Thursday, February 28, 2008

JOHOR: N42 - Johor Jaya

JOHOR: N42 - Johor Jaya Voters: 37,637
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Tan Cher Puk

PRM Md Nashir Wahab

Racial Breakdown
Malay: 43.50%, Chinese: 48.75%, Indian: 7.25%, Others: 0.50%
JOHOR: N42 - Johor Jaya Voters: 33,299
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Tan Che Puk 19121 15,395
DAP Sey Jock 3726
PKR Low Ching Kuang 1714
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 43.5%, Chinese: 48.0%, Indian: 7.8%, Others: 0.8%

JOHOR: N45 - Stulang

JOHOR: N45 - Stulang Voters: 42,685
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Mok Chek Hou

PRM Song Sing Kwee

DAP Norman Joseph Fernandez
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 39.51%, Chinese: 55.26%, Indian: 4.41%, Others: 0.81%
JOHOR: N45 - Stulang Voters: 43,510
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Freddie Long Hoo Hin @ Long AH Hui 22659 16,745
DAP Nrman Joseph Fernandez 5914
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 39.4%, Chinese: 54.5%, Indian: 4.9%, Others: 1.2%

SELANGOR: P97 - Selayang

SELANGOR: P97 - Selayang Voters: 79,557
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Lee Li Yew 0 0
PKR William Leong Jee Keen 0
PRM Koh Swe Yong 0
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 44.79%, Chinese: 38.24%, Indian: 16.23%, Others: 0.73%
SELANGOR: P97 - Selayang Voters: 71,152
Party Candidate Votes Majority
MCA Datuk Chan Kong Choy 36,343 23,226
PKR Koh Swe Yong 13,117
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 43.90%, Chinese: 39.00%, Indian: 16.50%, Others: 0.70%

P160 - Johor Bahru

P160 - Johor Bahru Voters: 89,607
Party Candidate Votes Majority
UMNO Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad 0 0
PRM Hassan Karim 0
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 50.93%, Chinese: 43.87%, Indian: 4.72%, Others: 0.48%
JOHOR: P160 - Johor Bahru Voters: 91,108
Party Candidate Votes Majority
UMNO Datuk Shahrir Ab Samad 54,073 46,792
PAS Atan Ahmad 7,281
Racial Breakdown
Malay: 49.90%, Chinese: 43.90%, Indian: 5.30%, Others: 0.90%

Sunday, February 24, 2008

BERNAMA: Five Johor Ministers Locked In Straight Fights

February 24, 2008 23:02 PM

Five Johor Ministers Locked In Straight Fights

JOHOR BAHARU, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Five ministers from Johor are locked in straight fights in their quest to defend their seats.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said was the only minister who had won the Pengerang parliamentary seat unopposed for the second consecutive time.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister and Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will face Islamic preacher Razali Jamil of PAS.

Education Minister and Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is challenged by Kluang Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Lee Sang for the Sembrong parliamentary seat.

Housing and Local Minister and MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who switched from Tanjong Piai to Kulai, is facing DAP's newcomer Ng Pack Siong.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, who was returned unopposed in Kota Tinggi in 2004, is locking horns with Johor PAS Youth chief, Onn Jaafar, while Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin is crossing swords with unheralded Md Rizan Mohd Saman of PKR for the Pasir Gudang seat.

Menteri Besar and Johor BN chief Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who will defend the Serom state seat, will face an unknown Rusman Kemin of PAS.

Johor has 26 parliamentary and 56 state seats.

BN is contesting in all 26 parliamentary seats, PAS (11), PKR (7) DAP (6) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (1).

It has also fielded candidates in all 56 state seats, PAS (33), DAP (12), PKR (10) and PRM (2).

All parliamentary and state seats will see straight fights except for the Stulang state seat where BN's Mok Chek Hou will be up against DAP and PRM candidates.


-- BERNAMA

Khaled ditentang peniaga gerai makanan



Khaled ditentang peniaga gerai makanan

JOHOR BAHRU 24 Feb. - Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, 50, ditentang oleh seorang peniaga gerai makanan, Md. Rizan Mohd. Saman, 58, di kerusi Parlimen Pasir Gudang pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12.

Beliau yang merupakan penyandang kerusi itu manakala Md. Rizan daripada Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) diumumkan sebagai calon selepas tiada bantahan terhadap kertas pencalonan mereka.

Selain itu, calon BN, Tan Chek Puk, 47, ditentang oleh calon Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) yang juga peniaga, Md. Nasir Wahab, 51, bagi merebut kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Johor Jaya.

Seorang lagi calon BN, M. Munusamy, 59, dicabar oleh seorang usahawan, Syed Othman Abdullah, 39, daripada Pas untuk kerusi DUN Permas.

Pegawai Pengurus Pilihan Raya kawasan itu, Datuk Abu Bakar Ahmad berkata, Khaled adalah calon pertama menyerahkan kertas penamaan pada pukul 9.02 pagi, diikuti Md. Rizan kira-kira 10 minit kemudian.

"Selepas proses penerimaan kertas penamaan calon tamat pukul 10 pagi dan ia tidak dibantah selepas kertas itu dipamerkan selama satu jam, maka tiada sebarang pencalonan ditolak untuk bertanding pada pilihan raya umum 8 Mac ini," katanya pada majlis penamaan calon Parlimen Pasir Gudang di Dewan Serbaguna Johor Jaya, di sini hari ini.

Khaled ketika ditemui berkata, calon-calon BN mempunyai kelebihan kerana menggabungkan tiga kaum iaitu Melayu, Cina dan India berbanding parti pembangkang yang hanya diwakili satu kaum.

"Calon BN benar-benar menunjukkan komposisi kaum yang mewakili masyarakat, tetapi parti pembangkang langsung tidak mengambil kira perkara itu sedangkan elemen itu amat penting untuk negara maju dan membangun," katanya.

Beliau berkata, para pemimpin BN menunjukkan rekod yang baik berkhidmat di kawasan Pasir Gudang dan disebabkan itu tiada masalah untuk mereka menang.

"Parti pembangkang dikatakan akan menggunakan isu kenaikan harga barang dan minyak, tetapi itu sesuatu yang difahami oleh rakyat bahawa ia adalah fenomena global yang turut dihadapi oleh masyarakat antarabangsa," katanya.

Sementara itu, Md. Rizan yang berasal dari Bota, Perak dan lebih 30 tahun menetap di Johor Bahru berkata, peluang untuk memenangi kerusi tersebut tetap ada walaupun kawasan itu adalah kubu kuat BN.

"Insya-Allah kami boleh menang walaupun saya tidak cakap peluang kami sebanyak 100 peratus," katanya yang pertama kali bertanding pada pilihan raya.

Terdahulu lebih 1,000 penyokong BN dan hampir 300 penyokong parti pembangkang berarak membawa calon masing-masing ke pusat penamaan calon.

Bila PRM ukur baju ikut...



Bila PRM ukur baju ikut...

KEPUTUSAN Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) meletakkan dua calon bertanding Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) dan satu calon di Parlimen Johor Bahru pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 wajar dihormati.

Namun apabila Setiausaha Agung PRM, S. K. Song meletakkan sasaran hendak ‘mencuri’ salah satu kerusi DUN yang ditandinginya iaitu Stulang dan Johor Jaya, rasanya dunia hendak terbalik!

Cukuplah jika PRM mahu meletakkan calon tetapi janganlah terlalu ghairah mahu mendapat kerusi kerana satu dunia tahu Johor kubu Barisan Nasional (BN) paling utuh.

Apa pun, segalanya boleh berlaku.

Mana tahu peristiwa calon Pas menang kerusi DUN Senggarang disebabkan kesilapan teknikal calon BN pada Pilihan Raya Umum 2004 boleh berlaku kepada calon PRM.

PRM to stay out of Skudai to give DAP a better chance




PRM to stay out of Skudai to give DAP a better chance

JOHOR BARU: Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) will not contest the Skudai state seat to prove its sincerity in not spoiling DAP's chances in the elections.

Secretary-general S.K. Song said the move also proved that he had not been taking money from Barisan Nasional to “sabotage” DAP by fielding candidates in seats they were contesting.

“I hope that state DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau will win in Skudai,” he said, adding that PRM would also help DAP win.

Song said the decision was made after a meeting among opposition parties on Thursday which also reached a consensus that PAS be allowed to contest the Permas state seat and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.

However, Song announced that he would contest the Stulang state seat.

“I am confident of winning 51% of the votes.

“I was born in Johor Baru and I want to contest there,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

On state DAP vice chairman Norman Fernandez's request that PRM not contest in Stulang, Song said DAP had no right to make such a demand.

“They say that if I stay out, they have a better chance but I can also ask them to stay out,” he said.

Song also announced that PRM national chairman Hassan Karim would contest the Johor Baru parliamentary seat while the party’s state committee member Nasir AB Wahab would vie for the Johor Jaya state seat.

On Thursday, Fernandez issued a statement slamming PRM for sabotaging DAP’s chances in the Stulang and Skudai state seats by putting candidates there.

Fernandez said yesterday he was happy with PRM's decision.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Song: DAP fears good leaders




Song: DAP fears good leaders

JOHOR BARU: The withdrawal of Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan is just another result of the DAP leaders’ insecurity and their fear of capable people, says former Johor DAP chairman S.K. Song.

“The leaders have a way of marginalising those who are capable and in forcing them out.

“Many party leaders have become victims but I cannot give the names,” said Song, who was state DAP chief for 20 years and is now Parti Rakyat Malaysia secretary-general.

In the DAP, he said, leaders could become candidates without having grassroots support, citing the case of a party leader’s son who was expected to be a candidate in the general election.

On Sunday, Fong told reporters that the internal developments in Perak DAP had made it impossible for her to continue serving the people.

On a statement by former DAP leader Wee Choo Keong warning DAP national chairman Karpal Singh to be careful as he, too, could be marginalised, Song said:

“He will never be marginalised as he and (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang scratch each other’s back. Furthermore, he is not a Chinese, therefore he is no danger to Kit Siang,” he said.

On Wee naming him as one of those who were marginalised, Song said:

“I was never marginalised because I stepped down as the state chairman on my own accord. I was not happy with the way the party was run.”

Song said PRM’s intention was to deny Barisan Nasional a two-third majority.

“We are targeting Stulang, Permas, Johor Jaya and Skudai state seats as well as Johor Baru and Gelang Patah parliamentary seats.

“We will accept changes for the good of the opposition but we must also make our stand,” he said, adding that the party aimed to win at least one seat.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

"...There should be more Malaysians."

ELECTION 2008: PRM struggles on in Johor
By : Shannon Teoh (NST Online)

JOHOR BARU: "The trouble is there are too many Malays. Too many Chinese. Too many Indians. Too many Kadazans. There should be more Malaysians."

Quotes like this -- and this in particular, in criticism of what he believes to be deliberate polarisation -- are not uncommon from the lips of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) secretary-general Song Sing Kwee.

Established in 1955 but not once elected in 40 years, the party is left trading in ideological messages.

With around 12,000 members today in its home state of Johor, Song's definition of PRM as a "small party" is an understatement to say the least.

His description of PRM's pre-election activities as "mainly to get more members and complaining about the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB)" is telling of how much influence the party has lost since its 1960s heyday.
Part of the Socialist Front, which dominated local council elections then, the abolition of council elections at the end of the 1960s basically pulled the rug from under its feet.

Its name change to Parti Socialist Rakyat Malaysia in the 1970s also did more harm than good as public mistrust in socialism and its apparent connection to communism was then at its height.

By the time it reverted to PRM in 1989, it was a case of too little too late.

"Even our logo was a problem. People didn't like the gaur because it looked like the symbol for communism in Indonesia. But we find no necessity to change that.

"The logic is if people voted for logos, we could just have looked for a nice logo and won the elections," said Song.

Song, formerly a Maharani (now Bentayan) state assemblyman in his earlier years with the DAP, insisted the party remained relevant today, pointing out that no candidate had lost his deposit in the 2004 general election.

"People still recognise us. After 50 years, we have history and diehard members. I believe PRM will survive but after this election, Parti Keadilan Rakyat will be on the verge of collapse," Song said, revealing more than a hint of bitterness on what was "not a merger".

Discussions beginning in 2001 to merge the then Parti Keadilan Nasional with PRM resulted in a schism that saw around 20 top officials of PRM joining PKR but others abstaining from what Song believed to be a naive move to form a larger party by ignoring PRM's history.

"I was disappointed. Why should socialists mix with capitalists? It's anathema."

Song and his compatriots continued to lobby for better governance, claiming, for example, that MBJB officers were not protecting the interests of the people and were disbursing public funds according to their whims and fancies.

"I just heard someone say JB stands for 'Jalan Ber-lubang'."

Song himself will be running for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat and in a state seat and admits that it is a "near impossible task" to win

Despite what must seem a losing battle, the 68-year-old Song declared that he was optimistic.

ELECTION 2008: PRM struggles on in Johor

2008/02/19
ELECTION 2008: PRM struggles on in Johor
By : Shannon Teoh

JOHOR BARU: "The trouble is there are too many Malays. Too many Chinese. Too many Indians. Too many Kadazans. There should be more Malaysians."

Quotes like this -- and this in particular, in criticism of what he believes to be deliberate polarisation -- are not uncommon from the lips of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) secretary-general Song Sing Kwee.

Established in 1955 but not once elected in 40 years, the party is left trading in ideological messages.

With around 12,000 members today in its home state of Johor, Song's definition of PRM as a "small party" is an understatement to say the least.

His description of PRM's pre-election activities as "mainly to get more members and complaining about the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB)" is telling of how much influence the party has lost since its 1960s heyday.
Part of the Socialist Front, which dominated local council elections then, the abolition of council elections at the end of the 1960s basically pulled the rug from under its feet.



Its name change to Parti Socialist Rakyat Malaysia in the 1970s also did more harm than good as public mistrust in socialism and its apparent connection to communism was then at its height.



By the time it reverted to PRM in 1989, it was a case of too little too late.

"Even our logo was a problem. People didn't like the gaur because it looked like the symbol for communism in Indonesia. But we find no necessity to change that.

"The logic is if people voted for logos, we could just have looked for a nice logo and won the elections," said Song.

Song, formerly a Maharani (now Bentayan) state assemblyman in his earlier years with the DAP, insisted the party remained relevant today, pointing out that no candidate had lost his deposit in the 2004 general election.

"People still recognise us. After 50 years, we have history and diehard members. I believe PRM will survive but after this election, Parti Keadilan Rakyat will be on the verge of collapse," Song said, revealing more than a hint of bitterness on what was "not a merger".

Discussions beginning in 2001 to merge the then Parti Keadilan Nasional with PRM resulted in a schism that saw around 20 top officials of PRM joining PKR but others abstaining from what Song believed to be a naive move to form a larger party by ignoring PRM's history.

"I was disappointed. Why should socialists mix with capitalists? It's anathema."

Song and his compatriots continued to lobby for better governance, claiming, for example, that MBJB officers were not protecting the interests of the people and were disbursing public funds according to their whims and fancies.

"I just heard someone say JB stands for 'Jalan Ber-lubang'."

Song himself will be running for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat and in a state seat and admits that it is a "near impossible task" to win

Despite what must seem a losing battle, the 68-year-old Song declared that he was optimistic.

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (From Wikipedia)

Parti Rakyat Malaysia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Malaysian People's Party (PRM, Parti Rakyat Malaysia in Malay) is a Malaysian political party. Parti Rakyat means People's Party in Malay.

Parti Rakyat was one of the oldest political parties in Malaysia. It was founded by Ahmad Boestaman and other independent fighters in November 11, 1955. Inspired by independent struggle in Indonesia led by Sukarno, the party in its formative years subscribe to a Pan-Malay/Indonesia nationalism. Unlike its contemporary UMNO (which later became the ruling party until today), Parti Rakyat demanded total independent from British colonialism.

In the 50s and 60s, Parti Rakyat forged a coalition with Parti Buruh (Labour Party) known as Socialist Front which dominated the local councils in Peninsular Malaysia. The growing power of the left resulted heavy crackdown by the UMNO government. In 1963, soon after the outbreak of the Konfrontasi between Malaya and Indonesia, the Alliance government began yet another massive round up of politicians and activists among the opposition. Among those arrested and detained were Ahmad Boestaman (president of PRM), Ishak Haji Muhammad (president of PBM), Abdul Aziz Ishak (head of GERAM), Datuk Kampo Radjo (later the president of PRM), Tan Kai Hee, Tan Hock Hin, Dr. Rajakumar, Hasnul Hadi, Tajuddin Kahar and hundreds of others.

The Socialist Front eventually dissolved under strong state repression. When racial riot broke out in 1969, the ruling UMNO consolidated its grip and local council election was abolished. Parti Rakyat lost it prominence in parliamentary politics. In 1970s, under a new leadership of Kassim Ahmad, a university professional, Parti Rakyat adopted a more radical socialist ideology. Party constituition was amended and renamed Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM) or Malaysian People's Socialist Party. Despite the transformation, PSRM failed to make inroad in parliamentary election. Its socialist outfit provided the state an excuse for more repression. Many of its leaders continued to be arrested and detained under ISA. The president, Kassim Ahmad himself was detained.

In early 1980s Datuk Kampo Radjo, former Selangor EXCO member was elected as the President. In late 1980s, the party elected a new leadership included Dr Syed Husin Ali as president and Dr Sanusi Osman as secretary general. Both were a well respected university professors, and they were terminated from their university career under Malaysian repressive law.

The congress of PSRM in 1989 reverted its name to the original Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM). In 1990 general election, PRM collaborated with other opposition parties to form an alliance known as Gagasan Rakyat (People's Alliance). It was a major attempt to break the UMNO-led ruling coalition. The alliance successfully reduced the ruling parties dominance, but PRM failed again to win any seat.

During the outbreak of Reformasi, the newly formed Parti Keadilan Nasional led by sacked Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim began to explore the possibility of merger between the two parties. However the merger was delayed by the refusal of the authorities. The two parties only officially merged in August 3, 2003. As a result of the merger, the party is now known as Parti Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia (People's Justice Party).

However a few leaders of Parti Rakyat Malaysia disagreed to be merged into the new entity. On 17 April, 2005, Parti Rakyat Malaysia members who are against merger held a National Congress in Johor Bahru and elected a new leadership to carry on the struggle of the party.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Selatan: PRM putus bertanding atas tiket sendiri



Selatan: PRM putus bertanding atas tiket sendiri

JOHOR BAHRU: Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 akan menyaksikan kemunculan semula logo kepala seladang yang menjadi kebanggaan Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) apabila parti yang diasaskan pejuang kemerdekaan itu mengambil keputusan untuk bertanding dalam sekurang-kurangnya lima kerusi atas tiket PRM.


Presidennya, Hassan Karim, berkata PRM tidak akan lagi meletakkan calon yang bertanding menentang Barisan Nasional menggunakan logo Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) seperti yang berlaku pada Pilihan Raya Umum 2004 dan yakin logo seladang itu akan membawa kemenangan.

Katanya, meskipun ahli berdaftar PRM hanya sekitar 30,000 di seluruh negara dengan beberapa cabang cawangan, termasuk di Melaka, Selangor, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak dan Kedah, PRM masih menerima penghormatan daripada parti pembangkang lain.


"PRM tahu, kami belum mampu membentuk kerajaan tetapi dengan kemenangan calon di setiap kerusi yang ditandingi akan memberi keseimbangan dalam pergerakan perlembagaan kerajaan Malaysia.

"Kami adalah parti pembangkang yang bertanggungjawab dan memberi kritikan membina kepada kerajaan bagi memastikan pengurusan kerajaan berjalan dengan adil dan betul," katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, kelmarin.

Katanya, PRM sudah bersiap sedia dengan jentera penggerak pilihan raya dan senarai calon akan diumumkan sehari sebelum hari penamaan calon.

Beliau berkata, PRM sudah cukup dikenali di selatan tanah air terutama di bandar raya ini menerusi logo seladang dan rakyat Johor tidak prejudis terhadap parti itu.

"Kita akan menerangkan kepada rakyat menerusi manifesto PRM bahawa perjuangan yang kami bawa tertera jelas dalam logo seladang itu.

“Seladang adalah binatang yang tidak boleh dicucuk hidungnya, mereka bergerak dalam kumpulan secara bekerjasama dan tabiat seladang jantan ialah berkawal ketika seladang betina dan anaknya tidur.

"Begitu juga perjuangan kami dan PRM berjuang berasaskan keperluan rakyat tempatan, apatah lagi seladang hanya ada di negara nusantara iaitu Malaysia dan Indonesia," katanya.

Beliau berkata, antara kerusi yang mungkin ditandingi PRM adalah Parlimen Selayang dan Johor Bahru serta Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Permas Jaya, Johor Jaya dan Stulang.