Are you ready...?

In less than 24 hours Malaysian voters will go to the polls in the country’s 12th General Election.

The Barisan Nasional Government has called for the election to seek a fresh mandate to rule the country for another term. In 2004, the Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Datuk Abdullah Badawi received an overwhelming mandate from the rakyat who gave him a chance to carry out the much-needed reforms in the country. Unfortunately, his administration has made many serious blunders. (read here and here)

Now the BN is offering Malaysians Security, Peace and Prosperity. The Opposition on the other hand are calling for change, offering a New Dawn for Malaysia, and a caring society.

I haven’t been to many ceramahs – only the ones in my constituency of Kelana Jaya. But I have already made up my mind which candidates and party to vote for. Listening to the ceramahs and meeting the candidates contesting only reinforced my decision to go for them and the party.

The turn-out at the last two Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR ) ceramahs at Dataran Glomac was awesome to say the least. Whether the number attending the various ceramahs by the Opposition will be translated into votes is left to be seen. But the mood (here) is certainly for change.

I hope voters will ask what it is that they want. If you are happy and contented with the state of affairs in the country, then you know who to vote for. But we do know that something is not right in this country. And that has a great deal to do with who were running the country and are now begging for your vote.

The choice is yours. The fate of the country lies with you. The power to make the difference is in your hand. So my fellow Malaysians, vote wisely. Vote with your conscience!

Fellow bloggers contesting...

Badrul Hisham Shaharin or Che gu Bard. He will be contesting in P131 Rembau where he will face the Son-in-Law, Khairy Jamaluddin

Jeff Ooi will be standing for the P 50 Jelutong seat in Penang. Jeff will be facing Gerakan's Dr Thor Teong Gee and independent candidate Badrul Zaman.


Tony Pua will be contesting in P 106 Petaling Jaya Utara against Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun (BN-MCA)




Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad will stand for the SN32 Seri Setia State seat . He will face incumbent Datin Paduka Seripah Noli Syed Hussin (BN-Umno)

Elizabeth Wong will stand for N37 Bukit Lanjan seat against incumbent Datin Yong Dai Ying of Gerakan.

Wishing you guys all the best!

Read Mat Salo's Hats in The Ring here
Rocky's A Ringgit for Che, an advice for Khairy here
and Malaysia Votes A tempered view here

S.I.L among 12 new faces in N.Sembilan line-up

As predicted Khairy Jamaludin, the son-in-law of the Prime Minister, will be contesting in the Rembau Parliamentary seat. He is among the 12 new faces introduced by Negri Sembilan Umno to contest in the general election on March 8.

Khairy, 32, was chosen because he is the national Umno Youth deputy head and Rembau Umno Youth head.

Besides, he has an “impressive background, is highly educated" and a lot of exposure, according to Negeri Sembilan Umno Liaison chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, when announcing the Umno list of candidates this afternoon

"Negri Sembilan is fortunate to get his services and judging from the applause that he received when the announcement was made, I think it augurs well," he said

As for Khairy, he has already big plans ...such as developing small and medium industries in the cons tituency and setting up a university or university branch campus to Rembau.

According to Khairy he had told the Menteri Besar that if chosen he did not want to contest anywhere else except in Rembau "because my focus is on the electorate in Rembau. It's not that I want to go all over the place to topple a particular individual."

Well, it looks like his wish has been answered... as always. And by the way the incumbent, Datuk Firdaus Harun, has been dropped.

On his status as the Prime Minister's son-in-law, Khairy said it was something he could not run away from.

After all, he is also the deputy chairman of BN Youth, deputy head of the national Umno Youth and Rembau Umno Youth head, he said.

"I have been involved in politics for nine years. I don't think that any label given to me would pose an obstacle," he said.

Khairy, who is married to Nori , the only daughter of the Prime Minister, will be pitted against Badrul Hisham Shaharin from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Negeri Sembilan has eight parliamentary and 36 state seats. In the last election BN won 34 state seats losing the Bahau and Lobak seats to the Opposition. However, Bahau assemblyman Lim Fui Ming joined the MCA last March.

Click here for the Bernama story & list of candidates here

Close-one-eye MP Mohd Said SHUT OUT

That's the Sun headline today. The Star has the same story - "Close one ‘eye’ MP out."

Yes, the infamous Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusuf is out. He is one of two members of Parliament dropped from the the Malacca Barsian Nasional line-up.

Mohd Said rose to notoriety for asking the customs to close one eye to illegal import of sawn timber from Indonesia in 2006.

Nuraina is happy about it (read her entry here ) - so are we - and Galadriel says part of her wish has been answered.

Now that he has been dropped what about the other "two jackasses", Bung Mukhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) and Badrudin Amiruldin (Jerai)?" she asks. Just like the rest of us... wondering who's gonna be next - to be axed.

By the way, it's good that former Chief Minister Tan Sri Minister Rahim Thamby Chik who wanted to have a piece of the action by offering himself as a candidate did not make it on the list.

Here's the Star report:

Close one ‘eye’ MP out

By MARTIN CARVALHO and THO XIN YI

MALACCA: Controversial “close one eye” Jasin MP Datuk Md Said Yusop was among the 13 incumbents dropped for contest in the polls. He was replaced by Datuk Ahmad Hamzah, the incumbent for the Serkam state seat.

Md Said is known for his remark to Customs officials to overlook a consignment belonging to his company’s client that was seized for exceeding the size limit.

He also accused Customs officials of selling confiscated luxury cars cheaply to their friends in the palace, but could not produce any evidence to back his allegation.

Making the election list were incumbents Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam (Bukit Baru state seat), Malacca MCA liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn (Alor Gajah parliamentary seat) and Wong Nai Chee (Kota Melaka parliamentary seat). click here to continue.

One of the biggest surprises in the line-up was the increase in the number of women candidates from one in previous polls to four. To continue click here .