Noticias

TELUK INTAN: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has described the straight fight for the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat on May 31 between Barisan Nasional and DAP as a “50-50 battle”.

Speaking to reporters after nomination for the by-election ended yesterday, Muhyiddin said the two-week campaign period would decide the outcome.

Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong will square off against DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the political secretary of Gelang Patah MP and party adviser Lim Kit Siang, in the by-election on May 31.

GEORGE TOWN: The allegation by a Bukit Gelugor by-election independent candidate that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had secretly expressed his support for PAS’ hudud in Kelantan is a lie.

Lim’s political secretary Wong Hon Wai in a statement on Monday said that the Chief Minister has never supported PAS’ Private Members Bill to implement its brand of hudud in his capacity as DAP secretary-general.

“Lim has also said that hudud will never be implemented in Penang. 

TELUK INTAN: There is an obvious swing of support from the Chinese community to Barisan Nasional in the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat by-election, said MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic).

He said many people, including those from the business community had told him that only Barisan could bring development to the constituency.

Apart from that, Liow said the community had also started to realise that the DAP had betrayed them after last year’s general election.

GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan President Datuk Mah Siew Keong is the best candidate to represent the Barisan Nasional in the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election on May 31, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Umno youth chief said Mah’s extensive experience as the constituency’s two-term former member of parliament and also former deputy minister would help to regain the voters’ support and confidence for Barisan.

IPOH: Barisan Nasional has named Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong (pix) as the candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election on May 31.

The announcement was made by Barisan deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Saturday.

Muhyiddin said Mah, 53, had the experience and track record to serve the people well when given the chance.

He said Mah was a two-term Teluk Intan MP before he lost in the last two general elections.

JOHOR BARU: A DAP member has asked non-Muslims, particularly the Chinese, to hold back their support for PAS until the party withdraws unconditionally its plans of tabling any Private Members Bill to implement its brand of hudud.

Norman Fernandez urged the Chinese to send a loud and clear message to PAS that the Chinese would not vote for the party as long as it did not subscribe to the Common Manifesto Platform, which makes no mention of hudud.

PAS, he said, must realise that there was real danger that it could lose all of its four state seats in Johor.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) is in no hurry to decide on a bid by two former opposition assemblymen to join the state Barisan Nasional component.

Party secretary-general Datuk Johnson Tee said they would respect the sensitivities of other Sabah Barisan parties before making a decision on the applications of Matung­gong’s Jeremy Malajad and his Luyang counterpart Hiew King Chew.

He added that PBRS received the applications about two months ago.

Tee said the earliest any decision could be made by the party was next month.

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.

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.