Only irreverent ones, in a somewhat playful way, will be posted, those that I deemed have crossed the line will be rejected.

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Youngest candidate: Daniel Wa Wai How (MCA), 25

Oldest candidate: Maimun “Tok Mun” Yusof, 94

Biggest majority: Has anybody ever surpassed Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad’s winning margin in the Johor Bahru parliamentary constituency in the 2004 general elections? He polled 46,792 votes more than his nearest challenger, who polled 7,281, a respectable amount indeed, but due to the staggering difference in sheer numbers, the challenger still lost his deposit.

Gelang Patah (Johor): Dato’ Abdul Ghani Othman (UMNO) vs Lim Kit Siang (DAP)
Ghani has been Menteri Besar of Johor since 1995, and is UMNO supreme council member. Lim is a prominent member of the opposition.

Jempol: Tan Sri Isa Samad (UMNO) vs Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin (PAS)
Isa was Federal Territories Minister, UMNO VP, and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar for 22 years. Aishah was a popular singer in the late 1980s to early 1990s – she made history by being the first ever artiste to stand for parliament.

Segamat: Datuk Dr. Subramaniam (MIC) vs Dato’ Chua Jui Meng (PKR)
Subramaniam is the current Human Resource Minister, and Deputy President of the MIC. Chua was the Malaysia’s Minister of Health from 1990 to 2004, and Johor PKR chief.

Lembah Pantai: Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin (UMNO) vs Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR)
Nong Chik was the Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Well-being.

Putrajaya: Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (UMNO) vs Datuk Husam Musa (PAS).
Tengku Adnan is UMNO’s Secretary-General. Husam is PAS’ vice president.

Shah Alam: Khalid Samad (PAS) vs Datuk Zulkifli Noordin

Pasir Mas: Ibrahim Ali (Independent & incumbent) vs Nik Mohd Abduh Nik Mat (PAS) vs Che Johan Che Pa (UMNO)

Keningau: Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS & incumbent) vs Jeffrey Kitingan (Star) vs Stephen Sandor (PKR)

Tuaran: Wilfred Bumburing (PKR/APS & incumbent) vs Wilfred Madius Tangau (Upko) vs Erveana Ansari (Independent)

Penampang: Bernard Dompok (Upko & incumbent) vs Darell Leiking (PKR)

5 May – Election Day

20 April – Nomination Day

Dr Joachim Gunsalam is the PBS candidate for Kundasang, probably causing this:

18 April

Pairin makes an about turn, where he announces that Louis Rampas & Johnny Goh, who he had announced as PBS candidates on the 16th, are dropped, with Joniston Bangkuai & Joseph Paulus Lantip replacing them.

17 April

PKR candidates official announcements.

Notable personalities dropped: Ansari Abdullah, in favour of Wilfred Bumburing (APS), who will contest in both Tuaran parliamentary and Tamparuli state seats. Of all Ansari’s list of 7 candidates, only Anthony Mandiau (Tandek) and Jonathan Yassin (Ranau) made it to the official list.

16 April

BN candidates official announcements.

Notable personalities making a comeback:
- Isa Samad (Jempol), who was suspended by Umno between 2005 & 2008 for money politics;
- Mohd Ali Rustam (Bukit Katil), disqualified from contesting for Umno presidency due to money politics.

Notable personalities dropped:
In Sabah: Karim Bujang (Umno), Justin Guka (Upko), John Teo (Upko), Donald Mojuntin (Upko).
In Semenanjung: Ibrahim Ali, Rais Yatim, Ng Yen Yen, Ong Tee Keat, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
The 3 former Perak PR ADUNs – Hee Yit Foong, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu – who jumped ship in February 2009 and contributed to the collapse of the Perak PR government.

Notable personalities not contesting:
Dr Chua Soi Lek (MCA president), Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan president) and Peter Chin (SUPP president).

PBS Secretary General, Henrynus Amin, who was not listed as a candidate, reportedly protested by updating his Facebook profile to say “former PBS Secretary General.”

15 April

Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib joins PAS. He is the former Umno vice-president, Rural and Regional Development Minister, UMNO information chief and Menteri Besar of Selangor, contested the post of UMNO deputy president in 2009 (lost).

5th April

Ansari pre-empts PKR central leadership by listing 7 candidates, reportedly because “PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has promised the state autonomy in making decisions pertaining to Sabah.” The candidates are: Ansari (Tuaran), Dr Chong Eng Leong (Sepanggar), Mazhry Nasir (Putatan), Anthony Mandiau (Kota Marudu), Mursalim Tanjul (Kudat), Saidil Simoi (Kota Belud) and Jonathan Yassin (Ranau).

3 April

Dissolution of Parliament and most state assemblies.

This is what I call the Bohemian Rhapsody of Malaysia; indeed, it should be the other way round – this song was released 18 years before Queen’s classic!

This song was later covered by Black Dog Bone.

I think this is the one song where the late Tan Sri sang his highest notes ever (at 2:38).

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Here’s my list of the most memorable Malay song duets of the 1980s.

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Maimun Yusuf (Tok Mun) of Kuala Terengganu, who, at 89, was the oldest candidate in the 12th general elections in 2008. In that elections, she stood as an independent parliamentary candidate, pitting herself against political heavyweights Datuk Razali Ismail (Barisan Nasional) and Mohamad Sabu (PAS). Both these guys ended up getting more than 30,000 votes, while she received a mere 685, and lost her RM30,000 deposit, for which she used up her life savings.

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A selection of notable election results in Malaysia’s history. Any comments / additions / suggestions most welcome.

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State elections

In 1990, Edmund Otigil (Independent) received 6 votes in Tambunan. He contested against then chief minister, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) who polled 5,516 votes.

In 1994, Jiniun Jimin (Independent) received 4 votes in Tenom. The seat was won by Datuk Kadoh Agundong (PBS) who polled 3,498 votes.

In 2008, Mohd Sayadi Bakal, 30 (Independent) was recorded as having received 0 votes in Senallang, probably for withdrawing after the deadline. The seat was won by Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran who received 6,083 votes.

Parliamentary elections: higher deposit, bigger electorate than state seats

[to be updated]

The following is a classic photo of a Blackburn B-101 Beverley, a 1950s British military transport aircraft parked on a runway, apparently in Paradise Army Camp, Kota Belud, North Borneo (Sabah) during the Indonesian–Malaysian Confrontation (Konfrontasi) of 1962-1966.

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