Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Report from the Star and NST on ISA detainee standing for state seat in coming election. Even though he was not there, the supporters came in droves and his wife gave a short speech on his behalf.
Detained Hindraf leader goes for Kota Alam Shah
KLANG: M. Manoharan, a Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader currently detained under the Internal Security Act, will contest the Kota Alam Shah state seat against Barisan Nasional’s incumbent Ching Su Chen.
Manoharan’s wife S. Pushpaneela, who submitted his form at the nomination centre yesterday, was accompanied by opposition candidates Charles Santiago and Ronnie Liu of the DAP and Badrul Hisham Abdullah of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. After the nominations were filed at the Dewan Hamzah of the Klang Municipal Council, Pushpaneela said her husband was pleased to have been given an opportunity by the DAP to stand in the general election.
Ching, who felt that the Hindraf issue might affect voters emotionally, however said voters would be “mature enough to see the development that BN has brought.”
The Port Klang state seat will see a three-cornered fight among Barisan’s Roselinda Abdul Jamil, Badrul and independent Nasir Mansor.
Roselinda, 32, a first-time candidate for Umno, said she was 100% confident of winning the tussle. “Losing the contest has never crossed my mind,” said the daughter-in-law of incumbent Datuk Zakaria Md Derus.
Meanwhile, Badrul, a 48-year-old entrepreneur, said the three-cornered fight was part of his opponents’ strategy to split the votes. “It remains a one-to-one fight for us against Barisan,” he said.
However, Nasir, a 56-year-old businessman, said he was cleared of influences from political parties. “I used to be an Umno supporter and now I’m out. I came here with one aim: to bring changes to the constituency, which is very dirty and underdeveloped,” he said. The ex-soldier said he decided to contest on his own as he was not satisfied with Roselinda’s candidacy.
Selangor MCA chairman Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng and DAP’s Charles Santiago are involved in a straight fight for the Klang parliamentary seat. Ch’ng, together with the Barisan candidates of the three state seats under the Klang constituency – Datuk Teh Kim Poo (MCA) for Pandamaran, Roselinda and Ching (Gerakan) – and their supporters marched from Padang Jeti to the nomination centre.
Ch’ng said he would work hard to retain the BN seat, which was held by Datin Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew for the last three terms. For Pandamaran, it’s a straight fight between incumbent Teh and DAP’s Ronnie Liu.
ISA detainee goes for state seat
KLANG: Internal Security Act detainee M. Manoharan is contesting the Kota Alam Shah state seat. is nomination papers were filed by his wife, S. Pushpaneela, at the Dewan Dato Hamzah yesterday. Pushpaneela, 46, said her husband, who is being detained in Kamunting, was in high spirits.
“Manoharan is excited and motivated, despite his detention.”He feels that Malaysia needs a strong opposition and he has the full support of his friends and family.”
The mother of four, who is running her husband’s law firm, will be campaigning on behalf of her husband against Barisan Nasional incumbent Ching Su Chen, of Gerakan. Manoharan, 46, is contesting on the DAP ticket. He is also the legal adviser for the Hindu Rights Action Force. He has been an ISA detainee since Dec 13.
