GE13: Multi-corners, independents, opposition clashes

In the first time in Malaysian electoral history, all 222 and 505 state seats will be contested.

Also, for the first time since the first 1959 elections in independent Malaya, the Barisan Nasional did not win any parliament or state seat unopposed today.

The Election Commission said it received 579 nomination papers the parliamentary seats and 1,324 for the state seats on nomination day today.

The number of independent candidates, totalling 79 independents in parliamentary seats and 191 in state seats, more than double that of the 12th General Election in 2008. Then, there was 103 (37 parliamentary and 66 states) independents, out of a total of 1588 candidates.

There were also three nomination papers for state seats which were rejected but no papers for parliament seats were turned down this morning.

At the close of nomination today, the Barisan Nasional (BN) had registered 221 candidates.

Others are: PKR (99), PAS (73), DAP (51), independents (79), State Reform Party (STAR) (28), Berjasa (9), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) (8), Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) (6), Kita (2), Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) (2), and Bersama (1).

In the 12 states, aside from Sarawak consist: BN (505), PAS (236), PKR (172), DAP (102), independents (190), STAR (49), SAPP (41), Berjasa (5), Kita (11), Bersama (4), PCM (3), and Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) (2).

In 2008, PKR contested in 97 parliamentary seats and 174 state seats; PAS (66 and 235), DAP (47 and 101), Bersekutu (2 and 15), Pasok (3 and 9), Sarawak National Party (4 parliamentary seats), Parti Rakyat Malaysia (1 and 3), Setia (two state seats).

In 2008, Barisan Nasional contested in all 222 seats and won 140.

That year, Pakatan Rakyat won a total of 82 seats: PAS contested in 66 seats and won 23; DAP contested 47 seats and won 28, while PKR contested in 97 and won 31.

Age-wise, there were eight candidates between 21 to 29 of age; 77 between 30 to 39 years, 145 between the age of 40 and 49; 223 candidates aged between 50-59; and 126 above 60 years.

For state seats, there were: 26 candidates (21-29 years); 176 candidates (30-39 years), 455 candidates (40-49 years), 492 candidates (50-59 tahun) and 172 candidates above 60.

Of the parliamentary candidates, 523 are male candidates while 56 are women. As for state seats, 1,209 are men and 112 are women.

Most of the multi-cornered fights are set to happen in East Malaysia, especially in Sabah.

For Dewan Rakyat, there are a number of multi-cornered fights including 57 three cornered giths, 24 four corners, seven five corners and one six-cornered, and one seven-cornered. Others are straight fights.

The state seats will involve 107 three cornered fights, 42 four-cornered fights, 25 fight cornered fights, 10 six-cornered fights and one seven cornered.

Two federal ministers, Chor Chee Heung and G Palanivel were not spared from the multi-cornered fights.

While Chor will be facing a four-way tussle for the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, Palanivel would have to face a five contenders for the Cameron Highlands seat.

Sabah Umno leader Abdul Ghapur Salleh, who won the Kalabakan parliamentary seat uncontested in 2008, will be facing six other contenders this time around. In Selangor, there are more than a few parliamentary seats and state seats which will witness three to six cornered fights.

These include three-cornered fights in Kota Raja, Pandan, Gombak, Hulu Selangor Kelana Jaya, Subang, and Tanjung Karang parliamentary seats.

The Pandan parliamentary seat, which was MCA’s sole seat, witnessed a three-cornered fight involving MCA’s Gary Lim, PKR’s Rafizi Ramli and former incumbent Ong Tee Keat’s aide, Allan Tan Yew Leng.

There are also a few party sackings following disgruntled party members from both coalitions contesting as independents mainly for not being fielded as a candidate.

In Teratai, the five-way battle which emerged after incumbent Jenice Lee submitted herself to defend the seat saw her being sacked by the party.

DAP is fielding Tiew Way Keng, and BN Gerakan’s Ben Liew Pok Boon. Two other independents Lim Ah Chai and and Chin Kok Keong.

In Melaka, a strange situation has come out with DAP sacking incumbent Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him for fielding himself as an independent in the Kota Laksamana state seat. But he still represents DAP in the Kota Melaka federal seat.

Wanita Umno’s Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim also went in to contest the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat after she and other members were sidelined as candidates.

Losing both her position as number two in the women’s wing, as supreme council member and as an Umno member.

In Seremban, a five-cornered fight involves MCA's Datuk Seri Dr Yeow Chai Tiam, DAP's Anthony Loke, incumbent MP John Fernandez, retiree Bujang Abu and Abdul Halim Abdullah who will contest under the Berjasa (Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Semalaysia) banner.

Fernandez won the seat under DAP in 2008. He and Bujang will be contesting as independents.

There has also been several seats where PKR is going head on with its coalition partner PAS—namely one parliamentary seat in Sabah and six state seats in the Peninsular.

PAS-PKR will battle it out in Labuan, the Sungai Acheh state seat in Penang, the Kota Damansara seat in Selangor, Panti in Johor and Kota Putera, Bukit Besi and Seberang Takir in Terengganu.

MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel is the party leader with the most number of challengers in the May 5 general election.

He will face M. Manogaran of DAP, Berjasa's Mohd Shokri Mahmood, and independents N. P. Kisho Kumar and T. Alagu for the coveted constituency.

It is more straight forward for incumbent Pekan member of parliament and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is in a one-on-one tussle with Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Fariz Musa. Najib, who is also Umno president, has been Pekan member of parliament since 1976.

Down south, Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is set to defend his Pagoh parliamentary seat against PAS' Mohd Rozali Jamil.

Another interesting development was Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali defending his Pasir Mas parliamentary seat as an independent after filing his nomination papers this morning.

The BN-Umno candidate Pasir Mas Umno division deputy chief Che Johan Che Pa, who was picked to contest in this seat decided not to contest.

Ibrahim will be facing PAS’ Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, who is the son of PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat. This is the first time Nik Abduh is contesting in an election.

Ibrahim is the second Perkasa candidate to contest in the GE. His deputy Zulkifli Nordin is contesing as a direct BN candidate in Shah Alam, taking on PAS’ Khalid Samad, the incumbent.

Meanwhile, several parliamentary constituencies are said to be the most watched in GE13, namely: Gelang Patah (Johor), Putrajaya (Federal Territory), Lembah Pantai (Federal Territory) and Permatang Pauh (Penang).

The contest in Cameron Highlands (Pahang), Segamat (Johor), Arau (Perlis) and Shah Alam (Selangor) are also considered to be among hot seats contested by veterans.

The Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency, which has 106,864 voters, will see a straight fight between Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.

The seat is held by Tan Ah Eng from the Barisan Nasional (BN) who won with a 8,851-vote majority in the last poll.

Besides Gelang Patah, Permatang Pauh will also witness a three-corner fight where incumbent Anwar Ibrahim will be challenged by Dr Mazlan Ismail (BN) and Abdullah Zawawi Samsudin (Independent).

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is the incumbent for Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency, will be challenged by Federal Territory and Urban Wellbeing Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin (BN) and independent candidate Rusli Baba.

In the 2008 general election, Anwar won with a majority of 15,671 votes while his daughter, Nurul Izzah won with a 2,895-vote majority.

BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who won the Putrajaya parliamentary seat for two terms since 2004, will be involved in a straight fight against PAS vice-president Husam Musa. In 2008, Tengku Adnan won with a 2,734-vote majority.

In the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency, incumbent Khalid Abdul Samad (PAS) will be challenged by BN friendly candidate Zulkifli Noordin.

Elsewhere, MIC deputy president and Deputy Minister of Human Resources Dr S Subramaniam, and his close friend and former health minister, Chua Jui Ming, who is Johor PKR chairman, will face one another in the Segamat parliamentary constituency.