2008 polls - interesting facts

Mar 10, 08 6:20pm

Barisan Nasional only gained about 51 percent of the popular vote from the 7.9 million ballots cast on Saturday. However, it took 63 percent of the seats contested - or 140 of 222 seats in Parliament. Interestingly, its peninsula-wide popular vote was only 49.79 percent, which effectively means that the opposition received the majority vote in this part of the country. However, when converted to parliamentary seats, BN has 85 of the constituencies in the peninsula, while the opposition bagged 80. Almost 40 percent of the BN's seats are in Sabah and Sarawak - 55 out of 140. In 2004, BN won about 64 percent of the popular vote nationwide and 92 percent of the 219 parliamentary seats on offer then. As the dust settles on the 12th general election, we highlight a number of quirky facts and figures. Election trivia The youngest candidate was PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is 26. He defeated Seri Setia incumbent Seripa Noli Syed Hussin. The oldest candidate was grandma Maimun Yusuf, 89, who contested in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat. She lost her deposit. 56 also-rans from opposition parties and independent candidates lost their deposits after failing to secure one-eighth of the votes cast. The largest majority was won by DAP’s Teresa Kok against BN’s Carol Chew, by 36,492 votes in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur. The smallest majority was just 14 votes for BN’s Hamdi Abu Bakar who beat Abu Bakar Haji Hussain of PAS in the Pengkalan Baharu state seat in Perak. Four pivotal players in the Lingam tape scandal also won: Loh Gwo Burne (who recorded the footage), Wee Choo Keong (lawyer who represented VK Lingam’s brother during the inquiry) and R Sivarasa and Sim Tze Tzin (listed as witnesses but eventually not called). All four are from PKR. There will be two ‘lone rangers’ in Parliament: Zulhasnan Rafique, the sole BN survivor in Kuala Lumpur’s 11 parliamentary seats - he took Setiawangsa; and DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen who won Bandar Kuching in Sarawak - the remaining 30 parliamentary seats went to BN. The biggest number of candidates was in the Sukau state seat, Sabah, where eight candidates ran, including five Independents. Debutant politicians Prominent blogger Jeff Ooi - whose campaign was done online and funds were raised through his website - won the Jelutong parliamentary seat in Penang for DAP. Other bloggers are Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat), Elizabeth Wong (PKR, Bukit Lanjan state seat) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR, Seri Setia state seat). Civil society activists who succeeded were Charles Santiago (DAP, water-privatisation issues), Edward Lee (DAP, local community), Elizabeth Wong and R Sivarasa (PKR, human rights). Biggest blows The losses in BN component parties will result in vacancies in various ministries, forcing a cabinet reshuffle. Ministers S Samy Vellu (Works Ministry) Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry) Zainuddin Maidin (Information Ministry) Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin (Rural and Territory Development Ministry) Deputy ministers Chia Kwang Chye (Information Ministry) G Palanivel (Women, Family and Community Development) Tan Chai Ho (Home Ministry) V Veerasingam (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry) S Sothinathan (Natural Resources and Environment Ministry) Donald Lim (Tourism Ministry) Fu Ah Kiow (Internal Security Ministry) M Kayveas (Prime Minister’s Department) Dato' Dr Awang Adek Husin ( Finance Ministry) Parliamentary secretaries Chew Mei Fun (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry) P Komala Devi (Education Ministry) Lee Kah Choon (Health Ministry) Ng Lip Yong (Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry) S Vigneswaran (Youth and Sports Ministry) Rahman Ibrahim (Home Ministry) Dr Mohd Ruddin Ab Ghani (Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry) Yew Teong Look (Federal Territories Ministry) Dato' Hi Mohd Fatmi ( Defence Ministry ) Dato' Sazmi Miah The full team from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry all lost in the polls. All top MIC leaders were wiped out - president, deputy presidents, two vice-presidents, women's chief and youth chief (one of the three vice-presidents, KS Nijar, did not contest). Post-election quotes Anwar Ibrahim, PKR de facto leader, quoted in Star today Some mentris besar in the past spent half-a-million ringgit to renovate their offices. Such things cannot be an example in this new administration. Nurul Izzah Anwar, Lembah Pantai MP at a press conference yesterday (On whether she will vacate the seat to force a by-election so that her father, Anwar Ibrahim, can re-enter politics after a five-year ban): I have already started working in my constituency. The question does not arise. PPP president M Kayveas, quoted in Star today Prior to the elections, Barisan Nasional had kept on telling people to show their dissatisfaction through the ballot box. Now they have really shown it. Sungai Petani losing BN candidate Zainuddin Maidin, quoted in Star today It is not that they love PKR or PAS more that they voted against me. The Chinese showed their resentment because of the economic backlash they often complained about. So, PAS and PKR should not be overly proud of their win (in Kedah). The people may have to pay a price for their decision.

RPK: The aftermath of the 'bloodbath'

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Since yesterday I have been receiving a lot of phone calls from people who keep asking me what position I am going to hold in the government. I also have tons of e-mails in my in-box which I have either not read yet or have not replied to thus far. Firstly, can you please stop phoning so that I can get down to writing my article (anyway, I have switched off my phone so that I can complete this article). We can 'chat' about what the opposition needs to do later plus I will reply to all your e-mails once the dust settles.

Now, with regards to my 'position' in the government. No, no and no! I do not wish to hold any position in the government. I know some of you have threatened to 'protest' in front of the party headquarters if I am not offered at least a Senator's post. Hey, I do not want to be a Senator or Wakil Rakyat or anything at all for that matter. I just want to continue being plain Raja Petra Kamarudin, Editor and Webmaster of Malaysia Today -- so please drop all this talk of me 'holding a position in the government'.

Secondly, Malaysia Today is going to continue playing the role of watchdog and the conscience of the nation. We must continue to be the eyes, ears and voice of the rakyat and this must be done with me outside the government. Malaysia Today, which is already a nightmare for the ruling party, is going to now also be the nightmare of the five opposition-led state governments. And we are going to monitor these five states even closer than we watch the federal government.

Now, with regards to the talk floating around that Tok Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang has announced that Kedah is going to introduce Hudud laws; this is not true. Tok Guru confirmed he never made such an announcement. The trouble is, many of you wear these 'boycott the mainstream media' T-shirts yet you still read and believe what the mainstream media spins. Would you become terrible offended if I shout 'Bodoh punya orang!'? I really don't know what else to shout under these circumstances.

Let me repeat what I have said many, many times in the past. PAS does not have 150 seats in Parliament. In fact, PAS, DAP and PKR combined do not have 150 seats in Parliament. Read my lips. "PAS NEEDS 150 SEATS IN PARLIAMENT TO CHANGE THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY OR OF THE STATES!"

Anyway, 150 seats or no 150 seats, PAS does not intend to introduce Islamic laws, PERIOD.

Okay, can we now get down to some serious work? Our first task in hand is to set up an Ombudsman committee that will monitor all the five state governments of Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. A man such as Tun Salleh Abas or anyone of his calibre must head the Ombudsman committee which will comprise of men and women of standing and with squeaky-clean reputations. They must be people like Gandhi and Mother Theresa both rolled into one. Yes, Malaysia does have plenty of such people.

The Ombudsman must be above the Chief Minister and Menteri Besar. It must have the power and authority to summon even the highest man in the state to come before the committee for questioning on anything at all that may be perceived as wrongdoing, transgressions, deviations, etc. And the Ombudsman must have the power and authority to recommend the removal of any public servant or politician who may have committed a breach of discipline, even if he is the Chief Minister/Menteri Besar.

This Ombudsman shall be responsible to the rakyat. The meetings and official inquiries it conducts must not be behind closed doors but shall be open inquiries where members of the public who may be interested in the goings-on can attend and witness the proceedings. Everything must be transparent and open to public scrutiny. There shall be no secrets. Public servants and elected officials work for the rakyat. The rakyat are the boss. So the 'boss' must be allowed to witness any public inquiry and proceedings convened to look into the conduct of their 'employees'. There must be no compromise on this issue.

The government must not be race-based, and certainly not religion-based. People chosen to head the agencies in any of the five states must be based on capabilities and not because that person is Malay, Chinese or Indian. Granted, the Federal Constitution of Malaysia may state who can be Menteri Besar while the election promise was, if the opposition wins Penang, then a Chinese shall be the Chief Minister. But that must be as far as race considerations prevail. For thereon no positions should be filled because we want more Malays or more Chinese or more Indians in the government.

If qualifications and capabilities become the criteria, then Malays, Chinese and Indians would automatically be represented at all levels of government. Just give him or her the job because he or her is the best person for the job and the racial balance would automatically happen. You do not even need to try too hard.

All ongoing projects must be reviewed. Those that have not taken off yet and which are clearly white elephants, projek mewah, above the recommended cost, etc., should be aborted. Of course, those that have contractual obligations will have to go on lest the state becomes embroiled in legal tangles. But they must be aborted not for the sake of aborting them or because they have been awarded to cronies of 'the other side'. This would smack of political persecution and witch-hunting, something the opposition has accused the government of perpetuating and something we should not do as well.

Take note that the federal government will certainly squeeze the states of funds so money will be very tight. The states will have to engage a high-powered team of financial consultants to advice them on how to run a state government and still develop the state with no money. Kelantan has done it for 18 years. They inherited a colossal amount of debt when they took over Kelantan in 1990 and yet still managed to pay off all the debts plus carry the cost of running the state in spite of no money.

The local councils are more corrupted than the infamous Royal Malaysian Police. This needs to be immediately addressed and many heads should be on the chopping block. The state governments must be ruthless with no quarters asked nor any given. Let there be a 'bloodbath' if necessary. And send the files of all these crooks to the Anti-Corruption Agency and demand that they be hung from the highest tree. The rakyat will gladly pay for the cost of the tree.

The Malays should stop talking about 'percentage of Malay representation', as should the Chinese and Indians as well. We certainly want a meritocracy rather than a race-quota-based system. Nevertheless, no race or community must be left out of the government. So a delicate balancing act between meritocracy, yet taking into consideration racial representation, has to be the game plan here.

Remember, the opposition won these five states plus denied Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament through promises and rhetoric. The consideration of the voters the next election will no longer be based on promises and rhetoric but on performance and delivery. Many promises were made this election. Now is the time to deliver them. Then, come the next election, the voters will either continue electing this same government into office or opt to change back to Barisan Nasional depending on how well or how bad the five state governments have performed.

If you think that winning these five states and denying Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament was difficult, then you do not know what difficult is. Winning five states and denying Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament was the easy part. The difficult part is going to be in maintaining the confidence and support of the voters. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won 92% of the seats in 2004 based on promises and four years later got massacred when he did not deliver. The same thing can and will happen to the opposition as well come the 13th General Election if it does not perform and/or deliver its election promise.

Malaysia Today is watching. And we shall whack the daylights out of anyone and everyone who misbehaves or forgets his or her promise. The opposition won the five states and 82 seats in Parliament with the support of Malays, Chinese and Indians. It needed all the races to cross the finishing line. Just two races would not have achieved that. One race would have been even more impossible.

So remember who put you where you are today. Remember who gave you your job. The rakyat can hire and the rakyat can fire. We, the rakyat, made you and we, the rakyat, can break you. Just remember that and with God as our witness we shall not fail to do that if you fail to do what you promised to do.

*************************

18 Tahun Comel Sengoti

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito
rakyat hidup makmur penuh bahgio
isle kito junjung adab kito jago
tok soh lah dok nok bohong kato tok buat gapo sekaro

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

dulu demo kato meretoh 3 bule
kini sudoh nyato bule semakin tere
hati raso banggo hidup pun raso tene
kelate negeri kito teraju perubahe

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

agamo isle jadi dasar kito
negeri kebajike utk rakyat jelato
doa siye male tok guru wak kijo
nok tengok rakyat kelate hidup ame sentiaso

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

takaful kifalah utk wargo tuo
ibu tungga armalah pun kito amik caro
rumoh dhuafaat cakno keluarga bahagio
hok ni pas buat jange lah demo lupo

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

maso mulo meretoh tok guru bue judi
akaun hok ribo tok guru tolok tepi
demo maroh belako kato MB ikut hati
hok ni kawe gak raso demo ni tok berapo reti

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

gapo alase demo nok lawe kawe
hok mano kito buat keno denga isle
jange kito loghat biar lah kito pehe
baru kito ni sepakat pakat jago kelate

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito

o… o.. o…

negeri kelate negeri kebajike
koto baru pulo bandarayo isle
maghi kito sokong mari kito pege
semuga tok guru teruh peretoh kelate

18 tahun tok guru pimpin kito 2 X

maghi pakat sokong biar meretoh sapa ke bilo


courtesy jiwo kelate

Malaya's first Election.

Pilihanraya umum pertama pada 27 Julai 1955. Parti seperti PAS, Parti Negara di bawah Dato' Onn, Parti Buruh, Parti Progresif Perak, Parti Perikatan bertanding dalam pilihanraya tersebut. Parti Perikatan menangi 51 dari 52 kerusi. 1 kerusi dimenangi PAS. Dengan kemenangan ini, kabinet telah dibentuk. Tunku Abdul Rahman menjadi Ketua Menteri yang pertama. Saksikan promo pilihanraya siaran TV pada masa itu yang mengajak rakyat keluar mengundi. Marilah mengundi.

Kak long - Abe Mane now betrothed

On the 23 Jan 2008 a simple engagement was carried out at Abe Mane's uncle's house in Pangkal Meleret. Abe Mane would like to express the deepest gratitude for those who had willingly participated in the representation, discussions, cooking and who have jovially involved.

After a lunch at Pangkal Meleret the small delegation from the potential groom was taken to Langgar for tea.

Abang Mat (Kak Ze), Pak Teh Aziz,
Ali Imran ( Bakal Besan), Pak Su Leh.

To ensure the date of marriage coincide with the school holidays and matriculation holidays, the date of 16 August was selected, a week later, followed by a wedding reception party on the 23 August at the groom's place.



("mother in law to be" slips the Ring into the finger of "the
bride to be" )

For members of the family keluargawanishak & Tok Jenal do plan your holidays and make it to Kak Long's Walimah.

For Planning purposes - catering especially, Abe Mane hopes - Please Respond (Répondez S'il Vous Plaît) RSVP by
15 June 2008.

RSVP to hjmanan@mcoba.org title Kak Long or Madihah. This is to allow an easy search for me, in case I do not open my mails regularly.

Letter from Barack Obama on His Muslim Heritage

Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:07 am (PST)

Letter from Barack Obama on His Muslim Heritage

There has been a lot made in the recent weeks about the Muslim history of my family. Some of the things that have been said are true, others are false, so I am writing this letter to clear up the misunderstandings on this issue.

Yes, it is true that I have a name that is common amongst Kenyan Muslims where my father came from and that my middle name is Hussein. Barack is a name which means "blessing" and Hussein is a masculine form of the word beauty.

Since there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of blessings from God and the beauty He creates I fail to see the problem with these names.

Some will say wouldn't it be a problem to have a president with a name similar to the deposed and executed former dictator of Iraq?

My answer to this is simply no; rather it is the strength and beauty of America that the son of an African man with a "funny sounding" name, born under British Colonial Rule, can now be a serious candidate for the presidency of the United States.

My father was a Muslim and although I did not know him well the religion of my father and his family was always something I had an interest in. This interest became more intense when my mother married an Indonesian Muslim man and as a small child I lived in Indonesia and attended school alongside Muslim pupils.

I saw their parents dutifully observing the daily prayers, the mothers covered in the Muslim hijab, the atmosphere of the school change during Ramadan, and the festiveness of the Eid celebrations.

The man my mother was married to was not particularly religious; but he would attend the mosque on occasion, and had copies of the Quran in different languages in the home, and books of the sayings and life of the Prophet Muhammad.

From time to time he would quote Islamic phrases such as "no one truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself", "oppression is worse than slaughter", and "all humans are equal the only difference comes from our deeds".

Growing up in Hawaii with my mother and her grandparents, Islam largely escaped my mind. My mother installed in me the values of humanism and I did not grow-up in a home were religion was taught.

It was later while I attended college at Columbia University and Harvard Law that I became reacquainted with Muslims as both schools had large Muslims student populations. Some of them were my friends and many came from countries that our nation now has hostile relations with.

The background I had from my early childhood in Indonesia helped me get to know them and learn from them and to me Muslims are not to be looked upon as something strange.

In my experiences up until college a Muslim was no less exotic to me than a Mormon, a Jew, or a Jehovah's Witness.

After college I settled in my adopted hometown of Chicago and lived on the South Side and worked as a community organizer. Chicago has one of the largest Muslim populations in America (estimated to be around 300,000) and Muslims make-up some of the most productive citizens in the area.

I met countless numbers of Muslims in my job as an organizer and later on in my early political career. I ate in their ho

mes, played with their kids, and looked at them as friends and peers and sought their advice.

Therefore, when the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-11 occurred I was deeply saddened with the rest of America , and I wanted justice for the victims of this horrific attack, but I did not blame all Muslims or the religion of Islam.

From my experience I knew the good character of most Muslims and the value that they bring to America. Many, who did not personally know Muslims, indicted the entire religion for the bad actions of a few; my experience taught me that this was something foolish and unwise.

Later I had the chance to visit the homeland of my father and meet Muslim relatives of my including my grandmother. I found that these were people who wanted the same things out of life as people right here in America and worked hard, strive to make a better way for their children, and prayed to God to grant them success.

This is what I will bring to the office of the Presidency of the United States.

I will deal with Muslims from a position of familiarity and respect and at this time in the history of our nation that is something sorely needed.

source UKM

Australians and Iranians - minus the neo-cons

Australian envoy visits Imam shrine Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:14:35

Australian envoy pays tribute to late Imam Khomeini Australian envoy to Tehran has paid tribute to founder of the Islamic Revolution late Imam Khomeini, calling him a global figure. Greg Moriarty paid homage to Imam Khomeini by laying a wreath at his mausoleum in south Tehran on Wednesday night. Moriarty noted that the Imam's thoughts and ideas were influential worldwide. Imam Khomeini is revered in Australia, the envoy said, noting that no place exists in the world where people have not heard of such a great political figure and his unique ideas. AR/FH/PA

'Australian vote shows Bush backlash'
Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:08:53

Japan's opposition chief Ichiro Ozawa

Japan's opposition leader hails Australia's election as a backlash against the US President, urging his country to revise its US policies.

"The election outcome was due to the Australians sentiment against the (Australian Premier John) Howard administration in blindly following George W.) Bush on every issue," said Japan's opposition chief Ichiro Ozawa.

He also expressed his regret over the Japanese reluctance in compelling their leaders to change the country's pro-Us policies.

Australian Labor Party leader, Kevin Rudd, won elections last Saturday.

He said he would move quickly to keep his election promise of bringing Australia's 550 front-line troops home from Iraq.

MMS/DT

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Muhammad & Rugby

You guys probably heard the news by now that MCKK U-16 Rugby Team lost in their Semi-Final game of the Cup Championship to SSBP (Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar), the National Sports School. SSBP later became the eventual winners of the 4th BCHB-COBRA Rugby 10s Schools Invitational Tournament after beating SMKYP in the Final.

Muhammad squatting second from left

The final score, between them. SSBP beats MCKK 12 - 5, with MCKK fighting untill the last minutes

In the Final of the Schools Competition between SSBP and SMKYP (Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Yahya Petra) Kelantan, the SSBP thrashed SMKYP by 43 - 0

Our MCKK boys could only watch but took pride of scoring a try against SSBP where no other schoolboys team in this tournament could do. They played their hearts out until the final whistle.

courtesy Br RMA ( with a slight edtion)



IAN DURY - WHAT A WASTE


You deserve to hear this Late Cockney Londoner lyrics (down the page) from the stage

US diplomats protest call-up to Iraq

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:16:36

US dimplomats oppose call-up to Iraq Roughly 300 US diplomats have protested against the State Department's decision to force Foreign Service officers to take jobs in Iraq. In the largest diplomatic call-up since Vietnam, the participants objected to the enforced service at the Baghdad embassy as part of the so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams. This conscription is a result of a lack of volunteers willing to go to Iraq, and those who refuse service face dismissal. Many diplomats have described it as 'potential death sentence'. The ethics of sending diplomats against their will has come under scrutiny even though the embassy staff is largely confined to the so-called “Green Zone”. The President of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) John Naland said a recent survey found only 12 percent of the union's membership believed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was 'fighting for them.' Under the new order, 200 to 300 diplomats have been identified as 'prime candidates' to fill 48 vacancies next year. Those notified have 10 days to accept or reject the position. However, should there still be a shortage, diplomats may be ordered to go. FBA/JC/PA

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Longtime Bush adviser resigns

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:48:23 source pressTV Karen Hughes, one of George W. Bush's last remaining advisers from his circle of Texas aides, has said she will step down this year. Her departure follows that of close Bush aides Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett. The three from Texas are widely credited with Bush's rise to the White House. Announcing Hughes' decision to leave the department in mid-December, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had accepted the resignation "with a great deal of sadness but also a great deal of happiness for what she has achieved" and with the understanding that she would continue to work on several projects. Hughes has spent the past two years trying to improve the image of the US abroad, especially in the Middle East. She was responsible for trying to polish the image of the US overseas in the wake of the Iraq war and the damaging Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. But polls show no improvement in the world's view of the US since she took over. A Pew Research survey earlier said the unpopular Iraq war is a persistent drag on the US image and has helped push favorable opinion of America in Muslim Indonesia, for instance, from 75% in 2000 to 30% last year.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Trailer

The Original Cheaper By The Dozen

Disallowed England try?

england rugby world cup final 07- the tri was ours

I agree, his foot hit the line before the ball was grounded. As much as I wanted England to win, the tri wasn't ours. :-

at 1:35 foot touches line before ball grounded

View all 8 comments

South Africa wins Rugby World Cup

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:12:17

South African president Thabo Mbeki celebrates the victory. South Africa has claimed the William Webb Ellis Cup after punishing the Rugby World Cup's defending champions, England, with a 15-6 win. In the hard-fought title match, Percy Montgomery converted all of his four penalty kicks to goal. Francois Steyn also kicked one long-range goal to score all of the points for the Springboks, who are now two times champions of the World Cup. "It's unbelievable. We have been building and working towards winning and, ultimately we have won the World Cup," said Montgomery, the tournament's leading scorer. England's points were all scored by the boot of Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked a penalty in each half. While England fans applauded their team's performance at the Stade de France outside Paris, the British players were bitterly disappointed with the result. "It's a shame that all that spirit counts for nothing. We gave it everything but it didn't go to plan. We are immensely disappointed," said England forward Martin Corry. MD/JR/RE - Source Presstv

South Africa Rugby Team