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Bkt Selambau: Anwar uses creative “indoor ceramah”

Anil Netto
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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

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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

Anil Netto
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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

Anil Netto
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BN supporters on Nomination Day – Photos by an anonymous Sarawakian

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And the PKR forces

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

Anil Netto
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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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Bukit Gantang: Photo the newspapers didn’t show you

Anil Netto
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A massive crowd pouring into the streets of Taiping on Nomination Day yesterday – Photo courtesy of Wartawan Rasmi Laman Reformasi (Click to expand)

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PM’s handover to Najib “in due course”

Anil Netto
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The Sunday Star on page 2 quoted Abdullah as saying he would seek an audience with the Agong on Thursday to tell him of his intention to resign as PM.

“I hope that the official handover ceremony can be held on the same day,” he was quoted as saying.

The paper had an interesting correction today – on page 8:

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Mat Taib speaks good English after all…

Anil Netto
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… so how come he didn’t understand airport currency regulations when he was caught bringing in hard cash, lots of it,  into Australia?

Adds blog reader Sam who spotted this report:

If you had observed during the weeks and days leading to the Umno General Assembly and elections, Dr M continued to push delegates not to elect leaders who have a very poor command of English. From nowhere, a deputy president aspirant, Mat Taib, comes out defending that he has an immaculate command of the English Language.

Mahathir was quoted in Malaysiakini as saying:

“One of the candidates couldn’t write in English, he couldn’t speak English and therefore (that was why) he did something wrong in Australia because he could not understand English. My choice is Muhyiddin (Yassin).”

This excerpt from The Star

Published: Saturday March 21, 2009 MYT 7:58:00 PM
‘I can speak in English,’ says Muhammad Taib
By ROYCE CHEAH

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno deputy-president candidate, Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, is aware that there are people talking about his apparent lack of fluency in English.

In answering questions at the Umno overseas club leadership course yesterday, he not only took a swipe at his critics but also proceeded to list his achievements to prove that he had a good grasp of the language.

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Banging drums an election offence?

Anil Netto
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A political scientist friend writes:

In the Bukit Selambau by-election, it was reported that ‘Deputy Election Commission chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar pointed out to police that using musical instruments on nomination day was an election offence and requested that they “advise the supporters to stop” but the supporters kept banging on’. (Malaysian Insider, 29 Mar 09).

Can you believe this Election Commission (EC) Deputy Chairman? Is he for real? Banging drums that make ‘noise’ is an ‘election offence’?!? But political parties giving bribes in the past, government ministers providing instant noodles projects and other development goodies (see preceding post for a sample); using and abusing government machinery; people gambling on election results; a dirty electoral roll; etc. are not ‘electoral offences’?

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Batang Ai: Ho! Ho! Ho! The White-Haired One arrives…

Anil Netto
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Due to climate chaos wreaking havoc to Santa’s North Pole winter detection system, he has mistakenly set out to balmy Asia way ahead of schedule.

Having been tipped off, my contact in Sarawak has been keeping an eye out for his early arrival. Hark, are those sleigh bells ringing? The ring-a-ling draws closer and then… with a mighty flourish, the sleigh draws into view and screeches to a halt. As the jolly White-Haired One, a huge sack of goodies slung over his shoulder, disembarks and bellows, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”, his band of cronies… er, I mean, faithful elves dances a jig.

It’s Santa and his elves bringing the politics of ‘instant noodles’ development to the good folks of Batang Ai.

RM2 million for Longhouses in Batang Ai
By Churchill Edward; Borneo Post; Sunday, March 29th, 2009

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=49427

Land titles

…Sarawak is conducting a census among people in the Batang Ai resettlement area to resolve the long-standing issue of land titles after they were displaced by the construction of the Batang Ai hydro-electric dam in 1982…(NST, 27 March 09)

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2516060/Article/index_html

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Positive signs at the two Bukits for Pakatan

Anil Netto
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Karma reports on the Pakatan’s prospects at Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang:

The sentiment on the ground at the two Bukits appears positive for the PR. Thrilled to see multi-racial supporters giving massive support to PR. Many from all races were waving Pas flags drowning the BN supporters. A good sign for Malaysian solidarity if this is any indicator of race relations in the country.

In Bukit Gantang, PR waves were too huge to be subdued by BN supporters. If this is any indicator, Nizar will win big.

Bukit Selambau saw a storm in a tea cup among PR supporters. Surprised though to see now a multi-racial crowd swarming around the PR candidate, despite the media comments on the disgruntled supporters.

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