Monday, June 01, 2009

Penang N12: A hollow victory for PKR...



Mansor Othman won Penang N12 Penanti. PKR is the runaway winner with more than 85 % votes. Still, it is a hollow victory. Why?

  1. As expected, PKR defends Penanti easily. No upsets, all goes well as predicted.
  2. Mansor Othman secure 6,052 votes out of 6,994 votes casted, running away with 5,558 majority.
  3. Lim Kit Siang posted in his blog that Mansor will be sworn in as Penang DCM I on 3rd June 2009.
  4. Now, let us have a brief look at the figures. 6,994 came out to vote. Only 6,994 responsible voters came out out of the 15,421 voters. That's only 45.3 % voter turnout.
  5. EC can say what they want. They are paid to analyse the low turnout. The way I see it, PKR has failed to generate enough interest and elections pledges to mobilise the voters.
  6. Mansor Othman could not even hold on to PKR's 7,346 votes, which PKR manages to secure in the March 2008 election. That's a drop of 17.6 % votes.
  7. So where do the balance 8,427 go? And if we take at face value that UMNO's 5,000 voters are not voting, where is the balance 3,427 voters? Were those 5,000 absentee UMNO voters responsible voters by not voting?
  8. If GE 12 recorded 80.88 % voter turnout for Penanti, why only 45.3 % now. Add in the approximate 5,000 UMNO supporter, that accounts 11,994 voters (77.18 %). So, where is the balance 22.82 % voters? Are the voters sending a mixed signal to PR?
  9. Now, let's go to the winning candidate. Mansor Othman has contested 3 times before. His last standing was 0 - 3. Now he has betterred his record to 1- 4. Is he the right man for Penang DCM 1 post? Bear in mind that he has lost in all of his previous attempts.
  10. Say what you want, Yale or no Yale, I say that he has not enough experience to serve the rakyat. Why? Because he has never won Penanti. In fact, he has never worn before. So he has never really served the rakyat before! If he was rejected 3 times before, is he 4th time lucky? Or worse still, is he the best amongst the worst?
  11. That said, what is his credentials to be elected as Penang DCMI? PKR deputy liason (Penang)?, close association with Anwar Ibrahim?
  12. I see Mansor's victory as a hollow victory to PR. Why? PR has failed to mobilise the voters to come out voting, thus the pathetic 45.3 % voter turn out. PR has mobilise all the big guns of PKR, DAP and PAS and yet all these big guns could not transformed and galvanised the voters to vote for them.
  13. UMNO may be bluffing through their teeth when they claim they have 5,000 members in Penanti. It is absurd when PR blames UMNO for not voting. UMNO is not a candidate here, PR is so it is PR's job and the independents to go for the votes.
  14. If PR is governing Penang well then I did not see why there is a big and significant drop in voter turnout. Does this means that BN is still significant in Penanti? And if BN is still significant in Penanti, then they are still significant in other areas too. If that argument holds water, we can expect a tough fight in MU (no, not Z's MU but Manek Urai's MU).
  15. Out of the 3 independents, PIS's Kamarul can kiss goodbye to his intention to form a new party. He simply do not have the aura and the support. He has failed twice, once in Bukit Gantang and now in Penanti. So, for a friendly advise to Kamarul, drop any thoughts of contesting in MU. Nai Khan proved that he is hardworking, wooing for votes without resorting to explosive claims. He did not win, but I hope he has get the Gerakan's big guns looking for his contact number!
  16. Aminah has also proven something. She has proven that in politics, everything is possible. Today, you maybe best friends and tomorrow you maybe called names, just because you are on the opposite camp. Aminah can start calling Shahrizat. There may be an opening for her in one of the welfare homes.
  17. PKR can claim whatever they want. The fact still remains that they are unable to get the voters to turn up to vote. That is a very important fact. The ever friendly WJ Khairy can say that BN is waving the white flag, but I will disagree with him. It is still not over for BN. PKR fails to give the KO punch to BN in Penanti, PKR's stronghold area.
  18. All BN needs to do is to reinvent and they may be up and running, ready for GE 13. I say, we need BN. It will bring the fun back in our elections...PR sleeps its way to winning Penanti because of BN's absence.
  19. Let's see if BN is ready for Manek Urai....since PAS is more than willing.
Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...

5 comments:

Fi-sha said...

Dear Mr Dnightcaller

Will you fight with all your might when your contender is just a scrawny fellow during quarter final? What so great about your KO punch, if you delivered one anyway?

Penanti is a comfy seat for PKR, even you think it's such a let down, no-fight by-election. Perhaps, it wasn't that lively since you were not there?

Perhaps, you may want to check the missing 3,427 votes - maybe they live outside the state and why would they bother to drive back when they know too well PR will win this election hands down - thanks to their orang kampung?

Perhaps, Dr Mansor Othman isn't the best ADUN but perhaps he's the best 'walk the talk' malay guy and together with Mr Lim and Dr Ramasamy, PG State Government will be seen as the best Unified Front in Malaysia.

Yes, he lost too many a time but have you consider the reason of his lost was due to PhD Orang Melayu, just like caustic office politics, where the hardworking ones are most likely to be marginalsed because they don't know how to 'ampu'?

Perhaps, you may want to read his manifesto - workable to the benefits of the people if we do it right.

Perhaps, Mr Dnightcaller, we could forget about the darkness of one's past but look forward to brighter future.

Today, no one politician acts as one individual. Instead, he acts on consensus and on behalf of its people.

I know your concerns - once bitten, twice shy. Let's hope for the best, ok?

Anonymous said...

Nightcaller,
Yes and No......Yes because they are still relevant now....No because just like Barisan Sosialis to PAP or Nazi to The Allies, UMNO must be exterminated along with BN
Unless UMNO men like Wenger can do a "Stauffenberg".....Even then with Staufeenberg's effort, NAZI was completely obliterated. Since the total destruction of NAZI, racial discrimination in Germany is a crime of highest order. The Germans make sure Nazism never returns to Detschland

looes74

nightcaller said...

Fi-sha

It is not a matter of who is your opponent but you must be ready and give ur best at all times. Never, ever underestimate ur opponents. This has been proven once too many even in world class boxing matches. When u look at boxers statistics, its how many times they win by KOs' that matters.

Even if the 3,427 voters live out of state, they should make the effort to return home to cast their vote. Do u expect others to fight for changes and u stay back with ur folding arms? Everyone has one vote, equal rights, equal voice and u must let ur vote do the talking. What, if PKR lost that day? Will these 3,427 raised their arms in despair whilst those who cast their votes say "I told u to come back, u don't listen?"

I say this again - Is Dr Mansor the best candidate? A PHd holder does not necessarily means that he can do the job. As I pointed out, he has no experience in serving the rakyat yet. We are not talking about those 8 - 5 pm rakyat, we are talking about the 24 hours rakyat.

There is no such thing as PhD orang Melayu. That is the phrase coined by those who wants to blame it on orang Melayu. Remember Shahril Samad? He won in JB under independent ticket. Why? Because at that time, he is a performing and serve the rakyat. They are others who won on opposition ticket in BN stronghold areas because they perform. Remember Lee Lam Thye? He won in KL because he worked tirelessly for the rakyat. In short, there is PhD in Malays, Chinese or Indians. It's their performance and their "service" to the rakyats that count...

Manifesto is one thing but will he live on his manifesto? Has anyone checked whether he provided any services to areas where he has lost before? Or he simply "disappear" when he lost the area?

Today, politicians act as an individual first. He has to tailor his style to suit his party. An elected rep from Sabah will has to ask for services to improve local issues concerning Sabah first before he extend it to cover the whole of the nation. The same goes for elected reps from peninsular Malaysia.

It's not a matter of once bitten twice shy...but the once bitten is by the deadly king cobra...no time to be shied twice, because by the time u realise, u are already dead and buried :)

Looes74,

To equate BN to nazism is wrong. I do not see BN as a racist party because BN has tried to accomodate all races. But their leaders need to go for civic classes to teach them on the needs of different races. They have been in power too long that they has lost touch with the ground.

I have start reading on PAP and discovered that PAP (Lee Kuan Yew) has banished part of their founding members such as A Samad and few others because of difference in approach. I guess, everyone has some skeletons hidden in the closet. The only different is that PAP skeletons has not surfaced yet because of their tight control on the media. One day, it will surface...

Anonymous said...

Nightcaller,
Perhaps, I am overexagerating it. However, the composition parties within BN reflects a highly racial content. It's just that BN is a platform whereby different racial parties grouped together to form BN
As for PAP, I can never disagree with you on certain policies LKY carried out in not a fashionable way.

But Nightcaller, one difference between LKY, Mahathir & Najib

Mahathir & Najib never allow Chin Peng to come home.........

LKY allowed people like Pak Samad to enter Singapore at the latter stage of their life, witnessing the true progressive of Singapore society......Guess what! Even when PAP are punishing hard their opponents including JBJ. 2 of his sons spared from all atrocities. Philips is the President of Singapore Bar Council. Kenneth is a banker earning 500K a year.....



At least, there is a rule of law in Singapore unlike present Malaysia, apa pun boleh........

Nightcaller,
I think you would agree with me not to buy in any ideas wholesale.......Yup, certain political manoeuvring can be very despicable.......The demise of Barisan Sosialis in Singapore was hasten due to wrong tactics employed by Lee Siew Choh, Secretary General of BS, leading BS out from the parliament to the streets........Something, Anwar should learn to avoid it.

Nightcaller,
Like it or not, PR just like the Allies has breached through the River Rhine on the way to Berlin......The writings are on the wall. The end is near......My concern would be the aftermath......Me being aligned to DAP's struggle would like see DAP relegated as a strong partner unlike Great Britain in the Allies, fading away in glory

looes74

nightcaller said...

Looes 74

An interesting read. If u read Prof Khoo Kay Kim, he mentioned that Chin Peng is not a Malaysian citizen but a british citizen. So I would prefer if Chin Peng use his british passport to enter malaysia as a tourist.

I doubt malaysian government will stop Chin Peng if he enter legally. However, it should be pointed out that his return should not be highlighted or propaganted by the political parties.

Although Singapore allowed Samad and others to enter Singapore, u must also see that Samad and the rest did not take up arms struggle against Singapore nor do they resort to killing. Chin Peng is different. He resorted to arms struggle, never differentiating between the soldiers and the civiians. And the 13 day when the communist is in control of Malaya is still nightmare to our forefather...

On DAP and PR, I am not worried that much but there is the factor of socialism in PKR which makes me worried. Remember that PKR merge with PSRM and I see that this merger benefits PSRM. The PSRM elements in PKR should openly denounce socialism or else BN can use this to counter PKR, especially in rural areas.

As for DAP, it is most important for Karpal Singh and LKS to keep their relationship intact. Sometimes their statements contradicts each other and this may send wrong signal to the masses.