from MALAYSIA UPDATE
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) will help raise money to fund the Pakatan Rakyat campaign for the Tenang vote.
MCLM president Haris Ibrahim said his group would join forces with the PAS Representative Council of UK & Eire and Friends of Pakatan Rakyat in the fund-raising effort.
“The MCLM would like to start the year 2011 by contributing its efforts towards ensuring the people’s candidate is elected,” he said in a statement today.
“Tenang has always been in the hands of Barisan Nasional (BN), but this by-election may change that.”
The MCLM was established by popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.
The Tenang state seat became vacant last Dec 17 with the death of Sulaiman Taha, who had diabetes. Of the 14,753 eligible voters there, 48% are Malays, 39% Chinese and 12% Indians.
This will be the 14th by-election in the country since the 2008 general election. It is widely speculated that Pakatan will field a candidate from PAS.
Key votes
Haris contended that the Indian votes would be key to ensuring a PAS victory. Data from recent by-elections indicate that Indian votes
are returning to BN.
are returning to BN.BN’s main Indian party, MIC, will be looking to capitalise on its image revamp efforts to prove that it is back on the right path.
Many see the recent exit of S Samy Vellu as MIC president as a positive step towards healing a party that has for years suffered a loss of confidence among Malaysian Indians.
Samy Vellu, who ruled MIC for more than 30 years, was replaced by his handpicked successor, G Palanivel.
Tenang is a BN stronghold. It falls under the Labis parliamentary constituency, once held by Dr Chua Soi Lek, the current MCA president. His son Tee Yong is now holding the fort.
In the 2008 election, Sulaiman beat PAS’ Mohd Saim Siran by 2,492 votes. The figure indicated an erosion of support for BN. In the 2004 election, Sulaiman won by 5,517 votes.
PAS leaders are confident that their candidate will win this time.
