Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Kavyeas says he has confirmed with PM, but PM says “NO LIST IS FINALISED:
Any announcement on candidates and their constituencies should not be taken as final, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
“No list is finalised. Therefore any statement made by anyone on the subject of candidacy cannot be accepted as something that is final,” the Prime Minister told reporters after launching SEGi College’s flagship campus in Kota Damansara here.
On some Barisan Nasional parties that already announced their candidates and seats, Abdullah said: “Let them do it. If I change (the list) later then they will be chaotic. I said the list has not been decided upon”.
Abdullah declined to reveal when the full list would be announced, adding that once ready it will be revealed together with the Barisan manifesto.
I’m staying in Taiping, says Kayveas
http://malaysiakini.com/news/78150
Andrew Ong | Feb 16, 08 6:28pm
People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president M Kayveas today publicly announced that he would be the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Taiping parliamentary seat, after seeking confirmation from BN chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday.
The announcement was made during Kayveas’ public address during his Chinese New Year open house in Taiping which was received with an enthusiastic response from the crowd.
At a press conference later, Kayveas expressed the hope that his announcement would put to rest speculations on whether PPP would be allowed to contest in Taiping, which was ‘loaned’ to the party by fellow BN component Gerakan during the 2004 general election. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve already obtained a confirmation from the prime minister yesterday. No more speculations,” he said.
Gerakan has never lost the Taiping seat since 1969 but reluctantly allowed PPP to contest there in 2004 in what was then dubbed a ‘one-off’ seat arrangement with Umno. Then, Umno made way for Gerakan’s women’s wing chief Tan Lian Hoe to contest in the Malay-majority Bukit Gantang seat, which neighbours the Taiping seat.
Since 2004, Gerakan and PPP have been trading barbs over the Taiping seat. Following this, Tan was made the BN Taiping chairperson, which was seen as a prelude to Gerakan’s return to the Taiping seat. Umno Bukit Gantang on the other hand had been previously promised the return of the Bukit Gantang seat by BN Perak chairperson Mohd Tajol Rosli.
Internal problems
On Mohd Tajol’s prediction recently that the BN had a “50-50” chance of winning the Taiping seat, Kayveas said his assessment was different and that he was confident he had the support of his constituents based on his performance over the last four years. However, he conceded that PPP’s rocky relationship with fellow BN component party members might dampen his campaign. “The problem, if any, is internal. Four MIC branches (here) petitioned against my candidacy. Another problem is Gerakan. They are disappointed that they were not given the seat,” he added.
Asked on how he would resolve the “internal problems”, Kayveas said he believed that BN component parties would be able to close ranks come nomination day. “The very same people who petitioned against me would be coming to offer their help,” he said.
Kayveas today also announced that PPP would be contesting the Kota Alam Shah state seat in Selangor following a written confirmation from Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo. However, the Pasir Benamar seat in Perak, which PPP contested and lost in 2004, would be contested by Gerakan this time round, said Kayveas.
PPP wants more
Kayveas expressed hope that more BN component parties would take up Umno’s lead to give up seats to the PPP prior to nomination day, even if they were opposition strongholds. “There is no point for them (BN compoenent parties) to hold on to seats which they cannot win. Might as well play some mahjong – swap here and there – and see if we can win,” he added.
For several years, PPP have been calling on BN component parties to “return” seats held by PPP prior to its inclusion into the coalition in 1974. Save for Umno, most BN component parties have ridiculed the idea. Kayveas said certain BN component party leaders were being “un-gentlemanly” in not returning what belongs to PPP. He added that the best time to do so was during the eve of the elections. “Now, we are asking them nicely to give back what is ours. They already have a lot (of seats). There is no need for so many,” he quipped.
Protest against Kayveas
In a related development, Taiping Gerakan Youth today announced that it has dissolved its committee in protest of Gerakan top brass’ failure to take back the Taiping seat. Outgoing Gerakan Taiping Youth chief Soo Kay Peng (right) told a press conference today that grassroots party members were very disappointed that the party would again be denied the chance to contest in the seat which it had held for 30 years.
“We are not happy with the party leadership because they were not agressive enough to take back seats we held for 30 years… How can we (Gerakan grassroots) tell the public that we will fight for them if we cannot even fight for our seat?” he said. Flanked by fellow ex-committee members, Soo said he and many other party members are likely to quit the party should Gerakan leaders fail to secure candidacy for the Taiping seat unconditionally before nomination day on Feb 24. “I am a Taiping local councillor. Over this issue, I’m willing to let go of everything,” added Soo, who stressed that his opinion was only limited to his role as a former party division Youth chief.
