2 days before the elections I blogged about them.

Little did I expect that most of them would win their seats, and even those who lost did very well.

DAP’s Jeff Ooi, 52 became the Jelutong MP after defeating BN’s Thor Teong Gee by more than 16,000 votes.

PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, 26 became the youngest Yang Berhormat when he defeated BN’s incumbent Datin Paduka Seripa Noli Syed Hussin by 2,863 votes at DUN Seri Setia, Selangor.

DAP’s Tony Pua, became Petaling Jaya Utara (Selangor) MP when he defeated the BN’s Chew Mei Fun by almost 20,000 votes.

PKR’s Elizabeth Wong, won DUN Bukit Lanjan (Selangor), beating the BN’s Yong Dai Ying by 5,155 votes.

PKR’s youngest supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, 30, lost to Khairy Jamaluddin in Rembau by 5,746 votes. But still he got a commendable 20,779 votes.

PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar, 27 sensationally beat Datuk Shahrizat Abd Jalil by almost 3,000 votes to become Lembah Pantai MP.

I think all the politicians-turned-blogger I mentioned earlier won, including DAP’s Teresa Kok who got GE2008’s biggest majority: 36,492 against BN’s Carol Chew in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in KL.

…for those in between, politicians who became bloggers the moment their candidacy became apparent, or vice versa :

PKR’s Loh Gwo-Burne became MP of Kelana Jaya when he defeated the BN’s Lee Hwa Beng by 5,031 votes.

DAP’s Hannah Yeoh, 29, won DUN Subang Jaya (Selangor), defeating the BN’s Ong Chong Swen by 13,851 votes.

Maimun “Tok Mun” Yusuf, 89, independent candidate for Kuala Terengganu parliamentary was thrashed badly (only 685 votes) but she’s become an inspiration for many Malaysians.

I 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. 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.

A polling centre is located near my place of work, and when I came in the morning the place was abuzz with activities. But by lunchtime, there’s an eerie silence: all 5 streams ready, with nobody in sight.

Since elections usually come up only once every few years, and the following set-up would only last 2 days at most, it’s an unmissable opportunity to take the following pictures:

Regarding the picture above, this is one of the streams. Voters have to pass thru the opening at top right. You can see the barriers being setup, which actually encircles the entire area. Near the top is the place for the polling clerks. Near bottom right is the place for polling agents. The desk on the left is for the presiding officer. Of course the white boxes near top left are the voting booths. The 2 desks in the middle are for the voting boxes.

This is the same place from another angle. The entrance is at the top. As you can see, anyone entering would be able to see the noticeboard, which has, among other things:
- reminder to be silent and to switch off handphones
- list of candidates and polling centres for the constituency, of which this polling station is one. Usually they use schools as polling stations; that would explain why schools are closed on Friday:

Two streams can be seen here:

The following is a closer view of two voting booths, with an SPR barrier tape on the foreground:

I am going back to the district of Tuaran to vote this afternoon, right after I’m done with these KVM switches.

Happy voting!

The late Dato’ Zainal Alam composed two immortal theme songs for Jabatan Penerangan for the elections: “Mari Mengundi” and “Undilah Kita Semua” back in the 1950s (some say 1959, some say 1955).

Up until now, 50 years later, they are still popular, especially on RTM radio stations. Some changes have been made to the lyrics, but I still prefer the original versions.

If they were indeed written before 1957, then surely they have been heard in ALL of Malaysia’s elections, including of course the very first General Election in Malaya.

At least one of them has has been translated into several languages other than the national language.

These two songs are perfect examples of “song power”, they can stir something deep within the voting population to make the journey.

I am sure everybody knows “Mari Mengundi”, sung by (now Tuan Haji) Jamaluddin Alias (need confirmation on this though), my pick as the greatest election song of them all:

Lyrics:

[refrain]
Marilah mari pergi mengundi
Jangan lupa kewajipan pada negara
Marilah mari pergi mengundi
Jangan lupa kewajipan pada negara

[verse 1]
Hari undi akan tiba, kekalkan demokrasi
Gunakan hak kita semua yang asasi
Fikir terlebih dulu, dengan akal bistari
Sebelum membuang undi yang dihargai

[repeat refrain]

[verse 2]
Jangan lupa Kad Pengenalan, serta nombor daftar undi
Masa tidak kerugian membuang undi
Bila memangkah kertas undi, harus kita berhati-hati
Kalau salah tak berganti, sesal sendiri

[repeat refrain twice]

Then the other one is “Undilah Kita Semua”, also sung by Jamaluddin Alias

Lyrics:

[refrain]
Undi lah kita semua, menentukan masa hadapan
Undi lah kita semua, ‘tuk mencapaikan kejayaan

[repeat refrain]

With that, I’d like to wish everybody: Happy Voting!

Ref:
The Star, 3rd March 2008

By politician I mean at least standing as a candidate in national or state level elections.

The most famous blogger-turned-politician in Malaysia is undoubtedly Jeff Ooi, the DAP candidate for Jelutong parliamentary seat. Impressively, he proved that it’s possible to raise funds online, surpassing his RM100K target.

I thought that he is the only one, then I found out that there are some others, including, but not restricted to:

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, PKR candidate for Seri Setia DUN (Selangor?)
Tony Pua, DAP candidate for Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat (Selangor)
Elizabeth Wong, PKR candidate for Bukit Lanjan DUN (Selangor)
Badrul Hisham Shaharin, 30, former teacher and PKR’s youngest supreme council member: he’s standing against Khairy Jamaluddin in Rembau

Nurul Izzah, Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter:
Nurul Izzah, 27, PKR candidate for Lembah Pantai parliamentary, against Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil

As for politicians-turned-blogger, there are many, some of the most high profile ones are:
Lim Kit Siang, Opposition Leader, DAP
M Kulasegaran, DAP
Chong Eng, DAP
Fong Po Kuan, DAP
Teresa Kok, DAP MP for Seputeh
Anwar Ibrahim, PKR
Tian Chua, 44 in Batu parliamentary seat. In 2004, he contested against Ng Lip Yong and lost by 11,000 votes. Chua said: Then, I was suddenly told to contest in this area, but since then, I have stayed put for almost four years and know the people and their problems better now.

…and those in between, politicians who became bloggers the moment their candidacy became apparent, or vice versa (this list is not 100% verified):
Loh Gwo-Burne, PKR candidate for Kelana Jaya
Hannah Yeoh, 29, Subang Jaya DUN (Selangor)

…and of course Maimun “Tok Mun” Yusuf, 89, independent candidate for Kuala Terengganu parliamentary [ref]

Of course one catalyst to all these development is the fact that blogging does not even require budget software, all the code you need are totally FOC!

Do you have any more to add to the list?

Received via email forwards. I am not sure who is the author, but this has been around since at least April 2005.

Note:
- DUN = Dewan Undangan Negeri = state legislative assembly
- it’s in Malay, so you’d need to understand the language to get the joke

DUN yg paling sejuk, DUN Batu Berendam
DUN yg paling tak de rasa, DUN Air Tawar
DUN yg paling panas, DUN Pedas
DUN yg paling miskin, DUN Sekupang
DUN yg paling muda, DUN Sri Muda
DUN yg paling lemah, DUN Batang Berjuntai
DUN yg paling basah, DUN Sg Besar
DUN yg kuat makan satay, DUN Kajang
DUN yg banyak hantu, DUN Pucong
DUN yg ada istana, DUN Kota Raja.
DUN yg banyak ikan, DUN Tg Sepat
DUN yg paling keras, DUN Batu Tiga
DUN paling pendalaman, DUN Hulu Klang
DUN banyak air, DUN Ampangan
DUN banyak pengganas, DUN Kuala Kubu
DUN paling takde kemajuan, DUN Gurun
DUN paling bahaya, DUN Baling
DUN banyak semut, DUN Kota Sarang Semut.
DUN paling pelik, DUN Sg Ada Burung.
DUN ada binatang, DUN Kijang
DUN paling wangi, DUN Pokok Sena
DUN paling tak cantik, DUN Batu Buruk
DUN paling garang, DUN Senggarang
DUN paling banyak berahsia, DUN Tell Anybody

Back in 2005, it had the following extra entry:

DUN paling berkuasa, HinDUN isteri Pak Lah

Of course it has since been removed in newer editions.

Then very recently, a smart alec added his entries; with obvious focus on Sabah:

DUN paling keras, DUN Batu & DUN Tanjung Batu
DUN paling banyak gam, DUN Gum Gum
DUN paling manis, DUN Pantai Manis
DUN paling banyak kertas lap, DUN Melalap
DUN paling banyak zaman silam, DUN Silam
DUN calon nama DUN juga, DUN Klias (Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun)
DUN suka tampar orang, DUN Tamparuli
DUN paling banyak kawan, DUN Kawang
DUN paling sempurna, DUN Semporna
DUN paling bergaya, DUN Bugaya
DUN ada Tengku, DUN Tungku
DUN yang banyak menang, DUN B-N lah, siapa lagi!!!

Wilfred replacing Wilfred
For P170 Tuaran, Datuk Wilfred Bumburing replaces Datuk Wildred Madius Tangau as the BN candidate.

Lajim vs Lajim
For P177 Beaufort, BN’s Datuk Lajim Ukin is up against PKR’s Lajim Yusof

John vs John
For N26 Kuala Penyu, BN-Upko’s John Teo Mau Sing is up against the “Pro-BN independent” John Ghani.

Do you have any to add to the above list?

Some interesting results of that elections:

Was this the future Huguan Siou’s first election?

N18 Tambunan
Joseph Pairin Kitingan (BERJAYA): 2,310
Ambrose Angkangon (USNO): 1,197
Won by 1,113

The great Mojuntin was too strong in Moyog:

N23 Moyog
Datuk Peter Mojuntin (BERJAYA): 4,020
Joseph Lanjuat (USNO): 608
Won by 3,412

Future CM Harris won comfortably in Tenom:

N43 Tenom (now Melalap)
Harris bin Mohd. Salleh (BERJAYA): 2,992
Yong Peck Fong (S.C.A.): 763
Bijun bin Ginandah (BEBAS): 40
Won by 1,529

Outgoing CM Tun Mustapha won his seat, but overall his party lost:

N1 Banggi
Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun(USNO): 2,556
A. Hamid bin Ahmad (BERJAYA): 939
Won comfortably by 1,617

Datuk Herman Luping lost to Clarence Mansul:

N22 Inanam
Clarence E. Mansul (BERJAYA): 3,002
Datuk Herman Luping (USNO): 1,727
Won by 1,275

The 1985 Sabah State Elections shall forever be remembered as the year mighty Berjaya fell from power. Amazing, because 4 years earlier they won with a huge majority: more than 40 seats, out of the 48 available.

It was also the elections when probably the greatest upset in the history of Malaysian politics happened. The president of Berjaya and Chief Minister of Sabah, YAB Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh was defeated by a complete unknown. Result:

N39 Tenom (now Melalap) had 6,000+ voters, and 78% turned up.
Datuk Harris Mohd. Salleh (BN-Berjaya): 1,727
Arajai b. Mantias (BERSEPADU): 37
Kadoh Agundong (PBS): 2,622
Leong Chau Chu (USNO): 427

That means, Agundong won by 895 votes!

I can still remember when the results were announced. It was late at night, I was tucked in bed in a fully residential school in KK. You know the drill in such schools: the teachers are typically ultra-strict disciplinarians, and once lights are out, total silence is expected. But who could resist turning on the radio, as quietly as possible, while listening intently to the results being announced, aware that history was in the making. Then, when the Tenom result was announced, a collective scream / whoop could be heard all around the block. Perhaps the same kind of scream when one hears of one’s invisalign cost. Further, it was surreal, from total silence, to pandemonium lasting about 2 seconds, to total silence again

In 1985, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok has not made his mark yet:

N26 Moyog
Conrad Mojuntin (BN-Berjaya): got a mere 932
Ignatius Stephen Malanjum (president of Pasok): 5,067
Malanjum won by 4,135.

In Kiulu, not even Tun Fuad’s wife could save Berjaya from defeat. It was the start of the Gisin Lombut era:

N12 Kiulu
Abdul Kadir Baba (USNO): 637
Gisin Lombut (PBS): 2,289
Toh Puan Hajjah Rahimah Stephens (BN): 1,462
Gaibin bin Ransoi (BERSEPADU): 45
Ismail bin Talip @ Ismail bin Taib (BEBAS): 14
Abdul Kahim bin Abdul Sanip (BERSIH): 36
Toh Puan Hajjah Rahimah lost by 827 votes.

In Tamparuli, it was the start of the Bumburing era:

N10 Tamparuli
Milton bin Buja (BERSEPADU): 145
Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing (PBS): 3,222
Aziz bin Giom (USNO): 809
Johnny bin Lumpisau (BN-Berjaya): 1,429
Bumburing won by 1,793

In Sook, it was the start of the Kurup era, and the end of the Tan Sri Suffian Koroh era:

N41 Sook
Tan Sri Suffian Koroh (BN): 1,836
Anip bin Ismail (USNO): 735
Joseph Kurup (PBS): 3,808
Dullah bin Kandihong (BERSEPADU): 83
Kurup won by almost 2,000 votes!

However, as usual, the great Tun Mustapha simply could not be beaten, not even by Berjaya’s Salleh Tun Said, himself a future chief minister:

N8 Usukan
Abdul Mumin Haji Mulia (BERSIH): 326
Semat b. Hj. Abd Karim (BERSEPADU): 19
Tun Mustapha (USNO): 3,747
Mohd. Salleh Tan Sri Mohd Said (BN): 2,587
Dupalan b. Sakandar @ Charles (PBS): 761
Tun Mustapha won by 1,160 votes. The PBS candidate was relegated to third.

And of course the other person who was never beaten in any elections in his entire political career was Datuk (now Tun) Sakaran Dandai, the future Governor:

N48 Sulabayan
Osman b Hj. Abd Kadir (BERSIH): 637
Marasal bin KK Lais (BN-Berjaya): 2,093
Datuk Haji Sakaran b. Dandai (USNO): 4,901
Margin of victory: 2,808