General Election 2008 - Powerful Electronic Messages

With only one more day to go before we put the fate of the nation to voting, I feel more and more perturbed with the ongoing election campaign nationwide.

I have practically been swamped with electronic messages these few days. Definitely powerful in getting across messages to the electorate, the contesting parties are resorting to innovation and creativity to fight a winning battle.

I gave minute reading to every piece with a cool head and balanced state of mind. Some of the messages are purposeful with good intention, whereas the rest are just sheer poking fun at the ruling parties with cheap substance.

But the messages from West Malaysia truly make me frown at the tense situation there. The voters' sentiments are running pretty wild in certain states and the vibrating emotions might get out of hands.

An e-mailed message this afternoon is most worrisome. The seditious contents of the mail are insensitive to the social structure of our nation and the political realities prevailing here. The writer should have exercised some restrain.

As we go to polling stations tomorrow, let's not take emotions there. We should cast our votes with a clear mind for the next government to come in.

The picture shows an awful scene in KL.

General Election 2008 - A Sea Of Banners

Our election law spells out clearly that campaign may kick off straightway after nomination and to hold the brake immediately at 12:00 midnight before election day.

Initially it was only DAP and SUPP scattering around banners and posters. Later, PKR joined in and it soon erupted into a banner war.

Goodness, Sibu is now practically submerged in a sea of colourful election banners and posters of the contesting parties vying for the voters' sentiment.

So far, SUPP, DAP and PKR are well restrained in wording and depictions. This eases off my initial concern about the parties carrying things too far!

In West Malaysia where sentiment is running quite wild, emotions tend to get out of hands. In Seputeh, the explosively suggestive caricatures on the campaign billboards blew up into a hot issue. Carol Chew of BN erected several huge billboards carrying suggestive caricatures of Teresa Kok, a Seputeh incumbent from DAP. In the end, Teresa Kok had to take up the matter with EC to order Carol Chew to pull them down.

Sibu is fortunate to have been spared incidents of this nature.

General Election 2008 - Heated Political Rallies

The political rallies heat up the on-going election campaign and they fill the air in Sibu with tense excitement.

You may jeer at the rallies, saying that they are just avenue for the candidates to air their rhetoric to hook voters.

In reality, election rallies are a perfect venue for the contesting parties to get across to the public their political stand on burning issues and their aspirations for the nation.

This time around in Sibu, political rallies are staged every night at different strategic locations by SUPP, DAP and PKR.

Judging from the sizes of the turn-up, it appears that DAP is most appealing to the electorate. The party's eloquent hit-out on sizzling hot issues make their ceramah very engrossing to the electorate.

The voters are moderately responsive to SUPP's rally. The party's steadfast stand on development, stability and prosperity is most down-to-earth and relevant

PKR has relatively scant presence in Sibu and its foothold here is still weak. Nevertheless, Robert Lim manages to garner some grass-root support to keep the campaign going. Tonight, YB Dominique Ng is going to bombard DAP and SUPP at PKR's meet-the-rakyat session.

You really can't afford to miss out the steamy election campaign!

The picture shows YB Dominique Ng blasting out at an election rally: I want to make public of discreditable facts!

General Election 2008 - The Chinese Electorate Is Torn

The Chinese electorate is badly torn between SUPP and DAP, particularly in this election.

The Chinese voters' political sentiment is a lot more complex than that of other races. You see, on the one hand, they aspire to have the ruling SUPP to bring to them more developments. On the other hand, they are frustrated to the extreme by the burning issues affecting them. There are easily more than half going to the polling stations with a burst of high emotions. This may sound quite terrific, but the reality is not going to be too far away.

As such, the two parties are running a very tight race to win the Chinese vites, hoping to outmatch the rival to emerge a winner.

Split up and you run the risks of weakening your political power, SUPP tells the Chinese voters vehemently.

Deny their two-third majority and weaken their supremacy, DAP calls on the Chinese.

What on earth are they talking about, some Chinese voters ask me with a puzzled look.

My goodness, it is a long granny's story to tell!

Thje picture shows Tan Sri Dr. George Chan and Mr. Chong Chieng Jen in a dramatic show yesterday at MBKS Building over the mayor post of MBKS. What was supposed to be a solemn signing ceremony of a Letter of Challenge turned out to be a dramatically messy show.

General Election 2008- Development For Better

SUPP's "Development For Better" is a very old theme. But it is absolutely relevant and most down-to-earth.

However, in the present circumstances when electorate is entangled with burning issues like land lease and livelihood, the development theme has become much less touching. In other words, promise of development has been far outweighed by the emotional outburst of discontent.

In a matter of less than two months, I have encountered several cases of land-related issues affecting the ordinary folks, the latest being an outright rejection for renewal of land lease. When they almost burst into tears, although I felt for them, I ran so very out of words.

When I shared with them about development in economic sense, dismally they told me from the bottom of their hearts: Development is much less meaningful to us now!

Instantly I turned speechless!

General Election 2008 - Development Versus Change

The tussle between SUPP and DAP in the seven Chinese-majority seats is definitely tense with excitement in this election.

Tickling the nerves are the issues relating to the livelihood, land lease renewal and social concerns. DAP's candidates eloquently sensationalise the issues of relevance to touch the inner feelings of the folks. The voters' emotions are stirred up to swing towards DAP to exhibit their discontent with the ruling BN. As such, DAP heavily capitalises on the election issues to gain an edge on SUPP.

This election sees DAP coming out with "Change For Better" as its theme. The thrust of the party is to blow up a wind of change, calling on the nation to cast a vote of denial to the two-third majority of seats of BN in the parliament

With that mandate from the rakyat, DAP hopes to put BN under greater surveillance. But my common sense tells me that it would be far from reach for DAP singly to achieve that. I guess there is certain pact with PKR and PAS to work towards giving BN a hit.

"Development For Better" is the theme of SUPP to counterattack DAP.

SUPP - Development for better!



DAP - Change for better!

General Election 2008 - SUPP Versus DAP

The 12th Parliamentary Election is the first fight between the two Chinese-based parties after the pain-stricken defeat the ruling SUPP suffered in the previous state election in 2006.

In that furiously fought battle, SUPP dishearteningly lost several seats to DAP, making the infamous fiasco a painful lesson for the component party of the ruling front.

The issues that killed SUPP off included land lease renewal, spiralling oil price and the toll issue.

In just less than two years, SUPP has to face up to the tough challenge posed by DAP in the parliamentary election on the same issues, albeit with some abatement in land lease.

In this election, a close fight is inevitable between the two rivals.