Malaysia GE 15

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GE15 voters must know if BN wants to free politicians convicted of crimes

WHILE MIC has denied media reports that one of the items on the party’s manifesto was to free incarcerated ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Barisan Nasional (BN) must spell out precisely its stance on leaders who are facing court charges for crimes ranging from corruption and money laundering to power abuse, among others.

This is necessary for voters in the 15th General Election (GE15) to make a wise decision after UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi outlined at yesterday’s (Oct 10) MIC 76th annual general meeting (AGM) that BN will not take revenge against opposition leaders by dragging them to court if it comes back to power.

“Well, if the BN is taking the position that they will not investigate or prosecute politicians that have committed crimes, we must seriously consider whether we should vote for BN,” penned lawyer and human rights advocate Charles Hector in his latest blog.

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Umno set to clash with PAS in 27 seats

Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin said the non-fulfilment of the three conditions automatically meant that cooperation between the two parties had fallen through.

The three requirements are for PAS to pull out from Perikatan Nasional (PN), cut political ties with Bersatu, and officially declare that it would leave PN and Bersatu.

“If there is no cooperation with PAS, then both parties will compete (for the 27 seats),” he said after an Umno leadership meeting last night. He said Umno will begin selecting election candidates tomorrow.

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Selangor has no plans to dissolve state assembly, says MB

PETALING JAYA: Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari has confirmed that there are no plans to dissolve the state legislative assembly in line with the dissolution of Parliament.

Speaking to reporters after attending PKR’s central leadership council meeting at the party’s headquarters here last night, Amirudin reaffirmed that Selangor will abide by a previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) decision not to dissolve the legislative assemblies in the states controlled by PH.

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Najib out, son Nizar in for Pekan seat, says analyst

PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak is running out of time to remain eligible to stand for election and defend his Pekan parliamentary seat, says an analyst.

The former prime minister has been the MP for five terms since 1976 in a seat held by his father from 1959. However, with a general election to be held within weeks, Najib may run out of time to qualify.

Najib is serving a 12-year jail term on corruption charges in the SRC International case. He has filed for a review to overturn his conviction and has also sought a royal pardon.

He may not be able to get a result in time to qualify as a candidate, with polling likely to be held on Nov 4 or Nov 6, says political analyst Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara.

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“Will divine intervention undo clear victory of UMNO’s court cluster?”

HAVING obtained the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Agung, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of the Parliament yesterday (Oct 10) to pave the way for the 15th General Election (GE15).

The country will go to polls within 60 days of the dissolution of the Parliament. Since elections had been held for Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka and Johor, these states will not hold elections in their respective state assemblies.

The states under the control of PAS (Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) (Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang) might not dissolve their respective state assemblies.

Anyway, things are still not very certain yet although the dissolution of the Parliament is a clear victory for the UMNO ‘court cluster’.

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“Is holding GE15 now all about freeing Najib?”

YESTERDAY (Oct 10), one of the Barisan Nasional (BN) parties were said to have put forward a resolution to free former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from imprisonment.

Although the party president concerned has issued a denial on this, there is no doubt that this is one explicit or implicit objective of UMNO and BN to hold the 15th General Elections (GE15) now.

In Singapore, the authorities have taken action against the former deputy CEO of BSI Bank Ltd, Singapore Branch (BSIS) for his contribution to the bank’s failure to file suspicious transaction reports (STR) regarding 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-related transactions.

Raj Sriram, who is also the former head of private banking of BSIS, was issued a 24-month conditional warning from the Singapore Police’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and a 10-year prohibition order by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

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Selangor sultan wants state govt to complete full term

PETALING JAYA: Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah wants the current Pakatan Harapan state government to complete its full term, says menteri besar Amirudin Shari.

In a statement, Amirudin said Sultan Sharafuddin wanted the current administration to focus on safeguarding the welfare of the people, rather than dissolving the state assembly to follow Parliament’s dissolution.

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GE15 polling day likely on Nov 12 or 19: election observers

KUALA LUMPUR – Polling day for the upcoming general election (GE15) would likely be in mid-November, election observers said, despite widespread speculation that it would fall on November 5.

Election analyst G. Manimaran said he believed the earliest possible dates for the polls would either be on the 12th or 19th of November, which both fall on a Saturday.

Manimaran noted a host of reasons that an “express” poll would not be held, including the minimum time frame needed for the Election Commission to prepare for the polls, which can take at least five to six weeks.

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Let central leadership decide: Penang Pakatan divided on dissolving assembly

GEORGE TOWN – The decision on whether Penang will choose to dissolve the state assembly to hold a simultaneous election as the federal one may be known by tomorrow after a heated discussion took place during last night’s state DAP emergency meeting.

It is learnt that the state’s DAP leadership under chief minister and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow have referred the matter now to the DAP central executive committee (CEC) and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council to make the final decision.

The PH council had earlier decided that they will stick to the original plan for states under its administration – namely Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan – to hold separate polls to protest the notion that polls are to be conducted during the seasonal floods period.

It is learnt that the central theme of last evening’s meeting was whether a separate election would burden voters and what were the distinctive advantages in holding a segregated election from the parliamentary one.

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97-year-old Mahathir confirms will defend Langkawi

KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has put to rest any speculation pertaining to his candidacy in the upcoming general election after he announced his decision to defend his Langkawi seat at the age of 97 years. 

The Pejuang chairman, however, said questions over whether he will stand as prime minister again is not relevant at the moment, unless his party and new coalition Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) secure a win in the coming polls.

“We have decided that in Langkawi, the candidate will be Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – not as a candidate for prime minister, but as an MP,” he said during a press conference after chairing a GTA meeting in Putrajaya today.

“We haven’t decided who will be prime minister yet, because this will only be relevant if we win the election. If we lose, then this question is irrelevant.”

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