Reminiscing 8th March: voting at GE2008
March 11th, 2008I have never missed voting for either the state or paliamentary elections ever since my first time in 1994. [update: actually I missed the 1995 parliamentary because I was working outside the state at that time]
On the afternoon of 8th March, it was raining heavily as I made my way to Tamparuli. At the Luyang-Bukit Padang intersection, there’s this huge SAPP billboard. I wonder how much it cost to put up there:
I arrived at the house 3.30pm, and first sent my mom to SMK Tun Fuad, Kiulu to vote there. By 4.15pm we were back home, then I picked up my brother to vote together with him at SK Tamparuli. We arrived just before 4.30pm. In a few minutes, it was all over. Then went to have delicious Tamparuli mee soup - definitely no need for appetizers then. The poster war in Tamparuli town was nothing like the 1999 elections, perhaps the most exciting “poster war” was this one:
Then it was back home to wait for the results. There were several places to go where I could mingle with hardcore supporters of political parties, but to me, nothing beats the peace and quiet of a house in the kampung. There is no internet connection there, so I watched TV while SMSes were furiously flying about.
The first sense that something’s extraordinary was happening was when the following 2 appeared at almost 11pm on TV3:
Then around 11.30pm it was becoming unbelieveable. For DUN Kedah, BR was leading BN 5-3…
… and for DUN Penang, the opposition was leading BN 11-2!
Just past midnight, my brother was standing next to the Chief Minister live:
… well, we all know what happened next. A little bird informed: the EC announced that the BN won the Sabah state elections at 1.36am. At that time BN had won 43 and DAP 1. And actually the BN had formed the state govt as early as 8.56pm, when it reached 32 seats.
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Now that Sabah is solidly behind BN in the 2008 election, The component parties of Sabah BN should take this golden opportunity to re-visit a never resolve old issue – illegal immigrants gaining citizenship through the back door.
The Sabah voters’ list (especially in the rural areas) is inflated with thousand of voters who a few years back were non-Malaysians. And this is done with the tacit help/encouragement of the federal (UMNO) government. In years to come, the percentage of this former PTI who has became ‘citizen’ and hence voters will increase.
It is still not too late to compel the federal government to set up a Royal Commission to get to the root of the issue. Arrest and deport those who obtained their Malaysian citizenship illegally. Many of these people has also became instant Bumiputras overnight. Enjoying Bumiputra privileges which non-Bumi can only dream off.
If the component parties of Sabah BN (PBS, PBRS, SAPP) are reluctant to take on this for reasons only known to themselves, the concerned rakyat of Sabah should organized protest to the Government.
YEAAA…. I AGREEE…… THE BN MUST LISTEN TO THE RAKYAT WHO VOICED THEIR OPINION / ANGER / DISGUST THRU NOT VOTING THE DACING!!!!!!!!!!!!!