Showing posts with label Anwar Ibrahim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anwar Ibrahim. Show all posts
Sunday, April 28, 2013
UMCEDEL survey: A portent of things to come?
Two days ago, BN was rocked by a survey carried out by UMCEDEL (Universiti Malaya's Democratic and Election Centre). The one figure that stood out was the fact that 43% of those surveyed back DSAI as Prime Minister while 39% back Najib. Other statistics show the slight higher support for DSAI rather than for Najib (of course Najib scored higher for likeability and better administrative ability - which is kinda shoo-in as he is the Prime Minister at the moment and his face is everywhere on 1Malaysia Posters, Adverts and TV day and night).
(source: Malaysiakini)
Immediately, 'experts' from other universities and centres came out swinging and smacking the survey results. Najib himself came out today and discredit the survey saying that internal BN survey says that BN will win hands down with 2/3 majority.
I wonder why Najib and his konco-konco came out so fast to refute this survey. As we all know, popular votes will not determine the winner of this coming GE 13 (thanks to the extensive gerrymandering done over the past 55 years). Unless, something is really happening all over the country. The amount of people turning up for Pakatan ceramahs all over the country (as what happen in Penang before 308) must have sent chills down the spines of all the BN strategists. Sheer number of people, albeit mainly Chinese but with a sizable Malay and Indian turnout could spell disaster for BN in many areas. The right combination of the voters in the crucial constituencies could see BN buried in GE 13. But those circumstances must all fall in place at the right time. Talking about stacked odds against you, its like you have to play a football match with 9 man and with the referee against you with your goal post bigger than your opponent.
At one DAP ceramah in Kuching (28/04/2013)
Crowd waiting for DSAI in Keramat (28/04/2013)
The fear of the Rakyat rising TOGETHER is starting to make BN hit the panic buttons. From the paid Adverts in The Star smacking DAP of being a PAS tool for Hudud Law, to the Utusan and TV3 having a field day putting up a picture that says that DAP is using PAS to create a Christian State, to abolish the special rights, etc signals the start of the use of race and religion in a desperate attempt to stem the tide. How successful they have we will only know on Election Day.
For this UMCEDEL survey, the results only point to one thing: Either BN is out this GE or will be cleared out by next GE. If Pakatan does it right and reduce the blunders, missteps and rogue elements within their ranks, I believe they will give BN a fight for the control of this country. The longer BN is on the defensive, the worst it becomes. As it is, BN is only fighting to do damage control in many areas under threat from Pakatan. Such a battle of attrition only serves to benefit Pakatan more as Pakatan's relentless assault into various seats have made it a cause to be concerned.
So with the UMCEDEL survey, what say you?
P/S:
I am disappointed that Merdeka Centre has not publish any survey results like what they did in the run up to the 308 polls. Any possible reasons why? I wonder.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
On the Segamat Ceramah Experience *updated*
Now, yesterday 24 April 2013, I was in Segamat to attend to a customer who is also a friend. He asked me to come down to Segamat specifically because there will be a major ceramah involving DSAI in Segamat at Padang Kg. Abdullah in the middle of town. So naturally I said ok and I made the journey down there. As I was alone and only armed with a Iphone 4 which the camera quality is deteriorated, I couldn't take any photos along the way.
What I can tell you is the Star Reporter got it all wrong: Banners were sprouting everywhere and Bilik Gerakan for both sides of the divide quite active putting up more. Some important intersections were full of banners, fish tails and long banners alike. And for a 'sleepy' town like Segamat, election fever has hit the people there hard like anywhere else.
So round 1 was tea time and my friend's friend came with a sticker of 'No to Lynas' on his shirt. We were engaged in an animated discussion of politics and election, exchanging news and were leaning on the fact that it looks like Pakatan is having the edge in Segamat. However, we leave that till we see the crowd in the ceramah that night.
So later my friend picked me up and then we go had dinner nearby the padang (the fried kueh tiaw with sauce is good). After dinner at about 9 pm we walked across the road and joined the ceramah.
Ho and behold: the crowd was big for Segamat standard! At the time we joined the crowd we estimated to be about 5 - 10 thousand people already present. Speaker after speaker goes up and speak and one that had my attention and to my surprise a good speaker is Cikgu Normala of PAS. She is the DUN candidate for Pemanis and also the ex-candidate for Tenang by-election (remember the flood on the day of the election: she is the poor soul I thought was a victim of the weather and lost the by-election by a bigger margin then).
She is a good speaker and she has a clear and direct voice which for me is a first as generally very few women from PAS are prominent in the ceramah circuit. She is quite young and fiesty and according to my friend, she got guts and have substance and she is very friendly. She hammered the points home one after the other and I thought she is one of the better speakers of the night.
As the night wore on, the crowd grew. From the earlier estimates it probably swell to a good 15 thousand although some say as many as 20 - 30 thousand that night. Hard to estimate as it is night time. But a very big crowd, the largest in recent history in Segamat for a political ceramah where NO FREE FOOD OR GOODIES. I wonder if BN can do the same with the same conditions.
Salahuddin Ayub and Chua Jui Meng were the two last speakers before DSAI arrived. They fired up the crowd and got it going. Salahuddin endeared himself with the Chinese by saying that his mother is Chinese. He was hammering home the point that he will defend all the races and the constitution in regards to religion, special rights and the rights of the other minorities. One very articulate speaker and a possible good candidate for MB if they ever win Johor.
Chua was quite a good speaker though not as smooth as Salahuddin and were actually trying to get the crowd fired up before the finale. So, when DSAI walked in the crowd roared with approval. I can feel the mood of the crowd changed into expectations that something great is happening. It gives me the creeps and yet it also gave hope that people have finally found someone else other than from UMNO to lead this country. Malays, Chinese and Indians were all present in good numbers, young, old, women and children too.
DSAI went into his speech with gusto and repeating the familiar things I have heard over the past days over the online tv ceramahs by him. However, for the Segamat folks, some of them hearing for the first time. They lap up every word he says, laugh at every jokes he poked at his adversaries, listened intently when he outlines what he wants to do when he becomes Prime Minister. I believe that night alone many fence sitters would have been convinced by him and many more will in turn spread what he said.
All in all, it was a tiring but satisfying night. To see that crowds like this has never been seen in an UMNO-BN stronghold attending Pakatan ceramah, it is a feeling that something might just happen on 5th May 2013.
Oh ya. On a lighter note, the pasar malam people are really tailing the Pakatan Ceramah like how the Digi Yellow Man....'I will follow you, follow you wherever you may goooo...'. Poor owner of Sekinchan Ikan Bakar who mentioned that hawkers lost business. They have ROARING business yesterday night!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
ELECTION DEBATE: WHY AH JIB KOR REFUSE TO DEBATE WITH ANWAR?
With Najib running this coming election campaign ala presidential style (copying Obama's strategies along the way), we thought that we will see some sort of debates between him and Anwar who aspires to be the next prime minister. Until today, none of it has taken place and hilarious and even bordering on crazy reasons given on not having such a debate:
1. Debating is not our culture.
2. Debating is not a healthy practice.
3. Anwar is not fit to debate Najib
4. The people will not benefit from such debates
and the list goes on.
Now, what about the Prime Minister's Debate Competition? Or for that matter all the dabating societies in all major universities and school? Why not just ban all of them? Since they are not good and healthy practices and not in our culture.
Sometimes I really do not know what is going through these people's heads.
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