2:50am, TUES : The opposition has failed to deny BN its two-thirds majority. BN chief Mahathir Mohamad, who won the Kubang Pasu seat with a reduced majority, is expected to call a press conference to declare victory soon. BA is likely to pick up some 40 to 45 seats, well short of the 65 seats needed to deprive BN of its psychologically crucial two-thirds majority. Nevertheless, PAS has made some inroads into the Malay frontline states of Kedah and Perlis, and won government in Kelantan and Terengganu. There was a significant swing among Malay voters to the Opposition, especially in the northern states. As expected, most Chinese voters had solidly back BN. Despite this, DAP held on to their traditional strongholds but suffered a major setback with the defeat of two key party leaders, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh.
Shahrizat defeats Zainur
2am, TUES : Shahrizat Abdul Jalil from BN beat Keadilan's Zainur Zakaria, former lawyer for Anwar Ibrahim, in the battle of Lembah Pantai by a majority of 1,417 votes.
Terengganu falls to PAS
1:50am, TUES : PAS has won enough seats to form the government in Terengganu. The spectacular victory has reduced BN to a handful of seats and led to the defeat of Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, the mentri besar in that state for more than two decades.
BN returns to power
1pm, TUES : BN has won 97 seats so far, enough to form the next government. It is still about 30 seats shy of its much cherished two-thirds majority. According to party sources, PAS won all parliament seats in Kelantan except Razaleigh Hamzah's Gua Musang. In addition, it has swept all the eight parliament seats in Terengganu. It is expected that PAS will have a final tally of some 30 seats, making it the largest opposition party.
Megat Junid loses seat
12:30am, TUES : Minister of Consumer Affairs and Domestic Trade Megat Junid Megat Ayub, who was accused by sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim of being involved in the murder of a woman and for plotting his downfall, has lost his parliament seat of Parit to Uztaz Haji Mat Basir Rahmat of PAS.
DAP not exactly wiped out in Penang
12:15am, TUES : DAP won four parliamentary seats in Penang, similar to its performance in the 1995 elections, despite the defeat suffered by two of its key leaders, Lim Kit Siang in Bukit Bendera and Karpal Singh in Jelutong. It won Bagan, Bukit Mertajam, Nibong Tebal and Tanjung. In addition to Bukit Bendera and Jelutong, BN picked up Kepala Batas, Tasek Gelugor, Bayan Baru and Balik Pulau. BN has also retained the state of Penang winning all but three seats.
Keadilan's Azizah and Azmin elected
11.55pm, MON : Keadilan president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has won the Permatang Pauh seat by a majority of 9,077. Keadilan sources also reported that Anwar Ibrahim's former political secretary Mohd Azmin Ali has also won his state seat of Hulu Kelang. However, some other Keadilan's candidates have not fared well. Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor lost in Shah Alam, vice president Tian Chua lost in Selandar and supreme council member Irene Fernandaz lost in Subang.
I accept people's verdict, says Lim
11:30pm, MON : DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, who has lost his state seat and is almost certain to lose his parliamentary seat, said he accepted the verdict of the people. He said that DAP's decision to join the Barisan Alternatif was a political risk, but the party did it not for "ourselves but for the sake of the people and country, and to restore justice and freedom, democracy and good governance". He will make an announcement about his political future in two days time. [See Lim's full statement]
BN way ahead
11pm, MON : The latest tally in parliamentary seats: BN, 37 and BA, 3.
DAP retains traditional strongholds
10:45pm, MON : Party sources confirmed that DAP has held on to its traditional strongholds in the Federal Territory, winning Cheras, Bukit Bintang, Kepong and Seputeh. It also won Kota Melaka, the former seat of DAP deputy secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. However, it lost PJ Utara to MCA. DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has asked for a third recount for his parliamentary seat of Bukit Bendera. In the previous recount, he lost by 307.
Victory for woman candidate
10:40pm, MON : DAP's Teresa "The Woman Who Squats" Kok won Seputeh parliamentary seat against MCA's Sua Chong Keh. Sua was lambasted during the election campaign for making a sexist remark against Kok last Monday.
DAP faces wiped out in Penang
10:15pm, MON : Party sources confirmed that key DAP leaders, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, lost both their parliament and state seats. There appears to be a massive swing among Chinese voters to BN.
Sources: PAS takes Terengganu
10pm, MON : According to PAS party sources, they have won Terengganu state and is doing very well in Kelantan. DAP has retained Cheras seat. According to sources, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has lost both his parliament and state seats.
PAS ahead in Terengganu, DAP doing badly
9:50pm, MON : More unconfirmed reports just in: PAS won 13 seats in Terengganu and could take the state; DAP is doing badly in Penang with party leader Lim Kit Siang narrowly ahead in his parliament seat but behind in his state seat; DAP's Karpal Singh trailing far behind in both parliament and state seat; and PRM President Syed Husin Ali also trailing the BN candidate in PJ Selatan..
Unconfirmed reports: Azizah in
9:40pm, MON : According to unconfirmed reports from sources at the counting centres, Keadilan president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail won in Permatang Pauh (Penang) while Annuar Musa and Ibrahim Ali (BN-UMNO), both key Umno leaders, are trailing behind their opponents.
Another two Sarawak seats go to BN
9:35pm, MON : BN picked up another two seats in Sarawak, P162 Kinabatangan and P166 Mas Gading.
BN leads with 10 seats
9:15pm MON : BN has won an additional three seats in Sabah: P149 Tuaran, P152 Penampang, P160 Libaran. It has also picked up another two seats in Sarawak: P176 Sri Aman and P180 Kuala Rajang. The latest tally is: BN -- 10, BA-PBS -- 1, Others - 0.
BN bags 5 seats in East Malaysia
8:35pm, MON : BN won in P.161 Sandakan (Sabah), P.179 Saratok, P.184 Lanang and P.183 Kanowit (Sarawak). It also won unopposed in P.178 Betong (Sarawak).
PBS draws first blood in Bandau
8.30pm MON :PBS Dr Maximus Ongkili drew first blood for the opposition by retaining his seat of P147 Bandau with a majority of 8, 465 votes against Maijol Mahap (BN-Upko).
70% voter turnout
8pm, MON : According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout today was about 70%. Voting in all areas had gone smoothly. Polling for Malaysia's 10th general election -- one of the most hotly contested in history -- was closed at 5.30pm. The first poll results will be expected shortly. Refresh your page frequently for the latest updates!
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NEWS ANALYSIS
Religious propaganda war
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6pm, MON : It is ironic that Barisan Nasional is making a fuss about PAS deputy president Abdul Hadi Awang's bid to enact legislation controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions. After all, the BN-led state governments have passed and gazetted similar enactments since 1988.
I accept the verdict of the people. I accept that we have taken the political risk in this election because we wanted to create a major political breakthrough to smash the political hegemony of BN.
If we had contested on our own without associating with other opposition parties to form BA, we were quite confident of winning 20 to 25 seats. But DAP was formed not just to get 20 to 25 seats but in order to establish and to realise a vision of Malaysia as a country of justice, freedom and good governance.
It was the greatest opportunity in the history of Malaysia for such a political breakthrough to take place. That can only come about if DAP cooperated with other opposition parties because DAP alone cannot deny BN's two-thirds majority nor can any other opposition party do it on its own.
By cooperating with PAS and BA, we may have an extra 5 to 10 seats, totaling 30 to 35, but we ran the higher risk of being misrepresented by MCA and Gerakan as an instrument of PAS, and that we have betrayed our principles. They have put up banners with words saying that 'the final objective of PAS is to form an Islamic state'. They didn't say that the final objective of DAP is Malaysia should forever remain a democratic and secular country.
We took the political risk not for ourselves but for the sake of the people and country, and to restore justice and freedom, democracy and good governance.
I have warned that we may lose big or win big. Until the last moment, I was not sure that I could even succeed in Kebun Bunga (state seat) or Bukit Bendera (parliament seat). I felt it was worthwhile for Malaysians to bring about a paradigm shift. I thank the Penang people for their great support and great solidarity. I would especially like to thank all DAP members and supporters.
News Analysis
Tan Boo Keong
It is ironic that Barisan Nasional is making a fuss about PAS deputy president Abdul Hadi Awang's bid to enact legislation controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions. After all, the BN-led state governments have passed and gazetted similar enactments since 1988.
The proposed Control and Restriction of Propaganda of Non-Muslim Religions (Federal Territory) 1999 introduced in Parliament a few weeks ago has been attacked by BN as part of PAS's attempt to form an Islamic state and curb other religious beliefs.
In truth, the bill is no different from the Control and Restriction of the Propaganda of Non-Muslim Religions Enactment in Perak, Selangor, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Kedah and merely formalises a platform to regulate the law nationwide.
At a press conference last weekend, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said BN component parties did not have any principles as similar BN enactments have been supported by MCA members in the respective state assemblies. "The MCA, specifically its president Ling Liong Sik, is only opposing PAS's bill because it is proposed by the opposition."
"MCA endorsed the same enactment when it was brought in by Umno but DAP state assemblymen had opposed the enactments. We still oppose the bill and we have not compromised on our stand," he said.
Lecturer Jomo K. Sundaram confirmed that the proposed PAS bill would standardise the state laws already in existence and did not seek to curtail the freedom of worship in the country. He said that this was different from another enactment, against apostasy, introduced in the various states after the Operasi Lalang in 1987 when several Muslims were found to have converted into Christianity.
Last May, it was reported that Umno Youth would support the proposed apostasy bill when it is brought into Parliament "as the bill would provide for action to be taken against Muslims who converted to other religions". It was concerned that there was a growing number of Muslims who had converted to other religions.
