Three-way fight for Mentakab (Star)

Monday February 25, 2008

Three-way fight for Mentakab

BENTONG: An independent candidate showed up for a three-cornered fight for the Mentakab state seat, throwing a surprise during nomination day at the Temerloh parliamentary constituency.

Mohd Shokri, 47, claimed to be a full-time politician and vowed to fight for more democratic rights for Mentakab voters.

Incumbent Chuah Boon Seong from Barisan Nasional is defending the seat while the third contender is old-timer Ng Kwi Liang from DAP, who is contesting for a record seventh time.

The parliamentary seat saw a straight fight between Youth leader Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah on a Barisan ticket against Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Ahmad Nizam Hamid.

This is Saifuddin’s first contest after the incumbent Datuk Mohd Sarit Yusoh was dropped.

Another first-timer, Barisan’s Khairuddin Abd Manan, will go up against Syed Hamid Syed Mohamed from PAS in the Kuala Semantan state seat.

ELECTION RESULTS 2004

ELECTION RESULTS 2004

P88 - TEMERLOH (49,984) Malay: 62.11 Chinese: 26.88 Indians: 9.06 Others: 1.94 Idris Omar (Pas) 12,026 MOHD SARIT YUSOH (BN) 24,633 Majority: 12,607 Turnout: 37,543 Spoilt: 884 % Voted: 75.11

N31 - LANCHANG (16,667) Malay: 60.49 Chinese: 18/46 Indians: 17.38 Others: 3.67 MOHD SHARKAR SHAMSUDIN (BN) 8,320 Hasanudin Salim (Pas) 3,254 Majority: 5,066 Turnout: 112,017 Spoilt: 443 % Voted: 72.10

N30 - MENTAKAB (SANGGANG) (15,103) Malay: 49.66 Chinese: 43.40 Indians: 5.57 Others: 1.38 Ng Kwi Ling (DAP) 3,360 CHUAH BOON SIONG (BN) 7,316 Majority: 3,956 Turnout: 11,282 Spoilt: 611 % Voted: 74.73

Calun Pilihanraya Umum 2008

PAHANG: P88 - Temerloh Voters: 0

Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah 0 0 PKR Ahmad Nizam Hamid 0

PAHANG: P88 - Temerloh Voters: 37,543

Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO Datuk Mohd Sarit Yusoh 24,633 12,607 PAS Idris Omar 12,026

PAHANG: N30 - Mentakab Voters: 0 Party Candidate Votes Majority MCA DAP Chuah Boon Siong Ng Kwi Ling PAHANG: N30 - Mentakab Voters: 11,287 Party Candidate Votes Majority MCA Chuah Boon Seong 7316 3,956 DAP Ng Kwi Ling 3360 PAHANG: N31 - Lancang Voters: 0 Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO PKR Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin PAHANG: N31 - Lancang Voters: 12,017 Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin 8320 5,066 PAS Hasanudin Salim 3254 PAHANG: N32 - Kuala Semantan Voters: 0 Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO Khairuddin Abdul Manan PAS Syed Hamid Syed Mohamad PAHANG: N32 - Kuala Semantan Voters: 13,655 Party Candidate Votes Majority UMNO Md Hamdan Sudin 7421 1,459 PAS Dr Abdul Wahab Ismail 5962 Racial Breakdown

SPR BERLAKU TIDAK ADIL KEPADA BAKAL CALUN

MEDIA STATEMENT – 20/2/2008

SPR BERLAKU TIDAK ADIL KEPADA BAKAL CALUN

Saya, yang bercadang untuk bertanding Kawasan Parliamen TEMERLOH telah menghantar wakil saya ke pejabat Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya di Temerloh, di Tingkat 4 Pejabat Daerah Temerloh untuk mendapatkan Borang Percalunan Kerusi Parlimen, Senarai Pengundi kawasan Parlimen Termerloh, serta Peta Kawasan.

Saya ingin menyatakan bahawa saya telah berjaya memperolehi keratas pencalunan kawasan Parlimen dengan pembayaran RM20-00 TETAPI terkejut apabila diberitahu pada 19/2/2008 bahawa Senarai Pengundi (baik dalam bentuk CD atau bentuk cetakan) dan Peta Kawasan Undi sudah habis dan tidak boleh diperolehi lagi daripada pejabat SPR Temerloh tersebut.

Apabila pihak kami bertanya bilakah bahan yang sangat diperlukan oleh seorang calun tersebut boleh didapati. Jawapan yang diberikan adalah ianya tidak lagi boileh didapati di pejabat SPR Temerloh tetapi jika mahu kena pergi ke Kuantan untuk mendapatkannya.

Pihak kami seterusnya menghubungi pihak SPR di Kuantan, dan meminta mereka sama ada Senarai Pengundi Kawasan Parliamen Temerloh dan Peta Kawasan boleh dihantar kepada pihak kami sekiranya bayaran yang diperlukan dihantar, dan jawapan yang diberikan adalah bahawa itu tidak boleh dilakukan.

Ini bererti seorang harus pergi ke Kuantan, yang merupakan lebih kurang 4 jam perjalanan pergi pulang. Seorang bakal calun dan penyokongnya tidak akan ada masa untuk pergi sini sana apabila ini semua harus sudah sedia ada di pejabat SPR Temerloh.

Seterusnya pada 19/2/2008 juga , pihak kami telah menghubungi pejabat SPR di Kuantan, yang telah juga mengesahkan bahawa semua bahan yang dikehendaki oleh pihak kami ada di pejabat SPR Kuantan. Pihak kami juga telah mendapat persetujuan lisan pihak SPR Kuantan untuk menyimpan bahan tersebut untuk pihak kami, di mana mereka bersetuju.

Pada pagi hari ini, 20/2/2008, apabila pihak kami turn ke Kuantan, pihak kami diberitahu bahawa peta Kawasan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Lancang sudah HABIS. DUN Lancang adalah satu daripada 3 kawasan DUN dalam kawasan Parlimen Temerloh. Mengapa tiba-tiba tidak ada peta DUN Lancang sedangkan sebelum ini pihak kami telah mendapat pengesahan semua peta kawasan undi ada?

Pihak SPR berkata bahawa jika mahu, mereka boleh tempah daripada Jabatan Ukur tetapi tidak pasti bila ianya akan sampai, tak tahu sama ada sempat sebelum tarikh pencalunan.

Pihak kami berkata bahawa kami sedia membuat pembayaran untuk peta tersebut (yang diperlukan segera) serta bayaran untuk penghantaran melalui pos laju tetapi mereka tidak mahu menerima wang pihak kami, dan juga tidak ada apa-apa borang untuk mencatat penempahan.

Ini bermakna jika kami pergi lagi ke Kuantan selepas beberapa hari, jawapan yang mungkin mungkin lagi diberikan adalah “tidak ada tempahan” atau “tidak ada peta”. Jika calun Barisan Nasional, saya pasti masalah sedemikian tidak akan timbul.

Jika habis, barangan yang diperlukan mestilah dihantar dengan segera kepada pejabat SPR Temerloh atau daripada ibu pejabat negeri di Kuantan. Seorang bakal calun tidak seharus dipaksa lari ke sini sana mendapatkan bahan perlu ini apabila tempoh masa kempen, secara tidak adil, sangat pendek.

Salinan peta kawasan sepatutnya senang disalinkan di Temerloh. Salinan CD maklumat pengundi pun senang dibuat salinan. Maka adalah tidak lojik mengapa pejabat SPR Temerloh tidak ada bahan yang perlu bagi seseorang bakal calun di Temerloh.

Jika SPR, yang nyata kurang efisyen dan tidak bersedia, memerlukan masa lama untuk membuat sesuatu, mereka seharusnya tidak menetapkan tarikh penamaan calun pada 24/2/2008 dan tarikh pilihanraya pada 8/3/2008, di mana pilihanraya berlaku dalam masa kurang satu bulan daripada tarikh pembubaran Parlimen pada 13/2/2008.

Untuk berlaku adil, notis lebih 100 hari harus diberikan mengenai tarikh pilihanraya. Masa kempen juga mestilah sekurang-kurangnya 30 hari – bukan 13 hari saperti apa ,yang berlaku kini.

Saya ingin menyatakan bahawa saya sangat diprejudiskan, dan halangan yang diletakkan oleh pihak SPR, secara sengaja atau secara lalai, ini adalah sangat tidak adil. Ini bukan demokrasi. Ini bukan satu pilihanraya yang adil,

Charles Hector

(Bakal Calun Kawasan Parlimen Temerloh)

Lot 3585, Kg. Lubuk Layang,
Batu 3, Jalan Mentakab,
28000 Temerloh, Pahang Darul Makmur

Tel: 09-2901250 / 019-2371100
E-mail: chef@tm.net.my

SO you want to be a candidate

SO you want to be a candidate

Sunday, 17 February 2008 09:10am

Shamsiah Rosidah bte Brahim ©New Sunday Times by Aniza Damis and Tan Choe Choe EVEN before we are born, while our mother is gasping in pain, a form has to be filled in to admit her to the maternity ward. When we enter school, we have to fill in a form every school year. We learn to fill in our name, our father's and mother's names, residential address, height, weight, Melayu, Cina, India dan Lain-lain, and our ambition when we grow up - lawyer, doctor, engineer. So, you would think that when it comes to filling in a Nomination Form during elections, a candidate would get it right. It's a cinch, isn't it? But who can forget Shamsiah Rosidah bte Brahim's heart-felt wailing on TV when she realised she had been disqualified from contesting - on a technicality. If nowhere else, Johor is a Barisan Nasional stronghold; proud of its 100 per cent victory record. That was shattered in 2004 when Shamsiah gave her opposition challenger, Mohd Ramli bin Md Kari from Pas, a walkover for the N24 Senggerang, Johor, state seat. Shamsiah was inconsolable, embarrassed, and, for a period, went into hiding, because so many people were angry with her. Her mistake? Her proposer and seconder were not registered voters in the constituency she intended to contest. Who would have thought? We are not going to teach you how to fill in the nomination paper here. You can read all that in the Election Commission's booklet, Ketelusan Urusan Penamaan Calon Dalam Pilihan Raya (Transparency in the Process of Candidate Nomination in the Elections). But there are a few things that a candidate should know about Nomination Day. In essence, there are only five things that matter on Nomination Day: 1. The nomination period is very, very short. Between 9am and 10am on nomination day. So, whatever you do, don't oversleep, don't choose to go to the toilet at that time, and don't get stuck in a traffic jam during that hour. Just get to the correct Nomination Centre on time, or it's over before it starts. The Election Officers are not going to care - Adios! Come back for the next election. 2. Even though someone is supposed to propose you and someone else is seconder, the reality is, you, the candidate, choose these people to put your name up. Like the rest of your life, you have to choose your friends very very carefully, otherwise they will ruin your life. Make sure that both the proposer and seconder are registered voters in the constituency you intend to contest. Make sure they are not bankrupts. And make sure they turn up at the Nomination Centre on time, too. "In Batu Talam, one candidate was left desperately standing at the nomination centre, because his proposer and seconder did not come to the nomination centre, and they hadn't signed the nomination form. So, he was unable to contest," said Election Commission secretary Datuk Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor. 3. Submit the correct nomination paper. A person contesting a Parliamentary seat has to submit Form 4 (nomination form) and Form 5 (statutory declaration). A person contesting a State seat has to submit Form 4A and Form 5A. It's that simple. Fill in the nomination papers properly - don't do it in a rush. You don't have to wait for the nomination day and hour to fill in the nomination paper. You can buy the necessary forms from any Election Commission office for RM20 a set. These forms became available as soon as the dates for nomination and election were made known. So, go out and buy them now, sit down and fill it in. Make sure the information is correct, and then sign it. Get your proposer and seconder to sign it, and then get the witness to sign it, too. Forms have to be filled in triplicate, that is, in sets of three each. And use only the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, to fill in the forms. And then, on nomination day, all you have to do it submit it at the right Nomination Centre, between 9am and 10am. The nomination papers can be submitted by either the candidate, the proposer or seconder, or all three. 4. Pay the deposit. RM10,000 for a parliamentary seat, and RM5,000 for a state seat. This is non-negotiable - either you have it, or you don't contest. "In Pengkalan Pasir, Kelantan, an independent candidate did not take along enough money for the deposit. He wanted to borrow the remainder from the Returning Officer," said Kamaruzaman. Obviously, this is not allowed. Preferably, a candidate should pay the deposit ahead of time, before the nomination day. This is because a candidate might forget to take along the deposit, and to get RM10,000 in less than one hour is nearly impossible. "You can pay the deposit to the Returning Officer, or at the State Election Office," said Kamaruzaman. "The deposit has to be paid either in cash in Malaysian Ringgit only, or by bank draft. Personal cheques are not accepted." "So, on nomination day, all the candidate has to do is to produce the receipt." 5. Having submitted your nomination form, you then have to wait one short hour to know whether your nomination has been accepted or not. It may be rejected if you have not filled in the forms correctly, or if it is found that you have been disqualified from being a member of parliament or state legislative assembly. The list of how you can get disqualified is quite long. Many candidates, however, get disqualified because they didn't submit their election expenses form after the last elections. This can disqualify a candidate for five years from the time the last election results were gazetted. If this happens to you, don't even bother coming to the nomination centre on nomination day. So, there you have it. All the most important things you need to know about being a candidate on nomination day. It is actually interesting to note, that while the proposer and seconder have to be registered voters in the constituency, and the voters have to be registered in the constituency, the candidate himself does not have to be a registered voter to contest in the election! 1978: Whether top party man or rank outsider standing as a candidate, come nomination day, you or your election agent will have to get to the nomination centre to file your papers, like what former prime minister Dato Hussein Onn did on nomination day 30 years ago at the Batu Pahat Land Office in Johor. Hussein was contesting the Seri Gading parliamentary seat.

Kamarulzaman Teh :-Malaysia's longest political detainee, a fighter to the very end (Malaysiakini)

Malaysia's longest political detainee, a fighter to the very end

Nov 7, 02 8:32am

“As long as we are of the slave mentality, we will remain as slaves of those who want to keep us trodden. History tells us that as long as there is no political consciousness, you will be stamped upon. This is what we are lacking — the political consciousness. Once we have that, we will not let others walk over us,” Kamarulzaman Teh told malaysiakini in an interview in November 2000. He was 80 years old then, blind and unable to walk, forgotten by everyone. He was not just an old man imparting words of wisdom on political consciousness. This man had the honour of having endured the longest political detention — 22 years — in this country, all because of his determination to fight for true freedom for his country. In that interview, he said he had yet to see his dreams realised although Malaysia had gained independence in 1957. “What I struggled for decades ago is yet to be achieved. We are still in the shackles of the slave mentality and we have yet to elect leaders who are people-oriented. "As long as the elected leaders try all the tactics to keep their interests, our struggle for a truly free nation is far from over," he had said. But Kamarulzaman will never know if his dreams will come true one day. He died in Southern Thailand at about 10.30am on Nov 5 and was buried in the Muslim cemetery in Narathiwat province the same day. Young socialist According to PRM's Siti Noor Hamid Tuah and Sabariah Abdullah, Kamarulzaman’s health deteriorated about four months ago. He was taken from Kuala Lumpur to his village in Temerloh, Pahang, and from there, to Southern Thailand to meet his old friends. Kamarulzaman was born on Jan 15, 1920 to a farmer in Temerloh. He joined the Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) during the Japanese occupation to rid his motherland of the invaders. "What attracted me was the socialism that they preached and as a farmer's son, it was the only avenue for me to break the vicious circle of poverty caused by landowners,” he had said. "I was also taken by their underground guerilla tactics and this was one of the most effective ways to disrupt the Japanese forces." Kamarulzaman was eventually made the Pahang head of the PKMM youth wing, Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API). When Emergency was declared in 1948, the British arrested Kamarulzaman at the Temerloh bus station without any warrant and charged him with possession of firearms, for which he was sentenced to death by hanging. "For 10 days and 10 nights, the death sentence hung over me. I appealed against the sentence. Then on the day I was supposed to be hanged, I was told by the warden, the Sultan of Pahang had pardoned me. My sentence was then reduced to life imprisonment.” Kamarulzaman then spent the next 14 years in jail. Following the departure of the British, he was released, but placed under surveillance. However his freedom was short-lived as he was arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act for another eight years. Incomplete fight Following his release, Kamarulzaman joined Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (now PRM) and contested unsuccessfully for election in 1974. Siti Noor and Sabariah said that Kamarulzaman was actively involved in PRM throughout the seventies. Poor health proved to be a handicap for Kamarulzaman in his ‘freedom’ struggle. His family also had difficulties paying his hospital bills. He was taken care of by his adopted sister and her husband. In his later years, he was put in an old folks home in Kuala Lumpur. Though his physical condition prevented him from active pursuit of his dreams, he tirelessly spread his message to anyone who cared to listen. "We are still very much in the feudal system, where we are still slaves to the people who rule us. We have yet to be able to have a class struggle, where everyone gets his share and no one is above the other...the struggle is (not over).”