Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The circus in Gelang Patah

Reminds you of anyone?
Fifty-fifty. That's what most people offer when you ask for the odds on the Ghani Othman-Lim Kit Siang contest for Gelang Patah. The odd gambler would put it at 45-55. One seasoned chap said it started at 40-60 but has since climbed to 48 per cent but still in favour of Lim Kit Siang. Considering that 53 per cent of the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat's voters are Chinese, and given the perceived "solid" Chinese support that DAP claims it is getting, Ghani's camp ought to be pleased with the improving odds, if indeed things were what they had been made out to be.

These, of course, were before Najib Razak's tour of the Johor battleground yesterday. Yesterday's visit, the pundits say, has given a boost to Ghani's "Johor Way". Johor fan yong (prosperous). Ghani, chong yong (moderate, likeable). You can almost feel the beat and sense the mood from afar. Shamsul Akmar, editor of the KL-based Mole, captures the spirit well in A Malaysian Opportunity in Gelang Patah. 
"Ghani is not just anybody. He was the Mentri Besar of Johore who had served the state since 1995 and if the state has progressed and the Chinese has prospered, surely they would not have any qualms in returning him as their Member of Parliament.

"Surely he stands head and shoulder above Lim who is the Ipoh Timur MP and would not have the track record to prove to the Johoreans at large or the people of Gelang Patah.


"In short, Ghani who has set up home in Johore would surely be preferred to Lim who is part of the travelling carnival candidates, who moves from one seat to another, under whatever guise it may be." - www.mole.my
Will the circus settle down permanently in Gelang Patah, or will it just be passing by? We shall see come May 5. After Najib's visit and with cracks showing within the DAP itself after Norman Fernandez's outburst against hudud and a hardly bottled-up contempt for Kit Siang and the other DAP ":outsiders" contesting in Johor, expect a bigger-than-usual circus to come to Gelang Patah in the next few days to bolster the odds. And with any circus, expect a lot of clowns.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:40 am

    Ini kali lah, bru. There's no turning back.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:52 am

    If Ghani loses, the message is clear that Chinese only supports Chinese candidate.

    Therefore BN should stop appeasing the Chinese because no matter what BN does, the Chinese will always think Chinese first.

    So it is the time for the policy such as vernacular schools to be abolished because it is an obstacle for the Chinese to integrate with other races.

    No use to maintain the vernacular schools because as said before Chinese will not support BN no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12:17 pm

    Joe just to share with you


    It is nothing to do with the candidates.
    Its all about the cry for change

    56 years of governance is enough. Man...Its the longest democracy government in the world.

    It time for change. I forsee BN will completely revamp itself after this election for they will want to win back on the next. Get me? All this will benefit the rakyat rather than a single monopoly. It applies in business as well.

    I advocate change. My friend advocate change. My neighbour advocate change. This time we change. Not only the government but also the whole country.

    A new dawn is coming to Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1:05 pm

    In Tun Dr M's word, these pakatoons only "pakat untuk menipu dan mencuri"

    heh heh heh

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2:24 pm

    How can you call PM DS Najib a clown after all the benefits you got from his administration?!

    Remember PM DS Najib saves your ass from the wilderness during Pak Lah's years... Show some gratitude and never call DS Najib a clown!

    What giventh to you can be taken back after the elctions over.
    Show some courtesy to the hand that feed you...

    ~ Anak Pantai

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous2:37 pm

    I can feel your frustartion of loosing GE13 . Be patient, we can have a better Malaysia together.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mustapha Ong6:06 pm

    I am a Johorean and have had a good political experience in Gelang Patah, which was part of the Pulai constituency before it was alienated as a separate constituency in the late l980s. Gelang Patah had grown too big to be part of the Pulai constituency with the huge numbers of Malaysians and others who had migrated from the other states to tap the huge economic and business opportunities created by Iskandar Malaysia.

    In the current PRU13, Lim Kit Siang the DAP strongman was slotted to stand as their parliamentary candidate for Gelang Patah as a show of political strength to pave the way for a serious threat to UMNO/BN in Johor. I believe DAP was over confident that Lim Kit Siang was the right choice to take on MCA's first time candidate Jason Teoh, who was earlier on identified by BN to defend the GP parliamentary seat, which had been traditionally an MCA stronghold in Johor.

    However, subsequently it was strongly felt that Jason was not the right winning candidate to fight Lim Kit Siang, and thus Ghani Othman became the only choice candidate to give LKS a fight for his political life.Thus LKS was caught with his pants down and now he is seen on an uphill battle against Ghani Othman, who had served the state for more than 18 years, with a good track record and his overall acceptance to the Johor Chinese community, will ensure a BN victory that will also directly defending the larger economic interest of Iskandar Malaysia on a national scale.

    Based on the latest political reading, Ghani Othman who has the full confidence of PM Najib with his final lap of serious and tedious campaign in Johor yesterday, had no doubt boosted the people's confidence to elect Ghani as their next MP in Gelang Patah. Ghani is expected to concentrate in his parliamentary service to the people of Gelang Patah with full commitment and with strong Federal government support, when he relinquishes his MB post after the final change of command to his successor expected to be Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the MB designate.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6:29 pm

    Ini kali lah Ghani skali lagi hahahaha

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous7:21 pm

    This is a good article, considering the fact that it was because of the 'handsome' payout by the ring master.

    PARAMESWARA

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous5:59 am

    The Chinese community have the oppurtinity to choose a moderate BN party, instead they choose a party did nothing to them, they choose a party that speak racism, discrimination, propagate cheat and lie, non tolerance,inferior complex mindset and above all they think a second tsunami will happened again. MCA which had done all the good deed for this community suddenly become the pariah?

    How ungrateful they become....

    The chinese majority will vote for DAP again and since No MCA meaning no representatitive in the govt. and since they think they could become independence without any BN assistant......

    One thing for sure, We will teach them a very hard, good lesson this time around
    We will give them a very hard left right slap, a quick 123 solid punch and a decisive jab punch which will see them thrown out from the boxing ring

    No more lie no more communist + nazi goebbels deceptive, propaganda manipulation (had to add word cause even Jesus God and deity they cheat!!!)

    Do you think we care? Let them rotten to the core!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous8:24 am

    Anon 11:52 am

    Why not add the following to your little wish list?

    - do away with teaching Mandarin in all schools (government and private)

    - make Bahasa Malaysia the sole official language in the country and the only language to be used by Malaysians in international meetings

    - stop all investments and tourists from China (they speak Mandarin there, don't they?)

    Go for broke, lah, if you have the courage of your convictions. After all, what's there to lose?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11:35 am

    I serious dont understand why Najib is supporting so much Chinese vernacular schools. Like Anonymous 11.52am says, Chinese will not support BN.

    I somehow think now vernacular schools defeats our unity purpose. Why dont unify the vernacular into national schools. Everyone should go to national school. We can have Chinese and Tamil or whatever classes there. It'll be much better. I am born in the 70s and I notice my friends in national schools are much more tolerant than those who are from vernacular who seemed more selfish and brash kinda attitude. We need more integration. Najib, I propose u concentrate on national schools. Stop appeasing because it seems to worsen.

    If I were the PM, for one, I would abolish vernacular school, BM definitely the national medium and yeah, have diversity language and cultural class as extras. Social cohesion is definitely drifting us more apart.

    ReplyDelete