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| Pakatan looking at "5+2": Kit Siang Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:26 PM PDT
He said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily that Pakatan should be able to retain Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan while recapturing Perak plus the states of Negeri Sembilan and Perlis, in the 13th general election. Sin Chew Daily DAP's Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang foresees an even more powerful political tsunami in the upcoming general election, and the opposition pact is confident of capturing Negeri Sembilan and Perlis in addition to the five states it won in March 2008. He said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily that Pakatan should be able to retain Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan while recapturing Perak plus the states of Negeri Sembilan and Perlis, in the 13th general election. However, he admitted that Kedah was less stable among the states currently held by Pakatan. He also did not rule out the possibility that PKR Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would contest in Perak. Kit Siang felt that the March 2008 political tsunami had yet to reach a peak, and that the peak would be reached in the coming general election. "The tsunami swept from the north to as far as Negeri Sembilan in 2008, and so the tsunami was not a comprehensive one. The political tsunami did not reach a peak." He believed the tsunami would cover the entire country this time. He said judging from the response of Pakatan events in Perlis these years, he could feel that the people there desired to change, and therefore did not rule out the possibility of a change of administration in the state. Pakatan took 15 state assembly seats in Negeri Sembilan in the last election, just four seats short of forming the state government, and so Pakatan would concentrate its firepower on the state this time. Due to the problems arising from PAS, Kit Siang admitted that Kedah could be a relatively weak state for Pakatan. As for Johor, he said Pakatan had already made it a frontline state in the coming election and that he himself would go south to lead the electoral battle. "Johor is not only the cradle of Umno, it is also a strong fortress for both MCA and Umno. If they are thumped by Pakatan in the coming election, there wouldn't be any chance for them to stage a comeback." He predicted the winning chances for Pakatan and BN to be 50 to 50, with BN at a slight advantage. DAP to make inroads into Umno's strongholds Kit Siang stressed that DAP had set its goal of contesting in Malay-dominant constituencies, and that his move to Gelang Patah would mark the start of the party's advances towards this end. He described his venture into Gelang Patah as "putting my head on the chopping block." He told Sin Chew Daily Gelang Patah would be a very challenging battle for him, as he had to leave Ipoh Timur with 81% Chinese voters to one that has only about 53% Chinese, along with 34% Malay and 12% Indian voters, an ethnic make-up that would better reflect that of the entire country. "To win Gelang Patah, I need more than just the support of Chinese voters. "I hope I can initiate a political whirlwind in Johor without taking into consideration which BN component party would actually contest in the constituency. "I have to apologise to Chua Soi Lek as I never thought whether an MCA candidate would contest in the constituency. The question is not whether it is or it is not an MCA constituency." When asked to comment on the accusation that DAP would only contest in Chinese-majority constituencies, Kit Siang said, "That's a perversive statement. We need not bother about it. In fact, MCA president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek has made plenty of such statements and we don't have to refute them as they will be washed out by time." "Gelang Patah is a very big risk. It's not about my personal victory or defeat nor that of the party. It's about the maturity and solidarity of the entire nation. "Racist remarks from Umno and MCA leaders will not contribute positively to the concept of '1Malaysia' but the annihilation of the same. "Our strategy is in line with the need for more maturity and more 'Malaysian' as the nation progresses. Transcending political affiliation and race marks a first step towards the real '1Malaysia.'" "When I see myself as a Malaysian first, race, religion, locality and community second, it doesn't mean I will stop being a Malay or Chinese, which is not possible, but we must have the mindset of transcending race and religion." When asked to comment on the assumption that Chinese Malaysians would be sidelined if they voted in favour of the opposition in the coming election resulting in the total defeat of MCA and Gerakan, but Pakatan's victory was not big enough to helm Putrajaya, Kit Siang replied that such an ethnic-driven statement was very irresponsible. "BN has been in power for more than 50 years now. We should look at things from the angle of Malaysians, not our respective races." Show the differences within first 100 days Lim Kit Siang said if Pakatan were to make it to Putrajaya, it would show the differences between the new administration and the BN in all areas within the first 100 days. He reiterated that Pakatan was not looking at just being one-term government, adding that the three parties making up Pakatan Rakyat would prove to all Malaysians that everyone irrespective of race and religion would be taken care of by the new government. He also said Najib had kept deferring the dissolution of Parliament because he was afraid of losing. "They have come up with all sorts of favourable measures but they still don't think they are ready for the election!" Whether the Parliament would be dissolved next week or next month, he said Najib had already missed the most favourable timing for holding the election. He said the best timing would have been around the Sarawak state election in 2011 before the emergence of Bersih 2.0 and 3.0.
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| GE13: Sabah’s ‘fixed deposit’ status to stay Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:23 PM PDT
Despite the Sulu intrusion, Barisan is set for a big win in the Land Below the Wind, thanks to a fragmented Opposition. Taking the fight into the political hotbed of the Kadazandusun and Murut areas will be Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan who is the Kadazandusun Huguan Siou (paramount leader), Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president (PBRS) Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. By MUGUNTAN VANAR, The Star IN-FIGHTING among Opposition parties for seats has been overshadowed by how the Feb 9 Sulu intrusion will impact voting patterns in Sabah. Although observers believe that the "fixed deposit" status of Sabah for Barisan Nasional would remain, concerns are growing over the east coast seats, especially the Suluk-Bajau majority ones around Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak. Barisan candidates will have to work much harder to convince the migrant ethnic voters on why a stable and united government is important for the security of the state. With security utmost in the minds of the people, even urban or semi-urban seats once considered black or grey to the ruling government could shift back to Barisan, particularly with the business community now finding "solace" with the coalition. The prospects for the parliamentary seats of Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan are looking brighter for the ruling coalition, affirming the "fixed deposit" tag. Kota Kinabalu and Tawau are now in the hands of the Opposition, while Sandakan was won by Barisan with a razor-thin margin. Sabah Barisan withstood the March 2008 tsunami, delivering 24 of the 25 parliamentary and 59 of the 60 state seats. Within Pakatan Rakyat, the DAP and PKR contested against each other after failing to cut a deal. Among the Opposition parties, it was only the DAP which saw victory, winning the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat and the state seat of Sri Tanjung. Sabah Barisan, which was led by Datuk Seri Musa Aman, chalked a landslide. By September 2008, however, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) pulled out with its two MPs (Sepanggar and Tawau) together with two state assemblymen (Likas and Luyang). But two other assemblymen (Elopura and Tanjung Papat) opted to stay put with Barisan by joining Gerakan. Datuk Seri Lajim Ukim of Umno and Datuk Wilfred Bumburing of Upko left Barisan to align themselves with Pakatan, raising the political heat in Sabah late last year. Furthermore, their entry into Pakatan was not entirely welcomed by Pakatan leaders in Sabah. Pakatan, the SAPP led by former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the Sabah chapter of State Reform Party (STAR) headed by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan have shown no signs of a deal for a one-on-one contest against Barisan. Yong's SAPP wants to contest more state seats while giving way to Pakatan for the parliamentary seats. STAR, on its part, wants Pakatan to leave Sabah entirely to local parties. Pakatan is not interested in such demands. Even the SAPP and STAR themselves are also unable to work out a seat-sharing formula. As the Sulu crisis continues to linger in the minds of the people, Sabah parties are slowly getting back into the political groove with a clearer indication that the Opposition has agreed to disagree, opening a free-for-all fight against Barisan. The Opposition's game plan augurs well for the eight-member Sabah Barisan. Some observers believe they can pull off a repeat of 2008. Local issues and choice of candidates are likely to be key topics for the ruling coalition. Musa heads Sabah Umno, which is set to defend all its Muslim bumiputra seats (32 state and 12 parliamentary seats). It will focus on taking back Beaufort after Lajim quit the party. The party is maintaining a tight lid on possible new faces. However, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and Kalabakan MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh are among the estimated 20% who are speculated to be dropped to make way for new faces. Taking the fight into the political hotbed of the Kadazandusun and Murut areas will be Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan who is the Kadazandusun Huguan Siou (paramount leader), Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president (PBRS) Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. Talk is rife that Pairin is likely to give up one of his two seats (Keningau parliamentary and Tambunan state seats). Kurup may be retiring in favour of a new face. There has been talk that his son might contest. For the Chinese seats, Gerakan which was nearly wiped out in the peninsula, has shot into the limelight with the party holding three state seats and two state Cabinet posts in Sabah with the defections of SAPP members. Sabah Gerakan together with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Datuk V.K. Liew, Sabah MCA's Datuk Edward Khoo and PBS' Datuk Yee Moh Chai will face an uphill battle to win over the urban voters. All Barisan parties are lobbying to contest the six seats (two parliamentary and four state seats) formerly allocated to the SAPP. To date, Barisan has yet to announce how the six seats will be allocated. At one stage, the urban Chinese-majority seats were considered lost for Barisan. But with the DAP and SAPP unable to see eye-to-eye, Opposition votes could be split and the incumbents could pull through, albeit narrowly. The hot seats to watch out for are: > Penampang The parliamentary constituency which has the largest Catholic population is set to test the popularity of incumbent Dompok, who has pushed for key issues about illegal immigrants and mission schools; > Pensiangan Kurup, a survivor of Sabah politics, is likely to have a tough time to defend the seat which he won after he was returned uncontested in a controversial Nomination Day decision; > Keningau Will it be Round 2 for the feuding Kitingan brothers? If Pairin decides to defend the seat, he will face off with his politically estranged younger brother Dr Jeffrey. In their previous battle, Pairin retained the seat with a 4,264-vote majority; > Sandakan LDP's Liew will be facing stiff challenge in this Opposition-inclined seat which he won by a mere 176-vote majority against the DAP; > Beaufort This parliamentary seat will be the focus of Umno's onslaught as Lajim remains a popular figure in the constituency where the two state seats of Klias and Kuala Penyu currently held by Barisan might be at stake due to Lajim's clout; and > Kota Kinabalu A three-way tussle is on the cards for this seat where Barisan is hoping to slip through with a win as home-grown Opposition party SAPP (barring a last-minute compromise) takes on the DAP. As for Musa who has broken the jinx of Sabah chief ministers not lasting more than nine years he is set to keep the ruling coalition in control of the state and deliver more than two-thirds of the 25 parliamentary seats. A big win will also ensure Musa's position within Umno and Barisan. 
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