2330: Greetings from Bukit Selambau! Reached here at 9.45pm via the Sungai Petani North exit of the North-South Highway. For the second night running, a police check-point had been set up immediately after the toll booth.
Arrived at a nasi kandar restaurant, only to see some activity outside, where a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered. Turns out it was the former Jerai PKR chief, B Kalaivanar, giving a speech in the open-air just outside the restaurant.
Kalaivanar said he did not belong to the PKR nor the BN, but was an “NGO”. I didn’t quite catch what he was saying as he was about to leave but from what I understand, he seemed in favour of the BN now. Moments after he left with his small entourage, a silver police CID car arrived. Too late.
Apparently, there is still some unhappiness among the Indian PKR party workers at the choice of political greenhorn S Manikumar being selected as the PKR candidate, but some of them appear to be putting it behind them and looking at the big picture.
While there may be unhappiness among party workers, the situation on the ground appears to be different. Speaking to citizen journalists who have been talking to folks here, I gathered that out of half a dozen people they randomly selected from the old Bukit Selambau town for interviews, all of them appeared to favour Pakatan. Another small sample conducted a couple of weeks ago revealed a similar result.
Kit Siang is in town tonight giving a ceramah in the old Bukit Selambau town to about 100 people. A journalist who was there told me the crowd appeared receptive. Samy Vellu is also still in the area and the reception he has been getting, I am told, is less positive.
“Coincidentally”, I am also told that the folks from the EPU are in town processing applications for Tekun loans – basically RM3,000 loans for small-scale businesses at 4% p.a. interest, with hardly any collateral. These have been opened to young Tamil entrepreneurs. These loans comes under the purview of the Ministry of Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development. Meals were also being served to applicants.
| Please help to support this blog if you can. Read the commenting guidlelines for this blog. |
Bro… they will give everything now that they know bukit gantang is for PR & Nizar. Maybe … supplied the china dolls for the sexy dance attened by Hamidi.
Hi K, why use the letter K??? The initial in Hokkien sound very obscene…. oh well, it runs in BN
Whoever can get the majority vote from Malay voters will win in Bukit Selambau. The Malay voters is 50%, Chinese 20% and Indian 30%.
Most of the Chinese (80%) will vote for PKR. If PKR can get half of Malay vote, then Indian vote may not mean anything. So, it is now depending on PAS to get more Malay vote.
Well Anil The assessment is wrong. The chances of Mani Kumar winning is very low. There is so much in-fighting within PR with Manikumar not even welcome in many Indian-majority areas. The contest is good lost cause for PR. The absence of senior PR leaders who seems to focused a lot more in Bkt Gantang is an indication of this fact. Samy vellu’s body language and his camping here is also another key indicator. Last GE, he was chased by Indian youths .. and old ladies with shoes from the very same area. But this year he is being welcomed… Read more »
Chang Ko Youn, if it’s a PR government, ALL Perakians in similar situation will get free hold land, an action which was opposed by the powerful DPM.
Ah, TOL for 10 years and it was marketted like a God send gift. Zamry and Gerakan/ MCA thinks that the people are stupid. Zamry just gave full land titles to 3 Malay kampungs 3 weeks ago. There u go….
is it possible you are looking for what you wanna hear?
maha samy malu & mamak return!!! folks run!!!
G’afternon Bro Anil, Is it not considered a form of bribery offense by BN government EPU offering of loans NOW at this juncture when campaigns are only meant to touch on gaining people’s support for the upcoming April by-election? Why hasn’t the police or for that matter MACC stem the scam at its roots by conducting random investigations on people who have received such “bribed loans”? Looks like it is a one-sided affair compared to the recent announcent banning the issues such as Altantuya gruesome murder and the lot of rubbish!!!!!.The EC chaiman or whatever his title maybe, should be… Read more »
So what is this all about no more maggi mee strategy? jhahhahahaha
waste of taxpayers’ money = BN = rasuah
Proof: “Coincidentally”, I am also told that the folks from the EPU are in town processing applications for Tekun loans – basically RM3,000 loans for small-scale businesses at 4% p.a. interest, with hardly any collateral.”
In Perak, a different coincidence:
“Meanwhile, in Kuala Sepetang, Gerakan’s Chang Ko Youn distributed 14 temporary occupation licences (TOLs) to Kuala Sepatang new village residents […]
[BN] denied that this had anything to do with the by-election” (Malaysiakini http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/101478)
Taipingite, you are welcome to comment this “hostile” piece of news.
Kalaivanar was charged in a magistrate’s court last year on two counts of cheating a 59 year old woman of RM3,600. Upon being released on bail, he was immediately re-arrested to facilitate investigations in another cheating case in Bahau Negeri Sembilan.
With the Osman/Jamaluddin defections fresh in our minds, I leave it to your imagination what will happen if Kalai is selected to contest and wins.
PKR us fortunate to be rid of him.
PR can’t afford to lose these by elections. Hopefully the favoritism towards PR is going to last till the voting day. Things are hard to say especially the BN guys have been spreading news that they have gotten increasing support from the Malays… What can we do to ensure Pakatan Rakyat’s victory? I have taken every possible means to spread the words across – even gave a few seminars in USA on the corrupted government. I also interviewed some Americans on their views of this government. Click the videos in my blog: http://merdekablog.com if you are interested. Or please click… Read more »
It’s normal for incentives now, it took half century (first 12 years were quite okay) to realise the needs,after election u will not see any one. Don’t worry about samy,muthu or sockalingam, it does not mean anything, he is trying to survive along with his cronies but with all his experience he does not realise that it’s the final political suicide for MIC. Mani, you are a greenhorn and the rakyat expect you to learn quickly to be loyal and standby your convictions, don’t become another thamby of the MIC, think Malaysian Dear Malaysians, enjoy the perks,don’t just take everything… Read more »
I have colleagues who are originally from the area, some of them are actually registered voters there. The input I get is the controversy is mostly a food-fight between political operatives, especially the ambitious ones. Contrary to the spin in the press, most ordinary people including the Indian population understand what’s at stake in the elections. What PR needs to do in the few remainding days is to aggressively get the message down to the ground – this is an election for Bangsa Malaysia. I’m less worried about votes swinging to BN, which I haven’t heard of any significant numbers,… Read more »