July 22, 2012
GE-13 before Malaysia Day (09-16-12)?
by Jahabar Sadiq
Editor, The Malaysian Insider
The Najib administration is looking at a snap election in September before Malaysia Day if it goes through with a plan to dissolve Parliament next month, sources and analysts say.
The Malaysian Insider understands that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s aides and Barisan Nasional (BN) officials have briefed a number of people on the plan to hold elections between Hari Raya Aidifitri which falls on August 19 and the proposed Budget Day of September 28. Malaysia Day is on September 16.
“Snap polls are likely before September 16 so that will give enough time to table the Budget 2013 on September 28 if BN retains Putrajaya,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.
But he pointed out that Malaysia’s Budget Day has traditionally been on the last Friday of October and has been pushed back in recent years due to the Aidilfitri festivities, the celebration at the end of the Ramadan fasting month for Muslims. More than 60 per cent of Malaysians are Muslims and it is the country’s official religion.
Another source said the September date will also allow Muslims to go for their Haj pilgrimage which falls on October 26 and has been a bone of contention among several political parties, who say it will deprive the quota of 20,000 Malaysian Muslims their right to vote.
“We heard snap polls are in September and factoring this into our analyses,” a Singapore-based stock market analyst told The Malaysian Insider, noting that the Election Commission (EC) had briefed representatives of all political parties last week.
Najib has been cagey about the election date although he expressed confidence in winning all state governments and the federal government. His BN controls Putrajaya and nine states while the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rules Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Selangor. PR lost Perak in February 2009 when three lawmakers turned independent, which was enough for BN to capture the state.
In his Pekan constituency yesterday, Najib said BN had yet to finalise its candidates for the upcoming general election.The Star quoted Najib as saying, “The list will be finalised when the time comes. Everything else is just speculation.” He said this when asked about a report saying he had rejected half of the names submitted for the list.
The report stated the candidates were omitted for reasons including being under scrutiny from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Police, as well as being party stalwarts dropped to make way for younger candidates.
“We are still flipping through the names, checking and checking again,” the UMNO President told reporters.
Despite his comments, BN sources say they have already taken containers of 
coalition paraphernalia such as T-shirts and posters from warehouses in a few ports for distribution to all state chapters and divisions. It is learnt that some of the material was imported from China and Indonesia.
BN strategists are using Najib as the cornerstone of their campaign with banners, billboards and buntings featuring his face being strung along major roads and buildings in the capital city and other parts of the country. The KTMB commuter train has also had his face emblazoned on its carriages while party and coalition websites have his photos displayed prominently.
“Najib is popular. The last Merdeka Center survey has him with a 65 per cent popularity rating and he is reaching out to all demographics,” a BN strategist told The Malaysian Insider.
When BN called elections in 2008, then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi’s popularity rating was at 71 per cent but he lost the coalition’s customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and four states.
Najib, who is seeking his first mandate at the polls, has been touring the country in his Jelajah Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled Tour) over the past few months and is due to visit Kelantan and Terengganu soon for the campaign. Ironically or coincidentally, Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled) is also the theme for this year’s National Day on August 31.
PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had also predicted snap polls after Aidilfitri, saying BN was likely to take that opportunity as most voters would not be able to return to their state constituencies mere weeks after the Muslim festivities.The annual Aidilfitri celebrations are usually when Malaysians who work in urban areas return to their hometowns or villages to celebrate the occasion with their families.
“We expect BN will use the opportunity to hold elections after the Aidilfitri holidays. When this happens, voters will think thoroughly to return to their hometowns to vote just after returning from their holidays,” he told the Islamist party organ Harakahdaily in Rabat, Morocco.
Nearly 13 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots if a general election is called involving all 222 federal seats and 505 seats in 12 states. However, the four PR-ruled states have yet to say if they will hold elections the same day as the general election as their mandates only expire next April. Sarawak has already had its state election last year.
If Najeebir Singh is that popular (65% as indicated by Merdeka polls) why does he worry about when to hold the GE? With those kind of numbers it will be a shoe in for him and UMNO. Maybe he himself doesn’t believe in the polls.
Malaysia needs to clearly establish a definite date for election each and every 5 years and not play this hide and seek game. Election is a serious matter and should not be made a game by the PM. Stand up and be counted, there’s nothing to worry about if he had fulfilled all his promises made during last election campaign. Maybe he’s got a lot to hide and a lot more unfulfilled promises. Justbendabit Singh wants to know.
Elections in September? Too soon for Najib given UMNO-BN’s unpopularity. His own approval rating can be manipulated (with due respects to the Merdeka Center people). I personally do not believe his own popularity will help UMNO-BN win GE-13. His character and misdemeanors matter. On that score, I give Najib gets a F. He is not fit to be Prime Minister.
I wonder why Merdeka Center does not undertake a poll on UMNO-BN’s popularity and ask respondents what they think specifically about rampant corruption and the mismanagement of our national economy and public finance by the UMNO-BN government. That is why I agree with the prevailing view that there will be massive fraud in the next elections to enable UMNO-BN to keep Putrajaya.
Sadly, Malaysian will be denied a fair and just outcome at the next GE 13 election due to the fowl play of UMNO Melayus to remain in power at all cost. This is not too difficult for these UMNO thugs since the almost all the government instrumentalities are beholden to the UMNO political party. Even the Judiciary is UMNO leaning and no appeal on the breach of election rules will provide redress to the victims.
This goon Najib has deftly refrained from agreeing to hand over power peacefully if BN losses the election. This thug Najib has declared war , yes war, in saying that Putrajaya will be defended with bodies and )blood). Malaysians have short memory or unwillingness to thread all this bits and pieces of puzzle to see the whole picture.
What option is left for the Rakyat to fight for what is their legitimate rights? Work it out.
This September?
That’s what i said, but i’m still trying figure out how that’s gonna work out.
You see guys, “The List” is in a mess in more ways than can be imagined. The recipe ain’t ready, ‘cuz there’s all sort of ‘unsavory’, ‘unpalatable’ and ‘toxic’ stuff that’s being thrown into the stew.
What will happen is a witches brew, in which the reigning ‘Regina’ will have undue influence. The cows are already cowed, since their ‘herdess’ is a liability no matter how one wants to look at it – kacip Fatimah notwithstanding.
The crucial Bull Configuration is also chaos – the warlords (earls, dukes, archons etc), petty landlords. mad mullahs and well, Mat Rempits/Potongs are fighting among themselves for spoils, rapine, self-indulgences and hubris. Resulting in a slow combustion with convulsive conflagration as soon as the Recipe is finally unveiled. Scorched Satay!
In essence, it’s gonna be ‘Unwinnable’ crappy dish. There’s just too much deliberation and anxiety that the main-course ain’t palatable. Perhaps Jibs will do better if he switches the core ingredient from ‘tongkat Ali’ to ginseng and birds nest. But then, he ain’t no celeb chef and his lap-mongrels are supplying shrooms instead.
Selamat Buka Puasa.
It would be better for Najib to have the election in April next year and so that all states apart from Sarawak will join in. The more the merrier.
GE will come, GE will go.
BN will win, and PR will scream fraud. And the next 5 years or so, politicians will play politics to try to better each other. Nothing will be done to address the economy, crime etc.
In short, we are screwed.
Dear Tiki Taka,so sorry to burst your bubbles,we’ve been screwed,am being screwed n will be screwed,so help me God,it’s now more than ever we need Divine Intervention, for eg. some old cock politician,past his shelf life might just kick the bucket suddenly or pendek kata collapsed n kick the bucket due to too much weight of her diamonds,ecetera2, get my drift.
You’re damn right Tiki Taka!… BN will win with two third majority…and election will be held in April next year…So at least Khalid and LGE can join the fray without excuses…The politicians are screwed not us…
Don’t lose hope too early and forget the fact that our electorate are more informed this time around. We will see the difference and improvement brought about by the power of the electorate soon. Just watch it coming – the longer we wait the better the chance for good changes.
It’s time the opposition launch a powerful class action lawsuit against UMNO, BN and the EC for past election frauds and intention to defraud in upcoming GE13. Why are the demands of Bersih and acted on? Why are taxpayers’ money, corruption funds, national resources, infrastructure, media (tv, radio, newspapers), used to bribe, buy or sway votes? Buying defections. Big questions are unanswered. And More! Why are corrupt leaders, cronies not investigated and arrested, eg: CM Taib (31 years) & Musa, Shahrizat, Razak, Dr MM,…too many to mention.
You don’t find one sentence on the Scorpene scandal in the mainstream press, New Straits Times, The Star, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian. You don’t hear a word about Scorpene on RTM 1 radio. RTM TV1, RTM TV2 or TV3. Tells you something, doesn’t it? Namely, that it is such a BIG thing and not a whimper about it in the mainstream media mean the so-called journalists, radio and tv broadcasters are all UMNO-MCA-MIC paid goons. This is deception & blind-folding, to support multi-billion thefts. This is crime against the people, of astronomical proportion, against the people that elected them! Malaysia, you should have awakened 40 years ago. Malaysia’s great tragedy. Experts say the people have lost some RM300 billion (RM300,000million) or more
“Promises fulfilled” !!! NZ is ranked among the top in the world for democracy and non-corruption, we see clearly yr 55 years of tragedy. UMNO & BN are corrupt, criminal and evil to the bones. US$100 billion, not million, have been stolen, plundered or mismanaged. Massive corruption eg: The CM ruling 31 years in Sarawak. The world is calling for his arrest & PM Najib pretends everything is beautiful, promises fulfilled. Deceit, gerrymandering; state-controlled media; vote buying; phantom voters; postal votes; illegal immigrant voters; public resources & machinery used to get votes for incumbent gov’t…. using your tax money & money stolen from you to destroy you. Wake up Malaysia!
Barisan starts to collapse & triggers a vicious spiral. Make sure you give Opposition 90% of the vote, the cronies will cling to 10%, then BN trim your 90% to 70% through: Gerrymandering. Frauds in electoral roll with aliens, duplicates & phantoms. Buying & bribing…all using your money!. Biased EC Chiefs from UMNO. Unfair monopoly of media, heli, vehicles, boats, venues & resources. All using your money to destroy you!