BN wins in Ijok, a SIGN for me
I sms my Party leaders to find out the result of the by election in Ijok. At first, I was informed BN won by + -2,500 votes. I informed a few of my friends and my dad, of course. Here are some of response - ” sei loh” ( “die” in cantonese), not good; how come? Later, I was informed that the majority is +- 1,800. Still it is not good, though a little relieve.
I asked myself, what has actually gone wrong? Phantom voters? People are complacent with what they are getting from BN within the 9 days of campaign period? Issues concerning corruption, public safety, price hike and etc which cut across all races are not that important to majority of the voters in Machap and Ijok compared to the instant development?
PM said, “People are more confident and they have taken this opportunity to voice their support for the government.” Is it so to the majority of Malaysians?
If I am to see the result from another angle, it is a sign for me. Perhaps it is also a sign for Malaysians who wish for a stronger opposition in the coming election. I have not analysize the Ijok’s result but the fact that the majority is not reduced definately not much “wind” to the favour of opposition or against BN.
My personal views, it will be really tough for the opposition in the next election. I have seen some of the dirty tactics and statements uttered by BN to mislead the voters in Machap and Ijok. Most probably they will do the same in Ipoh Timur, Ipoh Barat and Batu Gajah constituencies.
One may say, during the general election, the BN will not be able to have the same machineries in full force to concentrate in a particular seat. But, don’t you feel worried for the country when the government of the day abusing its power and position at all costs (also, acting above the law) just to win a seat?
Meeting with the Deputy Minister of Internal Security at Batang Berjuntai police station regarding the action of the police in stopping the ceramahs of Keadilan
It is sad that the government has to resort to such uncivilised and undemocratic ways to win the seat. It is a sign, things may not improve for my nation or it may be getting worst for some time. Any hope for a better Malaysia?
Ms Batu Gajah MP,
Take heart, all is not lost. PKR managed almost 500 more votes this time around. Consider in the light that Ijok is a BN bastion since 1990.
The Bribery Nasional cannot bribe all during the 12th general election.
Comment by LOne — April 28, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
Dear YB,
As long as PKR still unite with PAS - THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THE NON MUSLIM WILL VOTE PKR!
ANWAR & KIT SIANG needs to unite and merge PKR with DAP to form a true multiculture opposition party - at least I will think abt voting against BN
2 disadvantages for PKR
1) Anwar - Chinese will always remember his policies in MoE
Chinese are smart enuf to understand what Najob said abt Chinese blood is pure posturing to the UMNO.
2) PKR = PAS (same xxxx)
and Chinese will never ever vote for PKR or PAS
Good night Malaysia!
Comment by kroni2u — April 28, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
I am disheartant. Sometime I wonder why people vote BN with all the abuse going on. Happens in Machap and now Ijok. Are we at a point of no return where quick money and instant rewards rule the day. There is no more priciples left here. lets not blame it on the BN machinery and phantom voters. blame is so easy to do. A lost is a lost no matter what the majority. let move forward.
Comment by cinasami — April 29, 2007 @ 1:08 am
Ijok is an good example of the three main parties, namely UMNO, MCA and MIC working together for mutual benefit. Likewise, DAP could have done better, as DAP could have formed coalition with a malay dominant party who is not hoping for a future islamic state. However, no such party exist at the moment. The collaboration between Keadilan and PAS has made non muslim voters fear Keadilan for the above reason. Therefore, BN will govern in the next election, isn’t it? However, DAP could become stronger, by holding to its own identity of a Malaysian party for a secular Malaysia, and surely we will support DAP! DAP could do more, like more chinese primary schools, please, thanks.
Comment by Phil — April 29, 2007 @ 4:00 am
Hi Po Kuan: First and foremost, don’t lose hope. It is only a state by-election and considering that all the dirty tactics used by the BN, PKR still managed to secure 4,034 votes agains BN’s 5,884, and that to me, is still a credible performance. With all the might at the BN disposal, they should have wiped out PKR or made Tan Sri Khalid to lose his deposit, but they didn’t and it’s still a good sign. My conclusion on the election is like this. Right from the beginning it was a proxy stand-off between Anwar and Najib. You then have one who was against Chinese education and needed it to be re-modeled and the other, would like to bathe his keris with Chinese blood. I wonder which one is worse. So now that the people of Ijok have voted for the BN, I guess then it is (semua)-OK to back the person who said he would like to bathe his keris with Chinese blood.
And with the results, the rape of the nation continues. With this mentality, may God have mercy on us all.
As for DAP, we are with you all the way and no BN money is going to buy us or our souls.
Comment by Billy — April 29, 2007 @ 6:49 am
Dear YB,
Merge with PKR and kick out PAS - until then there is no way the Chinese will ever vote Opposition!
Comment by kroni2u — April 29, 2007 @ 10:02 am
This only means if there is an election in Klang, Zakaria Deros will win hands down..but does that mean the opposition should fold up…NO..You need to strive for the betterment of this country and it is not easy but its effectiveness may now increase with blogs. And does BN’s win also mean that now politicians can get away by murdering people….of course NOT..for they forget that there is a GOD and the punishment that will be meted out may make (deleted) wish he had lost this election….
Comment by osman ali — April 29, 2007 @ 11:37 am
Win, loss or draw.. accept it with open hand will ya? Stop accusing BN wrong doing, evaluate opposition own effort.
However, congratulation to all opposition leaders and activist, thanks to you guys a lot of Ijok folks walking with smile in their face since BN ‘donate’ millions of ringgit into their small town.
I just hope they will be no by-election before general election, if not again, portion of my tax paying will be channel there, or maybe if there any by-election, make it around Johor or N9, since BA will boycott that by-election.
Cheers..!
Comment by Dood — April 29, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
Great Hope for DAP in Coming General Election
Polarised: Chinese support eroded; Malays swing towards BN
In Pekan Ijok, the polling district with the highest concentration of Chinese voters at 61.7% (or 958 Chinese voters), BN lost to KeADILan with 605 votes compared with the Opposition’s 624 votes.
At a glance, the two Chinese-dominant polling districts — Berjuntai Bestari Selatan and Pekan Ijok - have voted against the ruling party in unison.
Do today’s results indicate that the Indians have chosen to remain as hardcore MIC supporters, while the Malays, even in PAS/KeADILan strongholds, have all taken in to money politics? Notably, the initial resistance from the Kuala Selangor Umno division against an Indian candidate had visibly vaporised as money were pouring in by the millions in the constituency that was bypassed in development over the last few decades.
One thing appears to be indisputable: The Chinese are voting against the government.
The anti-Government sentiments among the Chinese constituents reflected in the Ijok by-election results will pose a major headache for MCA leaders to answer to their BN boss:
Despite the RM36 million by-election goodies thrown in, why the inconsistency in the the Chinese community’s voting pattern just within two weeks after a walkover victory in Machap?
In contrast, Gerakan can take it a little easy as it has chosen a multiracial stance in its political philosophy, and secondly, it has little impact in Ijok with its marginal political presence at the local level. The fact that Gerakan acting president Koh Tsu Koon had to adjourn to MCA’s operations room to greet the Prime Minister during his 11th-hour visit to Ijok speaks volume of realpolitik on the the ground.
Suffice to say, if Ijok is a win for Abdullah Badawi, it then must be an equally big headache for him to fathom why Ijok’s Chinese voters revolted so angrily against his administration?
Is this a single swallow that makes a spring about the disquiet among the Chinese constituents? God knows.
In reality, the Chinese community in Ijok can make no distinction between having an Indian or a Malay as their elected representative if race-based politics were allowed to supersede all else. That stark reality had helped them cast vote to truly reflect their inner voices on how the country is being run.
That’s the the impact a double-edged keris when you play divide-and-rule, race-based politics. The dagger cuts both-ways. Whether it was Najib or Anwar who was the bigger devil that caused the 1987 racial tension over Chinese education issues that later developed into Operasi Lalang — a corpse raised incessantly towards the last laps of campaigning in Ijok by no less a personality than Najib and MCA leaders, and rebutted by DAP and KeADILan — was evidently no longer relevant to the realpolitik faced by the vote-holders.
The way they repulsed and rebelled at the ballot box today had landed the target audience with a big thud. It warrants acute attention as the next general election draws nearer. The signal is none other than a new form of polarisation coming to a crescendo. And there is no quick fix in sight.
For further info, read http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=4277
Comment by Cheer37 — April 29, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
The increased number of voters brings a fishy smell. And the BN’s way of distributing wealth leaves a lot to be improved on.
Comment by peisheah — May 1, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
At time like this the hope seems dim. A recent wedding reception, I got to meet up with my old form 5 classmate. He has work in Singapore for near a decade. I was quite surprise that he got intention to migrate to Australia.He went on to find a better place for his daughters.
He told me, it’s a like a job. If you are not happy, just go. No point arguing, the door is always open. I guess he has lost all hope.
But I will stay on though dream for a better Malaysia seems so far a away. A Malaysia that we all will be proud off.
Comment by leong — May 2, 2007 @ 2:40 am
YB Fong,
I had a shock when I read the title:
BN wins in Ijok, a SIGN for me
The instant thought was that you are giving up, leaving DAP or migrate.
I fully agree with you that the fight is going to be very tough this coming GE knowing the dirtiest tactics that bn are using.
We must remain strong, united and fight to the end no matter what.
Another way is to ask GOD for help (many will laugh at this) but no harm. I had posted in other blogs quoting GOD to instill fear in those so call GOD fearing bn especially bodohwi who is preaching his had-whatever-dari. Let GOD punish them in his own way.
May GOD bless you and DAP
Comment by ricky — May 2, 2007 @ 5:00 pm
YB Fong,
Unless the Batu Gajah seat is being “targeted” strongly by the MCA, I don’t think there is any much worry. After all you have beaten Ong Kah Chuan time and time again ….. so why worry? Just continue to serve the good folks of Batu Gajah sincerely and always be forthright in your conducts and dealings. If things go well, you may even improve on your margin in the next GE assuming that same clown is contesting against you. lol Take care!
KSTAN
Comment by KSTAN — May 5, 2007 @ 11:27 pm
there are enough indications and analyses of ijok results to give much cheer to PKR. recent ones i’ve read indicated that they won the chinese votes due to the fact that a lot of the voters are urbanites who work in the klang valley (the urban frustration is not limited to chinese). in the malay votes, getting very close to 50% of the votes despite RM100mil being thrown into it by umno is commendable no matter who you see it. the votes were lost with the indians, whom i don’t blame considering their dire socio-economic situation and how the mic gangs up to prevent PKR/DAP campaigning in the estates.
regardless of what the cynics and detractors say, it is not a big win for BN, nor is it a big loss to PKR. with the right message, PKR is able to finally gain a breakthrough in chinese votes, regardless of their association with PAS. to ignore or dismiss PAS out of the equation is pure foolishness. DAP at the end of the day will *have* to resolve the ideological differences with PAS. there are plenty of common grounds to agree upon, and PKR is the right bridge to present a united front.
the chinese shouldn’t be foolish enough to believe that PAS is a danger when the clear and present danger is clearly UMNO who has shown no interest in stopping the religious tyrants who are flexing their muscles now by splitting families and snatching bodies.
Comment by Ko-chi — May 9, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
Dear Miss Fong,
You referred to “phantom voters” being one of the reasons for PKR’s defeat in Ijok. I would like to remind you that they have been doing this for a long time, possibly as early as the 1980s.
I refer to what Lim Kit Siang mentioned in his book “Time Bombs in Malaysia” about Tengku razaleigh, then Finance Minister, saying after the 1978 general election that the trend of “racial voting” was disturbing in Ipoh, KL, Georgetown, etc, and the govt would take “5 or 6 years to deal with the problem”. Clearly he was referring to the DAP winning 16 parliamentary seats and several state seats then at expense of MCA/Gerakan/PPP.
At that time, many of us did not know that Razaleigh was referring to “phantom voters” or voters transplanted from BN strongholds to vote against the opposition in opposition held constituencies. Now on looking back we know better.
Kit Siang lost in Bukit Bendera in Penang in 1999 because of these transplanted voters. You, Kit Siang and Kula have managed to retain your parliamentary seats in Kinta Valley (Batu Gajah, Ipoh Timor & Ipoh Barat) because the BN has not transferred Phantom voters there yet. There are indications that they are doing so. And you will not be surprized to have a lot of them in the next and subsequent elections in a move to knock all 3 of you DAP MPs out.
So all of you would have to think of ways and means to counter this menace of phantom members in the next and subsequent elections. Good luck.
Comment by Pin Pan Dan — May 9, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
Perk up, lass!
Although the opposition lost the by-elections, they have
put up a good fight.
The BN won by preying on the stupidity of the electorate at these by-elections just as they had been doing so for the
past half century. It’s not that they are better; just that they are very crooked and have the means to achieve their crookedness!
In fact, everyone in the DAP is a far better politician than any of those in the BN. I have often wondered how many of them can take up this vocation when they can’t even read their speech from prepared texts! Shouldn’t having a gift of the gab and cogent ideas be part and parcel of a political (especially if he is a minister?). Just look at the way the British Parliament conducts its affairs! It’s an eye opener.
Some of the BN MPs are also very bankrupt of ideas to the extent that they resort to sexism and bigotry with you receiving more than your fair share of such inane remarks.
I must say that it takes a special breed to be in the opposition and a more than special breed to tough it out over the years as a voice in the wilderness.
Personally, I have been voting for the DAP since I cast my first vote and I am now in my mid-sixties.
Continue with your good work and be steadfast!
Comment by Winston — May 12, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
continue your good work. i am with u and DAP.
All the best to DAP in the coming G E.
Comment by wfk — May 14, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
YB Fong
This is just a simple message on my thoughts on why the opposition will never be strong enough to form the next Government. And don’t tell me that it’s not on your agenda, because that would be a big lie.
As you already know, in order to form the next Government, the opposition will need to have component based party that consist of the major races in Malaysia. Whether we like it or not, Malaysia is still hugely influenced by racial politics.
However, currently the opposition does not have a solid group of party to challenge the BN.
First and foremost, there’s no component party that represents the Indian community.
Secondly, there’s no party that represents the Malay community.
Thirdly, the lack of principle by DAP.
It’s clear that whenever there’s any election, DAP, PKR and PAS will one way or another, work together. Perhaps it’s DAP working together directly with PAS, or perhaps with PKR, but PKR is working directly with PAS.
In my opinion, that’s a huge mistake in the eyes of the Chinese community. No matter how much I would want to support DAP, I would never ever want PAS to form the next Government. I cannot imagine supporting a party that’s directly or indirectly supporting PAS’s aim to form an Islamic state.
Yes, I’ve heard countless times that the DAP is against the formation of an Islamic state, but your action of working together with PAS speaks louder than your claim.
If you guys are serious about this policy, then make it clear. Until and unless PAS drops it’s goal of forming an Islamic state (and I mean them proclaiming Kelantan as NOT an Islamic state), DAP should never in any occasion, have any dealings, directly or indirectly, with PAS, and if PKR were to work together with them, then by all means, severe all ties with PKR as well.
Let me give you a simple analogy. Would you do business with someone who’s connected to child abuse, or whatever cause that you strongly oppose? Whatever the reason, there’s NO reason to condone it at all.
If currently there’s no strong party that represents the Indian and Malay community that shares your ideals of a ‘just and fair’ Malaysia, then by all means CREATE one.
Start grooming leaders to form a party that shares your ideals. It’ll be tough in the beginning, but it’ll be worth it. Otherwise, 20 years from now, you’ll still be where you are 20 years ago.
A strong opposition is not a marriage of convenience. It needs to share the same ideals. Let’s not compromise on DAP’s integrity by working with parties that doesn’t share your goals and aspiration. It’ll just look fake and insincere.
I rest my case. Thanks.
Comment by Mel — May 15, 2007 @ 6:48 pm