SAMY VELLU Miffed by PKR Claim – RM100 million for Ijok Increased 201 Votes Dares ANWAR To Contest With Him; NAJIB: NOT To Worry – SLIP in CHINESE Vot

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Samy Vellu Challenges Anwar To Stand Against Him In General ElectionMay 03, 2007 23:13 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Bernama) -- MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu today dared Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to stand against him in the next general election. "We can fight in any constituency. He can come to my Sungai Siput constituency. I'm not scared," he told reporters after chairing the MIC central working committee meeting here. He said that PKR should accept the fact that MIC had won the recent Ijok by-election in Selangor by a bigger majority and asked the opposition party to accept its defeat. Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Ijok seat when its candidate, K. Parthiban, beat PKR's Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim by a 1,850-vote majority. Samy Vellu, who is Works Minister, promised that the BN would fulfil all its pledges to ensure the well-being of the people.

He said that MIC's highest leadership would visit Ijok once every two months to check on the welfare of the people there irrespective of race and religion. Samy Vellu also warned that he would close down any MIC branches which failed to carry out their duties in the run-up to the next general election. Any branch chiefs who failed to get the election machinery going would be replaced, he said, adding that the performance of elected representatives from the MIC would be closely monitored. MIC has 4,000 branches throughout the country, 19 state assembly seats and nine parliamentary seats. At a separate function, BN Youth chairman Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the movement would conduct a post-mortem of the Ijok polls to assess the level of support for the BN, especially among the Chinese, in preparation for the general election.

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Most Chinese still back Barisan Nasional, says Najib

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB; STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: There is no need for Barisan Nasional to be too alarmed by some Chinese votes going to the opposition during the recent Ijok by-election. Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said this should not be taken out of proportion and made into a big issue. “Let us not forget the fact that the majority of the Chinese still support Barisan,” Najib, who is the Deputy Prime Minister, told reporters yesterday after opening the International Conference on Management of Information Pertaining to Health Crisis. He cited the Machap by-election of April 12 as an example, where 63% to 65% of the Chinese supported the ruling coalition against the DAP candidate. Barisan won the Chinese-majority Machap seat by a majority of 4,081 votes. In the Ijok mixed seat, Barisan won by 1,850 votes but Chinese votes dropped in areas like Pekan Ijok, Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (U), Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (S). MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said one of the factors for the swing in Ijok was certain statements made that had hurt the Chinese community. Najib however pointed out that Barisan had won the general election in 2004 with an “all- time high” and hence it was only to be expected for the numbers to slip a little bit for the Ijok by-election. “This does not mean we can’t recover from the position. I am confident we can. The Chinese are very practical people. They know whom to support when the time comes,” he added.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was also at the function, said he did not believe there was a swing of Chinese votes because the decrease was “not all that much”. To a question on statements made at the Umno Youth assembly some months ago, which had caused unease among the Chinese and hence affected Chinese support for the coalition, he said this was not the case.

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Tuesday May 1, 2007

Probe into swing against BN in Ijok by-elections

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional will find out why there was a swing against the coalition in Chinese-majority areas in the Ijok by-election. Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said maybe there were reasons for it and possibly “things” that the Chinese voters were not happy about. “We do not know what but I think we will soon be able to find out. Our partners in Barisan – MCA especially and Gerakan to a certain extent – will be able to provide us with some information. There must be a reason of course,” he said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting yesterday. Abdullah, who is Umno president, said the coalition would continue to talk, do their work and explain to the Chinese.

In the Ijok by-election on Saturday, Barisan candidate K. Parthiban defeated Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Tan Sri Khalid Ibahim by a majority of 1,850 votes. Although this was an increased majority for Barisan, in Chinese areas like Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (S), Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (U) and Pekan Ijok, the Chinese voters seemed to have swung away from the ruling coalition. “Although we won by a bigger majority, we have decided to scrutinise whatever problems there are.

The results of all five by-elections will be studied and analysed. “This can be an important guide for us (to see) if there are messages (in there) for Barisan and Umno to improve their service to the people. We discussed our weaknesses so that we can improve,” he said. To a question, Abdullah said the trend showed that the Malay voters were clearly supporting Barisan. On a different matter, the Prime Minister said that on Aug 30, there would be a symbolic re-enactment of the lowering of Britain's Union Jack which would be replaced by the Jalur Jemilang at the stroke of midnight ushering in the 50th year of Malaysia's independence