Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Anwar Ibrahim owes EC an apology

In this immediate post by-election stage, I feel it would be wise not to conduct a post mortem of the election campaign yet, to give the event a cooling off period, and instead to examine whether a number of prejudices and unfairness against the state organs responsible for the election and vital to its safe and peaceful conduct, have any grounds.

If we are interested in a 2-party system, where I questioned the aptitude of our Malaysian mentality, maturity and meanness for such a parliamentary system in my post Permatang Pauh - zillion miles from 2-party system, then we need to stop being unreasonably and blindly fanatical for or against anyone.

We need to lift the veil of sheer hatred for the other side and to see them as fellow Malaysians with a different political affiliation.

That’s a basic start to support our discussions in this post.

Let’s consider the EC.

The EC has the notoriety of being accused as an instrument of, not the State, but the ruling party, UMNO. And there’s some truth in this, though we need to see how much.

By the convention and biased logic of our prejudices, UMNO Arif Shah should have been the winner of the Permatang Pauh by-election, the constituency’s MP. And Anwar Ibrahim would have been politically cold storaged, virtually for good!

And didn’t Anwar Ibrahim himself tell the world at the very announcement of the by-election that he was bracing for ‘massive’ vote-rigging by the government to block him from winning the by-election? Read Malaysiakini Anwar braces for 'massive' vote-rigging.

Was that an Anwar ‘pre-emptive attack’, to blame the government if he were to lose and at the same time, ‘save face’ because the voters in his hor siew (tiger’s lair) in Permatang Pauh were to reject his candidature?

Then, Malaysiakini reported in 5 'phantom' buses stopped, MP and sons arrested that PKR leader Gobalakrishnan, MP for Padang Serai, and his two sons plus a supporter, adopted the PKR ‘core’ group’s habit of stopping buses, allegedly full of phantom voters.


OK, where was the evidence that the passengers were phantom voters?

Assuming for one second that they were, could those 5 busloads counter the 15,000 plus majority?

Recall the Ijok by-election where PKR supporters blocked the car of Najib by placing flower pots on the road, with one sitting on the bonnet of that car? And in Lunas?

There has been a propensity by some PKR fanatical followers to take the law into their hands like the ruthless lawless vigilante corp of the American Wild West, stringing up people they suspected (only suspected, no proof whatsoever) of crimes whilst forgetting that in their vigilante action, they would be committing crimes themselves.

I am aghast that a member of parliament would stoop to such disgraceful grandstanding antics.

They were rightfully arrested for taking the law into their own hands, though the reported police manhandling of them, if true, were unacceptable.

Well … with all these accusations against the authority, Anwar Ibrahim won with an increased majority (to that enjoyed by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah, on 08 March).


One important question - has anyone other than the Anwar Ibrahim family held the Permatang Pauh's seat since he was first voted in as the constituency's parliamentary representative? Even when he was in prison?

NOOOoo? What, really? Well, the EC has been hopeless then, hasn't it?

I recall that on the night of March 08, after the political tsunamic consequences were known to our delighted surprise, Susan Loone and I, with a gasp, gawd and omigosh ;-), agreed grudgingly that the EC and the election it conducted were fair afterall.

But if you ask the anwaristas, they will undoubtedly tell you that if not for the dodgy-ness of the EC, PKR would have won every seat (for MPs and ADUNs) contested in the general election, with Anwar Ibrahim crowned as the nation’s political supremo on 09 March 2008 - never mind that he then couldn’t stand for election, or PKR didn’t contest every seat – why let mere facts stand in the way of a damn useful prejudice.

Even if PKR were to have won every seat in the WP as well as those in 12 other States, they would have still grumbled about the missed State – such is their blind fanaticism, hatred for, and lack of reason against any opposition to their leader.

No doubt there are areas that the EC can improve on ...

... but ... ‘massive’ vote-rigging? ...

... I believe the 'great' Anwar Ibrahim owes the EC an apology.

;-) but do you believe he could ever be so gracious and humble? wakakaka!

54 comments:

  1. C'mon dickhead. If there was no vote rigging, do you think that phoney PHD to be candidate from UMNO will get 15K votes?

    ReplyDelete
  2. and what did I blog?

    Let me recall for you "... if you ask the anwaristas, they will undoubtedly tell you that if not for the dodgy-ness of the EC, PKR would have won every seat (for MPs and ADUNs) contested in the general election, with Anwar Ibrahim crowned as the nation’s political supremo on 09 March 2008 - never mind that he then couldn’t stand for election, or PKR didn’t contest every seat – why let mere facts stand in the way of a damn useful prejudice.

    Even if PKR were to have won every seat in the WP as well as those in 12 other States, they would have still grumbled about the missed State – such is their blind fanaticism, hatred for, and lack of reason against any opposition to their leader."


    My dear Romeo, you're the dickhead for not reading and understanding that ;-) wakakaka

    ReplyDelete
  3. Be that as it may, what happened to all that indelible ink that we supposedly paid for?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Last I read, there was some legal as well as dodgy issue (something about parties using the ink to prevent eligible voters from voting) about using the ink?

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. Peratus mengundi 65.25%
    2. Jumlah Undi 38,144

    3. Undi DSAI 31,195 (Kemungkinan sahih adalah tinggi)
    4. Undi Hanafi 92 (tiada sebab nak salah)

    5. Undi sebenar Arif 6,857
    6. Majoriti sebenar 24,338

    7. Undi Rasmi Arif 15,524
    8. Undi tambahan 8,667

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cerita pasal vote rigging tu semua cerita nak lapik malu kalau kalah nanti. Dia mesti dah bersedia awal2, kalau kalah tak malu, lepas tu dapat burukkan lagi kerajaan. Ni perangai biasa Anwar. Kita layankan je. Sekarang dah terbukti benda tu tak wujud, semua cakap putar belit Anwar je. Semua dah mabuk melayan cerita putar belit dia sekarang.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nah... I still believe some vote rigging here and there... ;)

    and vote buying... another solid issue that EC never addressed...

    but as for the 5 buses of people thing...

    to me it seems like a backup... If Anwar lost or win with a reduced majority... they can then always blame on phantom voters and "rigging"... plus it is good in further painting BN as a "dirty" party...

    And this was my first question when Anwar confirmed won with 15K...

    With increased majority winning... is Anwar going to tell us he should have won more shall there were no "phantoms"...?

    and as usual... noone will actually know the fate of YB Padang Serai and the 5 buses of people... because no more news already lah...~~

    It seems like MalaysiaKini nowadays a spinner itself... while accusing MSM a spin doctor... hmmm~~

    ReplyDelete
  8. Somebody forgot to mention that it was a Tuesday.
    Do you know how inconveniences voting on a working day ?
    This was done to ensures a low turnout but P.Pauh made up their minds and were determine.
    Schools have to be closed on a Tuesday and this sure made the parents mad.
    Maybe somebody also forgot to whisper out the indelible ink.
    Or was it the "invisible ink" now?
    The ink vanishes into thin air.
    And the unresolved "undi posto"
    Malaysians overseas are deny their rights to vote .
    There are bigger issues here other than phantom voters .
    By legal rights, the umno candidate ought to be disqualified. As his PhD "tak laku" !
    On what meaningful merits the EC deserves?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Apology for what?

    1. Postal vote was overwhelmingly towards BN. 400+ to 10+

    2. Media bias

    3. Tuesday polling

    4. Missing voters [almost 1000]

    5. Walking votes deemed dead

    WTF is wrong with you?

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's good to have someone with an objective point of view to keep the over-enthusiastic from going overboard, but I wonder why you have to sound like a knock on the door by raiding gang from the religious dept immediately after the couple had just had one heck of a glorious orgasm... lol.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nitey Ktemoc

    I said the same as Zarak's remarks in Susan's blog yesterday.
    But today there's a deafening, vacuous silence there.
    All euphoric over the wide majority margin.
    Anwar should also thanked PAS for doing all the work in the Malay hinterland there.
    Of course don't expect gratitude from the ungrateful man.
    He can even run down DR M who brought him into UMNO and elevate him to DPM, bypassing deserving others.
    What is EC to him, but just a government lackey.

    ReplyDelete
  12. MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE VOTE RIGGING BY EC..

    I DDON'T BELIEVE THAT CHINESE SPEAKING (?) MAMAK CAN EVEN GET 8000 VOTES.

    IF HE CAN - TIU LIAH MAH!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. zarak, I love your 'nak lapik malu' - just learnt a new Bahasa phrase ;-) Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is to the Anwaristas....when you claim vote-rigging, could care to provide any proof or even the way BN could even pull it off ? Don't talk about the stale topic of postal votes (a paltry 400 +) as it is insignificant.

    Or you guys will resort to issuing a SD to back up you claim by saying, " Well I heard it from 5 well placed sources that BN resorted to....blah blah blah" ??

    The point is that despite all the talk about 2nd Tsunami, Anwar barely got better majority than his wife. And that with Tuesday being declared as a PH by LGE, who seems competely ignore the questions of ethics when it comes to his own party and himself.

    ReplyDelete
  15. postal voting is a fundamental right of citizens living in a democracy, where every eligible voter shall be ensured of his or her rights to vote, therefore if a voter is indisposed because of military/police or essential services, the voter shall/must be permitted to vote by post - or the system would be denying him/her the fundamental democratic rights.

    in virtually all democracies, like Aus, USA, UK, the postal votes would generally favour the conservative parties - in Aus, it's the Coalition (Liberal + National), in USA it's the GOP, etc

    in Malaysia, hardly surprising, most (though not all) armed services would vote BN

    there's nothing sinister about this universal trend

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are wrong. I have seen and heard directly from young army recruits how they are forced to sign blank postal votes and application for insurance and their monthly pay deducted against their will.

    It would a waste of time trying to convince people like you. By that time, too much time wasted and water under the bridge!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good ol' KT... back to work as usual... 'Hantam'-ing Anwar.

    Any more predictions that will be untrue?

    ReplyDelete
  18. You're talking rubbish. It would be a waste of time touring your lousy blog. All of articles are of no value.I think you must be reading Utusan, The Star, NST, Bacaria, Varia Pop. Your favourite TV channels should be TV3,TV1,TV2 I guest.

    ReplyDelete
  19. "postal voting is a fundamental right of citizens living in a democracy"

    Medaline Chang, who works for REFSA and BERSIH, has a round-up of the postal voting mess this year: http://pix-pixie.blogspot.com/2008/02/postal-vote-fiasco.html

    Just to add on for the Melbourne side, noone here that I spoke to actually received their ballots, despite supposedly registering for absentee ballots.

    I think we need to be consistent: either NOONE gets to vote postally, or EVERYONE of voting age with Malaysian citizenship gets to vote postally provided they register promptly. There are logistical issues to fix, but if they can't be fixed, then I think the whole thing should be scrapped.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mate, these days I love reading your blog. Not so much for what you write (no offense), but because your Anwaristas are hilarious as hell!

    ReplyDelete
  21. pls pay some attn to the above and i repeat here:
    @ 5pm:
    EC announce - rasmi: Peratus mengundi 65.25%, works out to Jumlah Undi 38,144

    @ 9.45pm:
    Undi DSAI 31,195 (Kemungkinan sahih adalah tinggi)
    Undi Hanafi 92 (tiada sebab nak salah)
    Undi Rasmi Arif 15,524
    Peratus mengundi 80.8%??????

    someone dont know his maths lah!!!

    so i do agree:
    Undi sebenar Arif 6,857
    Majoriti sebenar 24,338

    Undi tambahan 8,667

    Now, why nobody's talking about this.
    hey, it was raining cats and dogs + the traffic woes, + it's a Tues, those outside Penang no holiday lah; how to get 80% voters turnout? use your heads lah!!!

    and yes, ungrateful anwar has forgotten about PAS. and yes, he is PPauh's prodigal son. so what's the big deal lah! go cabar najis @ pekan, i dare him!

    we still need this blog as there are far too many anwarista blogs around; but take it with a pinch of salt, kaytee can sometime be too anwar-songsangista!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. int, I agree with you that no citizen should be denied. The EC has to develop a sound admin-logistic structure to cope with overseas citizens.

    I disagree with any law disqualifying citizens who are overseas (other than the 3 named categories) from being postal voters, which has been why I wrote "No doubt there are areas that the EC can improve on ..."

    This post does not give 100% approval to the EC but in spite of its shortcomings (and there have been many) the polling has been in general fair ... which is why I urge Malaysians that if we are interested in a 2-party system, "we need to stop being unreasonably and blindly fanatical for or against anyone.

    We need to lift the veil of sheer hatred for the other side and to see them as fellow Malaysians ..."
    , and provide constructive criticisms rather than mere condemnation.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dear All

    Two things one can admire about Ktemoc:

    1. His bravery (stubborness?) in
    continuing his attacks on Anwar
    Ibrahim in spite of the
    brickbats from "the other side"
    2. His immense creativity in
    finding new ways to bash Anwar
    Ibrahim

    Phua Kai Lit

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ktemoc,

    Sometime I just don't know whether to cry or to laugh - facing people like U!

    U want to look fair & yet U r willingly bending some rules just to suit yr 'egos' & 'anwar-phobias'.

    The very BASIC requirement of democracy ask for a FAIR & IMPARTIAL middle-organisation.

    EC should part of that machinery!

    AND yet our EC falls flat almost on all counts!

    Like all bolihland govt setups - such fairness is a NO NO!

    Wake up - or forever hold yr piece in OZ, ok?

    gwlnet

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ktemoc -"No doubt there are areas that the EC can improve on ..."
    It sounds like just some innocent administrative inefficiencies which need to be addressed, but in reality far worse than that. The EC is NOT a neutral arbitrator that it is supposed to be.

    Oh, they haven't totally lost their way. They still work to earn their salary. On the purely mechanical part of organising the elections and vote counting, they generally follow the letter of the law. But in areas where they have to make a decision call, the EC usually acts as an arm of the executive.

    Its like the courts system. 95% of the cases, where the Executive does not have a political agenda, are probably kosher. But its the crucial 5% where the Executive says "Thou SHALL act per my direction" and they just say "Yes, Tuan, consider it done".

    On the subject of postal votes. My uncle, who is a decorated "Polis Hutan" veteran, wounded in action 1965, told me out in the field, postal votes were made in front of officers. Officers basically ensured the votes were made in favour of the Government..no need to compare with Australa and USA...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Susan Loone has a very thoughtful post on her blog on Anwar, Permatang Pauh, Putrajaya and the future of the country.

    http://sloone.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/anwar-can-i-drive-you-to-putrajaya/#more-2268

    ReplyDelete
  27. Phua Kai Lit

    learn to agree to disagree . When in Rome do as the Romans do . Do you see commentators panning such comments about her ! There will always be pro and anti gomen blogs . Will there be democrazy if you only get anwaristas blog or anwarkini blogs ? Common man these blogs are full of personal bashings , calling of names for the whole world to see . Still not satisfied and still cannot ktemoc's opinion or the way he writes ? I am quite disappointed really !

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sorry missed out this in my hurry to post !

    Correction ;
    Do you see commentators panning such comments about her in Susan Loone's blog ?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh mind ! Don't know what happen to me today !

    correction !

    Still not satisfied and still cannot accept ktemoc's opinion or the way he writes or what he writes ? I am quite disappointed really !

    ReplyDelete
  30. kittykat46

    Still a long way to go , what's in front of the road , we can guess but cannot see the road ahead . Its still shrouded in thick smoke or mist . But as I said earlier things should be getting better from now on ! People should by now have woken up !

    ReplyDelete
  31. Actually, the EC has to apologize to the whole country because its head is appointed by the PM, i.e. the EC is run by umno. In other true democracies, both its head and the PM would had been lynched

    ReplyDelete
  32. romeo61

    C'mon dickhead.

    Care to call some other blog owners aponghead or cu**head ? See what response you'll get ! If you do not know what blog I am referring to kindly refer to kitty's comment .

    ReplyDelete
  33. It is funny how people always talk about "hearing" instances of when the members of armed forces/police were "forced" to vote for BN.

    I am saying funny because PKR/PR is always on the lookout for bullets to fire at BN and will latch on any proof that they can get their hands on.If such practices do actually exist (in real world and not in the perverted mind of RPK), don't you think RPK, Azmin. LKS or DSAI wouldn't have called an press conference and made this an international issue ?

    I don't think postal votes can influence results significantly even in GE, much less in a by-election where the results are looked at like hawks by the candidates. A case of point is the Rembau GE result. KJ was accused of benefitting from postal votes but in the end, when the truth was exposed, PR looked silly.

    It is not commonly known but we insiders do know the fact that some policemen openly and covertly sided with PAS and PKR in the PP by-election. If BN had ordered the postal votes to be manipulated, I am sure DSAI would have made sure it would have ended up on the front pages of every major global web sites and news papers.

    As for Kittykat46, you seems to confuse the role of EC and the election process. Perhaps you should go to their website and read the roles and responsibilities before accusing them of being baised. Of course EC might be politically aligned to BN but that does not mean they actively work for BN and against PR. Perhaps you could give specific instances when EC acted unfairly. You need to understand that although some of the aspects of the electoral process is biased against PR, it is not due to EC but due to other facts and the advantage enjoyed by the incumbant.

    If you say EC is biased, then they could have easily disqualified DSAI due to the amount $ spent in PP far exceed the limit. Just look at the massive billboards, these alone would have caused a fortune.

    ReplyDelete
  34. On the surface and many people assumption, EC are siding with BN. But on further analysis, EC may be collaborating instead with PR or UMNO may have a pack with PKR.

    The election which was held on working day definitely make BN look bad that BN are preventing working voters right form voting. And the last minutes populist holiday declaration surely make PR looks goods in the eyes of the voters and people. This all may be planned.

    In the history of Malaysia by- election, how many time were held on working day?

    Assuming EC are tools of BN, they are not so dump stupid to held the election on working days when the budget 2009 is just around the conner. They will held election after the budget where BN can announce all the goodies and make populist policies which design to favour BN to win the election and kill off Anwar. Why it was not done?


    Either ABB administration are a responsible government who does not go so low to make populist policies or they are opening the gate for Anwar easy entry to UMNO, the absent of powerful BN machineries and lukewarm campaigning by UMNO speak volumes by itself.


    I smell shit

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi chaptokam

    1. My comments follow
    the "British Parliament style" of
    political debate i.e. ridicule your political opponents in a witty way. And without resorting to vulgar name-calling. I don't see anything wrong with that e.g. in saying that
    Ktemoc shows "immense creativity in finding new ways to bash Anwar Ibrahim". He does too ! :-)


    2. See my comment posted
    on Ktemoc's previous article:

    i.e. BN supporters like you should work to replace your incompetent
    and malevolent FIL-SIL leadership (and replace with better ones such as Razaleigh) first. Put your own house in order first. Rather than keep on engaging in denial in the face of political reality and obsessive Anwar-bashing.

    Phua Kai Lit
    Anwar. Put your house in order first, in other words.

    ReplyDelete
  36. KTemoc said,"OK, where was the evidence that the passengers were phantom voters?
    Assuming for one second that they were, could those 5 busloads counter the 15,000 plus majority?"

    KT, i have always thought you are a voice of reason, but your argument is not sound here. 'Assuming' those 5 busloads were phantom voters, it really doesn't matter that they can counter the 15,000+ majority or not. It is just pure WRONG to send in phantom voters, or paid voters for that matter.
    KTemoc, you are like saying its ok to do something illegal, as long as the consequence is not something pivotal.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Oops.

    Last sentence should be deleted in
    my 11:35 am post. (Sentence below my name).

    Phua Kai Lit

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dear All

    Xiean's post illustrates my point (very well) that all these BN supporters are in denial in the face of political reality!
    Please continue to entertain us (on the other side) with your delusional conspiracy theories. :-)

    Enough said. I'm off to enjoy savour my lunch and also to savour the latest victory for People Power in Malaysia!

    Phua Kai Lit

    ReplyDelete
  39. Chaptokam,
    The road ahead is still shrouded in mist, but the principle of Karma is inescapable.

    UMNO's bad karma is catching up with it. Anwar Ibrahim may be a flawed character, but he is likely the vehicle of UMNO's karmic payback.

    ReplyDelete
  40. sorindian, my first sentence on that issue stands - where's the evidence?

    The following sentence was a bit of side argument, to show the ridiculous nature of alleged phantom voters having any impact with a mere 5 busloads ... which has bene nothing more than illegal grandstanding by a PKR person.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Phua, your PKR matey romeo had called me a dickhead because he didn't like my post - but ironically because of his typically intolerant anwarista behaviour he proved my very point that:

    "if you ask the anwaristas, they will undoubtedly tell you that if not for the dodgy-ness of the EC, PKR would have won every seat (for MPs and ADUNs) contested in the general election, with Anwar Ibrahim crowned as the nation’s political supremo on 09 March 2008 - never mind that he then couldn’t stand for election, or PKR didn’t contest every seat – why let mere facts stand in the way of a damn useful prejudice.

    Even if PKR were to have won every seat in the WP as well as those in 12 other States, they would have still grumbled about the missed State – such is their blind fanaticism, hatred for, and lack of reason against any opposition to their leader."


    wakakaka - I love him ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  42. The problem with your analyses are that they are "before" and "after" scenarios, not "with" and "without". So since DSAI won, then their cries of vote rigging, phantom voters and some 800+ voters (from the 0308 electoral rolls) whose names are missing are cries of wolf! Yet you wouldn't consider that if indeed all the above did not happen (i.e. without missing names etc) then the outcomes would have been different.
    It's the same with your story that the leopard doesn't lose its spots. Don't you think DSAI would have learnt something in the six years he spent in Sg Buloh? Or do you think those six years were a picnic/vacation?
    Move on my friend-embrace the PR and the possibilities for change. You won't get anything new from the existing BN govt

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi Ktemoc

    People who call others "d...head"
    just because they are on the other side of the political divide are completely lacking in manners.
    I sympathise with you.
    We need not engage in vulgar name-calling. Neither should we demonise people from the other political side.
    (But this rule may not apply to the SIL and his longkang politics though :-) )

    You, Ktemoc, are indeed a brave man in going against the majority tide. Hats off to you! (and no political ridicule or sarcasm intended here!)

    Phua Kai Lit

    ReplyDelete
  44. Phua,


    I do not trust Anwar and PR coalition as much as I do not trust Najib and BN, I believe at the end of the day Anwar PR will disappoint the people. Time will tell.

    And for people like you anwaristas, you give me the impression that you are narrow minded which think within a box that if we are not with you, we must be with them. Sorry lah, you got me wrong.

    Can blame you that you are so straight and cannot see outside the box.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Xiean

    I am an Anwarista?
    That's news to me.

    I don't know how many times I've said (courtesy of Ktemoc) that I am "wary of Anwar".
    Anwar is also pro-capitalist but I'm a (mild) socialist.

    Like Dr Toh, I support the popular movement for change but not necessarily Anwar himself.

    Phua Kai Lit

    ReplyDelete
  46. After all that is said, "Supernova's" analysis says it all.

    His analysis is fact. Not opinion which we have in abundance here.

    If at 5 pm when voting ends, voters turnout was 62.3%, it is absurd that postal voters accounted for an additional 15.5%
    votes at 9.45 pm to give a total "turnout" of 80.8%!

    This is bullsh*t and ought to be audited if not investigated. I'd wager you the evidence lies therein to "hang" the EC for perjury and fraudulent voting process.

    "Supernova's" calculation is correct. Arif actually won only 6.857 votes, or about 18% of the votes.

    As experienced management will tell you about the 20 - 80 dictum, rest assure, the postal votes is the main cause of the skewed if not fraudulent votes.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Phua Kai Lit

    You are a man of honour !And you have my respect for saying this !!.

    You, Ktemoc, are indeed a brave man in going against the majority tide. Hats off to you! (and no political ridicule or sarcasm intended here!)

    Not many people have the balls to go against the tide even though the odds are heavily stack against him / her . For most or almost all they would like to flow with the tide . It's just like someone telling his boss what his boss likes to hear and not what he doesn't like to hear which can be the truth !

    Cheerio ! but don't blame xiean he's also a very good guy just like me as I sometimes shoot from the hip without thinking ! After all we are humans and nobody's perfect !

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous said...

    MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE VOTE RIGGING BY EC..

    Hey anonymous you sound like that TAN TONG TONG guy in Penang in the eighties going round town selling keam ak noi and shouting keam ak noi ( ducks eggs )with his loh kor ( drum ) beating away !

    ReplyDelete
  49. According to EC there were only 490 postal votes. Go figure!

    At 9.30 when they announced the partial results (90 over boxes had been opened by then), I thought their math was pretty bad as the total obtained by Anwar and Ariff together exceeded the total votes cast(some 65.something %). Ha ha the phantom riders won.

    ReplyDelete
  50. hey chaptokam, as I'm interested in Penang's earlier period culture, I asked my Unc about your "TAN TONG TONG guy in Penang in the eighties going round town selling keam ak noi and shouting keam ak noi (ducks eggs)with his loh kor (drum) beating away!"

    He told me a different version of (or person in) Tan Tong Tong, as he remembered of him.

    Apparently Mr Tan was a slim man of average height, and of very very dark complexion (more than the usual sun tan).

    He played a Chinese 'guitar' (lute???) on which hung a Chinese lantern with fortune sticks (ch'iam), and sang beautiful Hokkien songs (not in the Penang Hokkien as we know of the Island's lingua franca, but orthodox Hokkien of the variety spoken in China or southern Malaysian).

    He was also a fortune teller, combining that with his Alan-a-Dale virtuosity - after hearing about this unique bloke from Unc, I'll be posting on the tale of Mr Tan in my other blog ktemoc kongsamkok to capture Penang's earlier cultural personality, as part of my plan to write about 'things Penang'. Would appreciate any photos of Mr Tan if you have them.

    Oh, BTW, the selling by Mr Tan of kiam arh nooi and his beating of the low kor have been completely new to Unc.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Perhaps I am a bit too hard on the EC people.

    As the true mass media people would say, "Our job is to report the news. Fabrication of news? That's the Government's job".

    Lame? I don't know.

    Then again, where are the scrutineers?

    Meantime, that "botak" Syed hamid should ceased being double-standard. Why isn't he "throwing-the-book" at the Utusan Malaysia for gross sedition and jail all its key operatives?

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  52. Perhaps I am a bit too hard on the EC people. As the mass media people will be wont to rationalise, "Our job is just to report the news. Fabrication of news? That's the Government's job".

    Lame? Acceptable? What do you think?

    Meantime, that "botak" Syed hamid should cease being double-standard. Why isn't he "throwing the book" at the Utusan Malaysia for gross sedition and charge all its key operatives?

    For all your intelligence, Mr Hamid, I can only conclude you are intellectually dishonest and have sold your soul to the Devil.

    A pity, for a man of your ability.

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  53. Hi KT,

    Your vision of Tan Tong Tong is correct, but I think its was in the sixties and seventies. I personally hear his singing before and he is talented. But people also also like to make fun of him that he is a joker.

    Perhaps The Star may have his record and picture.

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  54. KTemoc

    Hey KT sorry I didn't reply earlier , thought nobody interested in this Tan Tong Tong fellow ! Yeah your uncle and xiean were right .

    I posted it in that manner as I wanted it to sound sarcastic in the way anonymous posted MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE VOTE RIGGING BY EC..so I purposely let it rhyme Kiam arh nooi,kiam arh nooi,kiam arh nooi .

    Give me your email send you some old Penang photos ! I am sure you know my email everytime I post a comment.

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