Straight fight in Tenang by-election
NOMINATION DAY
9 - 10am - Candidates hand in nomination forms
10 - 11am - Objections lodged against candidates
11am - 12 noon - Returning officer decides on objections
The sky was clear and weather cold as supporters of the ruling BN and opposition Pakatan Rakyat converged in the rural town of Labis for nominations of the Jan 30 by-election in the northern Johor state constituency of Tenang.
NOMINATION DAY
9 - 10am - Candidates hand in nomination forms
10 - 11am - Objections lodged against candidates
11am - 12 noon - Returning officer decides on objections
The sky was clear and weather cold as supporters of the ruling BN and opposition Pakatan Rakyat converged in the rural town of Labis for nominations of the Jan 30 by-election in the northern Johor state constituency of Tenang.
Two hours later, it was announced that Azahar Ibrahim, 39, from Umno will face a one-to-one contest with Normala Sudirman, 38, from PAS.
Supporters of both sides gathered at their respective party headquarters.
Umno supporters clad in party’s blue and red T-shirts, were outside Labis MCA office, about 150m away from the nomination centre - the Labis Municipal Council office.
Pakatan supporters first gathered at the operation centres of the respective component parties before moving to the DAP operation centre, nearly 1km from the nomination centre.
Candidates were required to submit their nomination forms from 9am to 10am, with one hour set aside for objections.
The Tenang seat fell vacant after the former assemblyperson Sulaiman Taha from Umno passed away.
LIVE REPORTS
7.30am: Thousands of BN supporters are already gathered at the Labis MCA headquarters, with BN and Umno flags and banners to support their candidate, Azahar.
The Labis MCA building is a single four-storey building located in Labis new village, while PAS and DAP operation centers - both shoplots - are on the town's main street, Jalan Segamat.
Among those present are Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman and top BN leaders Shahrizat Jalil, Wee Ka Siong and Rosnah Abdul Rashid Syirlin.
7.40am: Azahar and wife Tuty Roshizana Tumin, 31, arrive. The candidate wears a purple baju Melayu.
When asked how he felt, he says he is a little nervous, but says he slept well last night. “Like the state seat, I’m tenang (calm),” he adds.
8.08am: Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yasin arrives at the MCA headquarters.
8.10am:
Police have sealed off the nomination centre, the Labis Municipal Council.
Police presence is heavy with hundreds of officers milling around the nomination centre, backed by a number of police trucks.
The road in front of the nomination centre has been cordoned off with barbed wire. Only authorised personnel are allowed to enter.
Both BN and Pakatan supporters will be kept 100 metres apart with the police acting as the buffer.
There are some reports that police have set up roadblocks at several location around Labis, as well as in Segamat, which is 30km from Labis.
8.14am:
PAS supporters start marching after some confusion over orders for the flagbearers to remain behind the candidate Normala.
Accompanying Normala are PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and MPs Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor), Khalid Samad (Shah Alam) and Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena).
PKR deputy president Azmin Ali are also adding to the cheer by marching alongside the candidate.
There are about 500 PAS supporters and they are soon joined by another 200 DAP and PKR supporters, who are waiting further down the road.
8.30am:
Umno candidate Azahar, accompanied by Muhyiddin and BN supporters, march to the nomination centre that is only a short distance away. It is, after all, a very small town.
8.42am: The BN supporters and leaders are the first to arrive at the nomination centre.
8.45am: From a vantage point, the Pakatan Rakyat procession appears to be roughly 300 metres long, with possibly close to 2,000 supporters.
8.46am: Pakatan supporters arrive in front of the Labis Municipal Council office, separated from the BN supporters by barbed wire fencing and scores of policemen.
8.50am:
Azahar and top leaders enter the nomination center. The VVIPs need to squeeze through the entrance, as police only allow a small opening amidst tight security.
8.58am: Normala and other Pakatan leaders enter the nomination center. Leaders include Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Chua Jui Meng, Abdul Hadi Awang, Zuraidah Kamaruddin and Chong Eng.
9am: NOMINATION OPENS
Returning officer Md Asri Amir announces that nomination is now open until 10am.
9.03am: Inside the centre, BN candidate Azahar is the first to submit his nomination forms.
Also at the nomination centre are Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Yusof and other commissioners.
9.05am: Thousands of BN supporters outside the nomination centre sing ‘ Barisan Kita ’.
They hoist banners declaring ‘ BN janji di kota ’, ‘ Undilah Barisan Nasional, Hidup Sejahtera ’ and ‘ Tiada tempat untuk pembangkang di negeri Johor ’ (Vote BN, live peacefully; No place for opposition in Johor.
9.10am: PAS candidate Normala submits her nomination forms.
9.15am: A scuffle between the PAS supporters and the police nearly breaks out when several supporters without a pass try to get past the police barricades.
At the same time, some Pakatan supporters are overheard to have said that the procession was the "largest they have seen" in a by-election.
Meanwhile, some of the PAS supporters are seen taunting the plainclothes police officers on duty.
"
Lepas makan gaji Umno, boleh balik
(After getting your pay from Umno, you can go home)," says a PAS supporter.
A group of supporters display placards individually spelling out the words ' Barang Naik ' (prices have increased) in Chinese and listing affected items like petrol, cooking oil, sugar, salt, water and others.
9.20am: PAS supporters sing a parody of the Umno anthem. They replace the lyrics " Umno terus mara, untuk rakyat Malaysia " (Umno advances for Malaysians), with " Umno terus lara, rompak rakyat Malaysia " (Umno continues to suffer, robbing Malaysians).
Puteri and Wanita Umno retort with their own version of ‘
Marilah pulang
’ singing, "
Pulang, marilah pulang, marilah pulang, masuk Barisan
" (Come home, come home to Barisan).
9.23am: Both Azahar and Normala have completed their nomination paperwork and are enjoying light refreshment at the same table.
There is no sign of any independent candidate.
9.30am: Police confiscate bamboo sticks that BN supporters use to hang their red and black IPF flags. According to police personnel, the bamboo and wooden stick flags are prohibited so as to avoid them being used in fights.
9.35am:
Another scuffle broke out again between Pakatan supporters and the police when the several police officer pulled out the battery from a loudhailer mid-speech.
The police had also threatened to arrest the supporters and both sides came to a compromise.
As the midday sun reaches to a scorching level, Pakatan supporters are still attempting to keep the festive mood alive by singing Chinese New Year songs in Mandarin.
The Johor police chief Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff also estimated the BN crowd to be 8,000 while the Pakatan supporters to number at 5,000.
9.43am:
Despite warnings from Johor Education Department chief Markom Giran not to be involved in the by-election campaign, Normala's husband Makrof Abd Mutalib (
left
), a teacher, is with his wife at the nomination centre.
Clad in green baju Melayu and white kopiah, he tells Malaysiakini that he is not campaigning for his wife, but is just accompanying her.
"I'm here to give her moral support," said Markof as he flashes a smile. "I’m touched to see so many people are supporting my wife."
He says Normala woke up at 5.30am and had breakfast with the whole family, including her parents, and their three children.
"We had nasi lemak, just like usual. We also sought the blessing from our parents before leaving home."
10am: NOMINATION CLOSES
Returning officer Md Asri Amir announces that nomination is now closed. There are no independent candidates.
Objection period is between 10am and 11am. If no candidate is disqualified, it will be a straight fight between Azahar and Normala.
11am: OBJECTIONS PERIOD ENDS
11.10am: It is going to be a straight fight between Azahar and Normala in the Jan 30 by-election in Tenang.
Both candidates face three objections each that are all rejected by returning officer Md Asri Amir.
PAS will be No 1 and Umno No 2 in the ballot paper.
11.25am:
Returning officer Md Asri Amir announces that Mohd Azahar Ibrahim from Umno will be facing Normala Sudirman from PAS.
Three objections were filed, all of which were rejected.
11.35am: Before dispersing, PAS' Hadi gives a speech to thousands of supporters through a loudhailer atop a mobile podium modified from a pickup truck.
He calls on campaigners to follow the law, and exercise ethics and discipline when campaigning and to avoid responding to BN supporters' provocation.
12.05pm: BN leaders say the fact that PAS candidate Normala has picked two Malays to nominate and second her doesn't reflect their motto 'PAS for All'.
"For the BN side, the nominator and seconder are Chinese and Indian. From here, you can see we are helping each other."
"For PAS, I had thought DAP and PKR would nominate and second her, but (instead) both are Malays. This has raised doubts about 'PAS for All'," said MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong.
Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan concurs.
"This is a clear evidence that we practice 1Malaysia."
12.10pm: Crowd from both sides begins to disperse. The eight-day campaign for the Tenang by-election has begun.
