Najib’s special task force to help Indians resolve citizenship woes

The Najib administration will launch a nationwide campaign next year to resolve problems faced by Malaysian Indians who are unable to apply for citizenship.

The “My daftar” campaign, organised by the Special Implementation Taskforce for the Indian Community (SITF), will be launched on February 19 to 26 next year to help Malaysian Indians who do have proper birth, identification and citizenship documents.

The campaign, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, would actively seek to identify individuals who either “possess a birth certificate but have not applied for a MyKad” or “those who do not possess a birth certificate and therefore are unable to secure a MyKad.”

“The campaign will also target children who do not possess a birth certificate and therefore unable to go to school as well as children and young people in residential homes run by the Social Welfare Department and voluntary organisations who do not possess sufficient documentation.

“It is also targeted at individuals above 55 years of age who were born in Malaya and who possess a red identity card and those who have applied for citizenship,” said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (picture) in a statement today.

Prevention or punishment?

Many people die in road accidents in Malaysia every year. It's time we take more vigilant steps to prevent future accidents.

Kit Siang: State secretary row violates spirit of Selangor constitution

Lim said Putrajaya should not have involved the Sultan in the appointment of the state secretary.

The appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the Selangor state secretary without first consulting Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is a violation of the spirit of the state constitution, Lim Kit Siang claimed today.

The DAP parliamentary leader refuted today arguments by palace officials that there were no legal provisions which stated that Khalid’s consent was needed for the appointment, saying that the argument was “flimsy and unacceptable.”

“Going by this literal interpretation, Putrajaya should not have involved the Sultan in the appointment of the state secretary as there is equally no mention in the state constitution that the Sultan must first be informed of the appointment nor that any royal consent is needed,” said Lim in a statement.

The Ipoh Timur MP said that although there was no mention in the Selangor state constitution on the role of the MB in the appointment of the state secretary, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan should have been extra careful in appointing the “most unpopular officer” to work with the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.

“The Chief Secretary, who has been delegated the constitutional task to make the appointment, should be mindful of the different political coalitions running the federal and Selangor state governments and the importance of ensuring an appointee who could work as a bridge-builder or at least not seen as inimical to the Selangor state government interests vis-à-vis the federal government,” said Lim.

Mukhriz: Kedah post not due to being Dr M’s son

Mukhriz: The formula is simple....we do our work well and they will recognise. The task is to resolve the people’s problems one by one and strive to improve their standard of livin

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said the claim by the opposition leaders that his appointment as deputy chairman of the Kedah Umno Liaison Body was due to the influence of his father was because they had no other issues and could not accept the changes occurring in Umno.

He said that his appointment was not the real issue, but the opposition leaders liked to touch on personal issues instead of the contributions that could be made by Umno leaders to the party.

“I need not worry about their comments because what is more important is that the people are happy with the changes occurring within Umno,” Mukhriz told Bernama when asked to comment on the statement by an Exco member of the Kedah PAS-led government, Abdul Ghani Ahmad yesterday, that described his appointment as being due to the fact that he is the son of a former prime minister.

Abdul Ghani said Mukhriz was respected like Tun Dr Mahathir but was convinced that the situation would not last long when the young generation would forget him, while PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar described Mukhriz as being ‘raw’.

Serial Slasher

A bunting and banners slasher has emerged in Bangsar. But he is not getting into City Hall's good books as the torn bunting are posing a danger to motorists and pedestrians.

Public holiday rates apply tomorrow, employers told

Employers will have to pay public holiday rates if they want their workers to work tomorrow, said Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said employees asked to work tomorrow could lodge complaints with the Labour Department if their employers failed to pay them public holiday rates.

"Tomorrow (Dec 31) has been declared a public holiday. It is within employees' rights to be paid public holiday rates," he told reporters here today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had announced tomorrow as a public holiday following the national football team winning the AFF Suzuki Cup in Jakarta, ending a 14-year wait to lift the Cup.

Earlier, Subramaniam had witnessed T. Thurgashree, four, from Bukit Mertajam, do 1,111 sit ups in 32 minutes and 21 seconds to enter the Malaysian Book of Records (MBR).

Also entering the MBR was T. Logassree, 8, who succeeded in lifting steel bars and plates weighting 21kg with just her little fingers

TM board, Axiata to probe Alcatel kickbacks

Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has set up a board sub-committee to investigate the Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU) kickbacks scandal which implicates two Malaysian officials in a US$85 million (RM263.5 million) contract given out by the local telecoms giant.

Regional mobile phone service provider Axiata Bhd has also promised to investigate the bribery case as it occurred in 2006 when it was a TM division known as Telekom Malaysia International (TMI).

Both public-listed companies, which share a common shareholder —sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad — announced their respective investigations in filings to Bursa Malaysia last night.

Their statements came after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it wanted to verify the allegations despite the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) fining ALU US$137 million for the global bribery case.

PAS women wing slams 1Malaysia concept

PAS women wing insists that the 1Malaysia concept is a Barisan Nasional government’s political agenda to woo non-Malays who it claimed had deserted the coalition.

PKR leaders refute Gobala’s criticisms

PKR leaders have refuted criticisms by N. Gobalakrishnan, saying the Padang Serai MP could face a defamation suit if he persists with his diatribe.

Selangor state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar said the party renegade’s claims were not true that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had refused to re-open the Sivan temple in Bukit Gasing, thus failing the Indian community and being anti-Hindu.

He clarified that the de facto leader had nothing to do with the shutting down of the temple.

Jeyakumar added that a stop-work order was issued in December 2008, but was later moved in January.

Gobalakrishnan has been on a rampage against the party leadership via microblogging site Twitter over the past weeks, centring most of his attacks on Anwar and newly-elected deputy president Azmin Ali by saying they were “cheating and bluffing the Indians”.

KL road closures for new year's eve celebration

Several major roads in the federal capital will be closed beginning tomorrow in conjunction with the new year's eve celebrations.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Police Chief ACP Rusli Nohd Noor said in a statement today that the affected roads were those in the vicinity of Dataran Merdeka, Bukit Bintang, KLCC, Bangsar/Telawi and KL Sentral.

He said the roads at the Dataran Merdeka would be closed from 5pm tomorrow until 6am the following day while the roads at Bukit Bintang would be closed from midnight tomorrow until 6am on Jan 1.

Several other roads were also expected to be closed in stages according to the prevailing traffic condition, he said.

Acid girl inspires others

Tan Hui Linn talks about her ordeal of being splashed with acid by her father a year ago and how she keeps a positive outlook in life.

PAS may field woman in Tenang by-election

LABIS (Dec 30, 2010): Talk is rife that PAS may be fielding a woman for the Tenang by-election on Jan 30.

According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, the candidate mentioned was an ex-teacher who is a local.

He said she was part of the leadership line-up in PAS's Tenang branch.

Nomination day is Jan 22 for the by-election which follows the death of Barisan Nasional assemblyman Datuk Sulaiman Taha on Jan 17 due to diabetes-related blood infection.

PAS election director for the by-election Dzulkefley Ahmad, who is also Johor PAS deputy comissioner, when contacted, said PAS's central leadership would be deciding on the candidate and that an announcement could be expected soon.

He described the speculation as "mere rumours" but admitted a woman's name was indeed in the shortlist of names being considered.

In KOTA BARU, PAS deputy commissioner III Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the party was not placing very high hopes of wresting the state seat from the Barisan Nasional (BN) as it was an Umno stronghold.

However, despite the pessimism, he said PAS would go all out to give the BN a good fight in the by-election. — Bernama

Welcome home tigers

Malaysia won the tournament on a 4-2 aggregrate after having beaten Indonesia 3-0 in the first leg in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Selangor state sec to be sworn in Thursday

The Selangor palace has sent out invitations for the swearing-in ceremony of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as state secretary before Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Thursday, Jan 6, as the dispute over his appointment by the federal government continues unabated.

Private secretary to the sultan, Mohamad Munir Bani, when contacted Today confirmed that Mohd Khusrin who is Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) director, will be sworn in on Thursday.

Saying the swearing-in was an administrative formality, he stressed that Mohd Khusrin would have to take his oath before Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim before he could attend state executive council meetings.

Khalid's political secretary Faekah Husin confirmed that the palace had sent out invitations despite the row between the federal and the state governments over Khusrin's appointment to the post.

"Issue of appointment is still not resolved. So no question whether MB would attend (the ceremony) or not," she said in an SMS response to theSun, when asked if Khalid will attend the swearing-in ceremony.

PM owes Christians an apology for aides’ Christmas blunder, says PR

Khalid described the action as a ‘blatant act of religious intolerance


Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians today called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to take responsibility and publicly apologise for his aides’ gaffe at the Catholic archbishop’s Christmas tea party here last Saturday.

The Malaysian Insider had yesterday reported that Najib’s men had instructed church officials to remove crucifixes and other overt Christian symbols from being displayed at the party grounds in Bukit Nanas before the PM’s visit in their zeal to protect his Islamic credentials.

Hymns and prayers were also barred.

Sources disclosed that the orders were issued without the PM’s knowledge.

Leaders from the DAP, PAS and PKR urged Najib to act promptly and make clear his stand on the instructions, saying that further delay could harm Malaysia’s still fragile interfaith ties.

Kok said the PM should take full responsibility and apologise.

Teo says will continue visiting mosques despite Utusan attack

Teo: If they think it is okay for non-Muslims to attend, why should I close the door?

DAP’s Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching says she will not skip mosques despite renewed attacks by Umno’s Utusan Malaysia today for participating in a mosque event.

The first time parliamentarian took part in an aerobics exercise session at Masjid Taman Cheras Jaya in her constituency recently.

Teo admitted that although her act may cost her party Malay votes, she said she would continue engaging Muslim voters through community functions.

Utusan Malaysia published a front-page story today with the headline “Teo Nie Ching makes trouble again” along with a picture of her exercising with men and women in the mosque compound during a recent Maal Hijrah carnival.

The newspaper also accused her of wearing tight-fitting clothes. She is pictured wearing a white T-shirt and track pants, as were the other Muslim participants.

In August, the first-term MP was criticised by Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians and conservative Muslim groups over her controversial surau visit, after Utusan Malaysia published a front-page picture of her addressing those who were praying at the Al-Huda Surau in Kajang Sentral.

“When I get an invitation from a mosque, then I will go,” Teo told sources

Jakarta reports possible backlash from Indonesian fans

All the best: Striker Safee Sali greeting his Malaysians fans upon his arrival at the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, Indonesia Monday.


Indonesian news portals were buzzing with reactions to the laser beam incident in Sunday’s Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup final first-leg match, with some anticipating trouble during the second leg of the final tomorrow.

Mediaindonesia.com reported that the security will be tightened in anticipation of a backlash from Indonesian fans.

Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) secretary-general Nugraha Besoes told the news portal that they expected Indonesian fans to turn up for the match with laser pointers and other dangerous items.

Indonesian child activist Seto Mulyadi advised those attending the match to keep their children at home.

1Malaysia ban: S'gor exco to meet Wed

An aide to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today confirmed that the state executive councillors will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss on the ban on using the 1Malaysia logo in advertisements.

The ban, which was proposed by the state exco for housing and local council Ronnie Liu last week, was "frozen" on Monday, following intense criticism from both sides of the political divide, as well as from affected stakeholders.

Dinner outing turns into ordeal for 10-year-old

A night out with her family turned into a painful experience for 10-year-old Chrisanta Geron Lee when her left foot got stuck in an escalator at a shopping mall here last night.

Firefighters struggled for about an hour before they could free her.

The incident occurred at about 8.40pm while Chrisanta was on a dinner outing at the shopping mall near Peringgit with her family. She was taking the escalator down to the ground floor when her foot got wedged in the space between the steps.

Ipoh gets nation’s first baby hatch in hospital

: The country’s first baby hatch in a hospital has begun operation.
Located in KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital at Jalan Raja di-Hilir here, the hatch was launched by state senior executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman yesterday.

Hospital chief executive officer Nasirruddin Harun said the programme was part of its corporate social responsibility.
“The baby hatch is aimed at saving the lives of innocent newborns who are not wanted by their parents,” he said.

New faces as Umno state chiefs

Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor

All three Umno vice-presidents have been dropped as state liaison committee chairmen effective Jan 1, in a new line-up announced by party headquarters today.

However, party president Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak will continue to lead in Selangor and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in the Federal Territory.

The new line-up announced by party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor saw seven new faces. Party VP Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who now heads Penang, will be replaced by Nibong Tebal division chief Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman who will be assisted by a new face Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir as deputy.

Beaten businessman talks to press

Two constables, detained in connection with the assault were released Monday after an application for their remand was denied by the court

Cops in probe on alleged brutality freed

The two constables detained to facilitate investigations of alleged police brutality against businessman Chia Buang Ting have been released after police failed to obtain an extension of remand at a magistrate's court today.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng told a press conference that lawyers hired by the two policemen had objected to remand on grounds that the officers were "not like ordinary citizens" and would not be likely to run away, and even if they did could be easily found.

The two are part of the four whom Chia, 34, had identified in a line-up on Thursday as those allegedly involved in the beatings he suffered while under arrest on suspicion of drugs and weapons possession, and for having a royal family crest on his car.

At the press conference, Chia repeatedly demanded justice, that his name be cleared and his money returned.

"I would rather die than be defamed by the police," he said.

He again denied the allegations of drugs and weapon possession.

The list of 2010’s grisly killings

Gruesome murders are tragic episodes and cruelty that go beyond normal rational thinking.

The following is a list of the horrific crime that heavily underlined by news reports this year.

SOSILAWATI LAWIYA MURDER

Aug 30: Cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, was killed along with her driver, Kamaruddin Shamsudin, 44, CIMB Kampung Baru branch bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, when they made a trip to Banting to negotiate a land deal.

Sept 9 and 10: The police arrested eight suspects aged between 19 and 41, including two lawyer brothers and workers of Ladang Gadong, Jalan Tanjung Sepat, Morib.

Sept 12: The police confirmed that Sosilawati and three others were killed and then set on fire. Their ashes were scattered over a river near Ladang Gadong.

Oct 15: Two of the suspects were sentenced to seven years jail each for burning the bodies of Sosilawati and her three associates and for disposing of their ashes by the Teluk Datok Magistrate's Court.

GEMENCHEH MURDER

Jan 5: Rasidi Ismail, 34, is alleged to have murdered his grandparents Atan Daud, 86, and Sufian Keatas, 80; his father Ismail Awang, 76, and sister Siti Khadijah, 22, at his house and an adjacent house in Gemencheh, Negeri Sembilan.

Rasidi was picked up 48 hours after the murder near an overhead bridge at the Masjid Jamek LRT station in Kuala Lumpur.

He then took the police to a Muslim cemetery in Section 21, Shah Alam, where they recovered a severed head in a plastic bag buried 60cm in the ground.

Ismail's headless body was found in Atan's and Sufiah's house, while Siti Khadijah's was found at her family home 20 metres away.

Sept 7: The Seremban High Court acquitted and discharged Rasidi from all charges on the grounds of insanity and ordered him to be detained at the Kajang Prison at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Negeri Sembilan.

Anwar: Suspension a 'flagrant abuse of power'

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has yet again slammed his suspension from Parliament as a flagrant abuse of power by ruling party Umno.
"I don't see any reason to rush through my suspension. All this is a flagrant abuse of power. I don't think they have the patience to respond to the issues raised," he said.

In a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya this morning, the Permatang Pauh MP (left) also called the charges against him as Umno's "hypocrisy".

Cameron Highlands bus mishap claims another life

The gruesome accident at Km15 of the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road last Monday has claimed another life bringing the total fatalities to 28.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Azisman Alias said Darunee Songserm, 59, passed away yesterday at 2.26pm.

Darunee, who has been warded at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, succumbed to head and chest injuries.

Hospital deputy director Dr S. Kamalakshi said there were two more accident victims, both Thais, receiving treatment at the hospital. She said both are in stable condition.

Dr Kamalakshi said this after a visit by Ipoh Timor MCA division chief Datuk Thong Fah Chong at the hospital’s maternity ward here to present gifts to Christmas babies.

In the tragic accident, 25 Thai nationals and two Malaysians were killed when the high-decked bus they were in crashed into a divider, overturned and landed on its roof in a ditch.

Fire and Rescue Department trying their best to rescue the victims.The accident aftermath. Just look how bad the accident is.

Karpal to Nazri: I may be 3rd class but you've no class

Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh insisted that Pakatan Rakyat will be taking Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia to court over the suspension of four opposition MPs from Parliament.

Saying that they will be filing a suit "as soon as possible", he also rubbished Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and de facto law minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz's remarks that the Dewan Rakyat's decisions cannot be challenged in court.

PNB confident of 7% growth for Malaysia

Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) is confident that Malaysia will achieve the7% economic growth next year although the global economy is not very stable.

Its group chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said the economic packages launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would further boost the country’s economic performance from this year’s growth of 6%.

“Although the world economy is expected to slow down, it will not affect the country’s economic performance,” he told reporters after launching the East Coast Writers Association at Pantai Bisikan Bayu here Sunday.

Selangor says 1 Malaysia ban only for business advertisements

The Selangor government insisted today that its state-wide ban on 1 Malaysia logos on billboards was legitimate, but said it only applied to business advertisements.

State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government fully backed housing and local government committee chief Ronnie Liu’s move in banning the 1 Malaysia logos for such billboards.

According to her, the local by-laws on the ban had already been in place since 2007, stressing that it was “nothing new.”

Wong (picture) also revealed that the Selangor government had given out a directive to local councils to “not allow” the 1 Malaysia logo to be used on business billboards in November.

Flights disrupted at Kota Kinabalu airport due to small fire

A small fire and heavy smoke disrupted service at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport Air Traffic Control Service for some three hours which affected 19 flights.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said after initial investigation revealed that the incident forced Air Traffic Control Centre (ATC) personnel to evacuate and leave their working positions in adherence to safety procedure.

Umno Youth chief challenges opposition on logo issue

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin challenged the opposition today to state its stand on freedom of expression following the Selangor government ban on use of the 1 Malaysia logo on billboards.

The ban is proof that the Selangor government is cowardly, he said, adding that the opposition should state their stand on freedom of expression to show whether they are consistent and sincere.

The Selangor government has banned the logo, saying that it is political and therefore not allowed under the state’s by-laws on advertising boards.

The Selangor government need not, and should not, go ahead with the ban, Khairy told reporters after presenting school bags and apparatus under the 1 Malaysia programme at Felda Chempelak here.

AFF Suzuki Cup: Malaysia 3 Indonesia 0

Malaysia picked up a handsome 3-0 win over arch rivals Indonesia in the first-leg of the final in the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championships at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.

Mohd Safee Sali was the toast scoring a brace in the 60th and 73rd minutes while substitute Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin scored the other goal in the 67th minute to give Malaysia a comfortable three-goal cushion for the second-leg final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday.

1Malaysia logo ban irks business community

THE Selangor government’s decision to ban the 1Malaysia logo from billboards and signboards has not gone down well with the business community in the state.

The business people deemed the 1Malaysia concept as one that will spur Malaysians to move ahead as a united people and believed that the concept has nothing to do with politics.

They also believed that the 1Malaysia concept of government, which was introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to allow all Malaysians, irrespective of ethnicity, to share the country’s resources and riches, should be supported.

Poser over GE date

WITH an opinion poll showing the majority of Malaysians believe that the country is headed in the right direction under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, the public are prompted to asked, "Will Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak call for a snap election?"

Political analysts believe so but said the 13th general election will most likely be held in the second half of next year, reckoning that the BN has to concentrate its firepower in the Sarawak state election in the first half, Oriental Daily News reported today.

Political analyst Datuk Cheah See Kian opined that the next general election will definitely be held in 2011 but not in the first half of the year.

He said Sarawak’s current legislative assembly ends in July next year, and if the BN state government does not hold the election in March or April, it will only be asking for trouble should the political scenario take a turn for worse for the ruling coalition in the last two months.

Beaten and robbed by cops over expired road tax

For being frank with the police, 34-year-old Chia Buang Hing was detained for five days and beaten up until he vomited blood.

The businessman, who is frame-maker, narrated the "horrific" incident today, saying that the police bashed him up, threatened and robbed him of RM13,000 in cash he was carrying - all for the expired road tax of his wife's car that he was driving.

Selangor's 1Malaysia logo ban "destructive move, says Tsu Koon

Minister in the Prime Minister'sDepartment Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said today Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government leaders should compete with the Barisan Nasional (BN) in promoting the spirit and substance of 1Malaysia rather than prohibit the use of the concept logo.

He said banning the symbol of 1Malaysia in advertisements and signboards throughout the state was negative and destructive, contrary to the spirit of democracy and freedom.

In Tenang, size of win indicates faith in Najib

The upcoming Tenang by-election is shaping up to be a test for voter confidence in Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister, and whether he can lead the country under the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, says his political foes.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have admitted that winning the state seat in the BN stronghold Johor would be “realistically” tough, but they claimed that reducing BN’s majority will affect Najib’s (picture) popularity as PM.

A recent survey by Merdeka Center showed Najib’s approval rating remains high among voters in peninsular Malaysia, dipping only slightly from 72 per cent in May to 69 per cent this month.

The poll showed that 74 per cent of Malays, 54 per cent of Chinese and 85 per cent of Indians were satisfied with the prime minister’s performance, in a major boost for Najib as he mulls an early general election next year.

In Tenang, a fight for MCA’s survival

MCA is under pressure to deliver Chinese votes in the upcoming Tenang by-election in Johor and prove it has won back enough support to guarantee a Barisan Nasional (BN) win as the ruling coalition mulls snap polls in the next few months.

Leaders from both MCA and DAP, its main rival in Pakatan Rakyat (PR), say the battle will be for Chinese votes as they expect Umno has the Tenang Malay vote in the bag.

PR is already describing the Tenang vote as MCA’s and BN’s to lose as the battle would be fought on the ruling coalition’s Johor stronghold, a state that had escaped the 2008 political tsunami.

The non-Malays in Tenang — at nearly 52 per cent of the 14,592-strong electorate — could provide an indication of how the country’s Chinese and Indian voters will vote in the next general elections.

Chinese voters make up a whopping 39 per cent of the Tenang electorate while the Indian community has 12 per cent. The Malay voters make up about 49 per cent.

Tenang is also one of the two state seats under the Labis parliamentary constituency, formerly held by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (picture).

Labis is now helmed by Soi Lek’s son, Chua Tee Yong, another rising star in the Chinese-based party, the second largest component party in BN.

In Election 2008, Tee Yong lost to DAP over non-Malay support, but cruised to a win due to solid support for BN from the Malays.