12th General Election 08.03.

2008
Penang & Malaysias Biggest Political Tsunami Ever Written by, Aw Yi Lyn
When the prime minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi announced the dissolution of Parliament on the 13th of February 2008, it was obvious that the 12th General Election was closing in. 24th February was set as the Nomination Day where as 8th March was set as the Election Day by the Election Commission. The 13-day period for candidates to campaign was one of the longest since 1990. All eyes were set on Penang, as there will be a change in the leadership of the state government since Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is moving from a State seat to a Parliament seat. The opposition parties had also announced to contest their strongest team of candidates in the state. Our countrys Prime Minister is also contesting in his usual Kepala Batas Parliamentary seat in Penang. Thus, making Penang one of the most watch states for this election. Tan Sri Dr. Koh led the Gerakan team in Penang to election and announced the slogan of their candidates as Keep Reinventing which is also used by the other Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates. Meanwhile, the opposition parties, Democratic Action Party (DAP) or better known as rocket among locals and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had promised to work hand in hand and came up with the slogans like Just Change It, A New Hope For Malaysia and A Dynamic Penang For All. DAPs team in Penang was led by Lim Guan Eng, secretary-general of the party while PKR was backed by its advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Since nomination day, many seats in Penang were said to be hot seats. Both BN and the opposition fielded their best candidates in Penang. Barisan Nasional was all out to continue their outstanding result in the 2004 election, winning 38 out of 40 state seats contested in Penang. Meanwhile, the opposition aims to win more seats and deny BNs 2/3 majority in Dewan Negeri and Dewan Rakyat. BN fields many of its incumbents as well as some new faces. Datuk Dr. Teng Hock Nan, Datuk Lee Kah Choon, and Datuk Teng Chang Yeow were among those tipped to be the next CM if they win in the election. On the opposition side, the big guns fielded were Lim Guan Eng (DAPs secretary general), Jeff Ooi (internet blogger), Karpal Singh (President of DAP) and etc etc. Many big battles were foreseen in Penang as Election Day approaches. All candidates were busy campaigning to win every single vote they could in their constituency. BN, DAP and PKR worked real hard to win the hearts of Penangites. Endless ceramah were held in every single corner of the state every single day. BN recorded an enormous number of 5000 people in its ceramah in Rifle Range. However, DAP and PKR broke that record with a ceramah in Han Chiang just 36 hours before Polling Day that attracted over 60000 Penangites and collect an approximate amount of RM 123,000.00 on-site donation. Top leaders in the country and state were expecting to see a swing of votes during this election. On the day before election, Tan Sri Dr. Koh said the state expect to lose at least 10 state seats. Massive amount of supporters attended ceramahs held throughout the state. But the real question is, CAN THE STRONG SUPPORT TRANSLATE INTO VOTES ON POLLING DAY? The day Malaysia Decides came and thousands flock to cast their votes. Will BN retain its successful result like in 2004? Will the opposition deny BNs 2/3 majority? Will the opposition capture Penang? Will the strong support given by Penangites in DAPs ceramah be a

sign that theyve chose for a change in the leadership of the state? Well, they were all answered on the night of 8th March 2008. The 12th General Election in Malaysia had seen the biggest ever political tsunami in the history of the country. BN not just lost its 2/3 majority in the Parliament but also lost 5 states namely Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Perak and Selangor to the Opposition. It was a major blow to UMNO and its component parties. Many big guns lost in their battles. Tan Sri Dr. Koh lost in Batu Kawan with its opponent P. Ramasamy winning with more than 10000 majority. Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, president of MIC (Malaysia Indian Congress) also lost in Sg. Siput. In Penang, all the MIC, MCA and GERAKAN candidates lost all their battles and the only BN component party left in the state is UMNO. DAPs rockets flew high with all 19 candidates for state seats and 7 candidates for Parliamentary seat won with big majorities. PKR too won many seats and PAS won one seat. Only UMNO managed to retain 11 state seats in Penang. With Penang and 4 others states lost to the opposition, the 12th General Election clearly shows the democratic practice in our country. Now, the biggest question is; Can the Opposition serve the people as they promised and can they retain the seats they have won in the next coming election? Or will BN win the hearts of the people in these few years to come? What will happen next election? Well, just wait another 4 or 5 years and you will find out.