News

MIRI: Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing is the new acting president of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) taking over the post late Thursday afternoon.

Tiong, who is Bintulu MP, automatically assumes the acting president post following the sudden announcement by party president Tan Sri William Mawan that he (Mawan) had quit the SPDP to join newly-registered party TERAS.

Tiong assumes the acting president post by virtue of the fact that he was Deputy President during Mawan's tenure and is the second man in line for the top post, said SPDP Youth Chief Robert Ayu.

PETALING JAYA: Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will take former Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam to court for accusing him of corrupt practices and vote-buying.

“I have ordered the lawyer to submit a Notice of Claim suit against Manikavasagam for accusing me of corruption by buying votes,” Khalid tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Manikavasagam has claimed that he has audio recordings which suggest that an officer aligned to Khalid was paying people RM50 each for votes.

KUALA TERENGGANU: Datuk Seri Ahmad Said (pic) quit Umno hours after he was replaced by Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman as Terengganu Mentri Besar late Monday.

Ahmad, who is Kijal assemblyman, was joined by Umno's Ajil assemblyman Ghazali Taib in quitting the party to become independent assemblymen.

This is confirmed to The Star by an aide of Ahmad.

The aide said that Ahmad would hold a press conference on Tuesday.

PETALING JAYA: Despite the chaos of the PKR elections, especially in Selangor, the party’s elections chairman Datuk Johari Abdul has deemed it as “a success”.

In a press conference held at the party headquarters yesterday, Johari played down the reports of the irregularaties which led to the elections at 27 out of 198 divisions to be suspended.

He said the participation from the candidates and voter turnout was higher than the last party election in 2010.

GEORGE TOWN: It will be a four-cornered fight for the Bukit Gelugor by-election to be held on May 25.

When nominations closed Monday morning, four candidates had submitted their papers at the nomination centre in Dewan Sri Pinang, while a fifth was rejected.

Those contesting are DAP's Ramkarpal Singh, Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan, retiree Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Nabi Abd Sathar and lawyer Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad Zan, both Independents.

The newly-formed Penang Front Party failed in its nomination bid to contest in the by-election. 

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants members to give their full commitment and dedication to the upcoming by-elections.

"We will be facing one or two by-elections soon and our deputy chairman and his committee has prepared the right strategies.

"There will be short and long term challenges but if we have enough love and care for the party, as well as commitment and dedication, and InsyaAllah..I think Umno and Barisan will continue to succeed," he said at Umno's 68th Anniversary celebration at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang MCA fully supported the MCA presidential council's decision not to contest in the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election this May 25.

Its liaison committee chairman Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said MCA needed to give full attention to the issue arising from PAS' proposal on the hudud law implementation.

"The Penang MCA liaison committee considers that the implementation of the hudud law by Pas will trigger a constitutional crisis.

PETALING JAYA: Incumbent PKR deputy president Azmin Ali (pic) is still leading in the race for the No. 2 post at the end of the second week of the ongoing party polls.

The election committee announced on Friday that Azmin had obtained 9876 votes to date in the race for the deputy presidency, with Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in second spot with 6217 votes. Saifuddin Nasution who was in second place last week, dropped to third, having obtained just 5717 votes.

KUALA LUMPUR: Members of the MIC election steering committee, which oversaw the party elections last year, have been questioned by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) following complaints of alleged irregularities by party leaders.

The five – chairman Tan Sri K. Kumaran, Selva Mookiah, Datuk S.S. Rajagopal, Datuk V. Jagarasah, and Datuk V. Sivaparanjothi – were questioned on the running and conduct of the Nov 30 party elections held in Malacca.

Also queried by ROS was the party’s information chief L. Siva Subramaniam.