Malaysia Votes

By Danny Lim dannylim@malaysiavotes.com On the Monday after nomination on Feb 24, Nurul Izzah Anwar’s campaign for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat kicked off with a pasar malam visit at Kampung Kerinchi, followed by a ceramah at a Parti Keadilan Rakyat [PKR] pondok by the road side. It was not the most strategic of ceramah…

By Hwa Yue-Yi AFTER nine months of vacation – two of which were packed with goodbyes – I was raring to leave for college last August. But amid the high-strung euphoria, the timing of my departure for the US bothered me: it was scarcely a year since I’d learnt to adore rendang, and four months…

By Tikki Gee [Updated with correction at 3.30pm, March 3, 2008] PENANG: Touted to be a closely-fought state, Penang is the focus of a united Opposition, where the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are determined to wrest control of the state from Gerakan, a Barisan National (BN) component party. Recent events at the national…

Or A Skeptics Guide to the Difficult Choices Before Us By Sharaad Kuttan ELECTION season never fails to induce in me a sense of dread. While I wish it a quick end, I am by no means an advocate of the shorter campaign period. Like in so many other things, it’s not the length that…

Dear Sek Thim, Thank you so much for your comments. Much apologies for the delay in response. Please note that the feedback is welcomed and we have been making progressive improvements in our ceramahs along the way. On Monday, Feb 25 evening, when unfortunately you had to leave early, I spoke entirely in English (I…

The Barisan Nasional (BN) is estimated to have spent at least RM1.05 million in print media advertising in the first three days since campaigning began, between Feb 25 and 27. Conversely, according to a daily survey of 18 newspapers by Transparency International-Malaysia (TIM), opposition parties PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat have not taken out…

By Danny Lim dannylim@malaysiavotes.com [Updated with correction at 6.30pm, 2 March 2008] A DAY before the Feb 24 nomination day, Khairy Jamaluddin fields press questions during a kenduri at his family home in Kampung Badong, Negri Sembilan. A reporter fishes for a response to accusations by opposition parties that he is the budak nakal [the…

THE political parties announced their manifestos on Feb 25, which represent their public declaration and pledge to uphold their stated principles and goals. How important are manifestos? Do Malaysians, voters and political parties alike, take them seriously enough? Why do some dismiss these documents as promises, promises. In this Q&A, Centre for Public Policy Studies…

  DO non-Malays really need to fear the keris and what it symbolises? At a 3pm public lecture at the Annexe Gallery at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, March 1, historian and political scientist Dr Farish Noor will attempt to relocate the keris in its proper cultural-historical context. The “Revisiting the Keris: How…

By Dr. Mavis Puthucheary “They all have different ideologies and opposing views. You cannot form a government like that,” caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said confidently on Feb 25. He was referring to the electoral pact between the opposition parties, which has often had this criticism leveled against it. It is said…

[Updated at 8:50am, 1 March 2008 with correction] ON the evening of Feb 27, the Catholic Church of Saint Francis Xavier (SFX) on Jalan Gasing in Petaling Jaya hosted a debate for the public to get to know the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Opposition candidates running in their constituency. The candidates were: MCA candidate Datuk…

By Maria Chin Abdullah WOMEN’s representation in this 2008 election continues to be less than satisfactory with the percentage falling short of the 30% quota set for women to be in decision-making positions. There is an improvement in the absolute number of women candidates, increasing from 94 in 2004 to 128 in 2008, out of…

IN the run-up to the Feb 24 nomination day, at least 44% of news stories about the 12th general election in Malaysia were pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) for the period between Feb 18 and 22. On average, the six newspapers which were monitored by a citizens’media monitoring initiative had between 50% and 70% stories that portrayed…

To our readers, Beginning Feb 28, we invite readers who are following any particular campaign trail to share their thoughts and observations about the quality of debates and candidates at any ceramah they are at. We hope that these kinds of articles will represent the diversity of voices of voters out there who make the…

By Jacqueline Ann Surin jacquelinesurin@malaysiavotes.com PETALING JAYA: The idea of fielding an independent candidate in Kepala Batas – the parliamentary constituency where the incumbent is caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – was not to win the contest. “The idea is for students to reclaim their voice through the electoral process, and to…

They can vote but they can’t be involved in any other way. Public universities in Malaysia are bound by the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) 1971, which stipulates that students cannot participate or be involved in any society, political party, trade union or any other organisation unless provided for by the university’s constitution or…

After the fanfare had subsided a little and the candidates had been announced on Nomination Day (Feb 24), Danny Lim spoke to Badrul Hisham Shaharin, 30, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat contestant for the Rembau parliamentary seat in Negeri Sembilan. He is taking on Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin. In this exclusive interview, Badrul, also…

By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com PETALING JAYA: US presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to be able to charm the crowd fairly well on his own. Still, there is no harm in boosting his popularity by getting big names to endorse him, the most famous of whom is probably talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. On a far less…

By Farish A. Noor THAT the leadership of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has now come out to endorse the People’s Declaration – an initiative by Malaysia’s civil society calling for the reaffirmation of the people’s fundamental political rights – is indicative of the success of the behind-the-scenes lobbying in the lead up to nomination…

Navigating through our election candidates By Daniel Liew WITH nomination over, it’s now time to think about the candidates vying for our votes in this 2008 general election. Based on all that has happened in the last couple of years with politicians, voters should take some time to really scrutinise each candidate thoroughly and understand…