Blame yourself for defeat, Meonet tells Pakatan

Athi Shankar

The opposition pact did not have an effective strategy to net rural votes, says the election observer group.

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Rakyat lost the recent general election because its campaign strategy was faulty, not because it was the victim of fraud, according to the Malaysian Election Observers Network (Meonet).

Meonet chief Ong Boon Keong said today that his organisation’s ground study found Pakatan did not have an effective strategy to penetrate Barisan Nasional’s rural vote bank, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

He noted that virtually all of Pakatan’s claims of fraud involved urban constituencies, where it was more successful than BN.

Can BN and Pakatan leaders work together?

Alyaa Azhar

Academics voice out their opinions on what a Cabinet line-up should consist of and should Pakatan reps be invited to form the govt.

Although some prefer the Cabinet line-up to consist of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, some felt that such a notion would be impractical.

Aruna Gopinath of the National Defence University’s Faculty of Strategic Studies said that although it would be preferable for the Cabinet to have a participatory system where both BN and Pakatan leaders make up the line-up, she questioned the country’s readiness for it.

“I personally would want a participatory kind of system in the Cabinet line-up whereby the majority from both sides [BN and Pakatan] can work hand in glove.

The hard work starts now

Josh Hong

The result was indeed an anti-climax, but those who had longed for change can take solace in the fact that they had fought an honourable battle against all odds.

In terms of the popular vote, the rakyat has won. For the first time in history, an opposition alliance has garnered more votes than the ruling coalition, a splendid achievement against the background of rampant bribery, media manipulation and, more importantly, gerrymandering. The electoral playing ground is just too skewed for Barisan Nasional’s victory to be meaningful.

Economist: Najib’s win tainted by skewed polls

The Economist

Leading international affairs weekly The Economist has described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s win in the 13th general election as a tawdry victory which brought to fore a system skewed towards the BN.

It stated that with the “huge inbuilt advantages” skewed in the ruling coalition’s favour, it was “remarkable” that the coalition still had to indulge in vote-buying.

“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.

10 things Najib must do

P Gunasegaram

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.

The beginnings of a Malay tsunami

Gertrude Pereira

In Viewpoints on NTV7 on Monday night, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin appealed to the opposition to be magnanimous and accept the GE13 results. I wonder if he would ask his party, Umno, and the Barisan Nasional it leads, to do the same.

Instead, one day after the elections, after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had said he would seek national reconciliation and healing, Umno-owned Malay daily,Utusan Malaysiaheadlines ‘Apa lagi Cina mahu?’ (What more do the Chinese want?) When his attention was drawn to it, Najib defended the paper, alluding that Chinese papers do the same.

Now, tell me who is stoking racialism in post-GE13 Malaysia and who is not being magnanimous? Apparently the Chinese voted en bloc for Pakatan Rakyat in predominantly Chinese areas where the DAP is strong.

Even without leaders, people make their voices heard

Ram Anand

Thousands could not make it into a Kelana Jaya stadium brimming with a heavily passionate crowd last night, and many could not even drive anywhere close to it as Petaling Jaya was caught in a gridlock by those heading to the mass protest rally against the Sunday’s polls alleged fraud.

At least half of the 120,000 people who descended upon the stadium for one of the biggest rallies in recent times did not even get to hear their leaders speak.

Many did not have a clue when or where the likes of Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang spoke. Part of the sound system in the stadium was inaudible to the outlying areas and even to some stands at the far end of the stadium.

Sea of black shows there’s no stopping this locomotive

Terence Netto

A rally like the one in Kelana Jaya last night whose attendance was in six figures on a matter like the alleged fraud in last Sunday’s polls only means one thing – the issue won’t go away.

Like Banquo’s revenant ghost that haunted the murderer in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and brought the culprit to dissolution, this huge rally and its planned sequels are going to disturb the sangfroid of suspects complicit in the grand larceny that took place in the late of the night on May 5, 2013.

Rallies planned for Ipoh tomorrow (this one is still tentative) and for Penang on Saturday, are going to garner crowds, if not as huge as the one in Kelana Jaya last night then even larger – that’s sure to put a blowtorch to the trail of the Election Commission which will be difficult to extinguish.

GE13 an urban, not Chinese swing, say analysts

BOO SU-LYN

File photo of a DAP ceramah in Skudai on April 30, 2013, though overwhelmingly Chinese, attracted large numbers of Malays and other non-Chinese too.

The outcome of Election 2013 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” as Datuk Seri Najib Razak has claimed but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen, analysts have said.

In their preliminary reading of the vote trend, analysts noted that despite the increase in Chinese support for Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the political tsunami had also swept with it “large numbers of the Malays”, many among them forming part of the country’s middle- to upper-class voters.

Uncertain times ahead after GE13?

Nigel Aw

As the dust from the 13th general election settles, it became apparent that BN only garnered 47.38 percent of the popular vote compared to Pakatan Rakyat, which bagged 50.87 percent while 1.74 percent went to independents and other parties.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will now helm a government sustained by gerrymandering but one that does not enjoy the backing of the majority of voters can hardly claim to have the mandate of the people.

But a shaky government aside, even forming a government would be a hurdle as BN no longer will have any Chinese representative, since the MCA and Gerakan have said they will not join the government this time due to their abysmal performance.

GE13 aftermath: The new mass media

H. Lee

It is common knowledge that the majority of our mainstream media is skewed towards the ruling political coalition, simply because they own it and have clout to call the shots. It therefore comes as no surprise that some newsworthy events never see the light of day in such media simply because the editors toe the line of their masters.

What surprised me though was that The Star published advertisements by the Barisan Nasional (BN) in blatant attempts to influence the people to reject Pakatan Rakyat (PR). In advertising, we sell the advantages and benefits of our products or service, not run down our competitors’ products or service.

Two factors in BN’s favour

Lim Sue Goan

Pakatan Rakyat has thrown BN into the shade with its packed political ceramahs. However, as a political party that has ruled for over half a century, of course BN would not easily admit defeat. There are two major factors that are favourable to BN, namely Malay nationalism and the “shield” in rural areas.

The dynamic movements in urban areas and the Chinese community have been expected and these are, after all, Pakatan Rakyat’s strongholds. The static situation in rural areas is, however, enigmatic.

Rural voters have been proven to be the kingmaker at crucial moments in by-elections, such as the Hulu Selangor by-election. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has also admitted that rural voters have been BN’s most loyal supporters and thus, BN is confident of winning the election.

GE13 a war of symbols and slogans

Ooi Kee Beng

These critical days, if one reads – and believes – the Malaysian mainstream media, which seem to have thrown off all pretense of being anything other than BN propaganda machines, one must draw the conclusion that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s presidential style election campaign is succeeding beyond all expectations.

At the same time, if one attends the countless opposition rallies being held throughout the country every evening, one must think that the movement to reform the country’s governance is growing day by day, and is close to the point where the longest-serving non-communist government in the world will fall.

But as we are lazily prone to say when a bit confused, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The problem though, is that the middle is a huge space in Malaysian politics at the moment, meaning that the options are numerous.

A passionate call for every Malaysian to vote

David Quek

Malaysians, friends and colleagues!

First, I want to state that I am not a politician, and do not belong to any political party, by choice. But this does not mean that I do not support a better choice for a better renewed Malaysia!

I am but a simple professional, a doctor, who has had to fortune to rise up in society, because of good school grades, good parents/family who’d worked multiple jobs, great dedicated teachers of the past, to get to where I am today, although I hail from a poor background. I worry that for the next generation however, the future may not be as rosy and challenges would be aplenty!

Hudud and violence, frightening voters from casting ballots?

Jahabar Sadiq

If you happen to be charitable and buy local newspapers, you’ll notice the headlines this past week has about Islamic criminal law hudud and rising violence in the GE13 campaign. 

Add to that explosion of murders involving guns and knives.

Today, the MCA-owned The Star daily front-paged the surge in electoral violence across the country, none of which occurred in the past 24 hours.

The popular English-language daily also reported Inspector-General of Police Secretariat’s assistant head Assistant Commissioner Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said 1,166 cases of polls-related violence and intimidation had been reported since nomination day on April 20, with 43 people arrested so far.

Winds of change

Mark Baker

Anwar Ibrahim once seemed a certainty to rule Malaysia. Then came his arrest and imprisonment. Now, with his party shaking up the establishment, is he set to finally fulfil his ambition? By Mark Baker.

Rabble rousing … Anwar Ibrahim on the hustings in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Austral Press

It’s nearing midnight in Penang. In a park surrounded by decaying concrete apartment blocks, a swelling crowd waits patiently amid the sticky heat and pungent aromas of food stalls, traffic fumes and open drains. This is a poor Malay neighbourhood, but there are Chinese and Indians here, too, a representative cross-section of multiracial Malaysia.

Taib not keen to talk about retirement

Kow Gah Chie

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was non-committal over a retirement date, despite promising in April 2011 to step down in two years.

Met at a function in Sibu today, Taib was asked about his retirement plans, to which he replied with another question.

“You want me to retire? When are you going to retire? You tell me,” he said. “I decide when is the best time to leave.”

Throughout the Sarawak state legislative assembly election campaign in 2011, Taib was dogged with the question of when he would step down which was a major campaign issue for Pakatan Rakyat.

Electoral misconduct detected during nominations

FMT 

Election watchdog Pemantau claims both sides of the political divide committed various election misconduct during nominations last Saturday.

Pemantau Pilihan Raya Rakyat (Pemantau), an independent election watchdog, has claimed that there were various acts of misconduct committed by supporters of both sides of the political divide during nominations for the country’s 13th general election, on April 20.

Pemantau, a coalition of non-governmental organisations, said one of the most glaring incidents was when PAS’ Unit Amal tried to stop PKR candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin from filing his nomination papers for the Sungai Acheh state seat in Penang.

GE13: Advantage BN

FMT

While BN seems to be slightly ahead in this polls for now, the ground shifts fast during the campaign period.

With just two days to go before nominations for the country’s 13th general election, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) seems to be ahead in the race, especially in terms of candidate selection and preparation for the polls.

The BN’s systematic approach in ironing out seat swaps among component parties, the early announcement of candidates, minimal back biting and the ability to drum-up support for the candidates have all led to the BN leading the fight.

PSM’s people power vs Pakatan’s party power

S Thayaparan

“They don’t know who their allies and enemies are.” 

A better way to put it, S Arutchelvan, would be “with friends like this, who needs Umno-BN enemies?” Under the title ‘PKR, you can’t enter Putrajaya with your brand of arrogance!’ my comrade in this struggle for regime change, blogger Zorro Unmasked, writes:

“I will not vote for Sivarasa in Subang, my parliamentary constituent, if PKR disturbs with a three-cornered fight in Kota Damansara, my state constituency. I have nothing against Sivarasa. I voted for him in 2008. It is the posture PKR is taking that I vehemently am opposed to. This is tantamount to bullying, Umno-style.”

Pak Samad tells voters to oust BN

Aliran

Bersih 2.0 co-chairman Datuk A. Samad Said openly called on voters on 6 April 2013 to support the opposition and use this “once chance” to end BN rule in GE13, 

A Samad Said

This is the first time the national literary icon, popularly known as Pak Samad, has openly urged Malaysians to back the federal opposition coalition to “overhaul” the government and “amend the broken machinery” like health care and education, which Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has promised to deliver.

“This is our chance… the time has come for us to overhaul the government to that power would fall in the right hands.

Bersih’s Ambiga appears at Nurul Izzah event

Koh Jun Lin

Amid concerns of a flawed electoral roll, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar appears to have roped in prominent pro-electoral reform leader Ambiga Sreenevasan’s assistance.

Ambiga made an appearance at Nurul Izzah’s campaign trail last night, where Nurulo Izzah addressed some 400 people who had crammed into a narrow alley in Bangsar to listen to her.

They two are also scheduled to help promote Bersih’s Pemantau volunteer election monitoring campaign at Bangsar’s Lucky Garden morning market today.

Chance for change? The possibility is there

Bridget Welsh

Well, the dates have finally been set and Malaysia heads towards the most competitive electoral contest in the nation’s history. It is important to step back and look at how and why GE13 is competitive.

The broad reason is clear: this election offers the possibility of an electoral transition of power. More power is in the hands of ordinary Malaysians than ever before. The underlying dynamics that might make this change happen however, are more obscure.

This article – as part of a special series of pieces on the polls – maps the contest nationally and draws attention to fundamental shifts that are making the May polls historic, whatever the outcome.

BN’s cut and paste to woo voters

Selena Tay

BN copying more than 20 offers from Pakatan’s manifesto is not mere coincidence, it simply shows Umno-BN are bankrupt of ideas.

For the forthcoming 13th General Election, one of the major factors most voters especially the fence-sitters will be looking out for will most likely be the respective manifestos of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN).

When PR launched its manifesto on Feb 25, 2013, all the BN leaders laughed at it and said that PR’s People’s Manifesto will certainly bankrupt the nation.

Rakyat wants change – not transformation

JD Lovrenciear

Why does the rakyat want change as promised by Pakatan Rakyat and do not seem the least fascinated with BN’s calls for transformation?

Here are the answers and the signs written on the walls of balloting centres:

Firstly, the rakyat are tired to the bone. They, the working middle-class that forms the bulk of decisive votes, have been struggling all these while under the BN regime.

Yes we have fascinating skyscrapers. Yes, we have a Disney-like city carved out in Putrajaya. Yes, we have oil. Yes we have this and that.
But what is the reality on the ground?

Cops must ensure peaceful power transition, says Musa

Nigel Aw

Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan today said the police must ensure peace if there was a peaceful transition of power.

“The police must ensure the situation is calm for a smooth transition of power.

“If there are any parties that are planning to do something (to disrupt the transition), they must take action straight away,” he told a press conference in Petaling Jaya this afternoon.

He said regardless of whether BN or Pakatan Rakyat comes to power, both sides must accept the results of the upcoming general election.

Pakatan’s missed opportunity with Hindraf

Kua Kia Soong

By failing to compromise on the Hindraf blueprint, Pakatan has wasted an excellent chance to overthrow the BN rule.

I attended one of Hindraf’s dinners a few weeks ago at which they explained their blueprint for the 13GE.

After the presentation, I posed the hypothetical question which seemed like quite a likely scenario: “What if the BN embraces your blueprint? What then?”

Waythamoorthy’s reply was clear: “We would rather Pakatan accepts our blueprint after all we have gone through under BN since Independence…” or words to that effect.

Najib still has not got it

Anwar Ibrahim

‘I am not convinced that the BN manifesto can comprehensively resolve the people’s economic, political and social concerns.’

On behalf of PKR, I welcome the launch of the Barisan Nasional Manifesto which took place with much glitter and fanfare Saturday night, ahead of the nomination day.

As generally acknowledged, Pakatan Rakyat clearly has the upper hand for launching its manifesto for the 13th general election (GE13) much earlier on Feb 25, 2103, blazing the trail of a healthy political competition landscape.

Pakatan won’t stop cash handouts once in power

Ram Anand

Pakatan Rakyat will not discontinue the present government cash handouts should the opposition coalition take power in the coming general election, PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli said today.

In fact, Rafizi said, there would be even more cash handouts should Pakatan come into power, but these would be grouped differently and be more specific.

“Of course it won’t be called BR1M. We will not be general, just to target families earning less than RM3,000. We will specifically target different groups that are really needy, such as housewives and so on,” he said.

BN and Pakatan indulging in populism

Nigel Aw

The BN general election manifesto appears to be aimed at outdoing Pakatan Rakyat through populist policies and this competition may not bode well for the country, analysts say.

“It is very unfortunate that this political contest (the 13th general election) has lead towards more populist policies.

“The nation has finite resources and the more (cash handouts) you give, the more revenue you will need or the deficit will increase,” political analyst Khoo Kay Peng (left) said when contacted.

Such populist policies, Khoo said, would come at the expense of allocations for other critical fields such as development and education, with this already taking place.

BN’s nonsense continues…

Selena Tay

There are many examples to show that the BN camp wil always engage in nonsense.

Now that Parliament has been dissolved, one can expect more slick tricks executed by Barisan Nasional’s lackeys.

A journalist reported in Harakah ( April 5-7) that in Kedah for the past one month or so, many people there have been getting what can be termed as a “mysterious phone call”.

A sweet female voice will introduce herself as a researcher and then proceed to ask which is the keyword that is the easiest to remember among these three keywords: Najib, 1Malaysia or Barisan Nasional.

A woman’s wish list for GE13

Aliran

After 56 years, women have to make it better than it was. Their vote should go towards a government that places the rakyat first before their personal fortunes and agenda, asserts Sheila Santharamohana.

Activists walk from Perlis to Sabah to campaign against violence to women and girls

On 3 April 2013, the PM announced the dissolution of Parliament and Malaysians will go to the polls in the closest battle ever for the seat of power in Malaysia.

Six million voters are women and for too long now, women have been ignored despite making up half the Malaysian population. The ruling party has historically designated women a secondary and supporting role to men. Even after 56 years, our society, religious discourse, laws, culture and politics have been characterised by misogyny and sexism. The inaction by a paralysed government, devoid of morals and respect, has made this so pervasive and ingrained that women’s status has become subservient to men: their rights dismissed or worse, belittled.

ABU: Don’t be scared of BN’s fear tactics

Alyaa Azhar

The EC may set May 11 as the polling date to remind the rakyat about the May 13 incident, say ABU spokesman Haris Ibrahim.

Polls watchdog ABU (Anything But Umno) spokesman Haris Ibrahim today urged Malaysians not to be influenced by fear tactics employed by Barisan Nasional for the coming general election.

“From what we have heard, the Election Commission [EC] may set May 11 as the polling date to remind the people about the May 13 incident.

“This move is to scare the rakyat and to remind them to vote for stability. We urge the rakyat not to be frightened by BN’s tactics.

Pakatan needs 7pct vote swing to win Putrajaya

Chong Zhemin

The 13th general election will be the first election in history where Malaysians go to polls knowing that they have a chance to vote for a regime change.

There are three possible outcomes for the coming election:

Scenario 1 – BN regains two-thirds majority
Scenario 2 – Slight gain for Pakatan Rakyat
Scenario 3 – Pakatan wins the election

Scenario 1 – Low possibility

Anwar appeals for clean campaign

SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hopes for an ethical campaign amid escalating political violence in the run up to Election 2013. 

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today he welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s vow to ensure a peaceful transition of power but appealed for an ethical campaign amid escalating political violence in the run up to Election 2013.

The opposition leader also made a fresh invitation to the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman for a debate so both sides of the political spectrum may engage in a mature election driven by a fair contest of ideas.