Malaysiakini brings you the latest election news and snippets from around the web. Find out who is up to what and where; who's saying what about who and why; and who's planning what against who and how!

Bernama

IGP warns against obstructing voters

Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said stern action would be taken against all parties who obstruct the public from turning out to cast their votes on Saturday.

"Don't make your own laws. Police will ensure that this (obstruction) will not happen," he said.

Musa, who is observing the campaign, was asked to comment on rumours that the opposition would attempt to stop vehicles bringing Kelantan and Terengganu voters by claiming that there were ‘phantom’ voters.

Abnormally high number of 'silent voters'

Political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff said there is an abnormally high percentage of silent voters, estimated at between 35 and 40 percent of the electorate nationwide.

He said the figure is almost double the average of about 20 percent of silent voters in any general election.

"Ground assessment showed that they have not made up their minds for reasons best known to them.

"They are still assessing the government's performance, the country's leadership, efforts to combat corruption, integrity of the judiciary apart from the bread-and-butter issues such the rising cost of living and crime index as well as the opposition's side of the story.”

Star Online

'New Penang CM must be fair'

Umno supreme council member Dr Hilmi Yahaya said Penang Umno leaders want a chief minister who is fair to all races and can ensure the progress of the state.

He said the teamwork policy embraced by outgoing chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon must be maintained.

"The chief minister's post is like an institution. It is not about one leader. The policy has always been about teamwork and working towards the same goal," he said.

Police eye on 31 ‘hot areas’

Police are keeping a close eye on 31 ‘hot areas’ in Kelantan.

“About 4,200 policemen have been deployed, and police in Kelantan will be aided by 311 men from the LSF (Light Strike Force) and FRU (Federal Reserve Unit),” said Inspector-General Musa Hassan, who declined to reveal the locations.

Free taxi-ride for voters in Ipoh

Fifty taxis will ferry Ipoh voters to their polling stations free of charge, come Saturday.

Ipoh City Taxi Operators Association secretary Leong Yew said this was the association’s way of showing support for Barisan Nasional (BN).

“The service is free and there will be at least two taxis at each polling station to ferry the voters,” he said adding that priority would be for senior citizens and women.

New Straits Times Online

Koh: Opposition has poisoned minds

Acting Gerakan head Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the opposition has poisoned the minds of Penang voters to deny BN a two-thirds majority in the state legislature.

He was referring to claims by the DAP that the non-Malay political power in the state is declining and that there is a need to deny BN a two-thirds majority.

“This is a very misleading argument. They are trying to make it very racial. In their every ceramah, the DAP is trying to scare voters,” he told reporters at the Penang Gerakan headquarters.

Khairy says opposition is ‘desperate’

BN Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin has cautioned voters to be wary of desperate last-minute tactics by the opposition.

“I got wind that the opposition would try to create confusion among voters and also intensify their campaign during the last remaining hours of the campaign period. Please be cautious and make sure you do not hand your identity card to anyone on polling day," he said in Rembau today.

Harakah Daily

‘BN and EC planning large-scale fraud’

PAS is claiming that BN is working with the Election Commission to plan fraud on a large scale to recapture Kelantan.

At a press conference today, Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir, the press secretary to party president Nik Aziz Nik Abdul Mat, said this was based on how the BN machinery has been managed.

He alleged that BN will abuse all flaws found in the electoral roll with the help of specific government agencies to execute this fraud.