Mar 10, 08 6:20pm
As the dust settles on the 12th general election, we highlight quirky facts and figures.
Election trivia
• The youngest candidate was PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is 26. He defeated Seri Setia incumbent Seripa Noli Syed Hussin.
The oldest candidate was grandma Maimun Yusuf, 89, who contested in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat.
• 56 also-rans from opposition parties and independent candidates lost their deposits after failing to secure one-eighth of the votes cast.
• The largest majority was won by DAP’s Teresa Kok against BN’s Carol Chew, by 36,492 votes in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur.
The smallest majority was just 14 votes for BN’s Hamdi Abu Bakar who beat Abu Bakar Haji Hussain of PAS in the Pengkalan Baharu state seat in Perak.
• Four pivotal players in the Lingam tape scandal also won: Loh Gwo Burne (who recorded the footage), Wee Choo Keong (lawyer who represented VK Lingam’s brother during the inquiry) and R Sivarasa and Sim Tze Tzin (listed as witnesses but eventually not called). All four are from PKR.
• There will be two ‘lone rangers’ in Parliament: Zulhasnan Rafique, the sole BN survivor in Kuala Lumpur’s 11 parliamentary seats - he took Setiawangsa; and DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen who won Bandar Kuching in Sarawak - the remaining 30 parliamentary seats went to BN.
• The biggest number of candidates was in the Sukau state seat, Sabah, where eight candidates ran, including five Independents.
Debutant politicians
Prominent blogger Jeff Ooi - whose campaign was done online and funds were raised through his website - won the Jelutong parliamentary seat in Penang for DAP. Other bloggers are Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat), Elizabeth Wong (PKR, Bukit Lanjan state seat) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR, Seri Setia state seat).
Civil society activists who succeeded were Charles Santiago (DAP, water-privatisation issues), Edward Lee (DAP, local community), Elizabeth Wong and R Sivarasa (PKR, human rights).
Biggest blows
The losses in BN component parties will result in vacancies in various ministries, forcing a cabinet reshuffle.
Ministers:
S Samy Vellu (works ministry)
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (women, family and community development ministry)
Zainuddin Maidin ( information ministry)
Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin (rural and territory development ministry)
Deputy ministers:
Chia Kwang Chye (information ministry)
G Palanivel (women, family and community development)
Tan Chai Ho (home ministry)S Sothinathan (natural resources and environment ministry)Donald Lim (tourism ministry)
Fu Ah Kiow (internal security ministry)
M Kayveas (Prime Minister’s Department)
Parliamentary secretaries:
Chew Mei Fun (women, family and community development ministry)
P Komala Devi (education ministry)
Lee Kah Choon (health ministry)
Ng Lip Yong (plantation industries and commodities ministry)
S Vigneswaran (youth and sports ministry)Rahman Ibrahim (home ministry)
Dr Mohd Ruddin Ab Ghani (science, technology and innovation ministry)
Yew Teong Look (federal territories ministry)
Post-election quotes
Anwar Ibrahim, PKR de facto leader, quoted in Star today
Some mentris besar in the past spent half a million ringgit to renovate their offices. Such things cannot be an example in this new administration.
Nurul Izzah Anwar, Lembah Pantai MP at a press conference yesterday
(On whether she will vacate the seat to force a by-election so that her father, Anwar Ibrahim, can re-enter politics after a five-year ban): I have already started working in my constituency. The question does not arise.
PPP president M Kayveas, quoted in Star today
Prior to the elections, Barisan Nasional had kept on telling people to show their dissatisfaction through the ballot box. Now they have really shown it.
Sungai Petani losing BN candidate Zainuddin Maidin, quoted in Star today
It is not that they love Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PAS more that they voted against me.
The Chinese showed their resentment because of the economic backlash they often complained about. So, PAS and PKR should not be overly proud of their win (in Kedah).
The people may have to pay a price for their decision. - Malaysiakini
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Kak Ton,
Zam's right on this: It is not that they love Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PAS more that they voted against me.
BN failed BIG TIME. In democracies all over the world, people voted out the incumbent rather than vote in the opposition.
So now he is talking as if he cares for the Chinese. Isn't rising cost of living hurting everyone across the board? Why he singled out the Chinese beats me.
One single factor that drives the Chinese to dessert the BN is the racism of Umno symbolised by kris waving Hisham.
Pride comes before a fall. BN was getting too arrogant.
Why didn't Zam put a finger on women voters? Bocor and terowong.
Kak Ton,
On Zam again. Re his sensitivity to the Chinese. Wasn't it said by some Umno big shots, Umno can rule alone? During the campaign, one of them said they don't need Chinese and Indian votes to win.
hi&lo,
He's suffering from selective memory loss.
Zam, Zam, ala Kazam!
he just made a lot of favourable votes dissapear!
Thats why he lost.
(I can tell you who did not vote for him. Liars, Bloggers, unemployed, women, Unemployed women!, Chinese and Indians (heeding UMNO's advice), wow, that pretty much took away all votes (except UMNO members!)
Post a Comment