Sunday, October 11, 2009

Landslide for Isa - Won more 5000majority votes in by election Bayan Penang


Isa (centre), with Muhyiddin on his left



The crowd reacts as Isa is declared the winner




Riot police can be seen standby to prevent further escalation of trouble in polling stations.


BN and PAS supporters outside SK Kampung Baru Si Rusa a polling station with 1,553 civilian voters.



Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad has won the Bagan Pinang by-election by a landslide of more than 5,000 votes, snapping its losing streak in peninsula Malaysia since Election 2008.

The huge margin of victory will give Umno in particular a big boost, which it hopes will mark the party’s revival.

Unofficially, BN retained the Bagan Pinang state seat after Isa defeated Negri Sembilan PAS chief Zulkefly Omar by over 5,000 votes.

Today’s results will also mark the return of Isa to active politics since his suspension from Umno in 2005.

A mentri besar for 22 years, he left the state administration after the 2004 general elections to become the federal territories minister, but resigned from the government after he was suspended from Umno for his involvement in vote buying — a widespread practice which the party is trying to curb through a constitutional amendment expected to be passed early next week.

The Bagan Pinang by-election saw a 81.65 per cent voter-turnout when polling closed at 5pm today after 11,157 of the 13,664 registered voters finished casting their votes to elect their state assemblyman.

The percentage was a slight increase from the voter-turnout during the general election last year when 81.59 per cent turned up to cast their votes.

"I am a little disappointed with the turnout as I had expected a 90 per cent turnout since it is a Sunday," Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said.

He added that the EC would conduct an analysis to find out why there was no increase in the percentage of voters, as expected.


"We want to find out whether it was due to the weather or otherwise... because it only rained for a while in the morning and sporadic rain in the afternoon or was it because of the supporters who had disrupted traffic by making a

Abdul Aziz said setting the polling date on a rest day, had failed to attract more voters but instead had attracted a huge amount of party supporters from outside.

He added that despite traffic interruptions from supporters, police were able to control the flow of traffic throughout the day whilst polling was in progress.

Votes are being counted at the Dewan Majlis Perbandaran Port Dickson and the results are expected to be known by 8pm.

The Bagan Pinang seat fell vacant, following the death of BN's Azman Mohammad Noor on Sept 4.

Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, 60, a local who had served as Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar for 22 years since 1982, is facing state PAS Commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, of Lenggeng.

After Effect of Winning.
AFTER losing in all of the by-elections it has contested in the peninsula since March 2008, the Barisan Nasional (BN)'s Bagan Pinang win must taste like ambrosia. The BN's candidate from Umno, Tan Sri Isa Samad, polled 8,013 votes against the 2,578 votes garnered by PAS's Zulkefly Omar. In fact, Isa's majority of 5,435 votes far outstrips the 2,333 majority enjoyed by the BN in the March 2008 general election.

The BN's stunning performance in Bagan Pinang on 11 Oct 2009 is nothing short of a landslide. Many are wondering what this says about the BN and the PR, and more importantly, what it says about voters.
As Umno Youth chief and Rembau Member of Parliament Khairy Jamaluddin tells The Nut Graph: "Local politics trumps over national concerns. There is a disconnect between the national consciousness (regarding Isa's money politics charges) and local realities in politics," Khairy explains.

"As a former menteri besar, Isa has a good track record. He knows people here. He is that rare Umno leader who has the ability to put people at ease."

In short, Isa charmed his way out of the stigma of corruption and abuse of power. Well, charm was only part of the equation. He also rode on several government functions to campaign — which goes against the ethics of election campaigning. And all of this prompts Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, in charge of PAS's Bagan Pinang by-election machinery, to call this "a very sad day for the nation".

He tells The Nut Graph in a phone interview: "As Mahathir says, corruption thrives because voters keep supporting leaders who have been found guilty."

Dzulkefly says the public should not construe the results as an endorsement of Isa per se, but as an endorsement of corruption.


Leaving that question aside for the moment, Isa's increased majority must also be a relief for BN chairperson and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. After the fielding of corruption-tainted Isa drew ire from none other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib can now sleep easy for a little while longer.

Najib must also be particularly relieved about the postal votes — a whopping 3,521 of the 4,611 votes cast went to the BN.

Corruption allegations notwithstanding, Isa was a candidate whose undeniable popularity among locals would have held him in good stead. He is, after all, a towering figure in local politics here. And Umno and the rest of the BN knew this


BN's further obstacles for stable politics.

The BN might think this is its first big step in staving off the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)'s onslaught, but it should also realise that this victory is a double-edged sword. Political analyst Prof Dr James Chin, from Monash University, Sunway Campus tells The Nut Graph in a phone interview: "This victory will be seen by Umno warlords that the party just needs to leave everything to them, and [can] forget about reforms." He is referring specifically to party giants who were dropped in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's cabinet line-up of 2008 for various reasons.

Khairy disagrees. "It really depends on the individual's credibility. Apart from the money politics issue, Isa is much-liked by locals. So-called warlords can succeed if they are well accepted by their own constituents."

But Chin stresses that Isa's win could also shake state-level politics in Negeri Sembilan. "For example, now that Isa has won, what will (Menteri Besar Datuk Seri) Mohamad Hassan do? It is probably his worst nightmare."

Chin sees that Hassan will be damned if he does not appoint Isa as a state exco. But Hassan might very well be damned even if he does appoint Isa as exco. Negeri Sembilan will likely see internal tensions not unlike Terengganu: BN-controlled, but hardly a picnic for the coalition's leadership.

But the BN does not corner the market of political headaches. The PR also needs to do some soul-searching on what went wrong in Bagan Pinang. Dzulkefly says the odds were stacked against PAS anyway. "We are pretty weak in Bagan Pinang. PAS has only around 100 members in Bagan Pinang compared to Umno's approximately 3,000 members here," he says.

According to Chin, however, this is not the only issue the PR needs to reflect upon. "Voters are also probably starting to doubt if the PR can hold it together after all its recent bickering." Chin says the constant outbursts by Selangor exco from PAS Datuk Dr Hasan Ali, and the Penang government's handling of the Kampung Buah Pala affair, could have also dented the PR's image quite badly.


BN and PAS.

But apart from politicking within the BN and PR, what impact does the Bagan Pinang by-election result have on the direction Malaysia is heading? For one thing, sociologist Prof Dr Norani Othman observes that the battle for Islam between Umno and PAS is only intensifying.

"I've been saying since the mid-1990s that Umno and PAS are going on the same trajectory regarding their stand on Islam and a plural society. Ultimately they are both the same," she tells The Nut Graph in a telephone interview.

She says this is true of PAS even though it purports to support the PR's multiracial and inclusive vision for now. "PAS can speak about embracing non-Muslims only when Muslims are clearly stronger and in the majority," she explains. "But subliminally, their discourse is really about mere tolerance, not acceptance."

But is the battle for Islam truly played out during elections, or is it mere rhetoric and political theatre? "Especially for a party like PAS, which has a long-term vision, elections provide it with a sort of political pacemaker to take the pulse of its struggles," Norani says.

In the case of PAS, its strategy is multi-pronged: it aims to convert society to the Islamic agenda at all levels. In addition to winning at the ballot box, PAS also targets mosques and residential committees to transform residential areas, and the civil service to reach working Malay-Muslim Malaysians.

Dzulkefly Which is probably why Dzulkefly is ultimately not too worried about this by-election outcome. He tells The Nut Graph he is confident that although PAS has lost the battle, it will win the war.

But as long as Umno and PAS are battling for control over the country, Islam will continue being politicised on the stumps at every by-election or even general election in the near future. After all, if Islam could play such a big role in Bagan Pinang — a state seat where supposedly local issues predominated — it could happen anywhere else in the country.

Therefore, as sweet as Umno finds this victory, it is not going to be the panacea to national disillusionment that the BN has claimed it would be. In fact, it raises very difficult questions about the state of governance, corruption, voter awareness and political Islam in this country.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

EC accused by DAP Kit Siang of bias and taking side.Removing DAP PKR banners and not MCA MIC banners.

The Election Commission has ordered the removal of several contentious banners and billboards by both Barisan Nasional and PAS in the Bagan Pinang constituency.


The EC has barred political parties not contesting the Bagan Pinang by-election from putting up campaign materials in the constituency and has since removed flags, banners, billboards and symbols of DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) that were erected by campaign workers.

He pointed out that if EC was making it an issue to ban campaign materials of uncontesting parties in Bagan Pinang, then it should also ensure that only BN paraphernalia were hung up while that of Umno, MCA and MIC be barred as well.

EC accused of bias and taking side.

"The stakes are high here in Bagan Pinang. If the EC continues to take down our campaign materials, then directly or indirectly they are taking sides," said Lim, who is also MP for Ipoh Timur.

In August 2009, PR announced that it would be a legally registered organisation before the next general election which would be held by 2013 the latest. Under the rules of the ROS, a political coalition must consist of at least seven parties.

Meanwhile, PKR supreme council member S Manikavasagam said the EC chairman's statement was indirectly getting the commission involved in the affairs of political parties and as such did not portray an apolitical image.

"They (EC) would know by now that PR is expected to register as a coalition sometime soon. As such, the issue of us getting registered does not arise," he noted.

"When the three parties (PKR-DAP-PAS) campaigned as a team in the last general election, why did the EC not ban campaign materials of uncontesting parties in any constituency?" said Manikavasagam, who is also Kapar MP.

He added that it was the freedom of each political party and voters in the constituency to put up flags as well as banners and billboards so long as such materials were not seditious and slanderous in nature.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar was reported to have said that only contesting parties were allowed to put up campaign paraphernalia as those uncontesting were not paying an election deposit and should not be allowed to put up such materials.

Under EC rules, a candidate has to deposit RM5,000 to contest a state seat and RM10,000 for a parliamentary seat. Additional deposits of RM3,000 and RM5,000 are also required for putting up campaign materials in state and parliamentary constituencies respectively during an election.

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The Election Commission has ordered the removal of several contentious banners and billboards by both Barisan Nasional and PAS in the Bagan Pinang constituency.
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PAS trailling behind in campaign in Bagan Penang.


An abandoned building in Jalan Pantai,Port Dickson. BN has pledged to bring development to Bagan Pinang if it wins. So far Pas failure to highlight national issue against BN. While BN is succesful of campaigning Isa as a local boy ex Menteri Besar who knows the state and its people.


PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub allege the electoral roll contain same name with both postal votes and normal votes. Not consistent. Want court to delay the polling.

Alleging that hundreds of postal voters are also ordinary registered voters, PAS today said it will seek a court order to postpone polling for the Bagan Pinang by-election scheduled for this Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at the media briefing today, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said the party will first meet the Election Commission (EC) this afternoon.

"This afternoon we will meet the Election Commission to demand a clean-up of the electoral roll," he said.

"If the EC does not do so we will not hesitate to take legal action, we will get our legal team to seek a court injunction to postpone polling," he added.

Salahuddin (picture) said the party has discovered the existence of what he described as dubious voters in the electoral roll for quite some time.

"We have brought up this matter for years, since the formation of Bersih, and in various meetings with EC, but no action has been taken," he said when asked why PAS was only taking action now.

Another PAS vice-president, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, cited a Bernama report quoting the president of the ex-servicemen’s association, Datuk Muhammad Abdul Ghani, who urged retired soldiers who have yet to change their status to ordinary voters to return to Bagan Pinang if they are still registered as postal voters in the constituency.

"So the issue here is, are the retired soldiers going to come back to vote or somebody else will vote for them?" asked Mahfuz.

PAS had previously claimed that 70 per cent of the postal voters in Bagan Pinang are retired servicemen.

Some 4,600 of the more than the 13,000 voters in the Bagan Pinang state constituency are members of the security forces.

The postal voters, traditionally a safe vote bank for Barisan Nasional (BN), will vote tomorrow while ordinary voters will go to the polls on Sunday.

PAS trailling behind BN in campaign in Bagan Penang

Since campaigning began on Saturday, PAS is still trailing far behind Umno, said party workers familiar with the campaign machinery.

“I think because they are trapped with the local issues, honestly I too feel trapped in this game,” said PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was responsible for the banners highlighting BN's alleged failure to keep its promises made in the neighbouring Rembau parliamentary constituency.

“But we are hoping to turn this into a national battle in the final lap, hopefully when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrives,” he told The Malaysian Insider. The opposition leader will only hit the campaign trail tomorrow.

PAS too has been unable to capitalise on the cow head demonstration in Shah Alam last August to win over the support of the Indians, who form some 20 per cent of the more than 13,000 voters.

At every campaign stop in Indian-dominated areas, Isa will remind the voters of the campaign message of former PKR founding leader Roslan Kassim, who contested against Datuk S. Sothinathan in Teluk Kemang in 1999.

“PKR is very bad; you remember in 1999 Roslan Kassim asked the voters here, do you want a mosque or temple?” said Isa.

Pas failure in Campaign so far.

With only four more days left before polling in the Bagan Pinang by-election, PAS appears to have fallen into the trap laid by Umno's campaign message, resulting in the Islamist party's failing to make any headway in the Umno stronghold.

Instead of bringing national issues to this coastal town, PAS has been spending a lot of resources in this campaign responding to development offers made by Barisan Nasional (BN) through its candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.

PAS's daily media briefings now sound like a town hall dialogue, where the election strategists speak of abandoned construction projects near the beach, inefficient sewerage system and traffic congestion — a far cry from the Kuala Terengganu campaign led by Datuk Mustafa Ali when the Election Commission, the police force and Petronas became his main targets.

“I think the national issue is clear, it is about the integrity of the candidates, but we are also focusing on local issues because BN has been highlighting the fact that Isa is local boy and was a mentri besar, so he is able to serve the constituency well. That is why we have to respond to that message by showing his failure,” said the Bagan Pinang PAS election chief Salahuddin Ayub.

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Former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar and now BN candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election says that his offence for which he was suspended from Umno was 'technical' in nature.

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Interview Dr Chua sok lek.-Ong crisis is on his own doing.

"The objective is how to move forward as a one party. We cannot have a divided MCA, we cannot have a MCA without direction and there are no plans to revive or to consolidate the party," said Chua.

The MCA central committee had revoked Chua's expulsion from the party and instead suspended his membership for four years, thereby hurting his chances of challenging Ong in the next party election due in 2011.

The EGM was called by Chua's supporters in a bid to quash the controversial presidential council's decision on Aug 26 to sack him for causing disrepute to the party over his sex DVD scandal.

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Part 2 : - Instead of considering the upcoming extraordinary general meeting (EGM) results as a referendum to restore confidence in his leadership, MCA president Ong Tee Keat has converted it into a tussle of leadership between two individuals, said sacked deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek.
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No campaign materials are allowed in the Wisma MCA during EGM



No campaign materials allowed in Wisma MCA on October 9 and 10 when the party holds its EGM.
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Meanwhile , Ong said he was disappointed with the manifesto (3R-Reject, Reunite and Rejuvenate) as Dr Chua had previously said that he had no intention of meddling with his (Ong's) leadership.

It seems the EGM is set to outcast Ong.

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Dr Chua's manifesto aimed at overthrowing MCA leadership - Ong

Suspended MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's manifesto that was launched yesterday, is not aimed at strengthening the party but rather to undermine the current leadership said MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

Ong said he was disappointed with the manifesto (3R-Reject, Reunite and Rejuvenate) as Dr Chua had previously said that he had no intention of meddling with his (Ong's) leadership.

"He can launch whatever he wants to because this is not the first time but what I see now is a very desperate move because in the past he had loudly promised that he had never intended to intervene in the leadership or wrest the president's post.

"What I see clearly is a concerted hidden agenda and effort to bring me down and once he returns as deputy president, he will take over as president," he told reporters in response to Dr Chua's manifesto released yesterday, after meeting Kelantan MCA leaders.

Dr Chua had claimed that since Ong took over the party leadership a year ago, the party's (MCA) influence in the country's political arena and grassroots had deteriorated and Ong must take responsibility for what had happened.

Ong said Dr Chua's action also showed that he was not a matured politician.

"You can create a thousand issues if you want to but it will only reflect the credibility and maturity of a leader. I do not want to dispute or argue with anybody.

"What I want to do right now is to inform the delegates of what is actually happening in the party," he said.

As for his visit to Kelantan, Ong said he met the division leaders, explained to them what was happening in the party and received feedback for the betterment of the party.

"It is one way of getting feedback of the actual scenario with regards to the status of the party. To me, I cannot determine what happens during MCA's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Oct 10. Only God and the delegates will know. I am just carrying out my duties as the president," he said.



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MCA central committee members Datuk Seri Tan Chai Ho, Datuk Chong Itt Chew and Loh Seng Kok submitted 921 signed requisition forms to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the party.
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A nationwide campaign is now underway to seek the MCA central delegate's approval to convene an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to oust party president Ong Tee Keat within two weeks.

Led by maverick party member Theng Bok (left), the ad-hoc group's main agenda for the EGM is the reinstatement of sacked party deputy chief Dr Chua Soi Lek into the party and call for a vote of no-confidence against Ong.

At a press conference in Petaling Jaya this afternoon, Theng said the group will travel nationwide to canvass for a third of the total central delegates to call for the EGM.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Sujatha committed suicide, court rules - Unknowing swallow Paraguat. Kapar Federal Minister cry foul play


K. Sujatha 28 years old , is also the personal secretary to Vell Pari


Vella Pari with Kapar Parlimen member S.Manikavasagam , S Manikavasagam made police report connecting Vella to Sujatha died.But police only act after 1 month after the incident.
Sujatha called 2 weeks before death to uncle ,saying her life is being threathen. Further police investigation , said Sujatha call Vella after consuming paraguat and Vella then bring her to hospital.


The late K. Sujatha was a former assistant to Vell Paari. Son of MIC president Samy Vellu.



Shaila Nair with her husband Vel Paari.


The Coroner’s Court ruled today that the death of actress K. Sujatha was a suicide.
Coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu ruled that she committed suicide after drinking Paraquat weedkiller.
“To conclude my finding, I held that the deceased had died... (and) her cause of death is Paraquat ingestion and she died in the manner in which she had committed suicide.”
The coroner, however, admitted that the missing urine samples and the absence of a post-mortem report due to Sujatha’s family’s refusal allow one to be conducted had “deprived him from knowing the cause of death from the medical point of view.”
“I am now left with the circumstantial evidence and oral testimony of the witnesses... in my considered view, the family members and the doctor who are professionals and independent witnesses could not have agreed on something that is fictitious or untrue,” he said.
Sujatha, 28, died at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang on June 25, 2007, six days after being admitted to the hospital for allegedly ingesting Paraquat.
Among witnesses at Sujatha’s death inquest were S. Vell Paari, the son of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and Maika Holdings chief executive officer; his cousin Dr S.P. Saktiveloo, a specialist attached to the hospital; and Sujatha’s two brothers.
Sujatha had once worked as a personal assistant to Vell Paari.
Federal opposition leaders, chiefly PKR Kapar parliamentarian S. Manickavasagam, alleged foul play in Sujatha’s death, claiming that Vell Paari was connected to the event.
The Kapar MP claimed that a poison pen letter also alleged a third party’s involvement in Sujatha’s death. He also claimed Sujatha’s father had called him, pleading that he probe an anonymous phone call the former had received.
The phone call purportedly made a similar claim that “someone” had been involved in Sujatha’s death.
In his judgment, the coroner said the claims made by Manickavasagam were not backed by substantial proof.
He also said the lack of injuries other than internal ones caused by Paraquat and testimonies from family members that she had admitted to drinking the weedkiller “unknowingly” all pointed to suicide instead of murder.
On Vell Paari’s alleged intimate affair with the deceased, the coroner said a thorough check through Sujatha’s diary did indicate that “she was in love.”
And although evidence such as the discovery of Vell Paari’s photos and other testimony indicative of their close relationship were presented during the course of the inquest, the coroner said the matter has no bearing on the inquest.
“He could be the person the deceased was in love with but I am reluctant to decide on this issue as it has no bearing in this inquest.”
“Her lover may be morally wrong but not legally,” added the coroner.


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Drama actress K Sujatha died after knowingly consuming a lethal weed killer, the coroner's court pronounced today.

Commenting on the judgment, Vell Paari's lawyer, K Kumaraendran (video) hoped that public perception of the issue will change.

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The mysterious death of K. Sujatha
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Isa is Pakatan’s secret weapon in Bagan Pinang-UMNO choose corrupted candidate.


Garlanded to win, Isa, so it seems.


Isa and supporters show the 1 Malaysia sign, a symbol of the new Najib administration.

The Pakatan Rakyat “won” in Bagan Pinang today when Umno named former Negri Sembilan mentri besar Tan Sri Isa Samad as their candidate in the country’s ninth by-election since Election 2008.

It wasn’t hard to see that they have been campaigning for the disgraced but popular party vice-president to stand in his political fortress.

For them, Isa’s victory is a battle won but a war lost in the next general elections, as they seek to show Umno is a party of corrupt politicians and tainted members as reflected in the recent Permatang Pasir vote. Previous in Permatang Pasir UMNO chose a disbarred lawyer.

The final stroke came today when banners supporting Isa and openly threatening a boycott if he wasn’t named appeared mysteriously in the seaside seat.

A puzzled Teluk Kemang Umno hastily brought down the banners as they suspected others, possibly their political rivals, were behind it.

“Let’s just say that Umno members didn’t do it. If they did, they would just express support for Isa but not openly call for a boycott,” a PAS strategist told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the party believed an Isa victory would help Pakatan Rakyat capture the state later as voters in other seats would be disgusted with the win by a man found guilty by his party for money politics.

“PAS takes a long-term view. And we won today when Umno named him,” the strategist said.

The strategist also revealed that PAS party workers might be suffering from polls fatigue in the Bagan Pinang vote as they ran a poor campaign in Permatang Pasir to help Penang PAS chief Salleh Man defeat Rohaizat Othman in the Aug 25 by-election.

“We ran the worst campaign of all time as only a few people worked hard. But Umno lost because they had a worse candidate,” he said, referring to the disbarred lawyer.

He said the combination of factors had made them strategise to get Umno to pick Isa, over whom even party rivals Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah came together in rare agreement to publicly call him “the worst candidate” for the vote.

“Umno wins this round but it will lead to their loss later in the 13th general elections,” he said, noting PAS was glad Umno is not listening to its veteran leaders.

The Bagan Pinang by-election is on Oct 11 and is expected to be a straight fight between Umno and PAS with nomination day on Oct 3.

An Umno divisional leader told The Straits Times that the party could not afford to lose after six consecutive losses in by-elections in the peninsula since last year's general election.
“The party is fragile now,” he said.
It is thus reluctant to take a risk even though the demographics of the seat heavily favour the BN.
Of the 13,600 voters, 4,600 are postal voters from a nearby army camp. Postal votes are a safe vote bank for the BN.
The remaining 9,000 voters are divided into 63 per cent Malays, 21 per cent Indians, 11 per cent Chinese, and the rest classified as others.
Umno won the seat in last year's general election with a majority of 2,333 votes.
Its pledge to reform has suddenly started to ring hollow, say critics.
“Malaysians shook their heads in dismay at Isa's nomination,” said veteran opposition MP Lim Kit Siang.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who strongly opposed the choice of Isa, said he will not be campaigning for the BN.
“Well, he is the party nominee... My personal feelings do not count,” he said.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, an MP in Negri Sembilan, said the party has to be proactive in countering the inevitable backlash.
“He has paid the penalty. There must be some rehabilitation,” he said.
He also pointed out that the opposition cannot take the moral high ground because it, too, has tainted leaders.
Isa will be up against Negri Sembilan PAS commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, 44.
A Parti Keadilan Rakyat divisional leader, Shahruddin Abdul Hamid, 52, plans to contest as an independent.
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Umno still faces an angry Indian electorate


Racial tension by Malays stamping on a dead cow head to protect relocation of Hindu Temple.



A Kugan a suspected car thief died while in police custody. Massive body injuries . Only one police charged for grevious hurt but not murder.


There is one reason why the majority of the 2,800 Indian voters in Bagan Pinang, who voted PAS in Election 2008, are likely to again vote for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the Oct 11 by-election.

The reason is total neglect of the community, not just between March 2008 and now but over several decades.

In fact the worst neglect happened during the 24-year tenure of Tan Sri Isa Mohamad Samad, the Barisan Nasional (BN)/Umno candidate in the by-election.

“It is such an irony that the man who is to be largely blamed for the neglect of the Indian community in Bagan Pinang has returned to become the candidate,” said Vasantha Kumar, a former Hindraf leader who is urging the Indian voters to back PR.

“BN/MIC/Umno have all neglected them,” he said. “Now they are facing the same voters again and making the same unfulfilled promises.”

One can see the same neglect in the temples, in the burial ground and in the sole crematorium which is so dilapidated that villagers are shy to show it to visitors.

Many of the youths have left the constituency and now work as unskilled labour in factories in Nilai, Seremban and in Johor, returning once a week with provisions for their aged parents and other siblings.

Many also do menial work in KLIA while others work in orchards and fish farms.

“I have tried my hand at many things — fish breeding, rearing cows and goats, lorry transport… you name it I have tried it,” said Ganesan, 37, who operates a tea stall by the roadside.

“We are on our own… no loans, no skills training, no recognition, nothing,” he said. “They have no eyes for us… they don’t see us.”

“Why should I vote for them?” he asked, referring to Umno.

How about the MIC? Ganesan snorts: “They take care of themselves… every branch chairman here has made it. It is tough to become a branch chairman… I tried but failed. I would have made it if I had succeeded.”

“I will vote PAS again because I am angry,” said Ragu, a patron at the stall. “We want to show our unhappiness. PAS is not great, it cannot change our lives but like us they are also poor, they are also struggling like us.”

“Like us they (PAS) are also under attack,” he said.

A local Tamil school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Isa was down to earth and respected but Indians who voted PAS in 2008 will stay with PAS.

“The older Indian voters would support Isa out of respect but don’t expect any kindness from the younger generation,” he said. “The youths are one angry lot… they are struggling to make ends meet. They will stay with PAS.”

Malays here have always liked Isa and it is home ground for him, said the teacher, adding that the former mentri besar has generated positive momentum and is leading the race.

He said the Indian votes are crucial for Isa to win by a big majority but he can still win just on the Malay and army votes.

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Cop claims trial to hurting Kugan





Kugan family members, lawyers and politicians hold pictures of Kugan outside the court.


Muthama (left) and Renuja talk to the press after the court hearing. At the back is Gobind.

Policeman V. Navindran today claimed trial to two counts of causing grievous hurt to extract information or a confession from suspected car thief A. Kugan, who died in police custody last Jan 20.

The 28-year-old constable is accused of committing the offences at 7am and again at 4pm on Jan 1 at the serious crime interrogation room at the USJ Taipan police station.

Session Court judge Aslem Zainuddin set bail at RM10,000 for both charges and the case was fixed for mention on Nov 5.

Navindran, who is married with a child, was in court today as early as 6.30am and press photographers had problems getting pictures of him.

While in the dock, court policemen were seen greeting him before he was charged.

Family cried Injustice.

Outside the courtroom, Kugan’s family expressed outrage that only one policeman was charged for his death and it was not for murder.

Following Kugan’s death, 11 rank and file policemen were transferred to desk duty at the Selangor police headquarters.

“We don’t want this, we want them to be charged for murder,” said Kugan’s aunt S. Renuja.

With tears in the eyes, Kugan’s grandmother G. Muthama, 60, said she still cries every night over the loss.

“The police think they are so big.” she said.

Kugan’s uncle M.S. Mahendran, 47, sarcastically said this is 1 Malaysia.

“If there was really 1 Malaysia, they should be fair. We are also humans but the law is dead.”

“The multiple injuries on his body speak for itself. It’s hard to believe only one person is responsible.”

Gobind said he will write to the Attorney-General (A-G) for an explanation.

Gobind said the suspect also should have been charged for murder and the matter should have been left to the court to decide.

“Never mind if the court later decides the charge should be reduced.”

He said the timing of the charge, which is ahead of the upcoming by-election in Bagan Pinang, was also questionable but he did not elaborate.

Kugan died after five days in detention at the USJ police lockup on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars.

Police initially denied any foul play and attributed his death to water in his lungs, which was the findings of an initially post-mortem report at the Serdang Hospital.

Following a public outcry the A-G instructed for the case to be reclassified as murder and a second post-mortem, which was carried out on the insistence of Kugan’ family and detailed massive injuries on his body.




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Video menunjukkan keadaan mayat A Kugan yang didakwa meninggal akibat paru-paru berair ketika berada dalam tahanan polis

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Youth dies in Malaysian Police Custody

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Attempt to prevent MACC officials from being called to testify in Teoh's death inquest


File picture of Teoh’s family. They received a perplexing text message last Friday.


Gobind (right), Teoh’s parents and today’s witness Woo Chuan Sing (in black), Teoh Meng Kee (blue) and Tan Boon Wah (white) arriving at the Shah Alam court.




The Attorney General (AG) appears to be closing doors today in an attempt to bring a quick end to the high-profile inquest of a DAP political aide, Teoh Beng Hock, which started three months ago.

A private lawyer hired to act on behalf of the AG raised more than eyebrows today when he tried to limit the witnesses which lawyers representing Teoh’s family and the state government want to bring in.

Former deputy public prosecutor, Tan Hock Chuan who is assisting the coroner’s court, had argued that there was no need to call senior graft busters, Hishamuddin Hashim and Hairul Ilham Hamzah, into the witness box, despite testimonies from the MACC rank-and-file that they had got their instructions from the two.

Gobind Singh Deo and Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, lawyers for the Teoh family and Selangor respectively, were outraged at what they claimed was a gross injustice preventing them from finding out what had really happened to Teoh.

Malik stressed that both Hishamuddin and Hairul Ilham were the most senior MACC officers involved throughout the investigation and would be the best men to shed light on several puzzles, especially as their junior officers had clearly said they got orders from the duo.

The argument went back and forth, with voices getting progressively louder.

The magistrate finally said he would decide on the matter when the inquest resumes tomorrow morning.

Mystery DNA man in Teoh belt.

Tan had earlier told the court that the mystery of the unknown male DNA found on Teoh’s coat and belt had been solved.

Government DNA expert, Dr Seah Lay Hong, will be recalled to the witness box to reveal the identity of the mystery man.

Teoh family asked to go for ‘mental test’

In another twist to the ongoing drama surrounding Teoh Beng Hock's mysterious death, the young political aide's family and friends recently received a perplexing text message asking them to go for a psychiatric evaluation at a government-run hospital in Selayang this morning.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Teoh's younger sister, Lee Lan, 28, told The Malaysian Insider that her father, Leong Hwee, and would-be sister-in-law, Soh Cher Wei, both received a similar text message last Friday afternoon.

The family members and friends decided against going to the hospital after being advised by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is acting for the Teoh family.

But he stressed that it is rightfully the magistrate who is acting as coroner in the inquest who must decide on the need at this late stage in the inquest.

“The prosecution must be very careful,” he warned.

He pointed out that two pathologists had already given evidence in the coroner's court and concluded that Teoh had committed suicide even though they admitted they did not question Teoh's family to find out the deceased's state of mind.

“Is the prosecution saying they will recall witnesses and change their stand?” Gobind challenged.

Teoh family and employer claim foul play and not suicide.

“He’s a very loving and helpful person,” Teoh’s elder brother, Meng Kee, 33, told the coroner’s court today when he stepped into the witness box.And when lawyer Gobind asked him point-blank if he knew of any reason that would push his baby brother to suicide, Meng Kee said: “No, sir!”.Two pathologists who carried out the autopsy on Teoh had previously said that the signs point to suicide.

MACC lawyer, Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, who crossed-examined Meng Kee after Gobind, hinted that Teoh,who was pressed to hold a shotgun wedding because his girlfriend was two months pregnant then, may have faced money woes.

He suggested that traditional Chinese weddings were costly affairs running into the tens of thousands, and Teoh could have hardly afforded it on his political secretary pay of only RM1,800 a month.

But Meng Kee disagreed. He said his brother had savings and that Chinese weddings could cost under RM20,000. He added that the siblings would also help Teoh out financially.

Teoh’s friend, Woo Chuan Sing, who had been invited to be the best man at the wedding planned for Oct 3 that will now never be, told the court that he was unaware that his best friend had faced any recent problems.

He had last spoken to Teoh over the phone on the morning of July 15.

Lawyer Malik has been struggling for the past month to bring in a Thai forensic pathologist to support their theory of possible homicide in Teoh’s inquest. He finally succeeded today.

Magistrate Azmil fixed Oct 20 and 21 to hear Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand’s testimony.

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More than 2,000 people gathered for the funeral of Teoh Beng Hock in Alor Gajah, Malacca. During the funeral rites, which began at 9.45am, Teoh's pregnant fiancee Soh Sher Wei read out a moving tribute.

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Lim Guan Eng spoke about MACC, Police and the controversial death of Teoh Beng Hock, who was a special assistant to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Teoh's body was found on Thursday sprawled on the roof of an adjacent building after he had undergone questioning late into the night at the offices of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

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More than 3,000 people have packed the Kelana Jaya stadium in a two-hour gathering to mark the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock. Pakatan Rakyat top brass, including Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, took turns to address the crowd.

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Noordin Top's burial triggers media frenzy in Pontian


A terrorist who helped plan July's attacks on two Jakarta hotels calls for the destruction of Australia in a video that shows the suicide bombers enjoying a picnic outside one of their targets.



Arina Rochmah of Indonesia, one of the widows of Asia’s most wanted militant Noordin Mohammad Top who was shot dead in a raid in Solo, carries her daughter after viewing her husband’s body at a mortuary in Jakarta October 1, 2009.


The family of Asia’s most wanted terrorist Noordin Mat Top, killed by Indonesian security forces in Central Java recently, today began making preparations for his burial in his village here.

Noordin’s sister-in-law Ubaidah Salimon, 49, said family members had started arriving at their ancestral home in Kampung Kayu Ara Pasong, here, to await the arrival of Noordin’s remains from Indonesia.


Noordin, 41, who headed a more radical splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was killed yesterday after his hideout in Solo, Central Java was raided by Indonesia’s elite anti-terrorist unit Densus 88.

Noordin’s death ended a six-year hunt for the person believed to be responsible for a series bomb attacks that killed tens of people in the republic.

Asia’s number one terrorist was alleged to be responsible for the bomb attacks on the Ritz Charlton Hotel and the J.W Marriot Hotel in Jakarta on July 17 which killed nine people including the two suicide bombers.

It is expected that Noordin’s body will be flown back to Malaysia tomorrow.

Noordin Mohammad Top, the chief suspect in July’s suicide bomb attacks on luxury hotels in Jakarta and other deadly attacks, was one of Asia’s most wanted men.

The former accountant and maths teacher was killed during a police raid in Central Java on Sept 17.

Noordin is also widely believed to be behind a 2003 attack on the Marriott that killed 12 people, as well as the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta and 2005 attacks on tourist restaurants on the holiday island of Bali.


“Since Noordin’s death has received wide media coverage, many of our neighbours, relatives and friends have been contacting me. Those who visited us during Hari Raya also enquired about Noordin’s death and extended their condolences to our family,” she added.

Meanwhile, seen was a marquee erected at the cemetery, where the Islamist militant will be interred, about 150 metres away from the family home.

Scores of local and foreign journalists have started arriving in this town since yesterday, and this afternoon they were seen gathering at the cemetery area in anticipation of Noordin’s funeral.

Noordin, who headed Jemaaah Islamiyah’s radical splinter group known as Tandzim Al-Qoidah Indonesia, was shot dead by Indonesian security forces at a militant hideout in Solo, Central Java, on Sept 17, ending a six-year hunt for the fugitive Islamist militant. The former accountant was said to be responsible for planning and carrying out a series of bombing in Indonesia, including at the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in July, which left nine people dead.

The Indonesian authorities have already identified the body as Noordin’s based on fingerprints and other physical marks.

Meanwhile the source also denied local media reports that the death of the most wanted terrorist was due to his blowing himself up to avoid being taken alive.

“Noordin died due to being shot on several parts of his body including the feet, hands and head. He had a serious wound on the back of his head, probably due to being shot,” the source said.

Still, the source said, the face was in good condition and this made the identification process easier. – Bernama


The video in Noordin Mohd Top laptop show chilling terrorist in work

A terrorist who helped plan July's attacks on two Jakarta hotels calls for the destruction of Australia in a video that shows the suicide bombers enjoying a picnic outside one of their targets.
Other videos taken from the laptop show the Nana and Dani exercising in the park and surveying their target.

The video, recorded less than three weeks before the attacks that killed seven, including three Australians, was recovered from a laptop seized in the police raid that killed terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top earlier this month.

The video, believed to be shot by Noordin henchman Saifuddin Jaelani, shows suicide bombers Nana Ikhwan Maulana and Dani Dwi Permana picnicking in a park across the road from the the Ritz-Carlton.Jaelani is believed to be in hiding now and believe to replace Nordin to become the new head.

"This is our target," Nana tells the camera.

"Destroy America, destroy Australia, destroy Indonesia," Jaelani says.

Dani, just 18 years old, says: "This is not suicide. This is what our enemies fear.

"It is an obligation for all. Those who do not execute this obligation are sinners."

Jaelani also claims in the letter that Noordin's group is extremely well organised.

"There are those who manage the funds, there are those who recruit, there are ulema who are giving fatwas (holy decree) and directions.

"There are those who guard the mujahid (holy warrior) families, there are those who source cars, source explosives, source weapons.

There are also political minds, filmmakers and couriers, he wrote.

"And there are those who become volunteers for matrydom."

Indonesian police detective Tito Karnavian said the laptop also contained evidence that Noordin's group had re-established links with Middle East terrorist groups like al-Qaeda.

It also revealed how Noordin's group wanted to target the Indonesian government because of its efforts to promote democracy, Karnavian said.



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A suspected terrorist linked to several Indonesian bombings in the past decade was killed in a protracted firefight Saturday in the Central Java town of Temanggung. Noordin M. Top was killed during a raid by the anti-terrorism unit Detachment 88 that began Friday and lasted 18 hours into Saturday, a security forces source and a police source said. Indonesias anti-terrorism forces had been hunting Top for the past six years. He is also the main suspect in last months twin hotel bombings in Jakarta.

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Armed Indonesian police stormed an Islamic militant hideout early on Thursday in a raid that killed fugitive terror mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top and three other militants, police said.


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Noordin Top's laptop reveals focus on Australia
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