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Lunas
by-election running commentary
Latest news
from Lunas
(The earlier news is at the bottom and the later
news on top)
As at
8.30pm today
BA won eight out
of ten voting centers as follows:
Latest election
results from Lunas
1. Sungai Limau - BA - won by 64 votes
2. Kampong Naga Lilit - BA - won by 326 votes
3. Kampong Lunas - BA - won by 459 votes
4. Taman Sejahtera - BA - won by 3 votes
5. Pekan Lunas - BA - won by 290 votes
6. Pekan Selasih - BA - won by 524 votes
7. Kampong Sago - BA - won by 350 votes
8. Simpang Tiga Keladi - BN - won by 88 votes
9. Pondok Paku ??? - BN - won by 2 votes
10. Jalan Serdang - BA - won by 5 votes (unofficial)
Overall
(unofficial) results - BA 10,000 plus votes against BN 9,000 plus votes.
Confirmation will be known by 9.00pm.
As at
6.30pm today
Polling at the
Lunas by-election ended at 5.30pm today. The voter turnout was higher
compared to the last General Election exactly one year ago and an
estimated 75% or more voters came out to vote.
The National
Justice Party (keADILan) has so far won Sungai Limau where it
garnered 244 votes against the National Front's 180 votes.
Counting is
still going on at all counting centers. The Alternative Front (BA)
is keeping a tight security at all counting centers, especially during
break fast and prayer times from 7.00pm to 7.30pm..
As at
11.30am today
Police and
supporters of the opposition Alternative Front are currently escorting 17
busloads of phantom voters out of Lunas.
Top officials of
the ruling National front, including Tan Sri Khalil, tried to intervene
and pressure the police into releasing the phantom voters. The police,
however, realising that such an action may invite bloodshed, refused to
kowtow to the BN officials.
The registration
numbers of the buses have been circulated all over Lunas and the BA
election machinery has been told to keep a lookout for these buses lest
they try to sneak in again.
Every election
and by-election the opposition faces the same problem of rampant cheating
by the ruling BN. Amongst the normal tricks used are phantom voters,
missing voters, and money paid for each vote.
As at
10.30am today
12 busloads of
suspected phantom voters are currently being detained at the Lunas police
station. According to Ruslan Kasim, Information Chief of the National
Justice Party, “The police are conducting investigations as to who these
people are. They are mostly Indians with a few Malays.”
Ruslan added,
“Unfortunately, the police have still not completed their investigations
and already they are under pressure to release these people. Tan Sri
Khalil is presently at the police station and is asking the police to
release these people immediately.”
Azmin Ali, a
Selangor State Assemblyman from the National Justice Party, intervened and
stopped the attempts to get these people released.
Tension is high
in Lunas and the riot police are making their rounds expecting trouble
between the ruling National Front (BN) and the opposition Alternative
Front (BA).
Last night, in
what was viewed as a threat to the non-Malays, the Prime Minister, Dr
Mahathir, warned the Lunas voters of the danger of another May 13 (the
infamous racial riot of 1969) if they voted opposition.
Every election
and by-election, the Prime Minister uses the threat of May 13 on the
non-Malay voters. This time, however, it may have backfired as, of late,
Dr Mahathir, has been throwing one threat too many against the Chinese.
Dr Mahathir also
called the Chinese “ungrateful” and that it was the government that
saved them from bankruptcy. Before this Mahathir called the Chinese
extremists and Communists and asked them to go back to China if they
wanted a Chinese education.
If the rampant
cheating in Lunas is allowed to go on, Dr Mahathir’s prediction of
another racial riot may just come true. The BA workers in Lunas have just
about reached the limit of their patience on the dirty tactics being used
by the BN over the last few days and they are determined that the phantom
voters should not be allowed to vote. According to the BA, force will be
used if necessary to ensure this does not happen.
On Sunday, Dr
Xavier, a Supreme Council Member of the National Justice Party, received
information that there are 1,600 Indian voters registered in a certain
area that does not have that high an Indian population. Thousands more are
registered in a squatter settlement that does not exist. On top of that,
more than 2,000 voters are missing form the electoral roll, some who have
been voting in Lunas for the last few elections.
Attempts by the
BA leaders to meet the Election Commission officials have failed in what
looks like collusion between the Election Commission and the ruling
National Front to ensure a BN win in Lunas through fraud.
As at
8.15am this morning
The registration
numbers of the five buses detained for ferrying phantom voters to Lunas
are as follows:
BFE 4811, a
school bus, BEY 3370, WDD 5115, BDM 6689 and WHM 9585 all factory buses.
Eight truckloads
of riot police, complete with water cannons and full battle dress, have
been sent to the area in anticipation of trouble.
The BA leaders
have agreed to defuse the situation by handing the five busloads of
Indians over to the police.
As at
7.30am this morning
The BA workers
have stopped five busloads of phantom voters.
According to
Ruslan Kasim, Information Chief of the National Justice Party, "They
are all Indians from Kuala Lumpur. They came in factory buses, school
buses, tour buses, and so on. Many more buses got through earlier."
Ruslan added,
"We have asked the police for help but the police let them through.
It looks like the police are cooperating with them. The situation is very
tense. If this continues it is going to lead to trouble. The people are
getting very angry about this matter." |
