DAY 14 | Azmin: Voters, not surveys, determine victor in polls

DAY 14 | Just a day left before Kuala Kubu Baharu folk cast their ballot.

Malaysiakini reports live from the ground.

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This concludes the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election campaign. Voters will now choose who will be their new assemblyperson.

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Pua says Zuraida’s ‘allocation rejected’ allegation a ‘tall tale’

11.50pm: Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng’s political aide has denied Zuraida Kamaruddin’s allegation regarding the allocation to build houses for estate workers.

Tony Pua accuses the former housing and local government minister of “concocting another fictitious tall tale”.

“She now claims that Lim twice denied her then-ministry's application to build foreign worker quarters in Bestari Jaya.

“As Lim's former political secretary, I can say that I have never seen or heard of the application, what more that Lim himself rejected the application twice,” he says.

Pua, who says “all these turncoats are the same”, recounts PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin accusing Lim of terminating the Albukhary Foundation's tax-exempt status.

“Another piece of fantastic fiction that is now subject to a defamation suit from Lim in court.

“I am surprised Zuraida is still hanging around after her trouncing in Ampang. She should just go hide somewhere where no one can see her,” he adds, referring to her defeat in the last general election.

Earlier, PSM demanded Lim to explain Zuraida’s allegation or sue her for making a false allegation.

Azmin: Voters, not surveys, determine victor in polls

11.30pm: Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairperson Azmin Ali appears not to be losing sleep over think tank Ilham Centre’s survey which predicted that Pakatan Harapan will retain the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat.

“There’s a slew of surveys. We received numerous intelligence reports. But it is the voters who will determine the winner.

“This is why we implore all voters to fulfil their responsibility in shaping the development in Kuala Kubu Baharu,” he says.

Meanwhile, Azmin denies that PN has imposed a gag order on its candidate Khairul Azhari Saut since the latter said he is unable to meet the media.

“No. There is no such thing. The media are important friends, especially during campaign periods, to ensure that fair and accurate information is disseminated to the voters.

“But today, he (Khairul) had to rush to many locations to personally meet the voters so that they will know who the candidate is,” he adds.

On Indian voters, who make up 18 percent of the roll, being a focal point in this election, Azmin says the votes for all communities matter.

Gerakan to MCA: Not an offer, just an option to be respected

Gerakan information chief Wendy Subramaniam clarifies that her president Dominic Lau did not make a direct invitation for MCA to join Perikatan Nasional.

She describes it as proposing an alternative where “MCA can be treated with the respect it deserves as a coalition partner”.

Subramaniam says there is no malice behind Lau’s comment but suggests that it is more of a concern for how MCA is treated.

“We’ve worked together as coalition partners for many decades, it is a shame to see how our former allies are mistreated by its own coalition for political expediency.

“This is more about a matter of respect than loyalty. Perhaps MCA has different priorities than Gerakan, but we prefer equal respect over blind loyalty towards partners that take us for granted,” she adds.

Subramaniam is responding to MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong who said the party is still loyal to BN and told Lau not to sow discord among the coalition’s component parties.

Lau had said that Gerakan is prepared to renew its ties with MCA if the latter exited BN.

PN never questions legal alcohol businesses - Santhara

10.30pm: Kerling, Hulu Selangor - Former deputy federal territories minister Edmund Santhara refutes claims that Perikatan Nasional will abolish the sale of alcohol if it returns to being the federal government.

Instead, the former Segamat MP says that PN never questioned legal businesses when it was the federal government.

"I was part of the federal government. During my tenure as Deputy Minister of Federal Territories, no alcohol sales licenses were revoked.

"We only opposed the sale of illicit samsu because it contains a high level of alcohol.

“So, when we were in government, we strictly eradicated illicit samsu, not all licensed sales," he tells reporters in Kerling today when asked to comment on allegations that PN would close down alcohol sales if it returned to power.

He says that, for example, there are about 400 licensed alcohol premises in Kuala Lumpur.

"But there are over 1,800 unlicensed premises. We took action against them while in government.

"The PN government also gazetted land for 18 Hindu temples within 12 months under the PN government. This proves that PN has never sidelined the interests of other religions.

"PAS was part of the government then, and they never objected. So, the Indian community need not fall for the claim that PN is anti-non-Malays," he says.

Remember Lee Kuan Yew’s visit to K’tan, Guan Eng asks Hadi

10.15pm: DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng recalls how the PAS-led Kelantan state government had welcomed Singapore’s late founding father in 2009.

He raises this after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang warned Umno supporters and members in Hulu Selangor that DAP is plotting to usurp Malay political power in Malaysia and likened it to the situation in Singapore.

Lim also says that in October last year, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man welcomed a high-powered Singapore delegation comprising National Development Minister Desmond Lee and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

During this meeting, he adds, Tuan Ibrahim spoke of cooperation and investments from Singapore into the four PAS states of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.

“DAP only had official communications with the Singapore government when Pakatan Rakyat won power in five states following the political tsunami of the 2008 general election.

“PAS appears to have good relations with Singapore compared to DAP state governments,” he adds.

Lim claims that PAS and Perikatan Nasional are not fit to lead the nation because they persist on extremist tropes of racial and religious profiling to win votes at the expense of national unity.

“For Hadi to claim that DAP wants to destroy Islam is highly irresponsible and dangerous. First, Hadi cannot show any proof or evidence of his claims. More importantly, no force on earth can destroy Islam as one of the great religions in history.

“Islam is here to stay and will be the largest religion in the world in the next 30 years. No one much less Hadi himself will believe that DAP wants to destroy Islam.

“Such outrageous lies are a clear and present danger to racial and religious harmony in the country. PAS is unfit for office whether in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election or ruling a government,” adds Lim.

Amirudin attends meet-and-greet with Indian community

9.10pm: Batang Kali, Selangor – Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari attends a “Meet and Greet with Kuala Kubu Baharu Indian Community” event, organised by the Selangor Indian Executives Association (Peis).

About 500 Indian Malaysians around Kuala Kubu Baharu join in the merriment. Also present are representatives from MIC, All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front, MyPPP, DAP, Amanah, and PKR.

Amirudin is the patron of Peis, an NGO comprising nine Selangor’s Indian PKR branch leaders.

KL DAP head confident Pang will get better result than Lee

8.20pm: Kerling, Selangor - Kuala Lumpur DAP chairperson Tan Kok Wai says he is confident that Pakatan Harapan candidate Pang Sock Tao will deliver a better result than the late Lee Kee Hiong in tomorrow’s by-election.

“I am confident,” he replies briefly when asked on this matter.

Meanwhile, in response to Gerakan president Dominic Lau's assertion that DAP is merely a decorative piece, Tan says, "Gerakan is the decorative piece, not DAP. We will prove ourselves through our performance. DAP has always been committed to delivering our promises to the best of our abilities."

Zahid denies offering individual sec-gen post in Umno 2018 polls

6.30pm: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied allegations that he offered the position of party secretary-general to an individual in exchange for supporting him as Umno president during the party's 2018 election.

Zahid says the claims made by the individual, who is now an opposition leader and has been used as part of the opposition's campaign for the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, are not true.

"... I advise him to repent quickly," Bernama reports him as saying at a press conference after chairing a coordination meeting between the Rural and Regional Development Minister and rural exco members in Kota Kinabalu today, without specifically naming the individual.

During the 2018 Umno election, the contest for the party presidency was between Zahid, Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Report lodged against TikTok user over malicious videos

6.20pm: Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor - Hulu Selangor PKR Youth vice-chief S Srikanth lodges a police report against a TikTok user named Cikgu Chandra over the 13-year unresolved issue involving the construction of SJK(T) Serendah.

Srikanth accuses Cikgu Chandra of making defamatory and malicious videos against the federal government and Hulu Selangor parliamentary coordinator Dr Sathia Prakash Nadarajan.

"That individual deliberately edited clips of Sathia's speech during GE15 to make it appear as if the government didn't care about the school's issue.

"This is a malicious and defamatory act. I hope the police will take action against this individual."

For the record, MIC Youth filed a police report in March 2024 against the same individual for allegedly undermining national harmony and causing controversy among youths, particularly involving religious issues related to the 3R (religion, royalty, and race).

Anwar best PM for Indian community - PKR leader

4.55pm: Anwar Ibrahim is the best prime minister for the Indian community, as evidenced by various aids provided to the community using an equality-based formula rather than a racial one, according to a PKR leader.

Political secretary in the PKR President's Office Manivanan Gowin says among the aid channelled to the Indian community is an RM100 million fund for the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) for socioeconomic development programmes.

In addition, there is a special fund of RM50 million for Indian Women's Empowerment (PENN), RM60 million for Indian entrepreneurs' development through the “SPUMI Goes Big” programme, RM20 million for the development of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) infrastructure and RM10 million to assist in land acquisition for SJKT construction.

The former Kapar MP says RM68 million is allocated for early schooling assistance to 455,021 Indian students and over RM474 million for Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) to 62,375 individuals.

"Only Anwar knows and comprehends the situation of the Indian community and despite facing various racist criticisms and ridicule from the opposition, he bravely moves forward to help all layers of society, including the Indian community," he says, as reported by Bernama.

Six village chiefs call for out-of-state voters to support Pang

4.45pm: Kuala Kubu Baharu, Selangor – Six village chiefs jointly record a video, calling for those working in other states to return and vote for Pakatan Harapan candidate Pang Sock Tao.

They are Simon Chen, village chief of Kampung Asam Kumbang; Go Bee Ling, village chief of Kampung Menyuruk; Tan Ching Keok, village chief of Kampung Chuang; Pek Boon Siew, village chief of Batang Kali; Chan Sook Fooi, village chief of Kampung Air Panas; and Won Loong Tat, village chief of Ulu Yam Lama.

Chen uploads the two-minute-long video on his Facebook.

“May 12 is Mother's Day, and May 11 is the by-election voting day for Kuala Kubu Baharu. I hope those working elsewhere remember to return to their hometown to vote and celebrate Mother's Day with their families,” says Chen in the video.

Nga: We disagree with police probing peaceful protests

11.50am - DAP vice-chairperson Nga Kor Ming disagrees with the police probe against activists from the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA), and similarly denies accusations DAP was ignoring the family.

“I have already called Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and requested the police to stop investigating Beng Hock’s family.

“I believe the police have received instructions, so it should not be an issue. We also do not agree with the police investigating any peaceful protests. We have done what we should do, and that’s it," Nga tells reporters after attending the late DAP assemblyperson Lee Kee Hiong’s memorial service in Kuala Kubu Baharu last night.

Nga also assures that DAP would facilitate the process of the Teoh family meeting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim if they wanted to.

On Sunday, TBH-ADA activists claimed that they were stopped by the police in Kuala Kubu Baharu and threatened with arrest after they distributed leaflets and posters while embarking on a “search for missing Prime Minister Anwar” campaign there.

TBH-ADA and the Teoh family have been requesting to meet Anwar to discuss the death of Beng Hock. They said they have been unable to secure a meeting since he took office in 2022.

Indian community urged to vote

9am - PKR deputy information chief R Ramanan advises the Indian community to be responsible citizens by participating in the democratic process to elect a new representative in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election tomorrow.

He says the community should not be swayed by sentiments instigated by certain parties who called on them to boycott the by-election.

“We in Malaysia are at peace with each other, we can coexist… but what surprises me is that among our own (Indian) community, (we’re) from the same community, but they are trying to create division. This is very disappointing and disgusting,” Bernama quotes him saying in Hulu Selangor last night.

He made the remarks after attending the briefing session on the Financing Scheme for Indian Community Entrepreneurs (Spumi)/Spumi Goes Big by the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund.

The Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election sees a four-cornered contest involving Pang Sock Tao (Pakatan Harapan), Khairul Azhari Saut (Perikatan Nasional), Hafizah Zainuddin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) and Nyau Ke Xin (Independent).

PN willing to ‘embrace’ MCA, MIC, says Muhyiddin

8.30am - Perikatan Nasional is willing to accept MCA and MIC into its fold if the two parties are not getting due respect from BN.

According to PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin, the two parties should show that they still have dignity and leave BN to work with PN.

“I have seen what was (MCA president) Wee Ka Siong said. It looks like the party has been sidelined and denied the chance to contest.

“Umno has done a lot of things that have sidelined MCA and MIC. So if the parties still had dignity, why still be with BN? They can contest solo and gauge the people’s support (towards the parties), or work with any other parties, including Gerakan, and PN, because we are ‘open’,” the Bersatu president tells reporters after attending a PN function in Batang Kali last night.

MCA had previously announced that it would sit out of the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, as it was not comfortable with statements made by DAP against the party.

‘Logical to be in Bersatu, campaign for Harapan?’

8.10am - Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin shoots down the insistence by Selat Kelang assemblyperson Abdul Rashid Asari that he is still a party member despite campaigning for Pakatan Harapan in Kuala Kubu Baharu.

“He clearly campaigned against his own party’s candidate, from the opposing side’s stage. And he insists he’s still with us (Bersatu). What logic is that?

“When he did that (campaigned against Bersatu), his membership automatically ceased. As a party leader, I can’t possibly say that all is fine. We have rules,” the Perikatan Nasional chairperson tells reporters after attending a coalition function in Batang Kali, last night.

Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin recently said that Rashid, who last month voiced support for Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, had ceased to be a party member since he campaigned for government candidate Pang Sock Tao in Kuala Kubu Baharu.

In reply, Rashid, who is also a former Selangor Bersatu chief, claimed that he is still a party member because the party constitution does not stipulate that one’s membership automatically ceases if one campaigns for an opposing party.

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