BN has defeated Pas in the Tenang by-election with a larger majority of 3,707. Voter turnout was revised downwards to 67 per cent. Live updates and discussion of the Tenang by-election outcome.
Live – BN wins in Tenang
Live – Climax of Tenang campaign
Tonight is the final night of campaigning for the Tenang by-election tomorrow.
‘Seeing the light’ on the eve of polling…
Another by-election, another ‘bombshell’ (well, not quite as we already saw it coming). This time in the form of another PKR MP ‘seeing the light’ on the eve of polling for the Tenang by-election.
N Gobalakrishnan, a former MIC Youth secretary general (1993-1999) who joined Keadilan in April 1999, is the sixth PKR MP to quit the party since the 2008 general election. How times have changed. He was detained under the ISA for his role in the reformasi movement. See Aliran – ‘Why has Appa been arrested?’ And in this interview with Aliran after his release, Gobala insisted “Reformasi will never die”:
Reformasi can never die. A person can die, but reformasi will never die because reformation will be talked and talked about every day. Every individual will want to bring about reformation. If there’s a person who says that he doesn’t want to bring about reformation, that means the man is brain-dead… They can put down the organisation, they can put down the gathering of the reformists, but reformation (itself) can never die, and the government can never kill reformation.
Look at the Big Picture
We tend to be obsessed with FDI and economic growth rates. Many of us overlook the bits we don’t see – like the depletion of natural resources, the toxic chemicals used, and the waste the corporations and consumers discard.
We fail to see the hidden costs in the overall economy and how corporate interests have overwhelmed the interests of ordinary people.
And often, we also do not see the alienation of the human being – from our own selves, from our fellow human beings, from nature – leading to an overall spiritual alienation or disconnect.
“Slim” chance for Pas in Tenang
I spoke to a couple of people on Tenang to find out what they thought of the way the by-election campaign was going.
Before that, a little poll:
[poll id=”61″]
The first, a political scientist now visiting Tenang, told me that it’s not looking great for Pas there. Another political analyst accompanying him, however, chipped in, “But it’s not all that bad either for Pas.”
The BN looks solid especially in the Felda areas where a sizeable bloc of voters reside and have profited in recent times, said the political scientist.
So how did Kugan die?
The only cop charged with causing ‘grievous hurt’ in the case of Kugan’s death in police custody has been freed.
Which raises the question, how did Kugan die? A post-mortem report showed that Kugan had suffered severe beatings and was starved during his detention.
Cycle-friendly George Town?
Pedal power could be making a comeback in George Town.
According to George Town World Heritage Inc general manager Maimunah Mohd Sharif, greening in Penang will not be limited to trees. “We want to do something with George Town’s back lanes so cyclists can use them,” she told The Edge. “Cycling is coming back to the city. The back lanes will definitely be of use to them, so this is greening George Town in another way to reduce carbon emissions.”
Well said and worthy of support! I hope such plans will be extended throughout the state, not just George Town.
As for the planting of trees, the GTWHI is also looking at Jalan Kampung Kolam, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Pitt Street), Jalan Padang Kota Lama and open spaces like that at the end of Armenian Street.
This New Year, say a prayer for Yong
While we celebrate the New Year, spare a thought for Yong Vui Kong, a young Malaysian convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in Singapore.
Pray for a miracle, that he be given a second chance.
Heart-stopping price of new hospital
Heard of the delayed RM400 million (or is that RM660 million?) ‘Heart Hospital’ at Kota Samarahan in Sarawak, which is billed as the most expensive in terms of cost per head?
Bernama reports that the hospital has 60 beds.
If that’s not enough to give you heart palpitations, consider this: the (outdated?) heart hospital equipment is allegedly linked to matters of the heart…
sPICE exhibition ‘disappointing’
A few concerned Penangites who visited the sPICE exhibtion at Pisa aimed at eliciting public feedback came away disappointed.
One of them said, “(To say) I am disappointed with the display is an understatement. In fact, it is pathetic and shameful for whoever puts up the display to call it a public display and request public feedback.”
A second said it was “rubbish”, adding there was nothing really answered in the exhibition.