FREE BY-ELECTIONS What's happening in the by-election campaigns in the parliamentary constituency of Batu Sapi and the Galas state seat? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidences as they occur in P185 and N45.
7am (Batu Sapi): PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and PKR candidate Ansari Abdullah has breakfast with locals at Karamunting MPS.
8am (Batu Sapi): Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim goes on a walkabout at Pasar Tanah Merah.
8am (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz Yusof has breakfast with staff of the Community Development Department, Rural and Regional Development Ministry, at Taman Wangi office.
9am (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz at SMK Tengku Indra Petra.
9.30am
(Galas): A group of about 200 university students arrive in Galas under the auspices of Islamist students’ group Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam SeMalaysia (Gamis).
They say they are there to observe the political process and are non-partisan. They also aim to engage with and explain to the people of Galas national issues such as the Budget 2011 and how it impacts the rakyat.
10.30am (Galas): PAS’ Galas by-election director Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman announces that PAS will pay up to RM250 to voters travelling to Galas to boost the turnout rate and ensure a winning chance for the party on Nov 4.
Halim (
left
) says this payment is only to make it easier for outstation voters registered to vote in Galas - who number 1,557 - and is not a bribe.
“If outsider voters do not come home (to vote), that would be worrying. We do not want voter turnout to be less than 81 percent,” Halim tells a press conference in Galas.
The majority of the outstation voters are Malays, who number 675 and who live outside of Kelantan. Chinese voters who live outside the state number 215.
As many as 290 voters live outside the Galas constituency, while 372 live outside the Gua Musang parliamentary district.
“We promise to pay them one they have cast their ballots,” says Halim.
11am (Batu Sapi): PKR’s Anwar, Ansari and S’gor MB Khalid Ibrahim hold a press conference at Bilik Gerakan Utama PKR.
Asked about the mood of Chinese voters, Anwar says they are clearly not favouring the BN, but seem to have some inclination towards SAPP.
Voters in general are not, however, hostile towards Pakatan/PKR and are still open. The Chinese in particular, “are shifting positively towards Pakatan."
12pm
(Batu Sapi): PKR’s Anwar, Ansari head to Restoran Khan, Bandar Sandakan.
12pm (Galas): Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan ( centre in photo ) holds a press conference at Bukit Cekati.
1pm (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz meets Kg Kundur villagers.
1pm
(Batu Sapi): Sabah PKR Youth chief Saubah Razak Jamil lodges a police report against Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman at a police station near Hotel Sandakan, alleging money laundering.1.30pm (Galas): Several students from the group calling itself Jentera Mahasiswa are arrested for distributing pamphlets urging the locals to go out to vote.
"The police came to us saying that they have received complaints from PAS and BN, as well as locals about the students who were going around distributing pamphlets and talking to the public," says group spokesperson Shukri Kamaruddin.
"They asked all of us to follow them to the district police headquarters. However after negotiations they only took away Gamis National Politics Council head Syukri Razak and a few others."
Syukri Razak and the others are being held at the Gua Musang district police headquarters while Gamis president Ahmad Shazwan Mohamad Hasan is working to get legal aid.
1.50pm
(Batu Sapi): Workers are seen fixing the planked walkway at a fishing village in Nan Tung.
Sabah chief minister Musa Aman announced yesterday that the government will fix the village walkway, following PKR's Ansari's two separate incidents of falling into the water due to poorly-maintained structures, during his campaign visits.
2.30pm (Galas): MCA state chief Ng Yen Yen wastes no time in taking a shot at PAS for offering "transport fees" to travelling voters.
She tells reporters that PAS is so desperate for fishing votes that they have forgotten what they used to criticise the BN for.
"If this is not money politics, then what else should we call this? I hope they can self-examine their own words."
2pm (Galas): BN's Abdul Aziz meets Kg Batu Papan villagers.
2pm (Batu Sapi): PKR’s Ansari walkabout at Stesen Bas Bandar.
3pm
(Galas): Abdul Aziz meets Ladang Ann Lin Lee residents and joins prayers at Kg Baru Hulu surau an hour later. From there he proceeds to visit a local hospital.5pm (Batu Sapi): Ansari and Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim visit Pasar Karamunting MPS.
5.30pm
(Galas): Eight members of 'Malaysians for Beng Hock' including the deceased's sister Lee Lan (
centre in photo
) arrive in Pulai, Galas to raise their concerns to BN and Pakatan reps.
In particular, they want a Royal Commission formed to determine the death of the late DAP political aide
The group fail to catch Ng Yen Yen in Pulai, as the minister had left earlier, but their coordinator Ng Yap Hwa says they will continue to track down reps from both coalitions.
5.30pm
(Batu Sapi): Pakatan leaders including Tian Chua, Sim Tze Tsin and Mahfuz Omar return to Kg Gas, where Ansari Abdullah fell into the water yesterday due to a broken bridge, to repair the structure.
It turns out to be a media event, with the bridge already repaired except for the last plank, that is saved for the politicians to nail in. Ansari is noticeably absent from the event.
6pm (Galas): Spokesperson for the four arrested Gamis students, Shukri Kamaruddin, says that the police will be holding the detainees for 24 hours and will charge them under UUCA article 15(3).
The students file a report with Suhakam representatives who are there to observe the by-election.
6pm (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz to meet Kg Lepan Jaya villagers
6pm (Batu Sapi): S’gor MB Khalid joins prayers at Surau Karamunting MPS Dalam, while Anwar, Ansari join prayers at Masjid al Falah.
7pm
(Batu Sapi): PKR’s Anwar and Ansari join prayers at Masjid Bokara while Khalid Ibrahim joins prayers at Kg Gas.7pm (Galas): BN's Abdul Aziz joins prayers in Lepan Jaya
7.15pm (Galas): ' Malaysians for Beng Hock ' spot senator Heng Seai Kie at MCA's makeshift campaign centre in Bandar Lama Gua Musang. They rush towards it as Heng arrives but are blocked by party workers from entering.
Saying that it was an MCA function, they are politely asked to wait outside.
They camp outside the open venue carrying banners and flyers, as Heng addresses the guests at the function, much to the latter's embarrasment.
The senator however keeps her cool and continues to urge voters to support the BN.
A while later it begins to drizzle and an MCA worker asks the group to enter the camp.
8pm (Galas): The remaining 196 students from Gamis plan to assemble in front of the Gua Musang district police headquarters to pressure the police into releasing the four students detained this afternoon.
8-11pm (Batu Sapi): PKR’s Anwar, Ansari and S’gor MB Khalid ceramah at Rumah Mariam Kg Bokara; Pasti Pre-School, Taman Mawar ; Taman Mesra. Anwar and Ansari at Markas DAP Sibuga.
8pm (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz meets Chinese community in Fully Inn.
9pm (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz at Kg Sungai Kepa.
9.10pm (Batu Sapi) Lim Kit Siang kicks off his first ceramah in Batu Sapi. He speaks to a crowd in Taman Mawar, a Chinese-majority area.
The ceramah, at an open carpark next to a market, draws about 400 people. This is the highest turnout for an opposition ceramah so far since the campaign began four days ago.
His fiery speech receives enthusiatic response from the crowd, many of whom clap and cheer him on.
Lim stresses the significance of the by-election. He says it goes beyond Batu Sapi, Sabah.
"What is the big picture? It is this - the road from Batu Sapi to Putrajaya."
9.15pm All four students who were brought to the Gua Musang IPD walks out of the police station to shouts of takbir dan "student power" from about 150 of their friends.
They were released on police bail and had their statements recorded during the six-hour ordeal.
Police were investigating them over the pamphlets that they were distributing, says Suhakam commissioner Md Sha'ani.
Md Sha'ani is there to assist the students, whom he regards as "human right fighters."
All four students are told to report back to the IPD on Nov 14.
10pm (Galas): BN candidate Abdul Aziz at Dataran Kesedar.
10.02pm (Batu Sapi) Pakatan de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim speaks to a 300-strong largely Chinese crowd at Taman Mawar, Sibuga in Sandakan.
He is greeted with three cheers of 'Reformasi!', picking up the pace from DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, who was warming the crowd.
When addressing the crowd, Anwar urges voters to follow the example of Sibu and shake up the BN government by voting for Pakatan.
"Their stronghold in Sarawak, Sibu, was broken and now they are scared to call for state elections.
"With just one by-election, we dealt them a big shock," he said to a rousing response from the people in attendance.
He cracks up the crowd when recounting his time as deputy premier, singling out a certain minister for agreeing with him regardless of what he says.
"Before I could even say what my proposal is, this person would immediately say 'I agree with you sir!'
"But I haven't even told you my proposal and he would say 'it's alright Datuk Seri, we know whatever that comes out of your mouth is like gold'," he says, drawing laughter from the crowd.
10.20pm (Galas) It is raining heavily in Gua Musang and the restaurants and cafes are full of cold and wet figures huddled over TV sets and the roads are unusually devoid of vehicles, as the entire town watched with baited breath tonight's Malaysia Cup final between Kelantan and Negeri Sembilan.
The result: Kelantan - 2, Negeri Sembilan - 1
11pm (Galas): BN candidate meets post office staff.
