The result for Bukit Gelugor by-election is expected to favor DAP. Not my concern, anyway.
However, the absence of Barisan Nasional from the contest is beyond comprehension. A win or lose is not the issue but to bar its supporters their right and opportunity to vote in a democratic system, is much regretted.
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Yes, it was the prerogative right of PM Najib as BN chairman to decide but BN, especially MCA has many supporters in Bukit Gelugor. For whom should they vote? The opposition?
I am worried that they (the BN supporters) would not vote for BN at all in the 14th general election, three or four years from now.
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Kadir, referring to the decision by MCA to stay out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election, said it meant that BN was no longer a national party.
"If BN continues this trend, it means the coalition will not contest in seats where it stands little chance of winning," Kadir said.
"Similarly, when component parties have no guts to face voters, BN will not contest."
Without BN candidates in the race, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh is not expected to face any problem continuing his father’s legacy, who had been an MP there for three consecutive terms.
The Bukit Gelugor polls has been overshadowed by another by-election in Teluk Intan, but is no less interesting thanks to the antics of the three opponents of first-timer, Ramkarpal.
Among his opponents, the candidate who could garner a decent number of votes is Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice president Huan Cheng Guan, seen as the de facto alternative to MCA in the latter’s absence.
The most famous Bukit Gelugor polls’ candidate is Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad Zan, who considers himself to be the best candidate against Ramkarpal.
He become a newsmaker soon after the nomination process after quarrelling with ethnic Indian reporters over a misunderstanding of the word “pariah”, and later his ‘collision’ with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s car made him the talk of Malaysia.
Nevertheless, his instant popularity and gimmicks would not guarantee him support from Bukit Gelugor voters.
At his ceramah near the Bandar Baru Air Itam mosque last night, no more than 30 people showed up, mostly taxi drivers and reporters.
News about Abu Backer's antics has drowned out his campaign message of fighting for justice for taxi drivers, civil servants, and the people of Penang, especially residents of Bukit Gelugor.
However, the absence of Barisan Nasional from the contest is beyond comprehension. A win or lose is not the issue but to bar its supporters their right and opportunity to vote in a democratic system, is much regretted.
Yes, it was the prerogative right of PM Najib as BN chairman to decide but BN, especially MCA has many supporters in Bukit Gelugor. For whom should they vote? The opposition?
I am worried that they (the BN supporters) would not vote for BN at all in the 14th general election, three or four years from now.
And I concur with what A Kadir Jasin wrote in his blog The Scribe.
The former editor-in-chief of New Straits Times today accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of abandoning 14,000 people who had voted for the coalition in Bukit Gelugor last year.
"The lack of testicular fortitude and foresight aside, the BN’s decision means that it is no longer a national party. If this trend continues, it will not contest in seats where it stands little chance of winning or when its component parties have no guts to face the voters," he said.
Kadir, referring to the decision by MCA to stay out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election, said it meant that BN was no longer a national party.
"If BN continues this trend, it means the coalition will not contest in seats where it stands little chance of winning," Kadir said.
"Similarly, when component parties have no guts to face voters, BN will not contest."
Without BN candidates in the race, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh is not expected to face any problem continuing his father’s legacy, who had been an MP there for three consecutive terms.
The Bukit Gelugor polls has been overshadowed by another by-election in Teluk Intan, but is no less interesting thanks to the antics of the three opponents of first-timer, Ramkarpal.
Among his opponents, the candidate who could garner a decent number of votes is Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice president Huan Cheng Guan, seen as the de facto alternative to MCA in the latter’s absence.
The most famous Bukit Gelugor polls’ candidate is Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad Zan, who considers himself to be the best candidate against Ramkarpal.
He become a newsmaker soon after the nomination process after quarrelling with ethnic Indian reporters over a misunderstanding of the word “pariah”, and later his ‘collision’ with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s car made him the talk of Malaysia.
Nevertheless, his instant popularity and gimmicks would not guarantee him support from Bukit Gelugor voters.
At his ceramah near the Bandar Baru Air Itam mosque last night, no more than 30 people showed up, mostly taxi drivers and reporters.
News about Abu Backer's antics has drowned out his campaign message of fighting for justice for taxi drivers, civil servants, and the people of Penang, especially residents of Bukit Gelugor.