Ramkarpal Singh Wins Bukit Gelugor By-Election

Datuk Mah Siew Keong and Ramkarpal Singh were sworn in as Members of Parliament at the Dewan Rakyat on Monday. Clad in black suits, they took their oath of office before Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee.

Ramkarpal took his oath as the Bukit Gelugur Parliamentary member after beating Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) Deputy President, Datuk Huan Chung Guan and independent candidates, Mohd Nabi Bux Mohd Abdul Sathar and Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan.

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"The House also extends its condolences to the family members of the Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament, Karpal Singh and the Teluk Intan MP Seah Leong Peng, which represented a great loss to the Dewan Rakyat," he said before requesting all MPs to observe a minute's silence.

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Ramkarpal Singh has retained his late father’s seat with a handsome win over his rivals consisting of Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president Huan Cheng Guan and two Independents. As of 7pm, the DAP candidate secured a commanding lead with more than 10,000 votes.

He now has 12,375 votes against Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM)'s 1,525. Mohamed Nabi Bux Abdul Sathar has 462 votes while Abu Backer Sidek has 133 votes - lower than the spoilt votes (159). The Independent candidates and Huan are unlikely to get back their RM10,000 deposits.

Meanwhile, the mood is relaxed at the Bukit Gelugor DAP operations centre, with party workers following the Thomas Cup instead.

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A total of 16,418 votes out of 82,431 ballots have been cast for the Bukit Gelugor by election as at 10am. Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof at a press conference this morning said this amounted to 19.95% of votes cast. He said this was a low turnout, but noted it was still early.

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"These voters would mostly be the elderly," he said after visiting SMK George Town today. Over complaints there were not enough wheelchairs at voting stations, Abdul Aziz said there would be at least two in each polling station. He said people should take turns to use the wheelchairs.

"Those on duty should use their discretion," he said when asked about complaints over disabled voters not allowed to drive into polling stations. He said no one should expect those with disabilities to walk a distance, as the important thing is to vote.

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Independent candidate Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad Zan has “forgiven” Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for the injuries allegedly sustained when he threw himself in front of Lim’s official car.

“At that time, I was angry. But after reflecting, I remembered that Nabi Muhammad is forgiving. So I forgive him (Lim) and respect him as my chief minister,” he said when met by Malaysiakini yesterday.

As such, he said he has decided he would not be suing Lim and is still keen on meeting with him, even if just for two minutes.

DAP's Ramkarpal Singh has urged his opponents in the Bukit Gelugor by-election to take the contest seriously, warning them last night that there was no need for personal attacks. He told them to challenge him on issues affecting the people and problems affecting the constituency.

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"This is not a laughing matter. This is an election. I want my opponents to take this election seriously," he said during a ceramah at the Kuta Bali Food Court in Farlim, Penang last night. "Don't get personal. There is no reason for that. Take me on issues. I cannot be a good MP if I cannot answer those questions."

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On Tuesday, he was asked if he was gay after another candidate had implied that he was gay. Datuk Huan Cheng Guan of Parti Cinta Malaysia, one of Ramkarpal's three opponents, had taken pictures of well-built men from Ramkarpal's Facebook page and shared them on a WhatsApp messaging group he started with the media covering the by-election.

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Huan had in a press conference this morning said that there must be “something wrong” with Ramkarpal as he is 38-years-old, still single and had recently posted a picture of a muscular man on his Facebook page.

Family members of the Bukit Gelugor by-election candidate, Ramkarpal Singh, have taken “great offence” at insinuations that the third son of the late Karpal Singh is gay. "The family takes great offence at even such an insinuation let alone a direct accusation. "Despite this by-election being held less than a month after the untimely demise of YB Karpal Singh, it is unfortunate that the press, whom YB Karpal Singh had so much respect for, failed to execute their duties responsibly by weighing properly the facts before them," he said.

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Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Huan Cheng Guan has vehemently denied that he had ever claimed the DAP candidate for Bukit Gelugor by-election Ramkarpal Singh Deo is gay. “I did not say Ramkarpal is gay. If I said Ramkarpal Singh is gay, he can always sue me. I will also sue anyone who claims that I said Ramkarpal is gay. “I don’t care if he is gay or straight. It’s not my problem,” said Huan.

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In his speech to the 500 people gathered in Farlim last night, Ramkarpal also hit out at independent candidate Abu Backer Sidek Md Zan, who had caused a scene outside the state assembly building after he jumped in front of the chief minister's car and fell to the ground. "This is all lies, a stunt. This (election) is not for 'main-main'," he reiterated.

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Early voting for Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election involving 148 registered voters is held at four polling centres from 8am to 2pm today.

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Penang police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the police voters from the Air Itam station formed the largest group of early voters in the by-election. As many as 96 police officers will cast their votes at the Air Itam police station and Bandar Baru police station.

"Some 100 police and 48 military personnel together with their families will have early voting tomorrow," he said when contacted by Bernama, here, yesterday.

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The four polling centres are Tabika Kemas of Region One Marine Operations Force Base in Batu Uban, Information Room of Air Hitam Police Station, Information Room of Bandar Baru Police Station and KD Sri Pinang, Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Base in Gelugor.

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At 10.15am, by-election candidate Ramkarpal Singh Deo made a surprise visit to the polling centre. “I just came here to see if everything is in order,” he told the press, after visiting the polling room in the police station. At the time of his visit, Ramkarpal said 15 ballots had already been cast at the Bandar Baru Air Itam polling station, which closes voting at 2.00pm today.

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Election Commission Secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh said so far the voting process was going smoothly and he expected a 99% voter turn out in the early polling. He added that the votes will be counted after normal voting takes place on May 25.

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Bukit Gelugor by-election independent candidate Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan caused a 30-minute traffic snarl outside the Penang state assembly when he lay down in the middle of the road after pretending he was hit by the chief minister’s car.

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Abu Backer Sidek, 46, collapsed in front of the vehicle but "regained consciousness" and was taken away in an ambulance which arrived some half an hour later.

An hour earlier, the lawyer had tried to enter the state assembly to meet Lim over Lim's talk on hudud on May 23. At a press conference, he claimed that he was refused entry when he requested to meet Lim at his office.

Abu Backer had arrived at the state legislative assembly at noon to pass an invitation letter to the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to attend a hudud forum and a complaint on difficulty in securing locations to organise rallies for his campaign. “I'm here to fight for the people. I am also Malaysian and a Penangite, they should allow me in, I just want to forward my complaints,” he shouted after being prevented from entering the assembly grounds.

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Abu Backer Sidek earlier sought to block the official vehicle from leaving the state assembly area, after failing to gain entry in a bid to meet the latter. Despite his attempts to block the exit, security guards managed to let the chief minister's official vehicle through, leading a dissatisfied Abu Backer to run towards the vehicle and pretending to have been hit.

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Abu Backer Sidek Mohamad, one of two independent candidates in the Bukit Gelugor by-election, has lamented the lack of media coverage for him. A teary-eyed Abu Backer said he felt so dejected that he had at one point considered withdrawing as a candidate in the by-election.

In his hour-long nagging to any journalist who would listen to him at the lobby of Traders Hotel in George Town, he even mooted turning to US news network CNN. However, Abu Backer, who is a lawyer, said he regained his spirit after receiving encouraging support from Chinese voters at a ceramah last night.

The lawyer suddenly burst into tears when he told reporters about the difficult period of his childhood years growing up in Kampung Makam. "I am not an actor, I was a child who came from a poor family , but I have good teachers who made me what I am today, without them I might have become a drug addict in my hometown (Kampung Makam) because many youths there have become drug addicts," he told reporters at the Traders Hotel here.

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Abu Backer also pleaded with the media to visit Kampung Makam to see how left behind the place was in terms of economic development. "Why am I contesting in the by-election if my own hometown is still in dire need of help," said Abu Backer as he mounted a defence of his candidacy, saying he was fighting for the rakyat..

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"I am upset with the media. Why would I want to contest if there is no media freedom (to cover me). I am fighting for the rakyat. "Boycott-lah, I have CNN, they have waited for me for a long time," he said.

"I swear if Spad revokes their (taxi) permits, I will pay their salary until they die," he said. He claimed taxi drivers were forced not to comply to rules of using the meter as their welfare was not well taken care off.

With MCA out of the picture, the tussle for Bukit Gelugor is now a four-cornered fight between the DAP and three others — Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) and two independents.

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A four-cornered fight is on for the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election, with DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh, Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan, independent candidates Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Nabi Abd Sathar and Abu Backer Sidek throwing their hats into the ring.

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Nomination started at 9am and will end at 10am. The atmosphere at the nomination centre was electric with close to 1,000 DAP supporters outside the gates carrying pary banners and flags.

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When nominations closed Monday morning, four candidates had submitted their papers at the nomination centre in Dewan Sri Pinang, while a fifth was disqualified. Lim Chee Khoon, believed to be from the newly-formed Penang Front Party, also submitted his papers at the very last minute before nominations closed, but was disqualified as he did not bring his deposit.

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A carnival-like air prevailed at Esplanade as several enterprising traders put up stalls to sell an array of party merchandise at the site. Among the items on sale were sunglasses, Pakatan Rakyat scarves, T-shirts and vests.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said since MCA, a BN component party, has decided not contest in the by-election, the pact will lend its support to a “proxy” candidate instead. “This shows their strategy of that by being neither here nor there, they can be everywhere but I want to tell them they will get nowhere with this tactic,” Lim

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Ramkarpal Singh, the third “cub” of the Tiger of Jelutong, is looking forward to conquering his father’s “den” after being picked to stand in the Bukit Gelugor by-election. The 38-year-old lawyer was named DAP’s candidate by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who also launched the Bukit Gelugor DAP by-election operations centre here yesterday.

The announcement coincided with the birthday of Gurmit Kaur, Ramkarpal’s mother. Born on April 9, 1976, Ram­karpal, a law graduate from Bristol University in Britain, was called to the Bar in 2000 and deals mainly in criminal litigation.

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“I thank the party leaders and members for entrusting me, for giving me this opportunity to defend the seat, which holds a sentimental value to me,” said Ramkarpal, adding that he would focus on two main issues during campaigning – PAS’ hudud law and the persecution of opposition leaders under the Sedition Act. The Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election, which is being held following Karpal’s death, will see nomination day on May 12 and polling on May 25.

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In Petaling Jaya, former party leader Wee Choo Keong warned that DAP might risk losing Bukit Gelugor on technical grounds due to the illegitimacy of its central executive committee (CEC). He said the party had yet to get RoS’ recognition over the results of its CEC re-election, eight months after the controversial event.

“An RoS letter to DAP – dated Dec 6, 2013 – has clearly stated that its CEC cannot make any decision on behalf of the party until RoS has finalised on the validity of the committee,” he told reporters. As such, Wee stressed that no one in the DAP had the authority to allow anyone to use the party’s Rocket logo in the by-election.

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“Even if DAP were to win the seat, its victory may be nullified in court by virtue of the fact that the letter of authorisation (watikah) to use the Rocket logo was signed by an unauthorised officer,” he said.

Homestay operator Mohd Yacoob Mohd Noor has announced his candidacy for the upcoming Bukit Gelugor by-election. The 25-year-old, popularly known as Yacoob Bebas (independent), contested in the Sungai Pinang state seat during the 13th General Election last year, polling just 141 votes.

“There are many issues I want to raise during the by-election,” he told reporters at a restaurant in Lebuh Chulia yesterday. “First, traffic congestion in the area is horrible. This has to be solved permanently. If I am elected, I will go to the ground and meet the people and find ways to resolve the problem.”

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“Despite losing last year, I want to continue to help the people and there are many issues to address in the Bukit Gelugor constituency such as traffic congestion and the need for an elected representative to go to the ground and meet the people. “Although 75% of the voters are Chinese, I’m confident I will get their votes as well as the support of the other communities,” Yacoob.

The race for the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat is gathering more pace with Datuk Huan Cheng Guan, Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president and former Gerakan vice-president, expressing interest to contest as an independent candidate.

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Ramkarpal Singh, the third son of the late Karpal Singh, says he is is ready to stand in the Bukit Gelugor by-election on May 25. The 38-year-old, Penang-born lawyer confirmed that his name was one of the five-shortlisted candidates. However, he said, it was up to DAP to decide.

"I'm ready for it (by-election) and have indicated that to them (DAP) as well, so I leave the decision to them," Ramkarpal told reporters after the Karpal Singh memorial event at Han Chiang High School, here, on Monday night.

GEORGE TOWN: A new political party, Penang Front Party (PFP), has been formed in Penang and it is eyeing the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat, nomination for which is just two weeks away.

Speaking at a press conference in a restaurant in Bayan Baru today, the PFP pro tem committee chairman, local businessman Go Chui Tiong, said the party had shortlisted three candidates for the by-election. “We will decide on the right candidate and the party logo in time for Bukit Gelugor,” said Go. He revealed the new party planned to contest 15 to 17 DAP-held state seats in the next general election to achieve its objective.

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Go, a businessman, said the multiracial party would be “Barisan Nasional-friendly and strongly against DAP”. He claimed that PFP had 2,000 members and the backing of 44 Chinese non-governmental organisations, including Chinese temple committees. “We welcome other NGOs to join hands with us,” he told a press conference at a restaurant in Bayan Baru.

PFP will be a multi-racial political outfit to save Penang from the DAP. We want a Penangite to become the state chief minister, not an outsider. Penangites have been the prime minister and opposition leader. We have our own capable people to be the chief minister. We don’t need outsiders,” stressed Go.

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Five candidates have been shortlisted by Penang DAP for the Bukit Gelugor by-election. State DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said none of the candidates in the list were current elected representatives.

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State chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the list will be submitted to the party Central Executive Committee (CEC) which will convene tomorrow. He said the CEC will discuss issues relating to the by-election and candidature.

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“We will submit the list to the central executive committee (CEC) during our meeting tomorrow (Monday). “But the final decision lies with the CEC as it is their prerogative,” he told reporters at the Occupy Beach Steet Earth Day Barter Trade 2014 yesterday.

Chow said the CEC would meet to discuss preparations and selection of the party’s candidate for the Bukit Gelugor by-election at 7.30pm today in Kuala Lumpur.
He, however, declined to reveal if any of Karpal Sing’s children were named in the list.

The Election Commission (EC) announced May 25 for polling in the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat by-election, and set the nomination for May 12.

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The advance voting process will be carried out on May 21, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof confirmed in a press conference here on Thursday.

EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof said the constituency had 81,897 registered voters, of which 75% are Chinese, 14% Malays and 10% Indians, according to the most recent electoral roll.

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EC secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh said it received notification from the Dewan Rakyat Speaker at 11am yesterday on the vacancy of the seat.

“EC was officially notified of the seat vacancy on Apr 21 following Karpal’s death,” said EC secretary Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh in a press statement on Monday.

The Elections Commission (EC) will be having a meeting on April 24 with regards to the Bukit Gelugor, Penang Parliamentary seat following the death of assemblyman Karpal Singh.

The special meeting, chaired by Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, will be held to determine important dates including nomination day, early voting and voting dates for the Bukit Gelugor by-election.

In the 1978 general election, Karpal won the Jelutong parliamentary seat and the Bukit Gelugor state seat. He held the Bukit Gelugor state seat until 1990, moving on to contest (but losing) the Sungai Pinang and Padang Kota seats in subsequent elections.

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In the 2004 general election, Karpal returned to Parliament with a 1,261-majority win in the new Bukit Gelugor seat. In the 13th general election last year, Karpal retained the Bukit Gelugor seat with 55,839 votes, a 41,778-vote majority over BN-MCA's Teh Beng Yeam who got 14,061 votes.

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The author of the 2013 biography, Karpal Singh -- Tiger of Jelutong, New Zealand journalist Tim Donoghue says the late Bukit Gelugor MP, had wanted his son Ramkarpal, to be his successor. Donoghue claims this was Karpal's plan should he be thrown into jail for seditio

The state DAP central executive commitee (CEC) will meet on Thursday to discuss matters related to the impending Bukit Gelugor by-election. Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow said the meeting would include discussions on the candidacy and strategy for the by-election. "We will also look at logistics and statistics of the election," he said at a press conference, declining to comment further.

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The Penang chapter of DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow declined to say if Ramkarpal Singh Deo, the late Karpal’s son, might be fielded to contest his father’s federal seat. “Ultimately, decisions on candidature for the seat will be decided by the central executive committee (CEC),” he said. “For now, the state committee has not discussed this and if required by the CEC, we will provide a short list of candidates," he said.

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