ground from Pakatan, it simply cannot continue as before. There’s no point pointing fingers at the Chinese community when there has been an urban swing to Pakatan by all communities living in major towns, cities and suburbs.

Even if the swing of the Chinese community to Pakatan is greater than that of other communities, they are entitled. The Chinese, like any other community, can vote for any party they want without having to face racist, seditious, provocative and loaded questions from Utusan Malaysia such as ‘Apa lagi China mahu?’ Utusan is not and never will be the distributor of the largesse of the country which is owned by everyone.

There are a number of substantive issues with BN as government, top of which is corruption. Next comes a steadily deteriorating education system totally out of whack with our requirements as a people and a nation. Then there is systematic racial and religious polarisation as an instrument of control and to appeal to the Malay vote. Also, there is this issue with Najib’s wife.

Below are a list of 10 things that Najib must do if he and BN are to regain credibility in the eyes of the people and do better. If he chooses to do otherwise and makes hay while the sun shines, future governments can still hold him accountable. The change requires an about turn from the way things have been done for the past three or so decades but in a sense, he has no choice – do or perish at the polls. Do, and you may be forgiven your past transgressions and faults. Continue reading “10 things Najib must do”

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After Malaysia Election, Political Attacks Continue as Opposition Calls for Protests

By JOE COCHRANE
New York Times
May 10, 2013

JAKARTA, Indonesia — If there was a moment after the nail-biting national election on Sunday when Malaysians could envision a respite from five years of political turmoil, it did not last long.

Within hours of the election commission’s announcement early Monday that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s governing National Front coalition had won a majority in Parliament, Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, declared that the voting was rigged, said he would contest the results and called for nationwide protests.

The prime minister’s office countered that Mr. Anwar was a poor loser stirring up unrest, while the police warned that the opposition leader and dozens of other people who spoke at a protest rally in a packed soccer stadium just outside the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday night could be charged with sedition.

Such tit-for-tat exchanges between the government and the opposition were commonplace after the 2008 election and in the campaign for the vote last Sunday. But analysts say that the continuing political attacks and threats of protest this time are raising the specter of a potentially explosive showdown fueled by ethnic tensions laid bare again in the vote and longstanding animosity between Mr. Najib and Mr. Anwar.

“In a way, it’s escalated things,” said Simon Tay, the chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. “And with an escalation, you’re not sure of what the results will be.” Continue reading “After Malaysia Election, Political Attacks Continue as Opposition Calls for Protests”

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Malaysia edges toward change but comes up short

Peter Drysdale
Bangkok Post
10 May 2013

On Sunday, after a hotly contested general election, a record electoral turnout and over half a century of essentially one-party rule, the Malaysian people edged toward change _ but chose not to make the leap.

The campaign saw the ruling Barisan National (BN or National Front) emphasise stability, continuity and economic growth, and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR or People’s Alliance) urge the end of corruption, the institution of minority rights and dealing with issues over the cost of living. In a contest that always seemed too close to call, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has held on to power, taking the prize from the indefatigable Anwar Ibrahim and his PR.

The election confronted Malaysia with big choices. While the Najib government led a tactical retreat on some elements of the old order, Mr Anwar called for its sweeping rejection.

Malaysia struggles with breaking through the “middle-income trap”. Wages have climbed to the point where the country can no longer compete internationally in labour-intensive manufacturing yet skills and systems haven’t improved so that Malaysia can compete effectively in the same product lines as more advanced countries.

Without further reforms, it is difficult to see how Malaysia can escape from this middle-income trap. Much of the struggle to find a way through has to do with escaping the legacy from the old order _ a “New Economic Policy” framed over 40 years ago that entrenched discrimination against minorities (including the significant entrepreneurial classes) and affirmative action through government-linked corporations (and systemic entrenchment of political patronage and corruption). Continue reading “Malaysia edges toward change but comes up short”

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Malaysia elections: Next battle: Staying on as party president

Reme Ahmad in Alor Setar
The Straits Times
Thu, May 09, 2013

PM Najib Razak has to convince warlords in his own party to keep him on as chief.

MALAYSIA – Even as the dust settles from his victorious battle against Malaysia’s galvanised opposition, Prime Minister Najib Razak might be heading for another fight – convincing warlords in his own party to keep him on as chief.

Umno is scheduled to hold its internal elections, held every three years, before the end of this year.

Some expect the Umno president to face a challenge from his deputy then.

Datuk Seri Najib’s performance in the general election will be the main yardstick used by Umno leaders to decide whether to let the 59-year-old continue as president, or to allow Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 66, to mount a challenge.

The Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition won 133 parliamentary seats on Sunday, with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) getting 89. In the previous general election, BN had won 140 seats.

So yes, under Mr Najib, the 13-party ruling coalition had won back Kedah and kept Perak. The latter was taken from PR a year after the 2008 election as a result of defections by several assemblymen; Mr Najib has now secured a mandate to keep it.

But were Sunday’s results good enough? Analysts have mixed views. Continue reading “Malaysia elections: Next battle: Staying on as party president”

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Malaysia’s election – A dangerous result

The Economist
May 11th 2013 |From the print edition

After a tainted election victory, Najib Razak needs to show his reformist mettle

AT FIRST sight, the general election in Malaysia on May 5th, the closest-fought since independence in 1957, looks encouraging. A lively campaign inspired a remarkable turnout of 85% of the country’s 13.3m voters. The government’s victory seems recognition of Malaysia’s solid economic performance and of the progressive reforms introduced by Najib Razak, the prime minister. He has repealed some oppressive, colonial-era laws. He has even begun to dismantle the affirmative-action policies favouring the ethnic-Malay majority over Chinese Malaysians (about a quarter of the population) and Indians (8%). Those policies are at the root of the corruption and cronyism poisoning Malaysian society.

Look again, however, and Malaysian politics seems near breakdown. The opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim alleges electoral fraud and has refused to accept the result. Whether that is true or not, it is certain that the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, has huge inbuilt advantages. Gerrymandered constituencies meant that with less than 47% of the popular vote, its worst-ever electoral performance, it still won 60% of the 222 parliamentary seats. The state has dispensed cash handouts and other goodies, while much of the civil service works as a party-political tool, and the election commission has long brushed aside allegations of malfeasance. Add in an obsequious mainstream media, and it is rather remarkable that so many Barisan Nasional campaigners still felt the need to resort to blatant vote-buying. Continue reading “Malaysia’s election – A dangerous result”

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Malaysia’s general election – Tawdry victory

The Economist
May 11th 2013 | KUALA LUMPUR |From the print edition

The government scrapes home—allegedly aided by vote rigging

ON MAY 5th Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional coalition, led by the prime minister, Najib Razak, was re-elected for the 13th time in a row. Barisan won a majority of seats in parliament, 133 out of 222, against 89 for the opposition, a three-party coalition called Pakatan Rakyat and led by Anwar Ibrahim. The turnout was a record 85%. And so the same government which has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 is set for another five years in office.

Within Barisan, the overriding sense is of relief. It did slightly better in terms of seats than some had predicted. Scratch the surface, however, and in almost every respect this was a lamentable result for the ruling coalition, its worst ever. Not only did it lose a further seven seats to Pakatan, but it won with only 47% of the popular vote. It is further evidence of how the electoral system is skewed in Barisan’s favour, allowing it to stack up seats in the rural Malay heartlands with far fewer voters than Pakatan needs to win seats in more urban areas. In many places the opposition increased large majorities. For instance, in Penang in the north of the country the Barisan defeat was so humiliating that its candidate for governor, Teng Chang Yeow, resigned from all his party posts. Several government ministers lost their seats.

Most striking was that ethnic Chinese (about a quarter of the population) shifted their votes away from Barisan towards the opposition. The Chinese party of the Barisan coalition, the Malaysian Chinese Association, won just seven seats, down from 15, whereas the opposition’s mainly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) picked up ten seats, for a final tally of 38. Continue reading “Malaysia’s general election – Tawdry victory”

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Can’t divide and rule, dear PM

— Fikry Osman
The Malaysian Insider
May 12, 2013

MAY 12 — One week after GE13, you get the feeling that some Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, especially in Umno, are in denial about what went wrong with their campaign.

Instead, they first blamed it on the Chinese for rejecting them, and then told the Chinese they were stupid enough to be duped by the DAP into rejecting them. In not so many words, the Chinese are ungrateful and stupid.

“Umno was not defeated, in fact it added more seats. If not for some quarters playing race issues, we would have won more seats,” Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in his speech at the party’s 67th anniversary celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre here last night

“We are not a racist party, we are a party that is moderate. We have been serving other races for a long time,” he added.

One of the harsh realities of the new world is this: you cannot tailor your message to different race groups and get away with it.

Umno and BN tried that in Election 2013 and failed, Umno’s Utusan Malaysia tried to scare people with DAP being the master and PAS the puppet, while MCA’s The Star did the opposite.

The NST, well, it couldn’t do really much because its sales and readership, is shrinking and it could only rely on bloggers for its news content. Continue reading “Can’t divide and rule, dear PM”

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Umno’s reactionary GE13 ‘victory’

by Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
May 12, 2013

COMMENT

The May 2013 general election was a potential transition election in which the BN governing coalition held onto power.

The majority of the Malaysians supported an alternative government, but the incumbent Umno elite, supported by vested interests and years of constructing an electoral system in its favour, won out.

Even with yet another multi-ethnic national swing in electoral support towards Pakatan and more Malaysians voting than ever before, the incumbent elite in power held on, thwarting democracy.

Earlier, I pointed to some of the specific questions surrounding the electoral roll, the placement of voters, the conduct of the election itself and the character of the results, highlighting many of the unanswered questions of GE13.

The process of evidence gathering has begun and in the months ahead many of the irregularities in the polls will be illustrated and investigated. Continue reading “Umno’s reactionary GE13 ‘victory’”

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Silver linings in a GE13 without gold

Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
May 12, 2013

COMMENT

The dust is beginning to settle one week after the dirtiest election in the country’s history. Some of the dirt will stick, while others will hopefully wash away as the memory of the election fades.

My earlier pieces have focussed on the questions about the electoral process and impact of an Umno ‘victory’. Here I turn to the effects of the election on the expansion of democracy in Malaysia.

The message is one of strength, not weakness, or hope, rather than despair. Continue reading “Silver linings in a GE13 without gold”

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Kit Siang says would weigh coalition rule if BN embraces Pakatan manifesto

By Ida Lim
The Malaysian Insider
May 10, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 ― Pakatan Rakyat (PR) may consider working together with the Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a coalition government if the former’s election manifesto is endorsed by its rival, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today said.

Stressing that this proposal was merely his personal opinion, Lim said there would only be “basis for discussion” with BN if the ruling coalition “endorses” PR’s common policy framework and manifesto for the 13th general election.

“On that, we made it very clear, it’s my personal view, because this is something which can only be officially responded by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership,” said the veteran leader from DAP, one of three parties in the PR pact.

Think-tank ASLI had on Wednesday proposed a broad-based BN-PR coalition government, a suggestion that comes on the back of BN’s reduced support in the national polls on Sunday. Continue reading “Kit Siang says would weigh coalition rule if BN embraces Pakatan manifesto”

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The 2013 Election Results: Back to the Drawing Board for Both Coalitions

by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee

Finally the general election is over. For politicians and analysts, the work of number crunching, deciphering the results and trying to understand the choices made by voters is just beginning.

Some conclusions are easy to arrive at. Firstly, despite a skewed electoral playing ground and the rolling out of more than RM2.6 billion worth of financial and other incentives to voters, the BN could not improve on its 2008 performance. Although it regained power in one state and has a comfortable majority at parliamentary level, its share of state and parliamentary seats has been substantially reduced. Had a fair election prevailed, it would have been consigned to the opposition benches. In fact BN lost the popular vote count by a substantial margin nation-wide. In most if not all electoral systems found in the world, it would have been booted out of office. In our case, it came dangerously close to it. Continue reading “The 2013 Election Results: Back to the Drawing Board for Both Coalitions”