Was reading the Star this morning, the local English daily in Malaysia, the by-elections in Ijok are heating up. But the news coverage isn’t. It’s expected, I guess. Pages after pages of reports on BN and some random Opposition news. So biased, I stay clear of reading election reports in the local papers because of this very reason.
I remember when a friend became a polling officer, and he told me the amount of phantom voters that came up was so ridiculous, and we have our DPM assuring us there will be no phatom voters, I certainly hope so. The last elections there was some 90 odd people from the same damn house, but no one covers these things, a media blackout if you will.
They (Bernama) manufacture things like this, instead:
KUALA SELANGOR, April 25 (Bernama) — Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate in the Ijok by-election, had a slip of the tongue when making a speech last night and mistakenly called the electorate in the hamlet to ensure a big win for the Barisan Nasional (BN) on Saturday.
“Now is the time to make a change …and I hope together we will vote the BN candidate come Saturday (polling day). Thank you,” he said when ending his ceramah in the Tuan Mee Estate, where the majority of its residents are Indians.
The words caused the 150 odd people present to wonder what was going on as he was “promoting” his opponent in the election.
Several staunch PKR supporters on realising the mistake quickly interceded and shouted “Tan Sri tercakap salah, Tan Sri tercakap salah” (Tan Sri’s tongue slipped) to put things right.
This caused the crowd to break out in laughter while some BN supporters who were following the talk, clapped their hands.
Khalid, 61, a former corporate figure, hardly realising what he had done, continued to wave to the noisy crowd before sitting down on the chair reserved for him on the stage.
In the by-election, he faces the BN’s K.Parthiban, 38, a former edcuationist, in a straight fight. The by-election is being held following the death of BN Assemblyman Datuk K. Sivalingam, 59, on April 4.
– BERNAMA
Link from Elizabeth Wong
