Malaysia’s elections : Sunday, 5 May 2013

[Mid]

Ensure fair media coverage in Malaysia’s elections
Fri, 03/05/2013

As Malaysians go to the polls on Sunday, 5 May 2013, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is concerned that voters are being denied their rights to fair and credible sources of information. For any electoral process to be meaningful in a democracy, citizens must be able to access fair and accurate information, from diverse sources, so that they can make informed choices.

The 13th General Elections in Malaysia has been described as a tough election between the incumbent ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, which has governed the country for more than 50 years, and the Pakatan Rakyat coalition led by former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

According to preliminary results from a media monitoring activity undertaken by the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and the Centre for Independent Journalism, mainstream media coverage of the elections campaigns were significantly biased towards the incumbent, Barisan Nasional.

Online portals were found to be more balanced in the number and slant of stories of the contesting parties and candidates. Yet, even with a high internet penetration rate of over 60% in the country, there are large segments of society that do not have regular and affordable access to online information.

The broadcast and print media, which have wider reach, are strongly controlled by the government. The state broadcaster, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), mainly broadcasts campaign information for the incumbent government. Giving in to public pressure, it offered 10 minutes of broadcast time for political parties in the opposing coalition, for the first time, to air their pre-recorded party manifestos. Political parties in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition have rejected the offer, saying it made a mockery of fair and adequate media access to all parties contesting in the elections.

SEAPA is also concerned about incidents of intimidation of journalists in the run up to the elections. According to the electoral reform group, Bersih, at least four reports of intimidation or obstruction in the work of the media workers were reported:

8 April: A reporter, who made inquiries about vehicles belonging to the Information Department that were reported to have facilitated the launch of Barisan Nasional’s command centre in Kuala Lumpur, was threatened by a party official.

22 April: Media personnel covering nominations for the Sibuti parliamentary constituency in the state of Sarawak, were allegedly prevented from entering the nomination centre despite showing their official media passes.

24 April: A reporter with the Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau said she was attacked by BN party workers at an operations centre in Kuantan, Pahang. The police had not only refused to take her report, they also told her to delete photographs she took of the attacks.

25 April: A photo journalist from China Press was punched by a man from a group of motorcyclists wearing blue 1Malaysia T-shirts who were disrupting a public talk organised by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in Bukit Gelugor, Penang.

We call upon all the media outlets to apply the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in their coverage of the general elections and the campaign. SEAPA calls on journalists who are members of the National Union of Journalists to heed a resolution passed at its Extraordinary Delegates Conference on 3 March 2012, "to subscribe to fair reporting which is also in line with NUJ's Code of Ethics, and endeavour to ensure that balanced reports are published."

At the same time, we call upon the Election Commission and all political parties and candidates and their supporters to respect the rights of the journalists in their duties to report during the elections and refrain from using any means of intimidation, harassment or violence towards media personnel.

prachatai.com

[Mid]

Malaysians vote in knife-edge election
5 May 2013

Malaysians vote Sunday in their first election in history with a change of government at stake, as a decades-old regime battles to hold off a hard-charging opposition pledging sweeping reform.


Opposition supporters cheer and wave party flags as they wait for the possible arrival of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in Seberang Jaya, Penang on May 4, 2013.

Voting gets under way at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) with tensions high after a bitter campaign in the multi-ethnic country marked by charges of election fraud, divisive racial rhetoric and widespread violence.

Malaysians have keenly awaited, debated, and fretted over the vote since 2008 polls saw a newly united opposition make unprecedented gains against the once-invincible coalition that has had a lock on power since independence in 1957.

The coalition dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and led by premier Najib Razak has been expected to edge the Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact) alliance captained by charismatic UMNO outcast Anwar Ibrahim.

But recent opinion polls have indicated the race was too close to predict.

Pakatan has capitalised on anger over corruption, authoritarianism and controversial policies that favour majority ethnic Malays, while wooing minorities and a younger generation exposed to alternative views found online.

His back to the wall, Najib has offered limited political reforms to stem the tide.

But they are widely dismissed as cosmetic by Pakatan, which pledges sweeping reform including an end to cronyism and corruption that it says sustains a powerful elite.

The opposition has set the stage for a possibly disputed result with numerous accusations of Barisan electoral fraud.

These include an alleged scheme to fly tens of thousands of people of "dubious" and possibly foreign origin to key constituencies to sway results. The government claims the flights were part of a voter-turnout drive.

Indelible ink applied to voters' fingers to prevent multiple voting -- touted by Najib as a safeguard against fraud -- also was found to wash off.

"Unless there's a major massive fraud tomorrow... we will win," Anwar told AFP on Saturday.

Anwar, a former deputy premier ousted in a 1998 power struggle and jailed six years on sex charges widely viewed as trumped up, has drawn festival crowds in the tens of thousands on the stump.

But it remains to be seen whether Malaysians will vote out the only government they have ever known, and Najib has played on fears for stability while pledging continued solid economic growth.

His ethnic Malay-dominated regime retains powerful advantages, including control of traditional media and an electoral landscape critics say is biased.

Najib also has exploited racial and religious insecurities by claiming a conservative Islamic party within Pakatan would implement harsh sharia law.

The occasionally fractious opposition, which also includes Anwar's multi-racial party and a secular one dominated by minority ethnic Chinese, condemns such rhetoric as dangerous racial fear-mongering.

Campaigning has been marred by hundreds of reports of violence, intimidation, arson and two small explosions, although no deaths have been reported.

Polling stations close at 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) with results expected to begin rolling out within hours.

bangkokpost.com

[Mid]

Counting Of Votes Began At 5.30 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- The counting of votes in the 13th General Election (GE13) Sunday began at 5.30 pm after all the 8,245 polling centres nationwide closed at 5 pm.

The official portal of the Election Commission (EC) at www.pru13.gov.my said that after the counting of the votes at the polling centres, the ballot papers would be inserted into envelopes that would be sealed and placed in the ballot boxes which would be taken to the respective vote tallying centres.

Some 80 per cent of 12,992,661 eligible voters cast their ballots in this general election, the highest voter turnout ever recorded in a general election in the country.

The voting centres had opened at 8 am.

The first of the results of the election is expected to be known at 7.30 pm.

bernama.com


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GE13: Results (Live Updates)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians went to the polls Sunday to choose their government for the next five years with 80% of 13.3 million registered voters, the largest ever, casting their ballots by the time polls closed at 5pm. Results are coming in.

6.40pm: Unofficial: Baram - BN leading PKR by about 300 votes; Limbang - BN leading PKR by about 4000 votes

6.35pm: Putrajaya: BN candidate for Putrajaya Datuk Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor is leading after the advanced votes were counted. He received 620 votes while Datuk Husam Musa of PAS obtained 28.There were four spoilt votes.

6.20pm: Saratok - Unofficial. PKR candidate Ali Biju leading by over 3,000 votes more than halfway through counting.

6.00pm: P214 Selangau BN (5653), PKR (2239) and SWP (1862) as counting continues

thestar.com.my


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GE13: FRU has nine trucks parked outside Perak state assembly building
EDMUND NGO
Sunday May 5, 2013

IPOH: A total of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) trucks have parked at the state assembly building here.

Eight trucks were parked along Jalan Istana in front of the state assembly building here,while another FRU truck was also seen parked with personnel along Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab, the other entrance of the building.

Among the eight trucks, there was one large truck, one water cannon, five normal sized trucks and one jeep.

A police multi-purpose vehicle was also spotted together with two policemen who set up a temporary beat in front of the gate.

The FRU personnel have also set up a small tent in between the vehicles.

No supporters or crowd were seen as of 6.37pm and it has started to drizzle.

All is peaceful at the moment.

thestar.com.my

[Mid]

Voter turnout in Malaysia election reaches 80 per cent
May 5, 2013

Kuala Lumpur - Voter turnout in Malaysia's closely contested election has reached 80 per cent, deputy elections commissioner Ahmad Omar said.

The turnout was the highest in the country’s electoral history as more than 10.6 million of the 13.3 eligible voters cast their vote for 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats.

Police and election official said the conduct of the poll in the predominantly Muslim south-east Asian country was generally peaceful except for some minor confrontations between supporters of rival parties.

There were also complaints of irregularities, including the indelible ink that can be easily washed off and phantom voters.

nationmultimedia.com

[Mid]

Pahang Police Mount Roadblock At Roads Leading To Kuala Lumpur

KUANTAN, May 5 (Bernama) -- The Pahang police will mount roadblocks along main roads leading to Kuala Lumpur to prevent a group of people from participating in an illegal rally, allegedly being held tonight.

State police contingent headquarters management chief ACP Anuar Osman said, based on information, the group had been actively inciting the public, via the social media and short-message-service (sms), to participate in the rally.

"We urge the public, who are heading to Kuala Lumpur, to cooperate with the police as our inspection is aimed at preventing untoward incidents," he told reporters here Sunday.

He warned that the police would take stern action against anyone involved in the rally.

bernama.com

[Mid]

Malaysian regime wins polls, Anwar alleges fraud
May 06, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's ruling coalition retained its 56-year hold on power in hard-fought elections Sunday, but a bitter opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said the polls were tainted by fraud and refused to concede.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak ceded just two seats in the election to end at 133, maintaining a firm majority of the 222-member parliament.

But he became the first leader of the regime, which has controlled Malaysia since independence in 1957, to win with a minority of the popular vote.

Mr Najib, 59, called for a spirit of "reconciliation" but rejected any challenge to the outcome of the polls, marked by record voter turnout and a fierce campaign that laid bare deep polarisation in the country.

businesstimes.com.sg

[Mid]

Anwar Wants EC To Explain Irregularities In Election Process

PETALING JAYA, May 6 (Bernama) -- Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim maintained allegations that the 13th general election was fraudulent and demanded the Election Commission (EC) to explain the irregularities.

He reiterated that there were foreign workers phantom voters who voted in this election and the indelible ink that could be washed out.

He made this claims at a press conference at 12.30 am at a hotel here about 15 minutes before EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof announced that the Barisan Nasional (BN) had obtained the simple majority to form the federal government.

"My decision stands. I don't think it is fair to expect me to make a decision primarily based on an election that we consider fraudulent," he said when asked whether he conceded defeat.

"The EC must provide full explanation on the alleged irregularities through out the voting process," he said.

Also present were PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, vice- president Nurul Izzah Anwar, PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali and DAP vice-chairman Tan Kok Wai.

bernama.com

[Mid]

Malaysia opposition at crossroads after loss
Charles McDermid
06 May 2013

Failure to unseat country's ruling coalition raises questions about future role of opposition heavyweight Anwar Ibrahim.


Anwar Ibrahim (right) has accused the Election Commission of being 'complicit' in opposition's defeat
[Reuters]


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - It is minutes after a gut-wrenching election loss for Malaysia's opposition and it has fallen on parliamentarian Rafizi Ramli to address the troops.

At an ad hoc press conference in the early hours of Monday on the steps of Pakatan Rakyat's headquarters, a downcast Ramli spoke in whispered tones to the opposition supporters who leaned in close to hear his words.

He spoke of opposition victories in the key states of Kelantan, Penang and the economic powerhouse Selangor. He said the ruling party, which would soon win a majority in parliament with a reported seat count of 133 - compared with 87 for the opposition - would reveal its internal rifts as it divided "the spoils of war".

His voice finally rose, however, to make his final message. "We will continue," he said.

The question many Malaysians are asking is just how exactly that is going to happen.

Only hours before, the three-party Pakatan Rakyat coalition had promised victory, to unseat the pro-Malay government and completely overhaul an ossified system that has been in place in one form or another since 1957.

The opposition had promised change, or "ubah", tapping into global sentiment to change existing orders and topple broken, corrupt power structures in an unstoppable wave of youth, social media and hope. But this "Malaysian Spring", as some had called it, was not to be. On paper, the opposition held its ground. In terms of ideology, it was a crushing defeat.

Enter Anwar Ibrahim. For many, the leadership of the fiery, scandal-plagued statesman, one of Southeast Asia's great orators, was enough to look past ethnic, religious and political differences and unite the opposition in a fight against the old guard of Malaysian politics.

On the steps of Pakatan headquarters last night, no one knew what Anwar would do next. In a better scenario, he would have been standing where Ramli was. The crowd grumbled over their leader's previous claims that he would step down if the opposition lost.

"I have not seen or spoken to him. It will be part of my job to implore him to reconsider, although his previous statements have been pretty adamant," Ramli told Al Jazeera.

"We need him - and clearly the country needs him."

'Only Anwar'

Malaysia's ruling party wins majority in elections

In comments to Al Jazeera's Florence Looi early on Monday, Anwar blasted the Election Commission as "complicit" in robbing the opposition of victory.

"In the last few days, we have never seen such a groundswell of support. We were absolutely certain we would garner enough support," he said in a live interview.

Anwar has promised to challenge the election results, even threatening legal action. He said the opposition would not recognise the results "until the EC responds and issues an official statement to the allegations of irregularities and fraud", according to reports. When asked by Al Jazeera about the future, however, the 65-year-old Anwar demurred.

As Malaysia waits for his decision whether to return to academia or soldier on as a politician, analysts believe the opposition is at an existential crisis point.

"I imagine they will be tempted to talk him out of retiring. I understand why, but I think the opposition needs to understand why it must move to a post-Anwar phase," said Clive Kessler, professor and Malaysia expert at the University of New South Wales.

"The opposition is limited because it has remained a three-legged animal composed of parties that are not all that compatible. It was an improbable coalition that only Anwar and his brand of leadership could have ever brought together."

According to Kessler, the opposition must use the next five years to start an entirely new political dialogue. "The opposition must generate a new politics; a more acceptable version of the horse-trading and brokering that has been the usual discourse between ethnically based parties. It needs to find a post-communal, post-ethnic-based brand of politics."

AB Shamsul, a former university classmate of Anwar's and founder and director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia, sees it in different terms. "He should come back. Age is still on his side if you use [Dr Mohamed] Mahathir as a benchmark," Shamsul said, referring to the former Malaysian prime minister who served from 1981 to 2003 and is still an active voice in politcs.

He continued: "Anwar has all the Chinese support and half the Indian support. He can still bring the opposition together under one party, like the Barisan Nasional [the ruling coalition] because the opposition's infighting cost them votes, a lot of votes."

Before the vote on Sunday, Shamsul said Anwar was undoubtedly "the story" of the election. "Of course he is, for me and many Malaysians," he told Al Jazeera at the time.

Personal legacy

In an interview on Monday afternoon with Malaysiakini, an independent news website, Anwar said his work was "not yet done", citing the ongoing dispute over election results. He said he would need to "settle all the issues" regarding the polls before making a decision on career options.

This was encouraging news for a the rattled opposition, but hardly the clarion call to action or the confirmation of committed leadership that his defeated supporters were looking for.

In fact, in the same interview, he expressed weariness of a life of campaigning and confessed that his time teaching in the United States, at Georgetown and George Washington universities, was the best time for his family and himself.

The question among his many supporters is whether Anwar can deliver another headlong campaign push as he nears 70 years of age. More to the point, if he cannot, then who will take his place to unify the opposition and hold his former UMNO party and its broader coalition to account?

Anwar has many critics and detractors, in the halls of power and on the street. He spent six ignoble years in jail on sodomy charges, only to be partially exonerated. He’s been called a "political chameleon" for his centrist stance, and much worse. His family name has been dragged through the mud of Malaysian politics.

Yet, in defeat, Anwar just brought the Malaysian opposition its greatest victory. His personality is stamped upon it. Downstairs from Anwar's office at his headquarters in Kuala Lumpur is the social media arm of the opposition. This is the domain of a 40-year-old Malay iconoclast named Praba Ganeson and his team.

The loose collection of 20-something techies, volunteers and political idealists, tell stories of Anwar coming to rub shoulders and quote Shakespeare and Chinese poets.

Ganeson, whom one might assume has little in common with Anwar, described his boss in three words - which might be remembered if his political career has reached its end. Anwar is "articulate and worldly", he told Al Jazeera - and, after a thoughtful pause, "and kind".

aljazeera.com

[Mid]

Opposition to fight 'stolen' Malaysia poll
May 6, 2013

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been sworn in after a disputed election win.

The opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has called on supporters to rally in two day's time after the ruling block retained its grip on power with what he described as the "worst electoral fraud in our history".

"I call upon as many Malaysians to join hands and express our rejection and disgust at the unprecedented electoral fraud committed by (premier) Najib Razak and the EC (Election Commission)," Anwar said in a statement.

He said his Malaysian opposition planned to contest the results of the bitter weekend election battle and that the 56-year-old ruling bloc, which retained its grip on power, had "lost its legitimacy".

"I today maintain we won the elections. The Election Commission is complicit in the crime of stealing the election from Malaysians," Anwar told AFP in an interview.

"The government has lost its legitimacy."

Members of Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact) opposition alliance were left bitter and despondent after a Sunday election that they hoped would end with a historic change of power but left them with only minimal gains.

Pakatan had launched a stiff challenge to the ruling coalition that has governed since independence, but the regime won a firm majority in the 222-member parliament in a vote dogged by reports of irregularities.

"We will look at cases in about 30 to 40 constituencies in question and whether (to file) election petitions or to go to the courts," Anwar said.

It was unclear how much legal recourse was available to the opposition. Critics of the Barisan Nasional (National Front) government say it has a history of leaning on courts and other institutions in cases that threaten the regime.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has denied fraud and rejected any challenge to the polls. He was sworn in by Malaysia's king at 4pm local time (1800 AEST).

Pakatan has made major inroads in recent years under Anwar - a former Barisan star who was ousted and jailed by the regime in a 1998 power struggle - by capitalising on public fatigue with corruption and authoritarianism.

news.ninemsn.com.au

[Mid]

Malaysian Police: Speakers at Opposition Protest Delivered 'Seditious Speeches'
May 09, 2013

Malaysian police are threatening to file sedition charges against those who spoke at a massive, unauthorized opposition protest against what they say are fraudulent election results.

Tens of thousands of Malaysians attended the Wednesday protest, organized by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Police had threatened to arrest anyone present at the gathering outside Kuala Lumpur, which they had warned was illegal.

Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, the police chief where the rally was held, said Thursday that 28 out of 33 opposition leaders at the rally were found to have "delivered seditious speeches" under the country's Sedition Act.

He also said the organizers "clearly failed" to adhere to the Peaceful Assembly Act, which requires them to give the government 10 days notice before the event takes place.

Many of the protesters wore black T-shirts with "050513" to mark the date of the poll won by Prime Minister Najib Razak's coalition. Anwar says the rally is the beginning of a "fierce movement" to challenge the vote and reform Malaysia's electoral system.

Final results from Sunday's election show the National Front coalition captured a large majority of the seats, despite losing the popular vote for the first time in 44 years.

The opposition has complained of massive fraud, including the alleged use of ink to mark voters that critics say could be easily washed off. There also were complaints of foreigners being flown into the country to cast ballots.

Independent observers have given a mixed verdict on the election.

A White House statement on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Najib on the win, but said the United States believes it is important that Malaysian authorities address "concerns regarding reported irregularities."

Mr. Razak, who was sworn in on Monday, has firmly dismissed the fraud charges, insisting that the results were in line with opinion polls that suggested his coalition was likely to win.

Although the ruling bloc was able to win 133 of the 222 available seats and extend its 56-year rule, it only received 48 percent of the popular vote, compared to 52 percent for the opposition. It is the ruling coalition's poorest electoral performance since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957.

voanews.com

[Mid]

Malaysia's election reform a 'band-aid' remedy: Bersih
Lindsay Murdoch
June 2, 2013

The head of Bersih, the organisation campaigning for clean elections in Malaysia, has criticised reform of the country's Election Commission, a move aimed at healing deep divisions following last month's disputed elections.

Ambiga Sreenevasan said the reforms announced by prime minister Najib Razak at the weekend were like "fixing a gaping wound by using band aid remedies" and would not work.

Ms Ambiga said the commission has lost the confidence of the public and its top officials should resign or be removed and replaced with "commissioners of the highest integrity and courage."

She also criticised Mr Najib's announcement the commission would report to a special committee that would include opposition representatives.

"To make them report to another committee is unconstitutional because if you look at the federal constitution they are supposed to be an independent body," she said.

Under the reforms the Election Commission, under fire over its conduct of the knife-edge May 5 poll, will report to a parliamentary select committee rather than to the prime minister's office as was set in the country's 1957 constitution.

"I understand that sections of the public want to see our election processes strengthened," Mr Najib said without providing any further details of the changes.

Hundreds of thousands of people have attended rallies across the country to protest the election outcome where a three-party opposition alliance won 54 percent of the popular vote but failed to oust the Barsian Nasional coalition that has ruled since independence from Britain in 1957.

Malaysia has a gerrymandered electoral system that favours Malay Muslims in rural electorates.

The opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is preparing to mount a legal challenge to the results in 30 close-run seats, claiming there was vote rigging through fake ballots and black-outs at key polling centres.

Lim kit Siang, a veteran opposition politician, said reform Election Commission reform appeared to be a step in the right direction but said its leaders should be replaced and the opposition should be consulted on the reforms.

"The Election Commission needs a clean start," Mr Lim said.

"There is no doubt that the EC has in many instances acted as a Barisan Nasional protagonist in attacking opposition leaders, rather than acting under an impartial rule," he said.

The government has denied any fraud took place and said the elections were fair.

smh.com.au