Monday, March 10, 2008
2008 polls - interesting facts
Barisan Nasional only gained about 51 percent of the popular vote from the 7.9 million ballots cast on Saturday.
However, it took 63 percent of the seats contested - or 140 of 222 seats in Parliament.
Interestingly, its peninsula-wide popular vote was only 49.79 percent, which effectively means that the opposition received the majority vote in this part of the country.
However, when converted to parliamentary seats, BN has 85 of the constituencies in the peninsula, while the opposition bagged 80.
Almost 40 percent of the BN's seats are in Sabah and Sarawak - 55 out of 140.
In 2004, BN won about 64 percent of the popular vote nationwide and 92 percent of the 219 parliamentary seats on offer then.
As the dust settles on the 12th general election, we highlight a number of quirky facts and figures.
Election trivia
The youngest candidate was PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is 26. He defeated Seri Setia incumbent Seripa Noli Syed Hussin.
The oldest candidate was grandma Maimun Yusuf, 89, who contested in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat. She lost her deposit.
56 also-rans from opposition parties and independent candidates lost their deposits after failing to secure one-eighth of the votes cast.
The largest majority was won by DAP’s Teresa Kok against BN’s Carol Chew, by 36,492 votes in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur.
The smallest majority was just 14 votes for BN’s Hamdi Abu Bakar who beat Abu Bakar Haji Hussain of PAS in the Pengkalan Baharu state seat in Perak.
Four pivotal players in the Lingam tape scandal also won: Loh Gwo Burne (who recorded the footage), Wee Choo Keong (lawyer who represented VK Lingam’s brother during the inquiry) and R Sivarasa and Sim Tze Tzin (listed as witnesses but eventually not called). All four are from PKR.
There will be two ‘lone rangers’ in Parliament: Zulhasnan Rafique, the sole BN survivor in Kuala Lumpur’s 11 parliamentary seats - he took Setiawangsa; and DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen who won Bandar Kuching in Sarawak - the remaining 30 parliamentary seats went to BN.
The biggest number of candidates was in the Sukau state seat, Sabah, where eight candidates ran, including five Independents.
Debutant politicians
Prominent blogger Jeff Ooi - whose campaign was done online and funds were raised through his website - won the Jelutong parliamentary seat in Penang for DAP.
Other bloggers are Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat), Elizabeth Wong (PKR, Bukit Lanjan state seat) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR, Seri Setia state seat).
Civil society activists who succeeded were Charles Santiago (DAP, water-privatisation issues), Edward Lee (DAP, local community), Elizabeth Wong and R Sivarasa (PKR, human rights).
Biggest blows
The losses in BN component parties will result in vacancies in various ministries, forcing a cabinet reshuffle.
Ministers
S Samy Vellu (Works Ministry)
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry)
Zainuddin Maidin (Information Ministry)
Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin (Rural and Territory Development Ministry)
Deputy ministers
Chia Kwang Chye (Information Ministry)
G Palanivel (Women, Family and Community Development)
Tan Chai Ho (Home Ministry)
V Veerasingam (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry)
S Sothinathan (Natural Resources and Environment Ministry)
Donald Lim (Tourism Ministry)
Fu Ah Kiow (Internal Security Ministry)
M Kayveas (Prime Minister’s Department)
Parliamentary secretaries
Chew Mei Fun (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry)
P Komala Devi (Education Ministry)
Lee Kah Choon (Health Ministry)
Ng Lip Yong (Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry)
S Vigneswaran (Youth and Sports Ministry)
Rahman Ibrahim (Home Ministry)
Dr Mohd Ruddin Ab Ghani (Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry)
Yew Teong Look (Federal Territories Ministry)
The full team from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry all lost in the polls.
All top MIC leaders were wiped out - president, deputy presidents, two vice-presidents, women's chief and youth chief (one of the three vice-presidents, KS Nijar, did not contest).
However, it took 63 percent of the seats contested - or 140 of 222 seats in Parliament.
Interestingly, its peninsula-wide popular vote was only 49.79 percent, which effectively means that the opposition received the majority vote in this part of the country.
However, when converted to parliamentary seats, BN has 85 of the constituencies in the peninsula, while the opposition bagged 80.
Almost 40 percent of the BN's seats are in Sabah and Sarawak - 55 out of 140.
In 2004, BN won about 64 percent of the popular vote nationwide and 92 percent of the 219 parliamentary seats on offer then.
As the dust settles on the 12th general election, we highlight a number of quirky facts and figures.
Election trivia
The youngest candidate was PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is 26. He defeated Seri Setia incumbent Seripa Noli Syed Hussin.
The oldest candidate was grandma Maimun Yusuf, 89, who contested in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat. She lost her deposit.
56 also-rans from opposition parties and independent candidates lost their deposits after failing to secure one-eighth of the votes cast.
The largest majority was won by DAP’s Teresa Kok against BN’s Carol Chew, by 36,492 votes in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur.
The smallest majority was just 14 votes for BN’s Hamdi Abu Bakar who beat Abu Bakar Haji Hussain of PAS in the Pengkalan Baharu state seat in Perak.
Four pivotal players in the Lingam tape scandal also won: Loh Gwo Burne (who recorded the footage), Wee Choo Keong (lawyer who represented VK Lingam’s brother during the inquiry) and R Sivarasa and Sim Tze Tzin (listed as witnesses but eventually not called). All four are from PKR.
There will be two ‘lone rangers’ in Parliament: Zulhasnan Rafique, the sole BN survivor in Kuala Lumpur’s 11 parliamentary seats - he took Setiawangsa; and DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen who won Bandar Kuching in Sarawak - the remaining 30 parliamentary seats went to BN.
The biggest number of candidates was in the Sukau state seat, Sabah, where eight candidates ran, including five Independents.
Debutant politicians
Prominent blogger Jeff Ooi - whose campaign was done online and funds were raised through his website - won the Jelutong parliamentary seat in Penang for DAP.
Other bloggers are Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat), Elizabeth Wong (PKR, Bukit Lanjan state seat) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR, Seri Setia state seat).
Civil society activists who succeeded were Charles Santiago (DAP, water-privatisation issues), Edward Lee (DAP, local community), Elizabeth Wong and R Sivarasa (PKR, human rights).
Biggest blows
The losses in BN component parties will result in vacancies in various ministries, forcing a cabinet reshuffle.
Ministers
S Samy Vellu (Works Ministry)
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry)
Zainuddin Maidin (Information Ministry)
Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin (Rural and Territory Development Ministry)
Deputy ministers
Chia Kwang Chye (Information Ministry)
G Palanivel (Women, Family and Community Development)
Tan Chai Ho (Home Ministry)
V Veerasingam (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry)
S Sothinathan (Natural Resources and Environment Ministry)
Donald Lim (Tourism Ministry)
Fu Ah Kiow (Internal Security Ministry)
M Kayveas (Prime Minister’s Department)
Parliamentary secretaries
Chew Mei Fun (Women, Family and Community Development Ministry)
P Komala Devi (Education Ministry)
Lee Kah Choon (Health Ministry)
Ng Lip Yong (Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry)
S Vigneswaran (Youth and Sports Ministry)
Rahman Ibrahim (Home Ministry)
Dr Mohd Ruddin Ab Ghani (Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry)
Yew Teong Look (Federal Territories Ministry)
The full team from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry all lost in the polls.
All top MIC leaders were wiped out - president, deputy presidents, two vice-presidents, women's chief and youth chief (one of the three vice-presidents, KS Nijar, did not contest).
Controversial politician Zakaria Deros dies
Former Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros died after suffering a heart attack early Tuesday morning.
The controversial 62-year-old politician was dropped from the Selangor Barisan Nasional line-up for the general election.
He was replaced by his daughter-in-law Roselinda Abdul Jamil as the candidate for the seat, which she did not win.
Also a former Klang municipal councillor, Zakaria hogged headlines last year when he had a run-in with the law for not submitting building plans for a mansion that was described as a virtual “istana” (palace) by his critics.
He was also found to have not paid the assessment for another property for 12 years, while his family was caught operating an illegal satay restaurant on government reserve land.
Due to these controversies, Zakaria gave in to mounting pressure and withdrew from being a municipal councillor.
His mansion has 21 bathrooms and 16 bedrooms, including 11 that are occupied by each of his children, as well as a VIP room, three living rooms, a dining hall and a prayer room.
The house also has a swimming pool, several gazebos, an orchard, a two-hole golf lawn, an office, a storeroom, two rooms for maids as well as a wet kitchen and a dry kitchen.
He is expected to be buried in Malacca
The controversial 62-year-old politician was dropped from the Selangor Barisan Nasional line-up for the general election.
He was replaced by his daughter-in-law Roselinda Abdul Jamil as the candidate for the seat, which she did not win.
Also a former Klang municipal councillor, Zakaria hogged headlines last year when he had a run-in with the law for not submitting building plans for a mansion that was described as a virtual “istana” (palace) by his critics.
He was also found to have not paid the assessment for another property for 12 years, while his family was caught operating an illegal satay restaurant on government reserve land.
Due to these controversies, Zakaria gave in to mounting pressure and withdrew from being a municipal councillor.
His mansion has 21 bathrooms and 16 bedrooms, including 11 that are occupied by each of his children, as well as a VIP room, three living rooms, a dining hall and a prayer room.
The house also has a swimming pool, several gazebos, an orchard, a two-hole golf lawn, an office, a storeroom, two rooms for maids as well as a wet kitchen and a dry kitchen.
He is expected to be buried in Malacca
PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN
Q. Who is a GURU of Franchise Sales?
A. Manish Adhiya
Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard (hp) ?
A. Rajiv Gupta
Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dahm
Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6 th position now.
Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?
A. Sabeer Bhatia
Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
A. Arun Netravalli
Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
A. Sanjay Tejwrika
Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.
We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives. There are 3..22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.
Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now k! nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.
9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53.
10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13. Chess was invented in India
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .
15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation).
16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
Quotes about India
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made
- Albert Einstein.
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition.
- Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India
- French scholar Romain Rolland.
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
- Hu Shih (former Chinese ambassador to USA )
A. Manish Adhiya
Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard (hp) ?
A. Rajiv Gupta
Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dahm
Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6 th position now.
Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?
A. Sabeer Bhatia
Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
A. Arun Netravalli
Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
A. Sanjay Tejwrika
Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.
We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives. There are 3..22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.
Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now k! nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.
9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53.
10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13. Chess was invented in India
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .
15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation).
16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
Quotes about India
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made
- Albert Einstein.
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition.
- Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India
- French scholar Romain Rolland.
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
- Hu Shih (former Chinese ambassador to USA )
Hindraf: Make ISA detainee S'gor deputy MB
The Hindu Rights Action Force wants its legal advisor M Manoharan to be appointed as a deputy menteri besar in Selangor under the new state government to be formed by the opposition.
The opposition yesterday toppled the BN government by winning 36 seats out of 56 in the state. BN won the remaining 20 to be in the opposition in the state legislative assembly.
PKR’s secretary general Khalid Ibrahim, who won the Ijok state seat, is expected to be named as the new Menteri Besar to replace BN-Umno Mohd Khir Toyo.
Hindraf’s chairperson P Waythamoorthy said that it was time for the opposition to repay the Indian community for their huge support in turning the wave in favour of the opposition in yesterday’s general election.
“Nationwide, the Indian community has shown its dissatisfaction towards the BN government and had voted them out.
“The opposition has been riding on the wave of makkal sakhti (people’s power) in the run up of the general election.
“And it is no secret that the Indian voters have delivered their votes for the opposition,” said Waythamoorthy who spoke to Malaysiakini from New Delhi, India.
He added that now it was time for the opposition to repay the trust placed on them by the Indian community and not to betray that trust.
“As such we hope that Manoharan will be appointed as a deputy menteri besar in Selangor. Likewise, we hope the opposition parties will appoint an Indian representative as a deputy menteri besar or deputy chief minister in the other states that they have won,” he added.
The Hindraf factor
Apart from Selangor, the opposition has also taken control in Perak, Kedah and Selangor - all states which have a large number of Indian voters.
Waythamoorthy said that Hindraf had played a vital role in awakening the silent angst in the Indian community over their socio-economic sidelining.
Last week Waythamoorthy urged all Hindraf supporters to vote for the opposition to ensure that the plights of the Indian community are addressed.
Hindraf also organised a mass rally o Nov 25 last year in Kuala Lumpur, attracting some 30,000 ethnic Indians, to express their discontent with the government.
As a result five Hindraf leaders - including Manoharan -have been detained for two-years under the Internal Security Act, for allegedly being involved in terrorism activities.
Manoharan contested for the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Klang and managed to wrest the seat from BN with a 7,184 majority. In his forced absence, his wife S Pushpaneela undertook the task of campaigning for him.
Apart from Manoharan, many other Indian candidates representing the opposition nationwide were elected in an unprecedented manner.
And in a total reversal, the Indian votes rejected almost all MIC candidates, resulting in heavy defeats for MIC president S Samy Vellu and his entire party top leadership.
The opposition yesterday toppled the BN government by winning 36 seats out of 56 in the state. BN won the remaining 20 to be in the opposition in the state legislative assembly.
PKR’s secretary general Khalid Ibrahim, who won the Ijok state seat, is expected to be named as the new Menteri Besar to replace BN-Umno Mohd Khir Toyo.
Hindraf’s chairperson P Waythamoorthy said that it was time for the opposition to repay the Indian community for their huge support in turning the wave in favour of the opposition in yesterday’s general election.
“Nationwide, the Indian community has shown its dissatisfaction towards the BN government and had voted them out.
“The opposition has been riding on the wave of makkal sakhti (people’s power) in the run up of the general election.
“And it is no secret that the Indian voters have delivered their votes for the opposition,” said Waythamoorthy who spoke to Malaysiakini from New Delhi, India.
He added that now it was time for the opposition to repay the trust placed on them by the Indian community and not to betray that trust.
“As such we hope that Manoharan will be appointed as a deputy menteri besar in Selangor. Likewise, we hope the opposition parties will appoint an Indian representative as a deputy menteri besar or deputy chief minister in the other states that they have won,” he added.
The Hindraf factor
Apart from Selangor, the opposition has also taken control in Perak, Kedah and Selangor - all states which have a large number of Indian voters.
Waythamoorthy said that Hindraf had played a vital role in awakening the silent angst in the Indian community over their socio-economic sidelining.
Last week Waythamoorthy urged all Hindraf supporters to vote for the opposition to ensure that the plights of the Indian community are addressed.
Hindraf also organised a mass rally o Nov 25 last year in Kuala Lumpur, attracting some 30,000 ethnic Indians, to express their discontent with the government.
As a result five Hindraf leaders - including Manoharan -have been detained for two-years under the Internal Security Act, for allegedly being involved in terrorism activities.
Manoharan contested for the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Klang and managed to wrest the seat from BN with a 7,184 majority. In his forced absence, his wife S Pushpaneela undertook the task of campaigning for him.
Apart from Manoharan, many other Indian candidates representing the opposition nationwide were elected in an unprecedented manner.
And in a total reversal, the Indian votes rejected almost all MIC candidates, resulting in heavy defeats for MIC president S Samy Vellu and his entire party top leadership.
Dr M calls for Pak Lah to resign
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today his successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has "destroyed" the ruling coalition after disastrous weekend elections.
Mahathir, who led the ruling Umno which helms the Barisan Nasional coalition for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, lashed out after its worst performance in history.
"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.
He suggested Abdullah should resign, and said he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister.
"I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
"I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice."
Mahathir has previously said he never intended for Abdullah to serve more than one term, and that he should have opted instead for influential Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak who is now leader-in-waiting.
Worst ever result
BN suffered its worst ever result in Saturday's polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition.
Abdullah was punished over rising crime and inflation in an election also tinged by rising racial tensions between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.
"I think the people must have been very angry, all the races, Chinese, Malays and Indians," Mahathir said.
"The problem is we (the government) have become so arrogant. We suppress any opinion that we do not like and they begin to believe in their own reports which are not actually consistent with what is happening in the country."
Abdullah was Mahathir's hand-picked successor when he stepped down, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.
Mahathir, who led the ruling Umno which helms the Barisan Nasional coalition for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, lashed out after its worst performance in history.
"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.
He suggested Abdullah should resign, and said he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister.
"I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
"I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice."
Mahathir has previously said he never intended for Abdullah to serve more than one term, and that he should have opted instead for influential Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak who is now leader-in-waiting.
Worst ever result
BN suffered its worst ever result in Saturday's polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition.
Abdullah was punished over rising crime and inflation in an election also tinged by rising racial tensions between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.
"I think the people must have been very angry, all the races, Chinese, Malays and Indians," Mahathir said.
"The problem is we (the government) have become so arrogant. We suppress any opinion that we do not like and they begin to believe in their own reports which are not actually consistent with what is happening in the country."
Abdullah was Mahathir's hand-picked successor when he stepped down, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.
KLSE Index Down 10%
Malaysian stocks tumbled the most in a decade today with government-linked companies hardest hit after the weekend’s political upsets. At 2:58pm, trading was stopped for an hour as the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) fell by 10 percent or 130.01 points to 1,166.32, from the previous day’s closing level. This was the biggest one-day percentage loss in recent years. The turnover was valued at RM2.47 billion.State-owned banks like Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd and government-linked companies such as Malaysian Resources Corp, UEM World Bhd and Sime Darby were among counters that registered falling prices.According to a statement from Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd, the decision to halt trading is to maintain market stability and allow traders to consider new information before making investment decisions. When the KLCI registers a 10 percent drop from the previous day’s closing level, the circuit breaker is automatically triggered. Trading resumed at 3:58pm. However, as investors unloaded local stocks, credit rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s maintained their sovereign ratings on Malaysia. Despite acknowledging that the level of political uncertainty in the country had increased, the agencies said the economy is still on solid ground.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
2008 Malaysia Election Result
Opposition party took over Kelantan, Penang , Kedah, Selangor , Perak and Federal Territory state.
Opposition has apparently denied the ruling Barisan Nasional its crucial two-thirds majority by winning up to 82 parliament seats (PKR - 31, DAP - 28, PAS - 23). To deny the government two-thirds majority, the opposition must win 75 seats. On the other hand, BN has won 140 seats. (Total 222)
DAP confirmed that its secretary general Lim Guan Eng will be the next Penang Chief Minister. He said that DAP would form the state government with PKR. “It will be a government for all Malaysians.
PKR secretary-general Khalid Ibrahim said they will meet with the Selangor Sultan "soon" regarding the formation of the new state government.However, he told that he did not wish to jump the gun when asked whether he would be the new mentri besar. The deputy mentri besar is likely to be DAP’s Teng Chang Khim, who is former state opposition leader.
Parliament Seat
===============
Barisan Nasional - 140
PAS - 23
DAP - 28
PKR - 31
Bebas - 0
State Seat
==========
Barisan Nasional - 304
PAS - 83
DAP - 73
PKR - 40
Bebas - 2
Opposition has apparently denied the ruling Barisan Nasional its crucial two-thirds majority by winning up to 82 parliament seats (PKR - 31, DAP - 28, PAS - 23). To deny the government two-thirds majority, the opposition must win 75 seats. On the other hand, BN has won 140 seats. (Total 222)
DAP confirmed that its secretary general Lim Guan Eng will be the next Penang Chief Minister. He said that DAP would form the state government with PKR. “It will be a government for all Malaysians.
PKR secretary-general Khalid Ibrahim said they will meet with the Selangor Sultan "soon" regarding the formation of the new state government.However, he told that he did not wish to jump the gun when asked whether he would be the new mentri besar. The deputy mentri besar is likely to be DAP’s Teng Chang Khim, who is former state opposition leader.
Parliament Seat
===============
Barisan Nasional - 140
PAS - 23
DAP - 28
PKR - 31
Bebas - 0
State Seat
==========
Barisan Nasional - 304
PAS - 83
DAP - 73
PKR - 40
Bebas - 2
MIC Voted Out !!!!!!!!!
MIC president S Samy Vellu has suffered a shock defeat at the hands of PSM’s Dr D Jeyakumar for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat which he has held for nine terms.In the previous polls four years ago, Samy Vellu defeated the latter with a majority of 10,349 votes. This time around, Jeyakumar, who stood on PKR ticket, garnered 16,874 votes to Samy Vellu's 14,408.
Another BN big gun, PPP’s M Kayveas, who is a deputy minister, has lost his Taiping parliament seat.
Hindraf leader and ISA-detainee M Manoharan, on a DAP ticket, obtained 12,699 votes to win with a 7,184-vote majority
Parliament Seat
----------------
1. P140 SEGAMAT (Johor)
Subramaniam K.V. Sathasivam (BN - MIC) - 15921
Pang Hok Liong (DAP) - 12930
Maj: 2991
2. P132 - TELOK KEMANG (N.Sembilan)
Sothinathan Sinna Gounder (BN - MIC) - 20544
Kamarul Bahrin Abbas (OPP - PKR) - 23348
Mohd Rashid Arshad (IND - IND) 601
Maj: 2804
3. P78 - CAMERON HIGHLANDS (Pahang)
Apalasamy Jataliah (OPP - DAP) - 6047
Devamany S. Krishnasamy (BN - MIC) - 9164
Maj: 3117
4. P62 - SUNGAI SIPUT (Perak)
Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (OPP - PKR) - 16458
S. Samy Vellu Sangalimuthu (BN - MIC) - 14637
Maj: 1821
5. P72 - TAPAH (Perak)
M. Saravanan (BN - MIC) - 14084
Tan Seng Toh (OPP - PKR) - 11064
Maj: 3020
6. P107 - SUBANG (Selangor)
Murugesan Sinnandavar (BN - MIC) - 28315
Sivarasa K. Rasiah (OPP - PKR) - 35024
Maj: 6709
7. P109 - KAPAR (Selangor)
Komala Devi M Perumal (BN - MIC) - 35899
Manikavasagam Sundaram (OPP - PKR) - 48196
Maj: 12297
8. P111 - KOTA RAJA (Selangor)
S. Vigneswaran M. Sanasee (BN - MIC) - 17879
Siti Mariah Mahmud (OPP - PAS) - 38630
Maj: 20751
9. P94 - HULU SELANGOR (Selangor)
Palanivel Govindasamy (BN - MIC) - 22979
Zainal Abidin Ahmad (OPP - PKR) - 23177
Maj: 198
State Seat
------------
1. N9 - GAMBIR (Johor)
Asojan Muniyandy (BN - MIC) - 8190
Kasim Ibrahim (OPP - PAS) - 5727
Maj: 2463
2. N31 - KAHANG (Johor)
Abdul Halim Mohamad Dawam (OPP - PKR) - 3948
Vidyananthan Ramanadhan (BN - MIC) - 9272
Maj: 5324
3. N33 - TENGGAROH (Johor)
Murukasvary Thanarajan (BN - MIC) - 11789
Shahar Abdullah (OPP - PAS) - 3556
Maj: 8233
4. N43 - PERMAS (Johor)
Munusamy Mareemuthu (BN - MIC) - 13878
Syed Othman Syed Abdullah (OPP - PAS) - 11860
Maj: 2018
5. N25 - BUKIT SELAMBAU (Kedah)
Arumugam Vengatapakoo (IND - IND) - 13225
Krishnan Subramaniam (BN - MIC) - 10863
Maj: 2362
6. N34 - LUNAS (Kedah)
Mohd Razhi Salleh (OPP - PKR) - 17836
Ananthan Somasundram (BN - MIC) 7513
Maj: 10323
7. N10 - ASAHAN (Malacca)
R. Perumal (BN - MIC) - 5950
Amdan Sudin (OPP - PAS) - 3772
Maj: 2178
8. N7 - JERAM PADANG (N.Sembilan)
Manoharan Kannan (OPP - PKR) - 2377
Mogan Velayatham (BN - MIC) - 4185
Maj: 1808
9. N33 - PORT DICKSON (N.Sembilan)
Ravy Munusamy (OPP - PKR) - 4475
Rajagopalu Thamotharapillay (BN - MIC) - 3742
Maj: 733
10. N35 - SABAI (Pahang)
Kamache Doray Rajoo (OPP - DAP) - 3159
Davendran Murthy (BN - MIC) - 3304
Maj: 145
11. N16 - PERAI (Penang)
Ramasamy Palanisamy (OPP - DAP) - 7668
Krishnan Letchumanan (BN - MIC) - 2492
Maj: 5176
12. N54 - HUTAN MELINTANG (Perak)
Kesavan Subramaniam (OPP - PKR) - 7804
S. Thangasvari (BN - MIC) - 6083
Maj: 1721
13. N57 - SUNGKAI (Perak)
Sivanesan Achalingam (OPP - DAP) - 6323
S. Veerasingam (BN - MIC) - 4869
Maj: 1454
14. N59 - BEHRANG (Perak)
M. Ramasamy (BN - MIC) - 5744
Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (OPP - PKR) - 6771
Maj: 1027
15. N51 - PASIR PANJANG (Selangor)
S. Vasan (BN - MIC) - 7520
Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (OPP - PAS) - 11994
Maj: 4474
16. N10 - BUKIT MELAWATI (Selangor)
K. Parthiban (BN - MIC) - 4444
Muthiah Maria Pillay (OPP - PKR) - 4741
Maj: 297
17. N16 - BATU CAVES (Selangor)
Mohan Thangarasu (BN - MIC) - 7376
Amirudin Shari (OPP - PKR) - 11015
Maj: 3639
18. N49 - SERI ANDALAS (Selangor)
Kamalam Annasamy (BN - MIC) - 10055
Xavier Jayakumar Arulanandam (OPP - PKR) - 20258
Maj: 10203
19. N9 - BAGAN DALAM (Penang)
Subbaiyah Palaniappan (BN - MIC) - 4546
A. Tanasekharan (OPP - DAP) - 7599
Maj: 3053
In total MIC had lost 6 out of 9 Parliament seat and 12 out of 19 state seat it contested.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
What a Shame.....MIC & Tamil schools...!!!!
Photo taken 2nd March 2008.
Is this what Sothinathan , MIC candidate for this area can do for the
Tamils in Lukut?????
He is seeking reelection, after having brought the local Tamil school to a
shoplot!!!!!
In fact, his bilik gerakan is just beside the Tamil "School" shoplot......3
shops to the left.... perhaps he is showcasing his proud achievment to
everyone....
Please vote MIC OUT...... This is the only way we can teach these scumbags
that they cannot cheat the Indians anymore....
We all know how Sothinathan helped Semi-Value hijack 9 million Telekon
shares...... 3 million went to a company registered under Sothinathan's
name.... With that RM120 million, we could have built 20 world-class Tamil
Schools and could have sponsored 450 poor Indian students to complete their
medical degree anywhere in the world!!!
Mahathir: Samy Vellu stifled Indian voices
by Malaysiakini
The problems plaguing the Indian community could be resolved by removing MIC president S Samy Vellu who stifled Indian voices, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.
In the second part of an exclusive interview with the Malaysian statesman, Mahathir said removing the MIC leader would allow more Indian voices to be heard.
"I know their main grouse is not with me, their main grouse is with Samy Vellu because with him there, another Indian has been deprived of the chance to come up," he said.
Speaking to Malaysiakini at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Putrajaya, Mahathir deflected allegations that the root cause of the Indian community’s strife was due to his pro-Malay focus during his tenure as PM.
"So they want to blame me? It is not that. Samy Vellu did not ask for assistance. The problem is that he is preventing other Indians from having a say.
"(Indian Progressive Front president MG) Pandithan was got rid of, (former MIC deputy president S) Subramaniam was got rid of, K Pathmanaban died but of course before that, he was (former MIC vice president).
"That is his (Samy Vellu) way of doing things and of course the other voices cannot reach me. And of course, he doesn’t say there is this battling among the Indians," he explained.
Pandithan, who was formerly with MIC, started IPF in 1990 after falling out with Samy. The two parties have been at odds with each other despite being in the BN coalition.
Both Subramaniam and Pathmanaban have a history of bad blood with Samy in their failed attempts to challenge for the party presidency.
Mahathir also said in jest: "You know Indians are very political. Tunku Abdul Rahman used to say if there is one Indian, there is one political party. If there are two Indians, there are two political parties."
‘Don’t stay too long’
In the interview that lasted almost an hour, Mahathir also alluded that people should not stay in power for too long and chances should be given to others.
"It is up to him to decide (to step down). A lot of people will say "if you step down, we will step down" and they will cry and all that. But when I step down, nobody stepped down," he mused.
Samy Vellu who is the works minister and the longest serving Cabinet minister has been the MIC president since 1979 for 10 consecutive terms.
Mahathir also criticised Samy for creating excuses about bringing up Indian issues at the Cabinet level.
"That is his excuse. I know how much he talks in the Cabinet. Don’t (say) something that others cannot prove because nobody heard him in Cabinet except us.
"He talks, but these things were not the issues that he raised - like the recovery of money for the Indian community who were brought here by force and all that.
"He never mentioned that, I’ve never heard him. He never said that the Malays were committing genocide and ethnic cleansing. He never said that. Why didn’t he say that?" he asked.
Asked to comment on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the former PM said their demands were unreasonable.
"Quite a lot of their demands were quite unreasonable - practically denying the position of the Malays as the indigenous race on this country. You know this is something very sensitive to the Malays.
"If the government tell the Malays ‘sorry you’ve got the same status is the Indians’ I think there will be a dig drop of support for the government from the Malays", Mahathir added he added.
The problems plaguing the Indian community could be resolved by removing MIC president S Samy Vellu who stifled Indian voices, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.
In the second part of an exclusive interview with the Malaysian statesman, Mahathir said removing the MIC leader would allow more Indian voices to be heard.
"I know their main grouse is not with me, their main grouse is with Samy Vellu because with him there, another Indian has been deprived of the chance to come up," he said.
Speaking to Malaysiakini at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Putrajaya, Mahathir deflected allegations that the root cause of the Indian community’s strife was due to his pro-Malay focus during his tenure as PM.
"So they want to blame me? It is not that. Samy Vellu did not ask for assistance. The problem is that he is preventing other Indians from having a say.
"(Indian Progressive Front president MG) Pandithan was got rid of, (former MIC deputy president S) Subramaniam was got rid of, K Pathmanaban died but of course before that, he was (former MIC vice president).
"That is his (Samy Vellu) way of doing things and of course the other voices cannot reach me. And of course, he doesn’t say there is this battling among the Indians," he explained.
Pandithan, who was formerly with MIC, started IPF in 1990 after falling out with Samy. The two parties have been at odds with each other despite being in the BN coalition.
Both Subramaniam and Pathmanaban have a history of bad blood with Samy in their failed attempts to challenge for the party presidency.
Mahathir also said in jest: "You know Indians are very political. Tunku Abdul Rahman used to say if there is one Indian, there is one political party. If there are two Indians, there are two political parties."
‘Don’t stay too long’
In the interview that lasted almost an hour, Mahathir also alluded that people should not stay in power for too long and chances should be given to others.
"It is up to him to decide (to step down). A lot of people will say "if you step down, we will step down" and they will cry and all that. But when I step down, nobody stepped down," he mused.
Samy Vellu who is the works minister and the longest serving Cabinet minister has been the MIC president since 1979 for 10 consecutive terms.
Mahathir also criticised Samy for creating excuses about bringing up Indian issues at the Cabinet level.
"That is his excuse. I know how much he talks in the Cabinet. Don’t (say) something that others cannot prove because nobody heard him in Cabinet except us.
"He talks, but these things were not the issues that he raised - like the recovery of money for the Indian community who were brought here by force and all that.
"He never mentioned that, I’ve never heard him. He never said that the Malays were committing genocide and ethnic cleansing. He never said that. Why didn’t he say that?" he asked.
Asked to comment on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the former PM said their demands were unreasonable.
"Quite a lot of their demands were quite unreasonable - practically denying the position of the Malays as the indigenous race on this country. You know this is something very sensitive to the Malays.
"If the government tell the Malays ‘sorry you’ve got the same status is the Indians’ I think there will be a dig drop of support for the government from the Malays", Mahathir added he added.
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