BN eyes polls in November, after Budget debate

BN eyes polls in November, after Budget debate By Jahabar Sadiq EditorSeptember 07, 2012

 KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 ― Barisan Nasional (BN) is likely to call the general election at the end of November, a week after the last of the 28,000 Muslim pilgrims return from the Haj and the Budget 2013 is passed by the Dewan Rakyat, sources say. The Malaysian Insider understands that Education Ministry top officials have been asked this past week to check the availability of schools, mainly secondary schools, during that period when the Form Five and Six public examinations are usually held. File photo of voters lining up to cast their ballots in the Sarawak state elections last year.

The speculation now is that the general election will be called at the end of November.“The government is looking at the end of November, just after the last flight bringing back the Haj pilgrims on November 19,” a BN strategist told The Malaysian Insider.

 The next Parliament session starts September 24 and is scheduled to end on November 27, with the highlight being Budget 2013 to be tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on September 28. BN’s mandate expires next April 28, five years after Election 2008 where the ruling coalition under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered historic losses of its two-thirds parliamentary majority and four more states. Abdullah stepped down in favour of Najib in April 2009. This is Najib’s first shot at getting his own mandate.

 The Malaysian Insider had earlier reported that plans to dissolve Parliament last month have been shelved after two Sabah lawmakers quit the coalition and expressed support for arch-rivals Pakatan Rakyat (PR). There have also been reports of elections to be called earlier and the middle of the year but none have panned out. Najib hinted last week that a general election is near while former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has openly said November would be a good month for elections. Both are also bullish about BN’s prospects in the coming polls.

 “The Budget debate normally takes about four weeks to be passed by the Dewan Rakyat before it goes to the Dewan Negara. So Najib can call snap polls after that,” another source said, confirming that November has been cited as the most probable date for a general election.

 “The government is also thinking of calling elections on a weekday but that depends on the Election Commission (EC),” the source added. He added a BN official has already put a 60-day timeline for the next elections after Budget Day although others are in favour of finishing the current mandate before calling polls. “Not many are in favour of November but influential people like Dr Mahathir have a bigger say,” the source said. Widespread allegations of tampered electoral rolls have forced the EC to defend itself and order a review of the rolls.

The EC is also looking into implementing a 10-day campaign period following proposed reforms by a Cabinet committee after widespread protests calling for free and fair elections. 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.


http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bn-eyes-polls-in-november-after-budget-debate

Debate Speech on 18.5.2012 on Motion of Appreciation to TYT’s Speech on 14.5.2012 (Edited from Hansard)

DUN May 2012 – Debate on Corruption, Electoral Threats

Debate Speech on 18.5.2012 on Motion of Appreciation to TYT’s Speech on 14.5.2012 (Edited from Hansard)

(3) Corruption, Electoral Threats
There is nothing wrong to demand for corrupt free election. The people in Sibu needs no reminder the notorious statement by the Prime Minister uttered in Rejang Park on 15^th May, 2010, “You help me, I help you”. If this is not electoral corruption, nothing else is.
There is nothing wrong to demand an end to dirty politics, and Sibu had seen a lot of those. Firstly the SUPP chose tycoons as their candidates. Only tycoons can afford to buy votes. Even as I am speaking now, SUPP cadres are walking around shops and residential areas in Sibu collecting names and photocopies of ICs with a view to buy votes. I am sure the culprits in the BN are not the SUPP alone.
The BN resorted to threats. Withdrawing agriculture subsidies were quite common occurrence. The rhetoric “rakyat didahulukan” sounds dreadfully hollow, because the BN Ministers are even cutting assistance to the disabled.
A few days before the Sarawak state election of 2011, The Minister of Finance II told Sibu folks that after the Sibu by-election defeat of the BN, the PM had considered stopping the Sibu airport extension project.
The Minister had also told Sibu folks that the flood mitigation project was almost stopped because of the by-election loss. He also threatened that should he lose the 2011 state election, all development projects would stop. Does this remind us the political culture of samseng?
The 13^th General Election is coming soon. Are we in for a clean, free and fair election? Far from it.
A few days ago, the Prime Minister wanted us to abide by the law. Of course we have to. But we are now witnessing people setting up burger stalls in front of the home of Bersih co-chairperson Datuk Ambiga. We also witnessed a group of army veterans who went there to perform ‘butt exercises’. Yet, nothing was done to stop these actions which were clearly an invasion of an individual’s privacy. There is total absence of decency. But how could they have escaped action being taken against these crude and insensitive acts? Surely, the powerful BN is behind them.
If the Government permits them to be rude, then they should bring their butts to Sarawak to be shown to corrupt BN politicians. They should show their butts to those Ministers who had the habit of making electoral threats in order to win votes.
Their actions have made Malaysia the laughing stock of the world. Many Malaysians are still immature in politics. Yet, there are members in this august House who do not want to see improvement. They are prepared to wear blinkers and condemn the demonstrators despite not having gone to Ground Zero to understand the situation.

http://holeng.dapsarawak.com/?p=1731#more-1731