Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 28 Aug 2011 04:15 PM PDT By Fong Kee Soon, The Star GEORGE TOWN: A Penang PKR leader has slammed his Pakatan Rakyat ally for suggesting that it give up at least six seats in Penang for the DAP to field Malay candidates in the next general election. Penang PKR information chief Johari Kassim said state DAP committee member Zulkifli Mohd Noor should not make unwise suggestions since he is a senior party member. "He should know that it is unwise to rock the boat, especially when the general election is near. I don't know what his agenda is but I hope that DAP, as a party, does not share his view. "Perhaps he thinks DAP is entitled to this after winning 19 state seats in the last general election," he said yesterday. Johari, a Seberang Prai municipal councillor, said the DAP should not forget that its victory was owed as much to Malay support via PKR and the leadership of PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Zulkifli, who is a Penang municipal councillor, had suggested that PKR make way for the DAP in at least a parliamentary seat and five state seats in Penang. He said he had received feedback from Malay DAP supporters and party members who want Malay candidates to represent them. He claimed that DAP used to field as many as 13 Malay candidates in Penang during general elections prior to 2008 but the seats were given to PKR and PAS in the 2008 general election. Johari said PKR was even more multiracial compared to DAP as it had candidates from all races contesting in Penang during the last general election. Pakatan won 29 out of 40 state seats and 11 out of 13 parliamentary seats in Penang in the 2008 election. DAP won in all 19 state and seven parliamentary seats its candidates contested. None of its candidates were Malay. PKR won in nine of the 16 state and all four parliamentary seats it candidates contested while PAS won only one of five state seats and none of the two parliamentary seats its candidates contested. Two of PKR's winning candidates Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng and Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim later quit the party to become independents. |
| Posted: 28 Aug 2011 04:02 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval rating is now at 59 per cent, the lowest point since last May, fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and his government's handling of the tumultuous July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally, a new poll released today showed. Local pollster Merdeka Center reported the results in its latest survey conducted between August 11 and 27, revealing that the Najib (picture) brand took a severe beating in public perception following several significant events that rocked the nation, including the Bersih rally, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy II trial, the ongoing amnesty programme for illegals, the recent raid on a church in Selangor and allegations of Christian's proselytising to Muslims in the country. Of the 1,027 respondents polled, 59 per cent said they were satisfied with the prime minister's performance, down a significant 13 per cent from 72 per cent in May 2010. Since hitting a record high last year, Najib's rating has been on a consecutive decline; from 72 per cent in May 2010 to 69 per cent in November 2010, 67 per cent in March this year and 65 per cent in May. When Najib first took over the country's reins in April 2009, his administration's rating improved quickly on his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's flailing legacy from a bleak 34 per cent in March 2009, soaring by 31 per cent to 65 per cent within just three months. According to the pollster's report released today, Najib's scored the poorest with the Chinese community, with his rating dipping from an all-time high of 58 per cent in May last year to 38 per cent this month. Only the Indian community grew more confident in the prime minister, climbing by 4 per cent from 65 per cent in March this year to 69 per cent. Malay community support dwindled marginally within the same period, from 76 per cent in March to 73 per cent in May and 69 per cent this month. The survey included respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were elected through random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and 9 per cent Indians. "From the survey, we note that the significantly reduced approval rating may be due to the increased concerns over cost of living related matters as ordinary citizens begin to feel the impact of hikes in the price of fuel and electricity. Besides pocket-book issues, the poll result also suggests some linkage with adverse public perception of how the government handled events and public discourse arising from the Bersih 2.0 rally and other related events," the research house reported. The survey found that economic-related issues were among the respondents' key concerns such as the surging inflation rate, low wages, the unfavourable economic condition and poverty. "With respect to issues, the survey found that the public's topmost concern remained the economy, mentioned by an aggregate comprising 38 per cent of respondents, followed by concerns over social problems at 10 per cent. Worries over political-related matters ranked third at 9 per cent of the public mindscape, while concerns over public safety and crime stood at 7 per cent," the survey said. A total of 51 per cent of respondents also felt that the country was headed in the right direction, down slightly from 54 per cent in May, while 32 per cent said otherwise. Najib is expected to call for polls within the next few months and with Hari Raya celebrations in full swing, politicians across the divide have been in a race to woo Malay voter support. The prime minister recently signalled to his Cabinet that the next general election is near, telling them that he intends to hit the ground weekly from Friday to Sunday after the Hari Raya break to meet people and assess the political landscape.
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| Posted: 28 Aug 2011 03:50 PM PDT
(FMT) - PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian political radar is registering strong signals of an impending general election. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak recently remarked that it could be held at any time soon, reinforcing a hint he had made in his call for a state of preparedness among the component parties of Barisan Nasional. FMT talks to Stanley Koh on issues that may have an impact on the election performance of MCA, the second largest BN component party. Koh is a seasoned observer of MCA politics, having been the party's head of research unit. FMT: Give us an idea of the current scenario in MCA in terms of party unity. Do you see any indication that the party has been reforming itself since Dr Chua Soi Lek took over as president? As for reforms, you no longer hear any MCA leader at whatever level publicly shouting for them or calling for a reinvention of the party. Reforms and reinvention were hot topics after the 2008 election, but BN parties are today back to business as usual, and this is particularly true with MCA, where the order of the day is wheeling and dealing and pork barrel politicking as various personalities vie for party posts and government positions. Coming back to your question about unity, Chua won narrowly against Ong Ka Ting and Ong Tee Keat in the MCA presidential race last year. He got 901 votes against Ka Ting's 833 and Tee Keat's 578. That's just a little more than one-third support from the voting delegates. So we can understand why it was essential for Chua at that time to emphasise uniting the party. With the general election impending, the process of selecting the candidates will begin soon. This always carries an element of instability, right down to the grassroots level. Many will say this is normal. I will not say the party will become unstable and disunited, but there will not be anything close to what we might call party unity. A better expression to use would be "a realignment of factions". What is the public perception with regard to Chua's leadership? Is he seen as moving the party in the right direction? There are rumours that the party is spending big money training new cyber troopers and paying experienced bloggers to fend off negative remarks and polish the party's image in the cybersphere. Party veterans, when asked to comment on MCA's leadership performance, normally shy away from saying anything. Nevertheless, there are some who point out that Chua's leadership and performance are not adequate to the task of someone who has to lift the party out of the doldrums and reinvent it to keep up with the aspirations of the rakyat. MCA leaders in government remain mediocre and less than dynamic. Someone once asked me whether there was any difference in the leadership styles of Ong Ka Ting and Chua. Ong was alleged to have promoted his brother, Ka Chuan, while Chua is promoting his son, Tee Yong. What are some of the other criticisms levelled at Chua and the party? There are many factors working against him and the party. Firstly, MCA has a record of party leaders being charged in court for criminal breach of trust. It happened in 1986 when three top leaders were charged. Two of them were former deputy ministers. Today a former MCA president is in court and a former deputy president is awaiting trial. To make matters worse, the BN is accused of double standards in charging a PR leader for sodomy but leaving Chua untouched although he was guilty of sexual indiscretion. It needs to be pointed out that DAP leaders too have had their share of legal trouble, but their alleged crimes were political, having to do with their fight for public causes. Thus, history is not on MCA's side. Will MCA be able to pull through the next general election? Can it deliver the votes to Umno and BN? Is Chua likely to spring a surprise? Political observers knowledgeable about the goings on in MCA are not optimistic. The feedback from well-informed sources in Umno indicates little confidence in the party's ability to deliver. Umno's top leadership is just tolerating Chua to a certain level. They have little choice. He was elected by party delegates, even though the delegates themselves had to limit their choice between the disastrous and the unpalatable. It is said that the list of MCA candidates for the coming general election that Chua will submit to Umno will be closely vetted to ensure only "winnable" candidates are chosen. In other words, Chua himself may be rejected, even if his own division nominates him. His sex scandal may disqualify him as a winnable candidate. There is gossip that Chua may be compensated with a high profile post. He may be put in charge of all shipping ports in the country.
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