Category: On The Ground
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Teh, tosai and ‘Uncle, what’s your opinion?’
By Beth Yahp IT’s March 7, eve of the elections. I’m at my usual morning teh tarik corner shop in Bangsar, the New Straits Times [NST] under my arm, making my way to a table out back where I can eat with elbow room, watch people and catch up on the news. It’s my favourite…
Malaysia Votes
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Teh, tosai and ‘Uncle, what’s your opinion?’
By Beth Yahp IT’s March 7, eve of the elections. I’m at my usual morning teh tarik corner shop in Bangsar, the New Straits Times [NST] under my arm, making my way to a table out back where I can eat with elbow room, watch people and catch up on the news. It’s my favourite…
Malaysia Votes
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Malaysia votes
MALAYSIANS go to the polls today (March 8). They will elect their representatives and determine who they want to form the government in the next five years, at the state as well as federal levels. The ballots they cast also represent their views on how the nation has been governed since the last general election…
Malaysia Votes
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The Battle in Kinta Valley
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com [First published on March 6] IPOH: Like the rain that was pouring relentlessly, the number of people huddled under their umbrellas outside Wisma Chin Woo here on Feb 29 continued to grow into the night. They didn’t seem to mind the water splashing on their feet or the dampness in the…
Malaysia Votes
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What finally matters to Penangites?
By Jacqueline Ann Surin jacquelinesurin@malaysiavotes.com PENANG: “I am very confident the people of Penang will take the lead in toppling the Barisan Nasional (BN) government,” Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declared to boisterous cheers from the crowd. The former deputy premier and current de facto leader of opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wasn’t just massaging the…
Malaysia Votes
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“Oghe chinoh kelate cukup luar beseh”
By Danny Lim dannylim@malaysiavotes.com KOTA BHARU: Where Kelantanese Malays can’t stop offering their opinions on politics, regardless of whether they’re asked, the Chinese community here is rather reticent, even when pushed. In a vastly Malay state, Chinese voters make up no more than 5% of the electorate in all but three parliamentary constituencies: Kota Bharu,…
Malaysia Votes
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Samy Vellu’s moment of truth
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com SUNGAI SIPUT: The Sri Mariamman Temple in Taman Dovenby here was a hive of activity on March 5, as devotees carrying the kavadi made the journey on foot from several kilometres outside the Dovenby Plantation to the temple located within its grounds. The musicians filled the jasmine and incense scented air…
Malaysia Votes
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Islamic Theme Park Fails to Impress
By Farish A. Noor THE merry-go-round is painted in bright hues of pink, yellow, green and blue; the slides and rides shine in the sun as the little girl contemplates which of the two plastic horses to mount first. Her mother sits by the swing in the near distance, her eye firmly fixed on…
Malaysia Votes
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Vying for the wealth of Kelantan
By Danny Lim dannylim@malaysiavotes.com KOTA BHARU: PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa has claimed that Barisan Nasional’s (BN) own assessment of voter sentiments in Kelantan revealed that PAS has the edge in at least 26 out of 45 state seats and 10 out of 14 parliamentary seats. However, the Kota Bharu Umno division chief secretary Zulkifli…
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The Battle in Kinta Valley
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com IPOH: Like the rain that was pouring relentlessly, the number of people huddled under their umbrellas outside Wisma Chin Woo here on Feb 29 continued to grow into the night. They didn’t seem to mind the water splashing on their feet or the dampness in the air; their eyes were glued…
Malaysia Votes
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Another Country, Another Election
by Farish A. Noor [Updated with correction at 9.02pm, March 6, 2008] TUAN Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat looked a little grey and fuzzy on the videocam screen of the Special Branch (SB) officer who stood watching the spectacle before him with an air of bored disinterest. The officer himself was not all that…