Live updates on the Sibu by-election nomination process
May 082010
May 012010
Politicians are already gearing up for the Sibu by-election, but if they think they can follow the same pattern of campaigning in Sarawak as they are accustomed to in the peninsula, they are mistaken.
Already some blunders and oversights are apparent and politicians and campaigners from the peninsula will do well to learn from them.
Ngu Ik Tien reports for Aliran after attending PKR and DAP dinners in Sibu:
I received a free ticket to attend ‘the DAP night’ from a friend of my friend working as a reporter with the local Chinese press. Some Chinese newspapers described the dinner as “a show of strength (造势大会)”. Another purpose of the dinner was to announce the candidate for the by-election of Sibu. Though Wong Ho Leng had mentioned to the press more than once that he recommended Alice Lau to be the candidate, the Sibu folks seemed to disregard the suggestion. “Must be him-lah,” they said.
Apr 292010
Something I wrote on the Hulu Selangor by-election for IPS.
Tougher Days Ahead for Ruling Coalition, Opposition
Analysis by Anil Netto
A closely contested by-election over the weekend, which saw victory for the ruling coalition, shows that the political terrain in multi-ethnic Malaysia remains divided and raises searching questions for the opposing sides.
The by-election for a seat in the Federal Parliament took place in an ethnically mixed area – Hulu Selangor, a district in central Selangor state that is fairly similar in composition to the overall population of the Malaysian peninsula.
Apr 262010
For the BN, nothing to be proud about winning in this way. The means are just as important as the ends.
It was always going to be close, either way. In the end, it was 52:48 in the BN’s favour.
A political economist friend of mine was right when he told me to listen to the Pas campaigner I referred to a number of times in this blog (even though I did get a bit swayed by the large turnout at the PKR ceramah on the eve of polling).
This Pas campaigner was accurate in his prediction of a 54:46 outcome (plus/minus 2 per cent margin of error) in favour of the BN, which he consistently stuck to throughout the campaign and polling day itself. He had campaigned for Pakatan across Hulu Selangor and developed a gut feel for the area, especially the kampungs and Felda settlements. He felt Pakatan could have received around 35 per cent support (“not more than 40 per cent”) in these areas. This seems consistent with a Pas MP who predicted 36 per cent support in these areas.
Apr 252010
Who’s it going to be – Zaid or Kamalanathan, PKR or BN? All the action from polling day at Hulu Selangor and live coverage and discussion of the results.