LIVE BLOG DAY 12 | With two days more till polling day on Saturday, the twin by-election heats up today as Dr Mahathir Mohamad returns to Kuala Kangsar to convey messages that are anti-Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

In Selangor, a group of fishermen in Sungai Besar is expected to picket over charges imposed by the state government.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said walks about in Sungai Besar.

Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali makes his debut since nominations in Kuala Kangsar, to campaign for Amanah’s candidate.

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli says he will continue to expose Rosmah Mansor's jet-riding issue.

Follow our LIVE BLOG as the Malaysiakini team brings you the news as it takes place.

Rafizi 'missing', so no further exposé on Rosmah's jet scandal

11pm: Sungai Besar – PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli is missing from a scheduled ceramah where he was supposed to make further exposé on Rosmah Mansor's jet scandal.

PKR student activist Fahmi Zainol says Rafizi is not feeling well, and won't be attending events today and tomorrow.

However, some 100 people are still hanging around the Kuala Kurau restaurant to listen to other speakers which include Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.

Rafizi was previously unable to speak on the Rosmah scandal during his last visit to Sungai Besar due to time constraints.

 

Sue me, I dare you, Ismail Sabri tells Kit Siang

9pm: Sungai Besar – Umno minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is prepared to be sued by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, and is mulling a counter-suit.

"He threatened to sue me, but I will stand firm. I accused him of being a racist, not anti-Islam.

"If he has a case against me, go ahead, it's a free country. He has called me a racist before too so I may make a counter-claim against him," Ismail says at a press conference here today.

Lim and Ismail have been trading barbs after the latter said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad working with anti-Malay DAP spoke volumes.

PAS gives out RM100 aid to the poor, denies it's an election ploy

8pm: Dataran Manong, Kuala Kangsar – PAS gives out RM100 to the poor and underprivileged in Kuala Kangsar during a buka puasa event.

A party staff says a total of 280 people receive the aids.

Party deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man says this is an ongoing party's welfare programme that is meant to help the poor.

He denies this is an election strategy as some who had received it are non-voters.

Meanwhile, Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan) president Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir says this is indeed a welfare programme.

PAS Kuala Kangsar election director Idris Ahmad claims that this is a monthly programme that is organised by PAS's welfare bureau.

Abdul Aziz makes fun of DAP leaders donning Amanah T-shits

8.30pm: Sungai Besar – The sight of DAP members wearing Amanah T-shirts is proof that the latter is a mere pawn, says an Umno minister.

"I have never seen DAP leaders wear the shirt of other parties so it's clear that Amanah is funded by DAP," Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said.

DAP is helping Amanah campaign, especially in Chinese majority Sekinchan, and have been wearing Amanah T-shirts to raise awareness of the newly founded party.

Raya bonuses for civil servants show how great Najib is, says minister

7.30pm Sungai Besar – Government servants getting raya bonuses is proof that Malaysia is in good hands, says Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi.

"When oil prices fell, Brunei slashed civil servants' pay.

"(But in Malaysia) more than 1.6 million civil servants are not getting pay cuts, but pay hikes and raya bonuses.

"That is how great Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is," Aziz says in a speech here today.

Win or lose, Manong bridge will be built, says minister

5pm: Kuala Kangsar – Works Minister Fadillah Yusof vows that the Manong bridge, which was announced during the by-election campaign, will be built regardless whether BN wins or loses.

"This is not an election project; this project, which was promised by the prime minister and requested for by the locals for the good for the people of Manong, was already approved in the 11th Malaysia Plan," he says while visiting the bridge's site.

Najib had announced the RM43.5 million bridge last Saturday but was ridiculed by critics who said there had already been several announcements in the past but the bridge did not materialise.

Reunion at sea for freed fishermen with family members

4.30pm: Pantai Redang, Sekinchan – Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos departs on a trawler boat from the jetty here, along with MCA leaders and family members of the two fishermen released from Indonesia's custody.

Some 20 media personnel get on board another trawler boat to capture the reunion while out at sea, since the fishermen's detention in Batam in March.

At the jetty, more MCA members and their relatives are waiting for their arrival.

The two fishermen initially arrive at the Kuala Selangor district police station on a boat from Batam.

This is after an earlier confusion on whether they will arrive via helicopter or boat.

According to the initial media invitation, the helicopter will land on the field of a nearby Chinese high school, together with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim.

Anwar banners in Kuala Kangsar as voters unaware of Amanah

2.50pm: Amanah operations centre, Kuala Kangsar – PKR hangs up posters and banners of de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as a sign of endorsement for Amanah candidate Ahmad Termizi Ramli.

"Some voters don't realise that Amanah is part of the opposition pact because they don't know the latest political developments, and are wary of Amanah," PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli says.

Najihatussalehah vows to vote for Hadi's bill if elected

2.30pm: Kuala Kangsar – PAS' Kuala Kangsar candidate Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad vows to support her party president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill in Parliament if she is elected.

"I will vote to support the amendments to Act 355 to strengthen the Syariah Courts in Malaysia.

"My support is based on my responsiblities as a Muslim woman on top of fulfilling the wishes of 83 percent of Malay voters in Kuala Kangsar who want the empowerment of syariah in Malaysia," she says in a statement.

The amendments to Act 355 or Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 seek to remove the limits on punishment meted out by the Syariah Courts.

This will pave the way for the implementation of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) 1993, which provides for hudud punishments including between 40 and 100 strokes of rotan.

Mahathir: At least Pak Lah left when no longer welcome

12.45pm: Manong town, Kuala Kangsar – Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad takes Najib down memory lane by reminding the PM he had urged for his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s resignation.

Najib, he says, continuously states that he was chosen by the rakyat and therefore cannot be removed.

“But he has forgotten how he persuaded Pak Lah (Abdullah) to resign because he really wanted the prime minister’s post,” says Mahathir in his speech at a Citizens’ Declaration event here today.

“It’s not that I really like Pak Lah, but at least when he was told that people did not like him anymore, he realised that it was so and then passed his post to Najib.”

Najib, therefore, should not pretend to be deaf and blind to the fact that many want him to go, adds Mahathir.

“He should see how the rakyat support the Citizens’ Declaration,” says Mahathir.

Fishermen picket Selangor's jetty licence

12pm: Sungai Besar – Roughly 30 fishermen hold a picket at the Sungai Nibong fishermen's jetty today over the Selangor government's plans to charge an annual fee of RM600 for the jetty's licence.

Selangor fishermen's association chairperson Mohd Jaman Haris says they have prepared a memorandum to hand to the state government, urging it to reconsider the fee as it would be an additional burden.

"The state government should make things easier and aid fishermen, not take away our ability (to make a living).

"I don't see any justification for the state to collect this tax," he says.

Yesterday The Star reported Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah as saying the Selangor government has urged Selangor Water Management Board (Luas) to revise the licence fee in light of objections, and said it has been temporarily suspended for further studies.

Luas had levied the fee to allow jetties to be better regulated, according to the report.

Najib's rating at 44pct a good sign for PAS

11.30am: Kuala Kangsar – PAS claims Prime Minister Najib Razak's approval rating among the Kuala Kangsar folks is only 44.2 percent, according to a poll it has conducted.

"More interestingly, the percentage of Malays in Kuala Kangsar is only 38.7," says Zuhdi Marzuki, the director of PAS’ research centre.

The results, he says, show possible rejection of BN in the by-election.

Thus, he says, the challenge for PAS now is to translate the dissatisfaction among the people into protest votes.

The poll also shows 59 percent of the respondents are not happy with the goods and services tax (GST), while only 22.3 percent agree with GST.

Some 83.5 percent are not satisfied with measures taken by the government to resolve issues related to price hikes and living costs.

He therefore feels PAS stands a chance to win in both Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar.

Mother laments son not among freed fishermen

11am: Sekinchan, Sg Besar – The family of one of the fishermen detained in Indonesia is disappointed his name is not included in those that Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidid announced would be returned.

“We were at the dinner where the deputy prime minister announced Indonesia’s freeing of two fishermen.

“However, we are sad the name did not include Chia Kee Chan, who is still detained in Indonesia,” says the fisherman’s brother Chia Kia Yang at an event organised for local fishermen.

He says his younger brother has been detained in Belawan, Sumatra by the Indonesian maritime forces since February, while the two that have been freed were detained in another facility in Batam.

Their 80-year-old mother also said they hope for her son’s speedy return.

“I really miss my son and hope he can come home as soon as possible,” she says.

Meanwhile, the two others that Zahid announced in Sekinchan are due to arrive home this evening.