Who will team up with who...

As you can see the single largest winner in Parliament is PAS (PAS-49;BERSATU-22). They have won 49 seats. I never liked them but still congratulations. Tahniah diucapkan. But PAS has certainly benefited from the Malay protest vote who were fed up with UMNO and Zahid Hamidi. PAS is NOT on solid ground and UMNO has totally lost the plot.  

The DAP has performed weaker winning 40 parliamentary seats, two less than in 2018. Nonetheless a real prformance by the DAP. I believe this time around the DAP has suffered from the association with Anwar Ibrahim and PKR. Why do I say this? Because PKR has won only 31 Parliamentary seats out of the 102 they contested. This is a significantly weaker performance than in 2018. But of course in 2018 Anwar was in jail. 

And Nurul Izzah his daughter has lost in Permatang Pauh, their family's "personal" Parliamentary seat. However my sincere congratulations to Dato Sri Wan Azizah (Anwar's wife) who has won in Bandar Tun Razak. Congratulations again.

It looks like Amanah is here to stay because they have won 8 Parliamentary seats. I believe Amanah has a better future than PAS. As I said the vote for PAS is a protest vote by disgruntled UMNO supporters. PAS will screw things up - just wait and see. The lebais have tasted the good things in life. Boleh beli Mecedi lagi.  

UMNO has won only 30 Parliamentary seats.UMNO punya bodoh masih calonkan haprak-haprak seperti Wak Jahid, Thambi Baling Hitam, Mamak Babuji, Ice Man Co'meth', Ikan Bakar. Wak menang tetapi yang lain semua kalah. I believe GPS Sarawak will work with BN. They may work with Bersatu but not PAS.  GPS Sarawak may not work with DAP or PKR. Its complicated. So GPS' role as kingmaker is "recalculable".

UMNO/BN can work with PKR but DAP supporters will be up in arms if DAP works with UMNO. So Anthony Loke, you better think carefully.  (Personally I think it is a workable idea - time to break the ice between UMNO and DAP. But minus Wak Jahid of course. And put your foot down on policy changes). UMNO/BN can work with PN and GPS but again I think Wak Jahid cannot be part of the equation.

In Johor and Melaka the BN can form the State government easily. In Pahang the PN may marry with the BN.  Same situation in Perak becaue PN has won 26 out of 59 State seats. They need FOUR  more State seats for a simple majority of ONE. If anyone drops dead and there is a by-election, Perak is precarious. Perlis goes solidly to PN and Sarawak is solidly held by GPS. But Sabah is complicated. In Sabah, the BN, PH, GRS and Others ALL have to work together. 

Dr Mahathir and his son Mukhriz both lost their deposits in Langkawi and Jerlun respectively. 

In 1969 when he lost Alor Setar, Dr Mahathir blamed the Chinese for not voting for him.

Sadly for Dr M, now in Langkawi the Malays have rejected him en bloc. He has even lost his deposit. And Dr Mahathir is the founder of Langkawi.

In Jerlun, his son Mukhriz has also lost his deposit - against the winner from PAS. All the Getah candidates throughout Malaysia lost again and all of them lost their deposits again. Perhaps Dr M and his gang will finally retire from politics and stay at home. - Syed Akbar Ali 

Semantik besar dan terbesar...

Parti politik atau gabungan parti-parti politik yang mempunyai jumlah kerusi paling banyak adalah Pakatan Harapan.Tapi kenyataan yang dilampirkan ini kata, mempunyai jumlah kerusi yang banyak.Soalnya banyak itu berapa? Kalau paling banyak atau terbanyak, mudahlah. Dengan 82 kerusi, parti atau gabungan parti yang paling besar adalah PH.

Maka logiknya PH lah yang mendapat keutamaan untuk mencuba membentuk kerajaan.Tapi kalau "banyak" saja, persoalannya banyak mana? Perikatan Nasional dengan 73 kerusi pun boleh kata ia mempunyai banyak kerusi. Malah Barisan Nasional yang ada tiga puluh kerusi itu pun boleh mendakwa mempunyai banyak kerusi juga. 

Gabungan Parti Sarawak yang ada 22 kerusi  pun boleh mendakwa hal yang sama berbanding Gabungan Rakyat Sabah yang ada enam kerusi dan Warisan tiga.Tapi tak apalah. Kita anggaplah ini masalah semantik bukan sesuatu yang sinister. Kita berdoa dan berharap janganlah lagi ada tangan tersembunyi menodai mandat rakyat!Insya Allah, mandat terbesar yang diperoleh PH tidak disia-siakan.- A.Kadir Jasin

Zahid nafi runding dengan GPS bentuk kerajaan bersama PN.Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi menafikan Barisan Nasional (BN) pernah berunding dengan Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) untuk memberikan persetujuan penubuhan kerajaan bersama Perikatan Nasional (PN).

"Let’s start with some basics...

The GPS does not like LGE and DAP because of certain difficulties which have built up over the decades. PH+GPS would add up only to 104 seats, still very short of 112. The GRS has problems with Anwar but, even If they join PH-GPS, the total would be only 110. 

Now, if PH+GPS+GRS can’t make past 112, PN with 9 seats behind PH would also not make it with the helping hands of Sabah and Sarawak. Ironically, it is BN who is now the ‘kingmaker’. With BN, PH can have a total of 112, just enough to pass the mark. 

Now, let’s go to the other basic - nobody (especially those from Sabah and Sarawak) except PAS wants an extremist, wayward, corrupt and unreliable Malay-Muslim party in their mist for obvious reasons. Most Malaysians want a moderate progressive party or coalition to bring us a better life here on earth. Only a handful want to be overly ‘heavenly’ in their thinking and beliefs.

Some GPS coaliation parties leaders are pressing Abang Openg not to align with PN but to go with PH, otherwise they will pullout.The game is not quite over.Those Christian MP’s from GPS are angry with Abang Jo for teaming up with PN Coalition...

In the circumstances, I believe BN will team up with PH and eventually, GPS and GRS will put aside whatever differences and grievances against PH and join the team. We will then have a good mix of leaders who will bring us away from bigotry and put us on the road to a better, modern and moderate Malaysia.

Most of the Sheraton Move traitors are gone and Mahathir is gone and the next concern for all of us is to get rid of any forms of extremism and bigotry, either racial or religious. A modern and moderate model is good for everyone. Specifically and without mincing words, we need to show and push extremist PAS to the desert and the waste basket of oblivion." - Lim Hwa Beng

cheers.

PRU15 - Your vote matters...

After more than ten days of aggressive campaigning, we are now only hours away from the 15th general election, as Malaysians are prepared to cast their votes on November 19 Saturday to decide who should run this country over the next five years.

We have seen delicate changes in the country’s political climate in just two short weeks. Survey results show that BN is not as invincible as many might have thought, and PN is definitely not something we should ignore, while PH is said to be in the lead for the time being!

But in the midst of all the commotion, poll results may not be 100% accurate and things can still change in the last hours before the votes are actually counted.

This election is going to be a particularly crucial one. The notorious Sheraton Move that erupted in February 2020 sank the nation into a state of utter chaos, despair and protracted instability until PH and Ismail’s administration signed an MoU on transformation and political stability.

Having witnessed such turbulence, Malaysians in general look to the 15th general election as a terminator of all this mess, so that political stability could be restored and our ailing economy restarted.

This election is touted to be the most chaotic in the country’s history with close to a thousand individuals representing various political camps and parties and an unusually huge number of independent candidates vying for the seats. Nevertheless, it is basically a hard-fought battle among the Big Three – BN, PH and PN.

With these three major camps fighting among themselves to win over the voters, we will have to be very prudent in marking our ballot papers before dropping them into the box. We must pick the most competent government that will put the country back on the right track of growth in tackling the challenges lying before us. - MySinchew 

Selepas lebih sepuluh hari berkempen secara agresif, kita kini hanya beberapa jam sahaja lagi untuk pilihan raya umum ke-15, kerana rakyat Malaysia bersedia untuk membuang undi pada 19 November Sabtu untuk memutuskan siapa yang harus mengendalikan negara ini dalam tempoh lima tahun akan datang.

Kita telah melihat perubahan halus dalam iklim politik negara dalam masa dua minggu sahaja. Hasil tinjauan menunjukkan BN bukanlah kebal seperti yang disangkakan ramai, dan PN pastinya bukan sesuatu yang harus kita abaikan, sedangkan PH dikatakan mendahului buat masa ini!

Tetapi di tengah-tengah semua kekecohan itu, keputusan tinjauan pendapat mungkin tidak 100% tepat dan keadaan masih boleh berubah dalam beberapa jam terakhir sebelum undian sebenarnya dikira.

Pilihan raya ini akan menjadi satu yang amat penting. Gerakan Sheraton terkenal yang tercetus pada Februari 2020 menjerumuskan negara ke dalam keadaan huru-hara, putus asa dan ketidakstabilan yang berlarutan sehingga pentadbiran PH dan Ismail menandatangani MoU mengenai transformasi dan kestabilan politik.

Setelah menyaksikan pergolakan sebegitu, rakyat Malaysia secara amnya memandang pilihan raya umum ke-15 sebagai penamat kepada semua kekacauan ini, supaya kestabilan politik dapat dipulihkan dan ekonomi kita yang lemah dimulakan semula.

Pilihan raya ini disebut-sebut sebagai yang paling huru-hara dalam sejarah negara dengan hampir seribu individu yang mewakili pelbagai kem politik dan parti serta sejumlah besar calon bebas yang bersaing untuk merebut kerusi itu. Namun begitu, ia pada asasnya adalah pertempuran sengit di kalangan Tiga Besar – BN, PH dan PN.

Dengan tiga kem utama ini berjuang sesama sendiri untuk memenangi pengundi, kita perlu berhati-hati dalam menanda kertas undi kita sebelum memasukkannya ke dalam kotak. Kita mesti memilih kerajaan yang paling cekap yang akan meletakkan negara kembali pada landasan pertumbuhan yang betul dalam menangani cabaran yang menanti kita. - MySinchew 

cheers.

The hidden blessings of Sheraton Move...

It’s awful to say this, but if Pakatan Harapan wins in GE15, it could be because of Sheraton Move. Like many Malaysians, I could not forget the night of 23 February 2020 as I saw MPs entering Sheraton Hotel smiling and waving as they completed the final plot to overthrow a democratically-elected PH government through mass defections.

The protracted week of negotiations, backstabbing, lying, crying, horse-trading and interviewing that led to an entirely new government left a permanent scar in my psyche. I could not see Sheraton Move as anything else than what it was – treachery of the highest order by a group of dishonest and self-interested politicians.

But I saw a graph two weeks ago that made me ask an uncomfortable question: Could Sheraton Move have been a good thing for the primary victim, PH? Merdeka Center had been tracking government approval ratings with sufficient one- to three-month intervals since PH first came to power in 2018. This meant that we could compare how people felt about the three governments of PH, PN, and BN in the past four years.

No government in recent history has been as popular at PH during its first two months of administration, as euphoria painted the sky in our first ever government change since independence.But this popularity took a dramatic crash in the next 20 months, ending only with a 30% approval rate in its final month before Sheraton Move swept them out of power. If an election was called then, nobody would bet on a PH victory. PH avoided two global crises and looked better in the end

Whether it was an expectation-reality mismatch, underperformance and/or inexperience, but the people were much happier when Muhyiddin took over, as PN’s government enjoyed an above 55% approval rating during its first year.

But things plunged rapidly from April 2021 onwards, reaching an all-time low of 34% in July 2021. This was when the violent Omicron variant hit, putting Covid-19 cases past one million, making Malaysia’s per-million deaths Southeast Asia’s highest; hospitals became a disaster movie. The lockdowns economically distressed many, with suicide rates soaring to record highs, and starving Malaysians put out white flags to plea for help.

Ismail Sabri’s government took over as the economy looked for ways to recover from the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic-induced downturn. Ismail’s government was never able to breach 50% in approval ratings, and the dissatisfaction rate rose to the highest level of 64% at the height of inflation (July 2022). The war in Ukraine and unexpected lockdowns in China disrupted the supply chains, driving food prices sky high. Cooking oil, eggs, and creamer had double digit price increases. We ran out of chicken.

Without Sheraton Move, the unpopular PH government would have had to govern through the life-threatening Covid-19 crisis and an inflation, both of which were due more to external events that were highly uncontrollable, but which governments typically take full blame. Now, three major coalitions that governed in the past four years are compared by how well they’ve done during their tenure, and most importantly, how the people felt during those periods.

While PH’s governance was associated with lackluster pace in reforms, its administration now looks better compared to Muhyiddin’s Covid-19 dark and bitter statistics, as well as Ismail’s angry inflation period.

Other than yanking PH out of these unavoidable global crises, Sheraton Move also allowed people to reflect on their performance with more distance and objectivity, and to soften how they felt about PH, in direct contrast to PN and BN governments that were closer in time.

Besides making PH look better with the power of nostalgia, Sheraton Move also produced two other benefits to PH: Split its opponents and lowered the threshold for victory. When the deal was struck to orchestrate Sheraton Move, rule-breaking behaviors were normalized. Chief among them was the notion that every politician deserves to be in the cabinet, and they would withdraw support and threaten the party if their demands were not met.

By validating politicians’ egoistic pursuit of wealth and influence in cabinet positions, large-scale internal and external party feuds happened between PN and BN. A new faction within Umno was formed purely to defend their positions against other party vultures, and they were known as the “ministerial cluster.” Those not aligned with Umno president Zahid Hamidi were dropped as candidates, and they either made Zahid the target enemy, cried betrayal, or ran on the opponent’s ticket altogether.

Despite the logical electoral benefit of a PN-BN partnership, talks also fell through as Umno and PAS started blaming each other for the government’s faults and corruption, and name-calling occurred to a grave degree between them that a ceasefire was called. Such schisms could not have existed without Sheraton Move that legitimized the lust for power and made the coalitions realize that they could not work together or compete for the same voter base.

Before Sheraton Move, Umno-PAS was working intimately under Muafakat Nasional. After Sheraton Move, greed was unleashed and celebrated, splitting the oldest Malay-Muslim parties and normalizing nationwide three-cornered fights.

A more competitive election meant that the Malay votes are split, thus improving PH’s chances to win with only a quarter of Malay votes. The endless feuds also made the uneventful PH appear stable in comparison. 

Sheraton Move opened the floodgates of greed, and PH now benefits.The final benefit of Sheraton Move is the birth of the anti-party hopping law (AHL) that improved the rules of the game. The intensity and frequency of party defections made parties realize they were all losers in a zero-sum game if they could not keep the MPs they’ve helped win.

Though imperfect, the AHL, in effect from 5 October 2022, makes it a constitutional requirement for an MP to vacate his/her seat if they join another political party. This helped lower the threshold for victory. A PH that wins only 90 seats under AHL environments is more secure than a PH that has 121 seats in 2018 but MPs were still allowed to defect to another party.

AHL helps PH cement its seats and influence, thus making it more attractive for East Malaysian parties to strike a partnership to form government. That also meant PH needs fewer seats as its seats are now stabler seats. What good was Sheraton Move? The grave affront to our democracy that broke all rules and conventions turned out to be beneficial to the primary victims, PH.

It helped provide a contrast to other governments that governed during worst crises and made PH look better in comparison, besides splitting the opponents through the floodgates of greed, and lowered the threshold of victory by improving the rules of the game. If PH goes on to win GE15, it could be because of Sheraton Move. - MySinchew 

Vote out BN,it has ‘unfinished business’...

The biggest political blunder BN made after the 14th general election (GE14) was to actively participate in the Sheraton Move. The people had made their voices heard in the last polls and BN should have accepted the verdict.

The results of the GE14 were a strong signal to BN that it was time to take a breather and rebuild itself. It should have respected the will of the majority and accepted that the people had consigned it to another role - namely to become the opposition.

Thus, BN should have had the magnanimity to accept the decision, take up the role of an opposition and start a process of rebuilding itself and to proof itself as a great opposition.

After all, in a vibrant democracy, people will choose whom they want as the government and whom to become opposition. Both are key and important roles for a good democratic government.

The results of GE13 itself were a strong message to BN from people but it did not change from 2013 to 2018. And since BN was not prepared to change while being in the government, voters decided to give them a clean break in the GE14 from the responsibility of governing to that of the opposition.The idea perhaps was to give them time and space to reflect and evolve to gain the confidence of the people to be elected as the next government.

But alas, this was not meant to be. Instead of pushing the reset button and putting it on a path to resurgence, BN was “seduced” to be part of a conspiracy to topple a legitimate government and become part of an unelected government.That act, in hindsight, was a fatal move.

Today BN is in a pickle. The stink in the form of leaders embroiled in corruption is still part of its main leadership and this appears to be repulsive to voters.The change in BN that the people thought they would undertake after the defeat in GE14 did not materialise.

So, BN has some “unfinished business” in the form of a makeover, and it needs a clean break from governing one more time for a period of five years. Hence, voters should deliver a clear message to BN on Nov 19 that they should take time off from governing and take a different role which is to become opposition.

They should use the next five years to rebuild themselves, bring fresh young talent into their fold and start preparing for the 16th general election. I do not believe there are angels in politics, only devils. The choice voters have is to choose the lesser of the evils to be their leaders.

For GE15, that “lesser evil” is Pakatan Harapan. And maybe in GE16, after a clean makeover, BN would have a chance to regain their lost lustre. All that, they will need to prove to voters in the next general election that they are the “lesser evil” compared to the rest. - SP Nathan

cheers.

Calon PH P017 Padang Serai meninggal dunia...

 

Calon Pakatan Harapan (PH) untuk Parlimen Padang Serai di Kedah, M Karupaiya,(atas) meninggal dunia hari ini, hanya dua hari sebelum pengundian dijalankan Sabtu nanti.

Mendiang yang merupakan ahli PKR memenangi kerusi itu pada PRU 2018 selepas menewaskan Leong Yong Kong dari MCA dan Muhammad Sobri Osman dari PAS. Karupaiya dijadualkan menentang C Sivaraaajh dari MIC dan tiga yang lain pada 19 Nov ini.

Ketua Polis Daerah Kulim Superintendan Mohd Redzuan Salleh ketika dihubungi mengesahkan perkara itu.

"Beliau meninggal dunia di Hospital Kulim pada jam 2.27 petang," katanya ringkas ketika dihubungi Malaysiakini.

Sementara itu, Setiausaha Agung PKR Saifuddin Nasution dalam kenyataan petang ini berkongsi perkara itu, dengan mengimbas pertemuan kali terakhirnya dengan mendiang pada 14 Nov lalu. Kata Saifuddin, mendiang ketika itu tampil memberi ucapan ringkas dan sempat bersama menjulang tangan di akhir ucapan bersama Pengerusi PH Anwar Ibrahim.

“Mewakili seluruh keluarga besar PKR dan PH, saya merakamkan ucapan takziah buat keluarga mendiang. Pemergian mendiang satu kehilangan besar kepada parti dan perjuangan reformasi.

“Jasa mendiang di parlimen, kepada warga serta Cabang Padang Serai, dan juga kepada Angkatan Tentera Malaysia terutama para veteran akan senantiasa dikenang.

“Mendiang meninggal dunia di dalam perjuangan menegakkan keadilan demi Malaysia yang lebih baik. Semangat ini akan diteruskan oleh para pejuang PKR dan PH pada PRU ke-15 ini,” kata Saifuddin.

Karupaiya merupakan bekas Pegawai Waran 1, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia dan juga ketua Cabang PKR Padang Serai. - mk  RIP 🙏🙏

PH’s Padang Serai 

candidate M Karupaiya dies....

Pakatan Harapan's candidate for the Padang Serai seat in Kedah M Karupaiya has died, two days before the general election. He was 69. At press time, the cause of death remains unknown.

The PKR member won the seat in the 2018 general election after defeating MCA’s Leong Yong Kong and PAS’ Muhammad Sobri Osman. Karupaiya (above) was slated to face MIC’s C Sivaraaajh and three others on Nov 19.

According to Kulim police chief Mohd Redzuan Salleh, Karupaiya died in Kulim Hospital at about 2.27pm. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, in a statement following Karupaiya's passing, said he last met the latter on Nov 14, at a ceramah in Kulim, Kedah.

"He gave a brief speech and even rose hands together at the end of Harapan chairperson (Anwar Ibrahim's) speech.

"The deceased was a former first warrant officer with the Royal Malaysian Army and Padang Serai PKR division chief," said Saifuddin, adding that Karupaiya's contributions to the army and the party will be forever remembered.

"On behalf of PKR and Harapan, I relay my condolences to the deceased's family. His passing is a huge loss to the party and the Reformasi movement."

"Karupaiya is a former soldier who had dedicated a huge chunk of his life to public service and politics.

"MIC and BN are shocked by this news. This (Karupaiya's passing) is a huge loss unexpected by voters in Padang Serai. May he be at peace." ... RIP 🙏🙏  - mk

Ini adalah calon PH di Ipoh Timur. Seorang anak muda Howard Lee Chuan How - juga bekas ADUN Perak. Jelas sekali seorang yang terpelajar, fasih dan amat jelas hujahnya berkenaan penjagaan dan kesihatan warga tua atau care for the aged. Juga dikenali sebagai geriatric care. Mendengar ucapan ringkas Howard Lee "the care crisis is real, the agedness of our society is real" maksudnya bilangan penduduk Malaysia yang makin tua sedang bertambah dan golongan warga tua perlukan bantuan dan penjagaan kesihatan khusus yang sangat berkurangan dalam negara kita.  Inilah mesej Howard Lee Chuan How, calon Pakatan Harapan di Ipoh Timur...

cheers.

Is UMNO on the verge of imploding 6 days before the election?...

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi thought he had the perfect plan to drop four ministers loyal to prime minister Ismail Sabri was fool proof. However, when he dropped Shahidan Kassim, Annuar Musa, Adham Baba, and Halimah Mohamed Sadique, along with MPs Zahidi Zainal Abidin, Ismail Abd Muttalib, and Azhar Ahmad, he didn’t anticipate the fierce retaliation.

Shahidan Kassim immediately joined Perikatan Nasional and will most probably take his Arau seat to PN, while others are running as independents. Zahid’s move not only angered those who were dropped, but mobilized many disgruntled UMNO members to take a stand and move with those he dropped. This is not just affecting the constituencies concerned, but going statewide as well.

Former Padang Besar MP made a statement today that the BN will fall in Perlis. Not only will they loose two federal seats, but the state government as well. Zahidi, combining with Shahidan Kassim and Azhar Ahmad certainly have the capability to achieve this.

This is not just isolated to Perlis. UMNO members in Maran, Pahang are moving across to support Ismail Ab Muttalib, who is also running for PN. This is splitting the party on the ground. UMNO secretary general Ahmad Maslan today suspended all party posts of Maran Wanita chief Fatimah Kassim, as well as Arau Wanita UMNO chief Shamsiah Yasin, in a bid to quell the revolt.

UMNO Wanita has traditionally been the section of UMNO that supplies party workers for the election campaign. Ismail Ab Muttalib has a chance of retaining Maran under the PN banner, as the Muhyiddin is finding rekindled popularity in the Malay heartlands.   

In Alor Setar, where the BN has endorsed an MCA candidate Tan Chee Heong, many UMNO members are assisting other candidates. This could threaten BN’s dominance within the seat. In Bagan Datuk, Zahid’s own seat in Perak there are reports of UMNO members not only standing down for the campaign, but actively trying to sabotage his campaign.

The growing rift within UMNO can be clearly seen in the Sungai Buloh campaign, where Khairy Jamaluddin was dumped in a seat that no one within the UMNO leadership thought he could win. Khairy has become a defacto opposition leader, heavily criticizing UMNO’s present leadership and talking about the urgent need to reform UMNO. Although Khairy has to make up 26,000 votes, based on the 2018 seat results, there is significant momentum swinging behind him. However, maybe not enough for him to get up.

Khairy now describes himself as an “UMNO reformist”. If he does get back into parliament on November 19, this could spring into a formal faction within UMNO. Many are speculating Zahid is planning to ditch Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister after the election and attempt to take on this role himself. Whether this is true or not, the idea is destabilizing the party.

UMNO is under immense pressure for campaign funds. Jailed UMNO defacto leader Najib Razak has withheld campaign funds. He funded all the byelections after his defeat in 2018 and played a major role in the Melaka and Johor state elections.

UMNO has lost the competitive advantage it had of being the party with the most funds. It appears Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional has taken that mantle.

Pundits are saying Muhyiddin is no making big inroads upon UMNO strongholds within the Malay heartlands. Poor funding and major infighting six days out from election day is a catastrophe for UMNO.This gives PN the opportunity to become the legitimate Malay voice from the heartlands, at UMNO’s expense.

It is strategically very important for BN to be the largest grouping in parliament after November 19 to form a working government. If UMNO continues to implode over the next few days, their potential position as the largest grouping in the new parliament could be in jeopardy.

That would mean that the Agong would have to invite either Muhyiddin Yassin or Anwar Ibrahim to form a government. A lot has happened in Malaysian politics over the last 24 hours. With all the multi-cornered contests on Saturday, who knows what the result will be.- Murray Hunter

8 reasons BN,PN promises hard to trust...

 Confused with various election manifestos? Most people don’t bother reading through them but vote based on trust. For me, Pakatan Harapan is the most believable of the three main coalitions, as they have been fighting for reforms (and even endured jail time) as opposition politicians for years, indeed decades.

And this time, the main spoilers of the last Harapan government - Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the recycled Umno jokers called Bersatu and former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s “cartel” within the party - are mostly gone. As for manifesto promises from either blue gangs – BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) – here are eight reasons why they are hard to trust.

1. Betrayed voters before

Umno, PAS and Bersatu betrayed the people’s mandate during the Sheraton Move. If they can ignore what people voted for in 2018, what makes you think they will honour whatever promises they make now?

2. Failed core promise of Malay unity

They claimed the betrayal was for the “noble cause” of “Malay unity” against the “DAP/Chinese threat”. Unity? Within months, they were hissing and clawing at each other like wild cats. Bersatu tried to gain more strength by enticing PAS, the “wife” of Umno, away from its 2019 Muafakat Nasional political marriage. Umno then accused PAS of “main dua kolam” (playing with two partners).

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was harsher, blasting PAS as a “political prostitute”. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang responded by calling Umno an ungrateful “duck with a broken leg.” What a soap opera!

In August 2021, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s faction of Umno backstabbed Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, forcing him to resign as prime minister. And so the Sheraton Move traitors were now betraying each other.

Even as late as last month, PAS still pined for Umno’s love, but was told to buzz off. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, so Hadi responded with his “holy” proclamation that Umno was still “keruh” (murky) with bribery. He added that working with Umno was like eating “unripe durian” that could upset the stomach. Can voters trust these three quarrelling circus clowns?

3. Stability? Or civil war?

Both BN and PN promise “stability”. BN’s slogan is “stability and prosperity” while the manifesto for PN trumpets “concerned, clean and stable”. The respected Merdeka Center survey shows that Harapan leads with 26 percent support while it’s 24 percent for BN and only 13 percent for PN (led by Bersatu and PAS). So both BN and PN may need to sleep in the same political bed again to form a government. That means more backbiting drama, not “stability”.

Bersatu is rumoured to have tension between groups aligned with Azmin and Hamzah Zainudin. Azmin’s former ally Zuraida Kamaruddin then left Bersatu and hopped to Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) only to end up in another power struggle.

Umno is torn by an internal civil war after Zahid chopped off Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s allies from contesting the election. Dropped warlords like Shahidan Kassim of Arau and Tajuddin Abdul Rahman of Pasir Salak, have reacted badly.

This is Umno’s most delicious “noodles” on full display. No, not char kuey teow but “cah keting”, which means internal sabotage. One sign of this is that political hitman Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), said to be linked to certain Umno leaders, is now constantly attacking Zahid.

Then there is the MACC. It declared “Mana Ada Corruption Case?” (No corruption case) for scandals like 1MDB. But amazingly, it now wants to fly all the way to England to ask RPK for proof that Zahid is involved in the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal. Is it a coincidence that MACC reports to Ismail Sabri? Does all this look like “stability” to you?

PN chairperson Muhyiddin with his coalition’s manifesto

4. WBND - Why before never do?

Both BN and PN have been together in a “fusion” government since March 2020. Heck, it’s hard to tell apart their shades of blue! Now they are promising various goodies. Here’s the simple question: WBND - Why before never do? Are they sincere?

For example, PN is now pledging free school buses for the poor. Well, Bersatu’s Mohd Radzi Md Jidin has been the education minister. Why didn’t he implement this earlier? Surely, it doesn’t cost that much? PN also promises one million “high-paying” digital economy jobs. How many such jobs have they created so far?

What about BN? It has assured free higher education for all B40 students. But why hasn’t Umno’s Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad already done this? For money, she could have asked Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, also from Umno.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

5. Racism

Umno, Bersatu and PAS all champion a Malay-Muslim agenda. So, will the aid promised in their manifestos be fairly given to all races?

Former Suhakam commissioner Jerald Joseph said “too many layers in the civil service bureaucracy” have hampered previous efforts to help the poor. This has worsened as certain racial and political factors can influence who receives more aid. “So how will it be different this time?” Joseph asked.

The signs are not good. Hadi made an unholy diagnosis that non-bumiputera are the main "root of corruption". As for Umno, its supporters called the DAP’s Malay candidate for the Ayer Hitam seat “a Chinese dog”. So, I laughed when I read that BN’s manifesto now promises to “recognise racial inclusiveness”.

6. Proven failures

The biggest issue now is inflation. But even though the grand-sounding National Action Council on Cost of Living has been running since February 2020, prices have kept climbing. Don’t forget that we also have the National Consumer Action Council, the Economic Action Council, the National Recovery Council and (since June) the Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation.

If so many councils, task forces and ministries under the fusion BN-PN government have failed to tackle inflation, how can their manifesto promises succeed? What do you expect when the few capable ministers like Khairy Jamaluddin are sidelined rather than promoted? In the issue of “chickenomics”, I traced how they screwed up subsidies for farmers that were meant to keep chicken prices low. And then Ismail Sabri twisted it into a “jihad” issue.

Both BN and PN have failed. Don’t take my word for it. Just listen to what these jokers themselves say. In September, PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin slammed Ismail Sabri for failing to manage the economy, with a falling ringgit, rising inflation and 31 percent of Malaysians struggling with debts and bills.

Ismail Sabri fired back, hey it’s not only my fault. Bersatu ministers are also in the cabinet and share the blame too. And the National Economic Recovery Council (yes, yet another council) is chaired by Muhyiddin himself!

7. Impossible promises

Zahid and BN have promised 5G connections for all rural schools within 18 months. DAP’s Rajiv Rishyakaran replied, hello… even parts of Kuala Lumpur now lack 5G. BN should first repair schools with leaking roofs and broken toilets, he added.

Remember Veveonah Mosibin, the youth from Sabah who had to climb up a tree to get a data signal for her online exam? If they can’t even get 4G rural broadband done, why talk of 5G? Don’t worry, if it fails, the taichi blame game will be repeated.

8. Corruption is the key

BN and PN can offer loads of sweet promises in their manifestos. But these are doomed to flop if leaders are more interested in filling their pockets, than in doing their jobs. There will be no money to help the rakyat when money vanishes through more scandals like 1MDB or LCS.

Even “holy” PAS is tainted. Its Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man “bulldozed” a RM2 billion flood project to an alleged “Umno crony” company, as PKR’s Rafizi Ramli has just revealed.

As for BN, Zahid has himself admitted that the real motive in the election is for BN leaders to escape getting charged with corruption.

What about Bersatu? Its former vice-president Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman demanded government contracts and positions for party leaders – and got a standing ovation. That shows their mindset.

PH chairperson Anwar Ibrahim with ‘Kita Boleh!’ manifesto

Conclusion

People grumble that Harapan “didn’t do anything” in their 22-month rule. But they forget that billions were saved from inflated megaprojects like ECRL, LRT3 and MRT2. The problem is that many people didn’t feel the benefits reaching them. Nobody remembers the 18 percent discount on tolls.

A detailed report card by think tank Ideas revealed that 30 percent of the 224 sub-promises of Harapan’s manifesto were either implemented or in progress after one year in power. Could more have been done if the Sheraton Move had not intervened? You can read Harapan's manifesto and decide for yourself how much can be achieved this time.

But if you're too lazy to do that, then just think about what BN-PN didn’t do in their 33 months of power. Or what Umno/BN did when former premier Najib Abdul Razak and Zahid were in charge. Can we trust their promises now? The eight reasons I’ve given here suggest that’s a gamble not worth taking. - Andrew Sia

cheers.

Hadi, 1SGD=3.37 MYR,choose trusted leaders,be non-racist...

 

We have just heard a Pas official say, "support BN and PH, go to hell", then this official apologized. Before that, Lebai Razman from Perak said, "If Anwar is supported as PM, Anwar will allow men to marry men, women to marry women".

Most recently, lebai Hadi said that he was worried because DAP fielded many Malay candidates. Previously, Lebai Hadi was worried because PH was controlled by the Chinese from DAP. When DAP puts a Malay candidate, he worries too. Don't you see how stupid and racist Hadi is?

What is he not worried about? He is not worried if a Muslim-branded party puts an infidel as a candidate. If he puts a non-Muslim candidate, the law is halal. If the DAP party places a Muslim candidate, the law is 'haram' and worrisome. Those are the signs of misguided and misleading religious sellers.

It's strange, miraculous, a person like Hadi can make a fool of many of his supporters, including the Ustaz. That's Hadi's advantage, which is that he can fool people to be on par with his brain. - Wfauzdin NS

 Kalu PH memerintah,terancamkah kedudukan orang2 Melayu? Video di atas ini menjawab dakwaan di atas dan berhujah PH bukan sahaja memperjuangkan Melayu, bahkan kesejahteraan dan keadilan rakyat Malaysia seluruhnya...

“Day after day Hadi provides us 

more reasons why he’s unfit to be PM”...

There are four candidates vying to be the 10th prime minister (PM) of Malaysia – UMNO president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin; PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Pakatan Harapan (PH) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.There is no fifth candidate for the 10th PM of Malaysia – not even Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, although he is the “poster boy” of the UMNO/BN coalition in the 15th General Elections (GE15). 

I do not believe Ismail himself privately thinks that he is going to be the PM after GE15 should UMNO/BN win the general election, seeing how his UMNO ministers were culled and not put up as candidates, and the recent statement by Zahid that it is the unquestioned prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to decide who will become PM. 

The results of voting on polling day this Saturday (Nov 19) will decide who between Muhyiddin and Hadi will be the contender for the post of the 10th PM of Malaysia for Perikatan Nasional (PN) – depending on whether Bersatu or PAS wins the most parliamentary seats between them. As for Gerakan, I expect all of them to lose in the GE15; the only question is how many of the Gerakan candidates will lose their deposits. 

Anyway, Hadi is providing more reasons every day as to why he is unfit to be PM of Malaysia, regardless of the number of PAS MPs elected on Nov 19. A Malaysian PM must be a man of his word and a model of integrity and probity. He cannot be openly spreading lies and untruths.Hadi has accused the DAP of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-royalty. Has he got any proof and why he has not produced said proof? 

Recently, he made frequent attacks on the DAP, even alleging that DAP leaders are communist and godless. He further alleged that Malay leaders contesting on DAP tickets as candidates in GE15 are being used by the DAP to win Malay-Muslim votes. How can Hadi aspire to be PM when he is prepared to tell lies and does not understand the meaning of ordinary terms? 

Do you remember what you said in Teluk Intan? Does Hadi remember what he said during the Teluk Intan by-election in May 2014? Hadi had praised Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud (pix,above), the DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, for making DAP her political party of choice despite being a Malay. At the time, Hadi hit back at detractors who criticised PAS  for choosing to partner with DAP, saying PAS has more in common with DAP than with UMNO. 

He reportedly added: “We feel that Dyana is brave to be a candidate, more so a DAP candidate”; Dyana’s detractors have labelled her a “traitor to her race” and an ingrate for joining DAP, especially when her mother herself is an UMNO member. 

Besides that, Hadi once reminded PAS members that DAP had helped PAS when the BN coalition tried to oust the Islamist party from ruling Kelantan during the 1977 Kelantan Emergency. He said although there are so many things different between DAP and PAS – like what is halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden), alcohol and pork and hudud – the two parties agree with each other in eradicating poverty, cruelty and corruption, among others. 

Hadi should tell Malaysians what happened after the Teluk Intan by-election in 2014, where the PAS leadership did a somersault and decided that they have more in common with UMNO, and supported Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

Does Islam teach its leaders to tell lies and untruths and to cooperate with those guilty of corruption? I do not think so. Like all great religions, Islam stands for truth, freedom and justice. Furthermore, Hadi insults the intelligence and morality of the DAP’s Malay leaders and candidates by alleging that they are used by the Chinese. 

For Hadi’s information, in the DAP, we are all Malaysians, although we are also Malays, Chinese, Indians, Dayaks and Kadazans, or Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. However, nobody makes use of another for their own interests. 

DAP has produced a leader who had crossed the racial and religious divide to defend the dignity of an underaged Malay girl, paying the price of being jailed for it – i.e. former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

Has PAS produced any leader who had gone to jail for the rights and dignity of a Malay, let alone cross the racial and religious divide to defend the rights and dignity of a Malaysian of another race or religion? 

Here’s what being “secular” in Malaysia means.Hadi also does not understand the meaning of “secular”, for the word does not mean anti-religion or godless, but, as entrenched in the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara, it means that Islam is the religion of Malaysia but other religions can be practised freely and in peace. 

It is unfortunate that Hadi is trying to interpret “secular” as ‘godless” or “anti-religion” when this has never been the meaning in Malaysia.

I have been an MP for some 50 years and Opposition leader in Parliament for some 30 years. I never knew I was a communist. When did Hadi discover that I am a communist?  I am interested to know what made me a communist after the Teluk Intan by-election in 2014. 

The Royal Malaysian Police Force’s (PDRM) Special Branch does not know that I had been a communist. Did Hadi brief the Special Branch that I am a communist, with all the supporting documentation? If not, Hadi has failed his duty as a citizen of Malaysia.

Instead of looking for factors and reasons to unite Malaysia of many races, religions, languages, cultures and regions, Hadi is trying to invent new reasons to divide Malaysians. Is such a person fit to be the 10th PM of Malaysia? - Lim Kit Siang

Sapa yang lebih komunis DAP or UMNO...

Mail 2 kupang terlupa kot...

Kekecohan yang dicetuskan oleh Pemuda BN Bagan Datuk.Mereka menjerit memaki hamun. Salah seorang mereka membawa parang. Inilah sikap samseng Sarip Dol penyokong BN di Bagan Datuk.

cheers.

What happens if a PM-designate loses but his coalition wins?...

 

If a prime minister-designate fails to get elected to parliament, his party must still fulfil its election manifesto and find a credible replacement candidate to lead the country.

However, do Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) have suitable replacements if their respective leaders, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, fail to win?

That question was put to political analyst Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk, with Malaysia’s 15th General Election scheduled on Nov 19.

Azeem, who is director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, said the problem plaguing PH and PN is that they do not have suitable candidates if Anwar or Muhyiddin loses. Anwar is contesting in Tambun while Muhyiddin is standing in Pagoh.

“If Anwar loses, who in Pakatan can lead? Is it Anwar’s daughter (Nurul Izzah), or his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail?

“Would they be accepted? What about Rafizi Ramli, who has only just returned as deputy president of PKR?”

He said, similarly, apart from Muhyiddin, Perikatan does not have anyone, apart from Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

As for Barisan Nasional (BN), Azeem said there is no shortage of candidates lining up to replace its prime minister candidate, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who is contesting in Bera. He added Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is a likely nominee, ahead of beleaguered president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Azmin calon PM jika Muhyiddin kalah di Pagoh

Azeem said GE15 would be Malaysia’s closest election with a surprise outcome, as no single coalition will get the 112 seats needed to form a government. He added that in Malaysia, many tend to vote for a coalition, hoping that its leader would be the prime minister.

“Unlike the United States, Indonesia, or the Philippines, we do not elect the prime minister. It is the MPs who decide,” said Azeem.

“Previously, the Umno president would ‘automatically’ become prime minister, as the party and its coalition partners would have more than the minimum 112 seats to form a government.

“However, times have changed. Ismail Sabri is not Umno president, yet he was the prime minister (for 14 months).

“As such, there is no guarantee a leader or PM-designate will eventually become the prime minister, as he or she must be accepted by at least 112 MPs.” - Graig Nunis

Dr.M - Blame Muhyiddin, Hamzah, 

Azmin for Anwar not becoming PM...

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was not him who should be blamed for Anwar Ibrahim not becoming prime minister under the Pakatan Harapan administration. Instead, he blamed those from within the coalition who engineered the Sheraton Move.

In particular, Mahathir placed the fault firmly on Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, its secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin and supreme council member Azmin Ali.

“I want to explain again, that my resignation (as prime minister) did not cause the Pakatan Harapan government's fall. If the Harapan government did not fall, they could have named Anwar as my successor.

“The ones who toppled the Harapan government were Muhyiddin, Hamzah and Azmin - who pulled out many of their members from Harapan until the coalition lost its majority and fell.

“So blame Azmin, Hamzah and Muhyiddin, as well as their followers who were involved with the Sheraton Move that denied Anwar the premiership... Don’t always blame me,” Mahathir said in a statement today.

He also said Anwar was at fault for pushing Azmin and several other PKR lawmakers at the time to become turncoats and in turn, cooperate with Muhyiddin.

Mahathir said this after Anwar and Harapan supporters have been accusing him nonstop of not fulfilling his promise of handing over the prime ministership to Anwar and of not discussing his decision to resign as prime minister with the coalition.

Mahathir explained that his decision to resign as prime minister amid the Sheraton Move in 2020 was similar to what happened with former British prime minister Liz Truss. “For example in the UK, the country with the Westminster system that we follow, when the prime minister resigns, the ruling party decides who will be the replacement. - mk

Enough of your crab stories.Still continuing blaming others as if he is an angel. Because of his greed for power and money, he wants to stay on. No more trusting this old man. - YellowCondo6925

He is getting more and more worry as the polling day is approaching, knowing that AI is going to be the 10th PM of Malaysia. So he better repent and taichi to others early for his mistake during the last days of PH 22 months in 2020. - New My

As usual, never his fault. But we remember he had an agreement before GE14 to hand over. Really can't b trusted. - Albatros

All 4 of you, have robbed the will of the Rakyat! PH will come back more stronger, without any traitors from next week. - GreenCarp8801

You are so disgusting. You betrayed the people and kept blaming on others. You didn't have to dissolve the parliament but you did it just to stop Anwar from becoming the next Prime Minister as promised. You are the one to be blamed for putting my country in such a mess and corrupted. You are a liar and a traitor. You shame your whole family and ten generations down. - anonymous who

Strange ‘happenings’ 

with the Electoral Roll...

Last Saturday, after baking some cakes, she sat down to have her afternoon tea with a slice of home-baked sugee cake. She opened her laptop to check her details on the Electoral Roll to confirm her constituency and polling station. What she saw, shocked her.

Her polling station was now at her previous constituency. And she ‘qualified’ for early voting on Nov 15, instead of on Nov 19, with the rest of the population. For the record, those who qualify for early voting are members of the armed forces, police officers, and their spouses.

“I tried calling the number on the Election Commission of Malaysia website, but no one answered. I used to stay in Subang Jaya, but changed my address to Klang before the last election,” said Sta Maria, who has lived in Klang since 2010.

“I voted in Klang in the last general election, but today, I discovered my polling station is back in Subang. How can that be? “Plus, I am eligible for early voting. How is that possible?” Sta Maria kept trying to contact the EC. Although she did not get through, she kept refreshing the website.

On Monday morning, her details were “updated”. Her polling station was still in Subang, but she was not eligible for early voting. On Thursday at 2.33pm, her status was “updated” again. She was back to early voting on Nov 15, but two hours later, it was Nov 19.

Sta Maria finally got through to the EC who sent her a message on Friday stating her polling date was Nov 19, and that any change of address would be reflected within two months. “I will continuously refresh the website from now until Nov 15, and then, on Nov 19, as I do not want to miss the chance to vote,” she added.

Sta Maria now faces another problem as the monsoon season is back. “On Wednesday, there were flash floods in my neighbourhood. That included the road leading out to Kesas Highway,” said Sta Maria.

“I had to turn around and use an alternate route to fetch my daughter from school. “When I reached home, I discovered that floodwaters had entered the backyard and the downstairs bathroom.”

Last year, Sta Maria was among the thousands affected by the floods. Her family had to move all the electronic items and furniture to the second floor.

“It looks like we will have to be extra careful and ensure everything is safe before we go out to vote,” she said.

Just a reminder to those voting, please print or screenshot your particulars from the EC website before you go to the polling station. Please make sure to line up at the correct lane next Saturday. - Deborah Sta Maria,housewife from Klang.

cheers.