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PKR to make “big shock” announcement tomorrow night

Anil Netto

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3 Apr 2009

So we have a new Prime Minister. That should be the main news story.

But I just spotted this interesting snippet from Suara Keadilan Online. PKR strategist Saifuddin Nasution is quoted as saying that a surprise revelation, which will have a “big impact” on all three by-elections, will be made in Bukit Selambau tomorrow at 9.00pm. Anwar is due to make an appearance then.

I contacted a couple of PKR sources and they were in the dark as to the nature of the announcement. One of them said Anwar is playing his cards close to his chest. A more sceptical media source, however, told me they are used to all these “big announcements”, which then turn out to be something of an anti-climax.

Anyway, keep an eye out for tomorrow night. This report from Suara Keadilan Online:

Akan ada kejutan besar esok- Saifuddin

Friday, 3 April 2009 • Kategori: Berita Semasa, Berita Utama, Parlimen

Oleh: Rusnizam Mahat.

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 APRIL (SK) – PENGARAH Strategi keADIlan, Saifuddin Nasution berkata satu kejutan besar akan berlaku esok yang bakal menyaksikan impak besar kepada tiga pilihanraya kecil di Dun Bukit Selambau, parlimen Bukit Gantang dan Dun Batang Ai.

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Bkt Selambau: MIC pulling out all the stops

Malaysian elections

Anil Netto

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2 Apr 2009

15

2350: Blog reader Karma reports:

On the ground it’s all out for PR. We see people of all races helping PR candidate win the election. This is history. Pas is giving undivided support to ensure victory for PR candidate. Malays, Chinese and Indians are carrying flags in support of Manikumar. Seemingly, all races are seen united for a common cause. When asked a Malay shopkeeper he said, “Kita tak kisah Melayu, India atau Cina. Kita mahu keadilan untuk semua. MB kami orang baik. Calon PR pun orang baik.”

Looks like the independents are not getting much support. An Indian professional quipped in Malay, “Kacau punya orang. Kita mahu satu orang saja. Ini Mani (Manikumar) baik punya orang. Kita mahu dia dalam kerajaan.”

Unfortunately, BN candidate is not getting much support. Out of 10 people interviewed, eight were not happy with him winning the by-election. Neither are BN component parties aggressively campaiging for him. In contrast, PKR supporters are seen all out to ensure a big win for its candidate.

1743: Is it just me or are you all also experiencing slow Internet downloading speeds?

1738: Among the independent candidates, insurance agency owner T Chandrarajan appears to be the most visible in the poster war. He was also featured in an NST “online exclusive” interview. While I was in town, I noticed quite a few of his campaign workers plastering his posters with the aeroplane logo all over the place. But my contact tells me it is R Loganathan who commands a sizeable following among the independents.

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Batang Ai: Salcra plantations yield low dividends

Anil Netto

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2 Apr 2009

7

Making sure the message gets across in Batang Ai – Photos by a Sarawakian

Scene from Lubok Antu

In Batang Ai and Lubok Antu, oil palm plantations are mainly under Salcra (which is Sarawak’s equivalent to Felcra, except that its record is poorer).

For an analysis of the low dividends paid to the participants of Salcra’s oil palm land development schemes, go here.

Bkt Selambau: Voices from ground favour Pakatan

Anil Netto

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1 Apr 2009

15

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.

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Bkt Selambau: Indoor ceramah… or open-air rally?

Anil Netto

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1 Apr 2009

6

Anwar addresses a crowd of about 5,000 last night, just before introducing the candidate, a somewhat shy S Manikumar, whose voice was already hoarse from campaigning.

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Bkt Gantang: Pakatan worried about over-confidence

Malaysian elections

Anil Netto

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1 Apr 2009

17

A rustic scene from Bukit Gantang – Photo by Jong

Many expect Pakatan to easily win Bukit Gantang. But Pakatan campaigners, it would seem, are worried about over-confidence leading to complacency.

Wong Kah Woh reports from Ipoh in his blog:

I was at Simpang PR-DAP ceramah yesterday with 300 people attending. The atmosphere is worrying in the sense that the public are too confident of Nizar victory while in fact that is not the case. Not to forget, Barisan is also having free dinners here and there to buy votes, more particularly there were two free dinners of 180 tables each just nearby our ceramah yesterday.

The crowd attending our ceramahs play a very important role. It is not only that they have to be convinced to vote for Pakatan-Nizar. They must also help to convey the message to the rest, to the fence-sitters, on how to ensure a Pakatan-Nizar’s victory.

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Bkt Selambau: Anwar uses creative “indoor ceramah”

Anil Netto

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1 Apr 2009

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Indoor ceramah, outdoor crowd: Anwar speaks from the covered corridor of a shoplot while the crowd listens from the street outside – Photos by Anil Netto

Anwar speaking from inside a private residence to a crowd of 5,000 seated on a field opposite

Pakatan politicians are using creative means to overcome various restrictions.

Take for instance the police restriction on ceramah in “public places” in Kedah, which effectively bans open-air public rallies.

The restrictions confine the ceramah to indoor locations. So the Pakatan politicians are now stretching the definition of “indoors”. While the politicians addressing the crowd are now indoors – in shophouses or inside private premises, the crowds spill out to the streets or fields outside the indoor locations.

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Abdullah, Tsu Koon must explain Batu Kawan land deal

Accountability

Anil Netto

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31 Mar 2009

15

It is interesting to hear Abdullah Badawi saying that the second Penang Bridge will proceed as planned even if he is no longer PM.

Abdullah and former Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon have not explained how a little known but well-connected company, Abad Naluri, managed to get hold of over 1,000 acres of potential prime land in Batu Kawan on the mainland, just around the site of the proposed second Penang bridge.

On 16 Jan 2004, just one and a half months after Abdullah took over as PM, the Penang Development Corporation entered into a ‘master agreement’ to sell eight plots of land in Batu Kawan to the “fortunate” Abad Naluri. In Nov 2006, Abdullah officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony of the second Penang Bridge, located near these plots.

On what basis was one company granted such a vast area of land and at what price?

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Batang Ai: A tough and crucial contest

Malaysian elections

Anil Netto

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30 Mar 2009

13

BN supporters on Nomination Day – Photos by an anonymous Sarawakian

And the PKR forces

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Bkt Selambau: MIC and PKR ops centres side-by-side

Malaysian elections

Anil Netto

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30 Mar 2009

8

Rival neighbours: The MIC candidate’s ops centre (left) just two doors away from the PKR ops centre (right) – Photo by Anil Netto

An unusual situation in Bukit Selambau with the ops centre for the two parties in “close proximity” not far from the Sungai Petani town centre. And in front of both ops centres, a police canopy booth at a bus stop on a main road. Yes, the canopies are back with a heavy police presence in Sungai Petani and surrounding areas.

When I was there last night, a mini ceramah was in progress at the PKR ops centre. It was funny to hear a PKR speaker using a sound system to denounce the MIC and saying stuff like “Kita mesti menolak MIC” while a couple of doors away the MIC volunteers were nonchalantly carrying on business as usual, paying no attention. All in a day’s work.

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