Police stop DAP ceramah at KK - location 'unsuitable'

DAY 4 What's happening during the election campaigns around the country today? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place.

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10.50pm - Gelang Patah: After his speech at Taman Cempaka, Pulai, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub rushes to Taman Nusantara, a residential area in Nusa Jaya state seat where he is contesting.

A multiracial crowd of some 1,000 gather in front of a row of shoplots to catch the speeches given by leaders on a mobile stage extended from PAS campaign lorry.

He repeatedly stresses that Pakatan and PAS will protect the rights of all races, contrasting Pakatan's stance against the remark of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who has said earlier that Pakatan will split Johoreans.

Other speakers  who spoke earlier included former Umno minister and PKR leader Zaid Ibrahim who was invited by Lim Kit Siang.

Zaid ( left ) wastes no time to refu te the perception among some Malays that Kit Siang is anti-Malay.

Describing Kit Siang as a "good leader", Zaid claims from his experience dealing with Kit Siang in Parliament, the latter has never belittled Malays in the august House.

Leaflets printed by PAS and distributed at the ceramah also highlight that Pakatan will safeguard the rights of the Bumiputera, the status of Islam and the sovereignty of Malay rulers.

10.40pm Kota Kinabalu: Beer is served soon after Najib leaves the dinner with the Federation of Sabah Chinese Associations and in no time middle-aged men in batik shirts break into the cha-cha.

9.35pm - Kota Kinabalu: Asked if she will vote for BN after listening to Najib's speech, kindergarten teacher Connie Wong, 56, immediately said: "Of course!

"I will vote for Yee Moh Chai for Api-api because he gave my son a 1Malaysia laptop and helped us," she said, beaming.

Wong is unmarried but has five adopted children, whom she is raising as Muslims even though she is not.

"They were abandoned as babies behind my mother's sundry shop and they had documents with them showing they were born Muslim so I raise them as Muslims," she said, showing Malaysiakini a picture of her eldest son, now 17.

In his speech, Sabah BN chief Musa Aman called on the audience, representing 134 Chinese associations in Sabah to reject the opposition's "racial politics".

"Send them a message to stop selling racial politics to create tension in Sabah," said Musa, who was earlier praised by Federation of Sabah Chinese Association acting president TC Goh.

9.30pm - Johor Bahru : In a mega dinner held at SJKC Johor Jaya, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek urges the Chinese community to think twice before changing the government.

He reiterates that changing government is not like changing clothes.

"Even when we change maids, we need to think wisely in order to get a good housekeeper.

"Therefore, do not think changing a government is a very simple thing," he says.

About 6,000 people attend the dinner. However, it appears that the crowd pays more attention to their food instead of the MCA president's speech.

This forces Chua ( left ) to remind the crowd to give him applause.

At one point, when he praises the BN government for having done a good job under BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak, there is no response from the floor.

"Eh, why so quiet?" he asks.

It is then some cheers are heard from the crowd.

9.30pm - Pulai: Some 300 Malay residents, mostly middle-aged and youths, are following the speech of PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub who is contesting the Pulai parliamentary seat and the Nusajaya state seat.

The ceramah is held in an open sports court surrounded by low-cost flats hence there are many others who are following the ceramah from their houses.

"If I win, god willing, I will continue to stay here until I die. This is my offer.

"I don't want to see people in Pulai look at the construction of luxurious houses but cannot own them.

"I don't want to see Malays marginalised under the name of development," says an angry Salahuddin ( left ).

He spends a huge part of his speech criticising BN state government and incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman for giving land, including the land of Malay villages, to developers for high profit projects.

"Ghani has made Malay lands as his reward, as his return to obtain profit," he accuses, citing upmarket development project Danga Bay and the petrochemical hub in Pengerang.

"Eleven Malay traditional villages including those of the Chinese in Pengerang will disappear if the people continue to give mandate to BN on May 5."

The incumbent Kubang Kerian MP, promises that Pakatan Rakyat will give lands to the landless and provide affordable housing to the homeless.

9.30pm - Sibu: The arrival of the DAP Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng in Sibu stirs up the town, Over 10,000 people attend Lim's ceramah at the Wonderful Shopping Centre at Jalan Sungai Merah. Indeed the traffic jam to the venue was two kilometres long.

One memorable moment is when Lim shouts "May 5!", and the crowd roars back "change the government!".

Till his arrival, the election momentum of DAP in Sibu and Lanang has been rather subdued, with ceramah not really drawing the crowds.

8pm - Kota Kinabalu: Ladies dressed in matching traditional costumes are among the many who attend dinner with caretaker Premier Najib Abdul Razak.

Some are from Chinese associations while others are kindergarten teachers.

The dinner starts with a touching tribute to the fallen security personnel from the Lahad Datu incursion.

The night soon picks up with a number said to be Najib's favourite: 'The Young Ones' and another number dedicated to his wife Rosmah Mansor, 'Sayang Kinabalu'.

7.30pm - Kota Kinabalu: The DAP ceramah planned tonight has been stopped by police purportedly because the location at the car park of Hilltop Restaurant in Luyang was unsuitable.

"We offered to move into the restaurant but they still didn't allow, so we had to cancel.

"I was expecting a crowd of 1000 tonight, so people were grumbling and blaming the police," DAP Luyang candidate Dr Hiew King Cheu said.

He said they will now cut down on all smaller open air ceramah and concentrate on larger ones in indoor private venues.

"We will submit our list to the police tomorrow and try our luck," he said.

7.08pm - Sungai Abong, Muar: BN's Bakri's candidate Lee Ching Yong holds a ceramah on a mobile stage.

"The opposition says to change the government and if people don't like it, they can change back in five years.

"But it isn't that easy, in five years a lot of damage can be done to our political and economic system," he says.

At this moment, PAS party workers slip in and begin handing out Pakatan Rakyat newsletters to the predominantly Malay crowd including BN party workers.

6:35pm

- Sungai Abong, Muar: DAP's and BN's Bakri candidates Er Teck Hwa and Lee Ching Yong bump into each other during a walkabout at Sungai Abong pasar malam.

They shake hands and exchange fliers.

"This is democracy," says a smiling Er.

6.30pm - Gelang Patah: Dozens of Orang Asli children in Simpang Arang, clad in DAP campaign t-shirts bearing the image of Lim Kit Siang or wrapped in DAP flags, today welcomed the political veteran and other DAP leaders during their visit there.

In fact, DAP and PAS flags are to be seen everywhere in the village.

As soon as Lim, Skudai candidate Dr Boo Cheng Hau and incumbent Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua arrived at village for a scheduled high tea session, several angry Orang Asli residents started to explain the problems they are facing.

Among the issues they raised were the encroachment of their native customary lands and demolition of their ancestors' burial ground due to the Iskandar Malaysia development projects.

Their village, which houses 180 families from the Seletar tribe, is located within special economic zone Iskandar Malaysia.

"If you can help us, we will support you. We make it very clear," Orang Asli Seletar Welfare Association chairperson Iskandar Loki told the DAP leaders.

4.30pm - Johor Bahru:

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s presence at a coffee shop in Johor Bahru did not go down well with all the patrons.

A middle-aged man was seen scoffing at Chua when the latter was watching a music video of MCA Bukit Bintang candidate Frankie Gan at the coffee shop this afternoon.

"Fortunately it is not the hotel clip," the man says, in reference to the infamous sex tape when Chua was then party vice-president in 2008.

Chua was watching the music video on a smartphone borrowed from a reporter during a press conference.

Speaking to Malaysiakini later, the man, who identified himself as Chong Chai Huat, a pig farmer and voter in Gelang Patah, expressed his disappointment with Chua for allowing the parliamentary seat to be handed over to Umno in this general election.

1.00pm - Sibu: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng visited the Sibu Central Market, the biggest in Southeast Asia.

He was accompanied by Sibu candidate Oscar Ling and Lanang candidate Alice Lau, and spent two hours engaging hawkers and shoppers.

Yesterday, Lanang election director and Dudong state assemblyperson Yap Hoi Liong had announced that situation in the two constituencies is alarming due to vote buying, and that the chances of victory had dropped to 40 percent.

When the group arrived, all BN banners and flags hanging within the market suddenly disappeared, said Ngieng Ping Sing, the Sibu and Lanang operations director, who found a few bags full of BN banners in a corner.

No campaign posters, flags or banners are allowed inside the public market, he said, cheekily noting that Lanang candidate Tiong Thai King is the chairperson of the Sibu Municipal Council.

12.53pm - Kuala Penyu: What is advertised to be a government function is unmistakably a campaign event.

Although organised by state foundation Yayasan Sabah, with a Kuala Penyu municipal council truck and chairs in use, almost all of the 5,000 people present are in BN t-shirts.

This is BN chief Najib Abdul Razak's first stop in Sabah for the campaign, and he is going full force, starting his speech by leading the crowd to chant "Tatap BN" (Remain with BN).

Despite the fancy tents, the sound system is disrupted several times, including when Najib is speaking. On cue, the audience breaks into song to avoid the awkward silence.

Najib is here to launch Yayasan Sabah's roadshow and to inaugurate the Sungai Sipitong bridge.

12.30pm - Kuala Lumpur: Former Umno leaders Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Mohd Tamrin Ghafar has urged the 61 members and former members of Umno, who had chosen to run as Independents, to join forces with the opposition.

The duo, now PAS members, today said there is “no future in Umno” and felt that the choice of the 61 to run as Independents reflected this.

The six-para statement, issued together with Mohd Tamrin at PAS headquarters, is the first by Muhammad since he officially joined PAS yesterday.

Muhammad, also known as 'Mat Taib' and 'Mike Tyson', was Umno vice-president and Selangor menteri besar from 1986 to 1997.

Mohd Tamrin joined PAS in August last year.

12.30pm - Muar: The side-window of DAP's campaign van in Bakri was found smashed about 4am today.

It is unclear who the perpetrator is but a police report was lodged this morning.

"It is regrettable that this happened. I hope that all sides will conduct themselves respectfully for a clean general election," says incumbent Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa who is defending his seat.

12.10pm - Pasir Gudang: About 40 Pakatan flags were found to have been torched or vandalised overnight at the Pasir Gudang parliamentary constituency in Johor.

PKR candidate Dr Ahmad Faidhi Saidi says most of the flags are those of PKR and PAS, and that some are "totally burnt".

PKR has lodged a police report and urged the police and Election Commission to ensure an end to "samseng politics".

Ahmad Faidhi, who is also the state deputy PKR chief, also claims that the party has a 50 percent of winning eight or nine parliamentary seats.

"We are contesting 12 parliamentary seats, and we have a fair chance in winning the mixed seats," he says.

The seats are Segamat, Pasir Gudang, Tebrau, Johor Bahru, Sembrong, Batu Pahat, Sekijang, Ledang and Muar.

"Seats with more than 60 percent of Malay voters are not listed as winnable seats, but we are continuing to work hard," says Ahmad Faidhi, who is contesting the Pasir Gudang seat.

10:57am: The NGO Mipas slams BN chief Najib Abdul Razak for defending Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin and asking the Indian Malaysian community to forgive him for racist statements against Hindus.

“What is most sad and disgusting is that some NGO members show their support and even kiss Zulkifli Noordin,” says Mipas secretary-general S Barathidasan in a statement.

“The Indian community will fulfill Najib’s request to forget ... by forgetting to mark a cross on his name in the ballot paper,” Barathidasan says.

He says that an apology is useless if no action is taken against racists in Umno's midst who have gotten off scot free.

10.20am: Sinar Harian reports that incumbent Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said has sworn a religious oath to deny that he is involved in the logging scandal as alleged by PKR.

This is the third time Ahmad has taken such an oath, although the issues have varied.

The first was when he denied any involvement in the issue of supplying school uniforms to needy children.

The second time, he was alleged to have contacted DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng over a multi-storey parking issue during the state legislative assembly sitting.

"I have been accused by the opposition of being involved in the logging scandal. For this reason, in front of all of you I make this religious oath," he reportedly said when swearing the oath yesterday.

"I deny being involved in corruption over the awarding of logging concessions."

9.30am - Bintulu: Issues have arisen over posters of BN's Bintulu candidate Tiong King Sing that have been found in the compound of the Tua Pek Kong temple.

According to Sin Chew Daily , a reader is not happy that a political candidate's posters have been placed in a place of worship.

The temple committee itself has said that it is apolitical and neutral, and that both BN and DAP may lease space to put up political paraphernalia.

9.00am - Sibu: Incumbent Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has announced that the allowance for over 5,000 community leaders have increased by as much as 76 percent.

The Borneo Post reports this today, also saying that a Temenggong, the highest-ranked community leader,will get RM1,500 - or 76 percent than the RM850 received previously.

The allowance of a pemanca has been increased from RM700 to RM1,200, while a penghulu will get RM1,000 from RM600 previously. The 'ketua kaum', who include kapitans, village heads and longhouse chiefs, will enjoy an increment ranging from RM450 to RM800.

"Since we already have a minimum wage, the respective increments for community leaders are to rationalise what has already been put in place," explains James Jemut Masing, the state minister of land development.