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Voting hanky-panky – helis and postal ballots

Dear YB Lim,

This is in view of the last Sarawak state election. I was in Miri for a week on work then. I think Malaysia should rethink the way voting in the rural interior are carried out.

1.As I understand helicopters are used to carry the ballot boxes from the interior to the counting centres. These boxes, as I was told are carried from the voting stations by heli for counting at a central area. But I also hear that they are also relayed to a point and front there to another transfer by heli later.

The question is, how safe are these ballot boxes at the transit area NOT to be manupulated with. And are these boxes accompanied by the reps of the political parties? As I also hear they reckon that there were more opposition votes from the rural folks, this time.

2. As regards to postal votes for Security personnel, this should be discontinued, OR have the votes counted there and then and the results verified before they are recorded and announced later at the central counting area. Continue reading “Voting hanky-panky – helis and postal ballots”

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416: Sarawak, silent no more

By Adrian Chew

APRIL 15 — “Ladies and gentlemen, I am now locked up in a handcuff that has taken a British mechanic five years to make. I do not know whether I am going to get out of it or not, but I can assure you I am going to do my best.” — Harry Houdini, London Hippodrome, St Patrick’s Day, 1904.

There’s something heavy in the air in the hornbill state.

Take a walk in any of the cities and towns and you’ll feel that undeniable sense of unity and common purpose.

Thousands upon thousands throng political ceramahs every night. Our placid roads turn into long crawling lines of red brake lights. Normally frugal womenfolk readily take out RM10 notes from their purses to insert into donation boxes. Heavy rains don’t deter thousands from coming and staying.

Sit in any coffee shop during the day and you’ll notice everyone’s an overnight political commentator and connoisseur of oratory. Listen carefully and you’ll hear the same gripes repeated at every table.

Years of pent-up anger and frustration are coming to a boil. People come to hear all their dissatisfaction with the present government finally verbalised. You’ll empathise because as much as these are our problems, you’ll see that they’re also yours. Continue reading “416: Sarawak, silent no more”

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S’wak polls: Reality check for Pakatan

By Bridget Welsh
Apr 23, 11

The simple fact in the wake of Saturday’s polls is that Pakatan Rakyat has failed to dent the two-thirds majority in Sarawak and deliver the needed electoral gains to push Abdul Taib Mahmud from office.

Much has been made of the unfairness of the polls, the use of money and the electoral irregularities. While these issues were important, they should not be excuses that overshadow shortcomings.

The Sarawak polls serves to remind the opposition some its weaknesses and without addressing these problems, their own one-third in the Dewan Rakyat could be in jeopardy.

Unlike in Sarawak, there is no dominant Taib issue at the national level and Prime Minister Najib Razak has regained support, particularly among Malays and Indians.

Further, in many ways, the unbalanced nature of the results, with the DAP winning the lion’s share of seats, has also created a new set of hurdles and it points to a growing unevenness within the opposition itself.

In the aftermath of the polls, the opposition faces the stark reality that it needs to move from a campaign of promising “change” to actual delivery. Continue reading “S’wak polls: Reality check for Pakatan”

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Postal votes which are never posted

By Ivy Kwek

APRIL 22 — Having acted as a coordinator for polling and counting agents for the Opposition campaign in the recently concluded Sarawak state election has made me more confused about the rationale of the electoral system in Malaysia, in particular with regard to postal voting.

Under Malaysian election laws, postal voting is mainly allowed for police personnel, members of the armed forces and Election Commission workers who are on duty on polling day. Six days before polling day, postal votes will be issued through a procedure which can be witnessed by agents from all contesting parties. The ballot papers are inserted into envelopes with an acknowledgment form attached to be ‘posted’ to the voters concerned. (*Source: Brian Moh/The Star)

Don’t be fooled by the name, though. In actual fact, only a very small number of overseas votes are sent by post. The postal votes for police personnel and members of the armed forces are dispatched by police and military officials respectively to designated police stations and army camps, whereas Election Commission workers are required to collect their own postal votes from the issuing centre.

Upon arrival at the issuing centre, the EC workers have a choice of either voting on-the-spot (a polling station a la the normal voting procedure will be set up for them), or to take the ballot papers back and return them later. The postal voting station will be open for six days until polling day.

Questions which immediately arise are: if the EC workers can come in person to collect their postal votes, why can’t they just vote on-the-spot under the normal voting procedure? Why the additional choice of issuing ballot papers in envelopes which involves more steps and makes the system more prone to abuse? Why should the EC workers be allowed to bring the ballot papers back while ordinary voters do not enjoy this privilege? Why do they need six days to return the ballot papers? Is it to wait for God’s vision of who to vote for? Continue reading “Postal votes which are never posted”

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Did you hear about the Bidayuh who voted for DAP?

By June Rubis
April 22, 2011

We were like a bad bar joke: two Bidayuhs, a Lun Bawang, an Iban, and two Malays walk into a DAP ceramah in Kuching. The crowd is mostly Chinese, and the speeches so far are all in Mandarin.

“I don’t understand what they are saying,” I complain to my fellow Bidayuh.

“Neither do we, and that is why we drink,” he replies, handing me a can of beer.

The next day is Election Day for Sarawak, and we, the motley crew representing the urban non-Chinese, cast our votes for DAP.

Times have changed for urban Sarawakians who all this while have embraced DAP as a home-grown party despite it having its origins in West Malaysia. We have seen the party struggle to grab a foothold in the state political arena for many decades.

It may be a Chinese-based party but for many of us urban voters, it represents the best possible choice for change of a state governance that we have grown weary of. Plus, you have to admit, their mascot is very cun.

Unsurprisingly, DAP has done very well in the urban areas (and 30,000 Ubah plush toys have sold out in less than two weeks), and soon everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon about how the Sarawak Chinese have rejected Barisan Nasional. Continue reading “Did you hear about the Bidayuh who voted for DAP?”

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Challenges for BN, Pakatan after the S’wak polls

By Ong Kian Ming
Apr 22, 11

In Part 1 of my analysis on the Sarawak elections, I explained the opposition’s failure to deny the BN a two-thirds majority in terms of the insufficient and unevenly distributed non-Muslim bumiputera (NMB) vote swing against the BN.

The complexity of the changes in the level of BN support in the NMB-majority seats, and to a lesser degree, the Malay/Melanau-majority seats, were also illustrated and explained.

Here, in Part 2 of my analysis, I put forth some of the implications and challenges for each of the major parties within the BN in Sarawak as well as the opposition in light of the election results.

What will Taib do now?

The biggest campaign issue during this state election was the length of time Abdul Taib Mahmud had been in power and when he would step down as chief minister. After the election, this issue remains unresolved.

The importance of Taib’s post-election plans as a political issue occupies an even greater prominence because he is at once the BN’s as well as the opposition’s greatest asset and liability in Sarawak. Continue reading “Challenges for BN, Pakatan after the S’wak polls”

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On suggestion of possible DAP-SNAP merger (2)

Three days ago, I had said:

“In the 13th national general elections, we should avoid any multi-cornered contests which can only benefit the Barisan Nasional and for this reason, I would even suggest that DAP and SNAP should seriously consider a merger of the two political parties to accelerate Iban/Dayak political awakening following the 416 Sarawak general elections.”

There have been different responses, both pro and con, to the suggestion that DAP and SNAP seriously consider a merger of the two parties, which are beneficial references and guides to political workers in Sarawak and Malaysia.

Veteran journalist Terence Netto described the idea of a merger between DAP and Snap as “one of the more stimulating propositions to emerge in recent times”.

There are also critics who oppose the idea painting its prospects in the most pessimistic terms. Continue reading “On suggestion of possible DAP-SNAP merger (2)”

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Sweet and sour aftermath of S’wak polls

By Bridget Welsh

The Sarawak polls are over and the attention is now on assessing its implications at both the state and national levels. Much attention has focused on predictions for the next general elections, with the range of possible dates moving from a few months to further postponement until 2013.

My own view remains that there needs to be some time before the national election machinery is in place again, given the challenges that have emerged from the Sarawak campaign and that anything held this year would be too risky for the BN.

The political terrain is now more uncertain. In this vein, this article examines the immediate political implications, the “sweet” and “sour” challenges that the BN has to face in the wake of the state polls. Tomorrow’s piece will examine the implications for Pakatan Rakyat.

The Sarawak results indicate that the BN has suffered a serious bruising and will have to make hard decisions to improve its performance in the next general election.

Taib the victor (and loser)
Continue reading “Sweet and sour aftermath of S’wak polls”

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Explain DAP-SNAP merger invite, PKR tells Kit Siang

By Clara Chooi
April 21, 2011

KUCHING, April 21 — Sarawak PKR demanded a clarification today from Lim Kit Siang for inviting SNAP to merge with DAP without prior discussion with his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners.

SNAP, a Sarawak-based opposition party, came at odds with PKR during the just concluded Sarawak polls after seat distribution talks broke down.

Warning that such a merger would affect the existing relationship between PR’s key coalition partners — PKR, DAP and PAS — Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said today that Lim, as a veteran leader in the DAP, should explain his suggestion.

“Sarawak PKR is surprised to learn that Lim Kit Siang wants a ‘merger’ of DAP and SNAP. Since we are PR partners, we would appreciate a clarification of this proposal from Lim and the DAP,” he said in a statement today.

Baru, who was one of three PKR candidates who triumphed in the just-concluded Sarawak polls, reminded Lim that SNAP had attempted to “undermine” PKR by contesting against the party and forcing multi-cornered fights.

“SNAP has also consistently been negatively critical of PKR for reasons best known only to them.

“If anything, PKR Sarawak is deeply disappointed and saddened by SNAP’s approach within PR since we have always regarded SNAP as our partners,” he said. Continue reading “Explain DAP-SNAP merger invite, PKR tells Kit Siang”

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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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DAP dares MCA to dissolve and call for Najib’s resignation

By Clara Chooi
April 21, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The DAP challenged MCA leaders today to dissolve their party or call on the prime minister to resign should he lose Chinese community support in the coming general election.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang charged that the MCA was being hypocritical in calling for Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s resignation due to his failure to deliver the Chinese vote last week, pointing out that the MCA itself had performed no better in Election 2008.

In the Sarawak state polls last Saturday, Barisan Nasional (BN) lost 16 seats to the opposition, most of them Chinese-majority urban seats.

In Election 2008, MCA suffered its worst ever electoral defeat when it saw its parliamentary representation cut by more than half from 31 to just 15 seats.

“Now they are asking Taib to resign on grounds that he lost the Chinese vote. Will they apply the same standard to PM (Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak)?

“And why is MCA still in the Cabinet? Why was MCA’s president (Datuk Seri Dr) Chua Soi Lek so keen on securing his son (Chua Tee Yong) a deputy minister’s post?” Lim asked.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua, who led the party’s campaign in Sarawak, agreed, saying that the MCA should “dissolve” itself for having failed in its purpose of representing the Chinese community. Continue reading “DAP dares MCA to dissolve and call for Najib’s resignation”

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DAP-Snap merger would break the mould

By Terence Netto
Apr 21, 11

COMMENT If a mature politics is a pattern of creative responses to society’s vast inertia and small margin for change, then the idea of a merger between DAP and Snap is one of the more stimulating propositions to emerge in recent times.

With one stroke, Alexander of Macedon solved all the mystery of the Gordian knot. A DAP-Snap merger, in one fell swoop, would break the racial mould in which Sarawak’s politics has for the last four decades been mired.

Floated by the DAP’s strategic director, Lim Kit Siang, in the immediate aftermath of his party’s redoubtable showing in the Sarawak polls last Saturday, the idea is a win-win proposition for both parties.

For the DAP, the merger would enable them to field suitable Chinese Malaysian candidates in Dayak-majority seats; as for Snap, they can commend capable Dayak candidates to stand in the urban centres in Sarawak where Chinese voters predominate and who, in the election last week, overwhelmingly preferred DAP candidates to rival, SUPP, ones.

This hypothetical cross-fielding of candidates would begin to bridge the real but unspoken gulf in Sarawak: the chasm in politics and economics that exist between the more affluent Chinese and the majority and disadvantaged Dayaks, especially the Iban.

The gulf is compounded on the one side by condescension and, on the other, by mistrust. It’s the kind of divide that politicians are loath to deal with. In sallying forth to try, Lim delivers another blow to his critics’ unfair stereotype of him as a covert racist. Continue reading “DAP-Snap merger would break the mould”

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S’wak: Why Pakatan failed to deny 2/3rd majority

By Ong Kian Ming

I did not have time to write a prediction piece for the recently concluded Sarawak state election because I was heavily involved in the campaign this time, rather than analysing it as an outside observer.

But I did tweet and put on Facebook (and placed a few friendly wagers) that the BN would lose its two-thirds majority by failing to win at least 47 seats. I was, not for the first time and certainly not for the last time, wrong.

In this first of my two-part analysis of this election, I will quickly lay out the basis for my initial optimism and then proceed to explain, using the election results, why my prediction did not materialise.

I will pay particular attention to the very complicated voting patterns exhibited by the various non-Muslim bumiputera groups because these voters were, and will likely be, the swing voters come the next general election.
Continue reading “S’wak: Why Pakatan failed to deny 2/3rd majority”

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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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Urban bumis also swing to opposition

By Wong Teck Chi | Malaysiakini

On top of a huge swing of nearly 40 percent of Chinese voters to Pakatan Rakyat in Miri, a smaller proportion of urban or suburban bumiputera voters has turned to the opposition coalition, which resulted in SUPP losing almost all three state seats in Miri three days ago.

However, the magnitude of the swing is hard to estimate, given that there is no single area in Miri with a super majority of bumiputera voters.

The best example which showed there is some swing to Pakatan among the bumiputera community is Senadin, which is located on the outskirts of Miri.

Despite that that the seat has a mix of 49.98% Chinese, 28.97% Malay or Melanau and 15.88 % Iban, PKR candidate Michael Teo was still able to slash the majority of SUPP incumbent Lee Kim Sin from 4,799 votes in the 2006 state election to just 58 votes.

If not for the controversial postal votes that numbered around 1,000, SUPP would definitely have lost Senadin, and the party would have been totally wiped out from Sarawak’s second largest city.
Continue reading “Urban bumis also swing to opposition”

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The myths of S’wak polls results

By Bridget Welsh

The dust has begun to settle on the 10th Sarawak polls with the BN touting its retention of the two-thirds majority as a victory, while Pakatan Rakyat points to the more than doubling of its seats. This was the most competitive state election in Sarawak’s history and was hard fought by both sides.

BN, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak essentially camped in the state for 10 days to assure the two-thirds, while the opposition also focused is national machinery in Sarawak, bringing in the top guns from Peninsular Malaysia and thousands of party workers.

A closer look at the results show that the opposition has made impressive ground, despite its failure to break the two-thirds threshold. Sarawak is no longer BN’s fixed deposit, and trends in mobilisation and support suggest that it is even more likely not to be so unless Sarawak BN radically changes how it governs.

Myth of Chinese-only swing
Continue reading “The myths of S’wak polls results”

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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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10th Sarawak State Election 2011 Results – A Reflection For GE 13

By Richard Loh

My delayed comment on the Sarawak State Election results was because I was on the road the past few days. By now most of you must have read statements from party leaders from both sides, the winners and losers, the experts from the new media and of course the umno/bn controlled media as well.

Was there really a tsunami in this State Election? There was none and let me explain why.

A tsunami cannot happened by itself, it needs an action to trigger it. The recent tsunami in Japan was triggered by a 8.9 Richter Scale earthquake. A tsunami usually will not happened for earthquake less than 5 Richter Scale, it will just create ripples.

In my earlier posting I clearly mentioned that the wind of change in Sarawak was only ripples being formed and there can be no tsunami as yet.
Continue reading “10th Sarawak State Election 2011 Results – A Reflection For GE 13”

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Sarawak election aftermath: Investigating Taib’s billions

by Koon Yew Yin | CPI Asia

The Sarawak election results have come and gone. It has not been able to change the power equation in the state which has for so long been under the control of Taib Mahmud. A combination of dirty tricks and the well-honed BN election firepower of goodies, spin and support from public and private sector bodies, including those that are supposed to be neutral stake players, helped ensure the victory. What lies ahead for the Chief Minister and his state?

During his three decades of rule, Taib – together with members of his extended family – amassed an enormous fortune whilst the great majority of the population sank further into poverty. Several years ago, Transparency International in its Global Corruption Report named 10 of the world’s most corrupt leaders, “whose corruption has contributed to their countries’ low economic status, placing them among the poorest on the planet” (Forbes magazine). At that time, Taib Mahmud’s name did not appear on the list.
Continue reading “Sarawak election aftermath: Investigating Taib’s billions”

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After Sarawak setback, what next for BN?

The Malaysian Insider
April 18, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Barisan Nasional (BN) lost significant ground in its stronghold of Sarawak during Saturday’s state assembly election, setting the stage for a shift in government and economic policy as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak works to regain support.

The government recorded its worst performance in 24 years in the poll in a result analysts say reflects the mood across the country, which could prompt Najib to switch tack in his plan to recapture the ethnic minority vote and restructure the economy to catch up with Asian neighbours. Continue reading “After Sarawak setback, what next for BN?”