DAP's Super Sunday in Ipoh draws 15,000

DAY 9 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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11.30pm - Ipoh, Perak: Perak DAP sees a 15,000-strong turnout at their mega ceramah, dubbed ‘Super Sunday’ at Jalan Laxamana, Ipoh.

Making his finale address Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Min tells Perakians to become the Taiwan popular singer Leehong Wang on the polling day.

The singer’s name also sounds like  ‘green, red, yellow’ in Chinese, and Nga urges the people to wear these colours to the polling stations.

“Yellow represents support for Bersih (the electoral reform movement). Green shows that you are against hazardous industries, is against the rare-earth plant and want to protect your homeland.”

“Red is the colour of DAP; it represents the spirit of indomitable courage, and that is to change the regime.

“You can dress in these three colours, but not in blue,” he quipped, as that is the symbolic colour of their rivals BN.

With the strong support of the crowd, the party has successfully raised RM43,580.90 in campaign funds for this general election.

 

11.30pm - Johor Bahru: Tonight Pakatan finally sees the largest Malay rally in Johor since nomination with some 1,000 animated Malay residents, mostly youths, gathering at a field in Bandar Baru Uda listening to the speeches of Pakatan leaders including former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Taib and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution.

That the duo are the only high profile leaders speaking tonight and the field is muddy and wet from an earlier shower doesn’t deter the crowd from standing inside the field while others follow the speeches from the roadside.

Despite many mega ceramah in Chinese areas having received overwhelming response, Pakatan has been struggling to build the same momentum with the Malay voters, who have been largely indifferent to its campaign.

The attendance tonight is a milestone for Pakatan and may signal the beginning of a greater momentum in southern Johor.

10pm - Gelang Patah, Johor: Former Selangor Menteri Besar Muhammad Taib speaks to a multiracial crowd of about 100 in Kampung Pekajang in the Nusajaya state seat, contested by PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub.

"Some say when Pakatan Rakyat takes power, it would change the constitution and get rid of religion, Malay rulers and language. This is simply propaganda.

"In their manifesto, they have said that they would respect the sultans as rulers, retain language and religion, and they would not disturb the special privileges of the Malays. What they want is just to perform the job more effectively.

"Don't move backwards, like what has happened to our football team," he says.

He also cited Australia as example to argue that ruling parties should be changed every 10 years as they become no longer "enthusiastic".

"Like the English saying, 'new broom sweeps better'."

Ng Suee Lim, DAP incumbent state assemblyperson of Sekinchan from Selangor, then takes the stage and draws laughter from the floor speaking in fluent Malay-Jawa.

Although Kampung Pekajang is a traditional rural Malay village, several dozens of Chinese are spotted among the audience.

"We came from Kulai (40km away) to watch Lim Kit Siang," says one lady to Malaysiakini.

Kit Siang is slated to give a speech later.

10pm - Skudai: Johor BN chief Abdul Ghani Othman is reported saying the distribution of May 13 leaflets should not happen during the election campaign.

According to the evening edition of China Press, Ghani tells reporters this afternoon that he doesn't know where the leaflets came from, but says sensitive issues like May 13 should not be used during the campaign.

 

Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that BN campaigners were distributing leaflets ( right ) in a night market at Taman University, Skudai last Friday accusing DAP Gelang Patah candidate Lim Kit Siang of being the mastermind behind the 1969 tragedy.

Ghani is Lim's opponent in the Chinese majority seat.

6pm - Nusajaya: Visiting a Malay traditional village, PAS national veep Salahuddin Ayub tells the residents that there is no need to fear DAP or its Gelang Patah candidate Lim Kit Siang.

He says Lim has nothing to do with the land issue that has always a major concern of the Malays in various villages in Johor.

"This is not the fault of Kit Siang or DAP. Why do we fear Kit Siang like he is anti-Malay and anti-Islam?

"Did he take from you anything? He did not take any land in Skudai and did not take any house in Tamboi," he says.

About 30 locals from the Kampung Sungei Melayu turn out to listen to Salahuddin's short speech.

Salahuddin is contesting Nusajaya, a state seat that falls under the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat, which Lim is contesting.

5.50pm - Bagan Sungai Burung: Former International Islamic University constitutional rights expert Abdul Aziz Bari speaks to about 50 Chinese and Malays here.

He promises to look into the land titles affecting the local Chinese and Indian community and will fight for doctors to be placed at the Sabak Bernam medical clinic.

At present he says people here have to go to Teluk Intan or Klang to seek treatment, Also present is Sabak state candidate Sallehan Muhyi from PAS.

5.30pm - Muar: Adopting an unconventional campaign method, PKR's Muar candidate Nor Hizwan Ahmad is frying bananas and handing them out free, together with Pakatan Rakyat flyers to passing vehicles.

The response is positive with several stopping to greet the candidate, including an express bus.

4.15pm - Shah Alam: MIC Wanita has set up a tent in Shah Alam Seksyen 23 ahead of an event to pledge support to Shah Alam's parliamentary and state candidates.

Here, the women are eager to show their ‘handiwork’ as they cook murukku (Indian chips), and also have stations to apply free make up, touch up, and henna. 

4.12pm - Beaufort: BN has launched a whispering campaign against PKR candidate Lajim Ukin.

Beaufort Umno acting chief Isnin Aliasnih, who is contesting the Klias state seat there against Lajim, told Bernama they are "revealing the secret" over why Lajim had left Umno.  

3.20pm - Sungai Besar: Incumbent Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister Noh Omar arrives to launch the Agrobank ATM machine in Pasir Panjang.

Also present is incumbent Deputy Minister for Women and Community Development Noriah Kasnon, the Sungai Besar incumbent MP who is defending her seat.

3.11pm - Taipei: The mystery of the eight missing voters in the Taiwan roll is solved, reports Malaysiakini ’s volunteer in Taipei. The root of the problem, the EC officers discover, is they had missed out a page when printing out the roll.

The names of all the eight voters involved are on the missing page. With the matter resolved, voters are scrambling to head back to the centre to cast their ballots.

2pm - Taipei, Taiwan: There are now eight first time voters who find their names missing from the roll.

After receiving their complaints, the official in charge has contacted Malaysian Election Commision (EC), which is checking the matter. The EC doesn't rule out the ballots may have been mistakenly posted to another location, and these voters may have go back to Malaysia to vote on May 5.

1.35pm - Muar: PKR's Muar candidate Nor Hizwan Ahmad meets church leaders at a cafe in Muar town. The cafe serves Hizwan cups of latte with the PKR flag and words such as ‘PKR win’ on it.

"We didn't ask them to do it, the waiter just saw our PKR T-shirts and they made it like that," said a PKR activist.

12pm - Sarikei: Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Peter Chin tells the locals to vote for its candidate Ding Kuong Hiing for the sake of “development and parliamentarian allocations”.

"If Ding is defeated and DAP wins the seat, the annual allocation of RM1.5 million will be gone, you will get zero," he says in a ceramah next to Bintangor market, which attracts an over 300 crowd.

"How are you going to organise activities (without the funds)? You think about it," he said.

Chin further says only BN candidates can help the locals to build and fix roads, and ensure water and electricity supply, saying DAP has no chance in helping the local community.

12.00pm : Voting at various Malaysian missions throughout the world have started.

The voting appears to be going smoothly according to some reports, albeit without the use of indelible ink, and thus far it seems most voters are happy.

However, there are some complaints from voters in Taipei and Melbourne. Seven Malaysians claim that their registrations to be overseas voters had been approved, but their names are not on the list on polling day.

In Melbourne ( left ), Australia, a long queue is reported with complaints of the slow process and glitches in.

According to reports compiled by Global Bersih, one voter was reported taking three hours to complete the process from start to finish, sparking fears amongst the voters that the centre may be closed before everyone can cast their ballots.

According to Global Bersih, Melbourne has the largest number of registered voters in Australia (1,700) followed by Canberra (385) and Perth (315).

9.30am - Lubok Antu, Sarawak: About 5,400 families in Lubok Antu parliamentary constituency will each receive another RM500 in financial support.

The Sunday Post today quoted Sarawak deputy chief minister Alfred Jabu Numpang ( left ), as saying that this has been approved by caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, and he urged the people to give fullsupport to BN.

He said Najib's visit yesterday to few longhouses showed his concern about people in the rural areas.

"We must repay his kindness by ensuring BN candidates win with a bigger majority," he added.