BN Candidate, the right person?

Source: Malaysiakini VOXPOP

'BN-Umno cannot and will not have the chance to smell victory at Permatang Pauh without playing very dirty. This has been their tactic to get what they desire.'


Elsie Goh Siew Khim: As far as I am concerned, it does not really matter who BN's candidate is?

In a strict and impartial democratic gentleman's fight, BN's candidate has no chance over Anwar Ibrahim because the Malays in Malaysia are sick and tired of BN-Umno.

Even if BN-Umno fields in Mahathir, Abdullah or Najib, or the best candidate that money can buy, the BN-Umno regime is very likely to be defeated by a huge margin.

The BN-Umno regime knows that. The question is how to improve the probability of winning.

The answer is through cheating, deceit, vote-rigging, money politics, bribes and maybe by ‘force'.

The BN-Umno regime cannot and will not have the chance to smell victory without playing very dirty.

They will play dirty, as this has been their tactic to get what they desire. That is why Anwar Ibrahim will get a good run for the BN-Umno regime's money.

G-man: I suppose this selection just typifies the mentality of the present ruling coalition.

Arif Shah happens to be the brother of Amin Shah, who is infamous for the Malaysian Navy patrol vessel project failure that used up more than RM6 billion of taxpayers' money from 1998 to 2004.

I wonder if PKR will use this as part of their campaign for the Permatang Pauh elections.

All I can say is that the ruling coalition has practically dug their grave with this one.

Permatang Pauh: The BN-controlled MSM has gone on the offensive - that ‘Arif Shah is well-liked, very popular, humble man, liked by locals, speaks Mandarin and Hokkien', etc.

True, he won Seberang Jaya state assembly seat.

However, his track record in Seberang Jaya is nothing to shout about.

And he is not some ‘humble nice man', rather he is a millionaire himself and often seen ‘politicking' in KL or Georgetown.

He is a brother of Amin Shah, and that is enough said. Speaks Mandarin and Hokkien? So what? Almost all Gerakan candidates did the same and they lost. What is a big deal?

I strongly believe, even with the well-known history that BN blatantly disregards any ethics, fairness, etc during by-elections, BN stands no chance against Anwar Ibrahim in Permatang Pauh.

Lim Leong: First I have to declare that I do not know Arif Shah from a bar of soap or how well he has been serving the constituents of Permatang Puah in the past.

I do wish to make a point to the voters in Permatang Puah that the by election is not about Anwar vs Arif. The contest is about the future direction of Malaysia and whether it is given an opportunity to transform itself in to a progressive, democratic and wealthy nation.

A vote for BN is a vote for continuing the current regime of corrupt practices, mis-management of resources and failed policies which have seen Malaysia sliding backwards economically and socially.

A vote for PR on the other hand is a vote of hope. A hope for a better Malaysia tomorrow. The PR coalition has yet had the test of time to fully prove themselves.

However, I can at least see that PR is run by people who espouse the value of good governance, transparency, fair economic and educational development for all Malaysian regardless of race.

So I come back to my point. A vote for language skills or a vote for the future of Malaysia? Your choice.