your say 'It is very difficult for any candidate to accept defeat gracefully when the opponent uses the dirtiest means to secure a win. What honour was there in this victory?'

 

Zaid to file election petition

Loyal Malaysian: If Zaid Ibrahim believes he has recourse to an election petition, he should pursue it. What about those voters denied their voting rights because the EC transferred them to another constituency arbitrarily?

Kgen: The transfer of pro-opposition voters outside the constituency is certainly illegal as redrawing boundaries can only be done with an act of parliament. The EC (Election Cheater) must be legally challenged on this or it opens the gates for another form of cheating.

Swapping 14,000 voters between polling stations to cause confusion and ostensibly help BN is bad enough. However, the EC displays its stupidity by resorting to this desperate act. It is mainly old people who are inconvenienced from voting, those who generally support BN.

Cocomomo: Zaid said he will sue for only RM1. While he is suing as a matter of principle and not for the money, he should pursue the suit to claim the maximum amount possible, as some people will only learn if they suffer ‘monetarily'. They should not be allowed to get away with false and defamatory statements. If Zaid succeeds, he can donate the money to an appropriate charity.

WandererAUS: It is very difficult for any candidate to accept defeat gracefully when the opponent uses the dirtiest means to secure a win. As seen in this Hulu Selangor ‘buy-election', Umno acted without any integrity and principle. What honour was there in this victory?

The Umno-led coalition, with its gutter politics, obscene buying of votes and intentional lies against its opponent has brought shame to the coalition and nation, a pariah political party in a democratic society.

Ong Guan Sin: Zaid made the right move. It should be welcome by all right-minded Malaysians. We all knew about the blatant vote-buying by PM Najib Abdul Razak (RM50,000 for the 100 Felda settlers, etc), and yet, we seem to accept it as a cultural thing.

What Zaid is doing here is to counter such culture from taking hold in our society. The culture of vote-buying, whether the giver and the receiver, is never right.

Lonestar: Zaid should just go ahead and file his petition. The rakyat should not be held to ransom whenever elections are held. The money that is used during such ‘buy-elections', like the RM50,000 given to the Felda folks is the rakyat's, and not for the government to use to fish for votes.

Plans for development should not be announced during election campaigns and provided only if the government of the day wins. Development should be provided wherever and whenever needed, whoever wins. Let's have cleanly fought elections.

Concerned citizen: Why is it that Zaid wants to sue Utusan Malaysia for saying he is kaki botol (alcoholic), but not the bloggers who call him kaki botol ? Double standards?

Take the loss like a man. Pakatan Rakyat and the Selangor government were not exactly innocent in the by-election. There were many handouts by them also. Don't be a sore loser.

Pissed off: A perfect gentleman continues to fight for principles. Unfortunately, how do you fight in courts that already have pre-arranged verdicts? But yes, please do show these parasites that money can't protect them forever from the people from whom the money was stolen.

Inspector Closseau: Go for it, Zaid. The rakyat can clearly see that the Hulu Selangor election is a clear ‘buy-election'. To make matter worse, the Election Commission (EC) kept quiet throughout the campaign period. Whoever won the election on promises of monetary return or in kind violated the Election Act 1958.

Another point is how on earth can a winner be declared when the number of votes counted is more than the voter turnout. You can spin all you want, EC, but the statements you've made clearly shows an incompetent EC.

Chee Hoe Siew: Dear Zaid, Please heed my advice and refrain from pursuing this matter, because it will do you more damage than benefit. The opposition should learn by now that they are not going anywhere within Malaysia's system, because the civil service is controlled by Umno.

Have patience and do more work with the grassroots. This has been Pakatan's weakness, especially for PKR. You lost because you have not cultivated a bond with the people of Hulu Selangor. That's why they can easily be bought over.

BTN: Zaid, teach all this people who accused you a lesson on what it means to be a good and fair Muslim. They profess to be Muslims, but their deeds are worse than Satan's. They have neither fairness nor professionalism at all. They behave as if they were plucked out from some distant kampung and suddenly clothed in suit and tie. This type of people will bring shame and disaster to the Malays.

Disgusted: Go for it, Zaid. Even if you don't win... at least it comes out in the open. Let's pray that some day Umno will be chased out of Putrajaya. Only then can Malaysia begin to move forward.

This means that Pakatan should get the Sibu seat. I can tell you that the Ibans decide who wins Sibu because the Chinese voters are now aware of BN's corruption. Ibans are easy to sway. Just ‘camp' at their longhouse for one or two weeks before elections, slaughter some pigs, bring crates of beer and "langkau" (traditional alcoholic drink) every day until election day.

On top of that, provide anything they ask for - plates, spoons, zinc sheets, rice, sugar, etc. Give RM5 to RM50 to each family. This was exactly what BN did during the Lubok Antu ‘buy-election'.

 

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