Current Affairs

Felda voters are traditionally seen as a vote bank for the Barisan Nasional coalition, with an estimated 1.2 million voters across 52 Parliamentary seats.

Do these perceptions hold true in GE14?

Khor Yu Leng, an independent political economist with Segi Enam Advisors, weighs in. 

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Many commentators have described GE14 as a battle for Malay hearts and souls, and there’s been talk of a ‘Malay tsunami’.

Today we focus in on the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, and ask why these states are critical battlefronts, does the PAS-Amanah split affect support for PAS in Kelantan and finally, if PAS’ ambition to play kingmaker can be realised?

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We head north today with a focus on Perak in the run up to GE14.

At stake are 24 Parliamentary seats and  59 seats in the state assembly where Barisan Nasional controls the state with a thin three-seat majority.

Pakatan Harapan is hoping for a swing in Malay voters to help it win back the state it had previously won in GE13 (under Pakatan Rakyat), but lost through defections.

Today we ask about the effects of the re-delineation on the contest as well as the mood on the ground.

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Former Batu MP Tian Chua will be going to the High Court to reverse the Election Commission's rejection of his nomination application.

Chua's nomination was rejected on account of a previous RM2,000 fine imposed by the courts.

Chua, who has held the Batu parliamentary seat since 2008, is seeking a declaration that he is qualified to run for the seat in GE14, under Article 48( section 1)(e) of the Federal Constitution.

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Today we look down south with a focus on Johor in the run up to GE14.

While a number of state capitals and cities fell to the opposition, in the last two general elections in 2008 and 2013, Johor Baru stayed within the BN fold.

Johor is the birth place of UMNO and state pride is particular strong there with the rallying cry “Johor must always be Johor!”.

We focus on Muar, Johor Baru, Pagoh and Pasir Gudang.

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Last week, sixteen Umno members filed an application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, seeking leave for a judicial review against the Registry of Societies Malaysia, to compel it to act against the party for allegedly breaching their own constitution.

They are also seeking a declaration that Umno is illegal and is effectively dissolved as of April 20th, 2018, after having not held party elections at all levels since 2013.

Later this morning, they will find out if the High Court will grant them leave to do so.

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We have no end to drama as GE14 approaches.

Within the ranks of Barisan Nasional, Tan Sri M. Kayveas, MyPPP party president for the last 25 years, either resigned or was sacked.  At the heart of the drama is the Cameron Highlands constituency.

During GE13, former Malaysian Indian Congress president G Palanivel won the seat with 10,506 votes just 400 votes more than his rival the DAP’s Manogaran Marimuthu.

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 GE13 saw mostly straight fights between the ruling coalition and the Federal opposition.

However, this time, Malaysians can expect many multi-cornered fights, as Islamic party PAS left Pakatan Rakyat and Tun Dr Mahathir and other senior members of UMNO have formed the rival Bersatu party.

This shift in coalition and party dynamics will very likely produce everything from three corner fights and more.

Today we explore the Kota Raja parliamentary constituency where a five-corner fight is in the works.

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The Election Commission  has invited observers from 14 countries to monitor the 14th General Elections, including from Thailand, Maldives, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.

We discuss the role of international election monitors and the concerns that have been raised over the credibility of external observers for GE14. 

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The last time Umno held their party elections was in October 2013,  it is now the second quarter of 2018, which means the three-year limit imposed by its own constitution, has been exceeded.

However, some provisions do allow the party to delay their internal elections, but only for up to a maximum of 18 months. And those 18 months have passed.

BFM spoke to Mohamad Haniff Khatri Abdulla, whose law firm is representing 16 Umno members - including one branch leader - who are urging the Registry of Societies of Malaysia to do their job.

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