Machap by-election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Machap by-election was held on April 12, 2007. The seat in the state assembly of Malacca
, Malaysia, fell vacant after the incumbent, Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam
of the Malaysian Chinese Association
(MCA), died on 15 March that year. On March 21, 2007, the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) announced April 3, 2007 as the nomination day and April 12, 2007 the election date. The MCA candidate, Lai Meng Chong
eventually defeated the opposition candidate of Liou Chen Kuang
, with a reduced majority compared to the previous 2004 election.
. As of the 2004 General Elections
, Machap was a majority Chinese
seat (45.6%), followed by Malays
(38.3%), Indians (15.3%) and others (0.7%). In the 2004 election, the late Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam
of the MCA, a component party of the Barisan Nasional
(BN) coalition, garnered 5,847 votes, defeating Liou Chen Kuang
of the Democratic Action Party
(DAP) (1,285 votes) by a majority of 4,562 votes.
daily The Star
reported on March 17, 2007 that the opposition People's Justice Party
(PKR) was the first to express interest in contesting the seat, with its information chief Tian Chua
as the likely candidate. Meanwhile on March 20, 2007, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) declared it would not field a candidate in the by-election, citing the fact that the seat has traditionally been a DAP versus BN contest. The DAP and the ruling BN declined to comment on their plans until after Poh's funeral on March 21, 2007.
Nonetheless, this did not stop the media from speculating. Those linked to Datuk Seri
Dr Fong Chan Onn
, the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, MP
for Alor Gajah
and MCA vice-president, were named as possible BN candidates. The list included Fong's special assistant Ngow Dow Soon, his political secretary Lai Meng Chong
and his private secretary Chew Chong Lin. From the opposition camp, besides PKR's Tian Chua, potential candidates from the DAP include Liou Chen Kuang
, whom Poh had beaten in the last general election
, or Tey Kok Kiew, special assistant to the party’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng
.
On March 22, 2007, PKR and DAP reached an agreement, whereby PKR will yield the seat to DAP in the by-election, but will contest the seat in the next General Elections. PKR has also agreed to provide support to DAP but will not be directly involved in campaigning. Meanwhile, MCA president Datuk Seri
Ong Ka Ting
announced on March 26, 2007 that an MCA Presidential Council meeting on March 27, 2007 will choose the BN's candidate. The chosen candidate will be revealed after obtaining formal approval from the BN chairman, incumbent Prime Minister
Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
.
On March 30, 2007, the DAP announced its candidate for the seat in the 2004 General Elections, 33-year old Liou Chen Kuang
, will contest in the by-election. Liou, a businessman, was chosen again despite losing in the last election. He was chosen due to his "knowledge of the local terrain", grassroots
support, and his willingness "to serve Machap constituents". The DAP also announced it would use the slogan Machap Demokrasi (Machap Democracy) to raise awareness among voters on the importance of democracy
in Malaysia.
Three days later, on April 2, 2007, the BN deputy chairman and incumbent Deputy Prime Minister
Dato' Sri
Najib Tun Razak
named a local MCA politician, 56-year old Lai Meng Chong
as the coalition's candidate for the by-election.
During nomination day on April 3, 2007, a scuffle occurred between DAP and BN supporters. Two DAP supporters were injured in the scuffle, which erupted after some name-calling and sloganeering. Following the incident, police
arrested a man after receiving four reports, two from the injured man, and two each from a journalist
and a photographer from the Tamil
dailies Malaysian Nanban and Makkal Osai
, respectively.
process was not transparent and could be manipulated. However, the EC chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman on March 21, 2007 denied the allegations and challenged political parties to take the commission to court
on the matter. Despite the denial, the DAP described the EC’s move of not fixing the elections on a weekend as an "act of biasness to benefit the BN".
On March 27, 2007, as an attempt to counter the opposition's grievances on the transparency of the election process, the EC announced that new, translucent plastic
ballot boxes will be used in the by-elections, replacing the black metal
ballot boxes used in previous elections. According to the EC, the new box is also lighter at only 500 grams, as compared to the metal box, which weighed 1.5 kg.
ed the January 2007 Batu Talam State by-election
in Pahang
, which the BN won after defeating an independent candidate. DAP's decision to now contest in Machap has led the BN to accuse opposition parties of being "inconsistent" with regards to boycotting elections.
community for the ruling BN. Many Chinese voters abandoned the BN in the 2006 Sarawak state elections
, BN's worst showing in a long time in the traditionally safe state, whereby nine seats, seven of which were predominantly Chinese, went to the opposition. The dissatisfaction was because of economic issues and a renewed push by some Malay BN politicians for more privileges under the Malaysian New Economic Policy
. A December 2006 survey by independent social research outfit the Merdeka Centre, found that 60% of Chinese voters nationwide were open to voting for the opposition.
Some pundits argue the by-election might not reflect the purported general sentiments of the Chinese
. They believe that the DAP faces an uphill battle against the incumbent BN, as Machap is a rural
constituency whereby local concerns predominate national issues and constituents are more conservative and less receptive to change. Furthermore, the deceased Datuk Wira
Poh Ah Tiam
was popular and had a good service record in Machap, having served for three consecutive terms and bringing tangible development in the constituency.
reported that BN had distributed 1,000 VCD
s containing a video clip
of a campaigner from the PKR
stating that a vote for the DAP would be a vote for the Barisan Alternatif
, a coalition comprising PKR and PAS
. The DAP was a former member of the coalition, but pulled out after disagreement on PAS' advocacy of an Islamic state
. MCA vice-president Datuk Seri
Dr Fong Chan Onn
alleged the video was proof of the DAP's covert co-operation with PAS, and stated that BN had "to let the people in Machap know that voting for DAP will help realise PAS' plan to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state
".
The EC also stated that 50 PAS party flags had been removed, as PAS was not contesting the by-election. The DAP alleged that the flags had not been put up by PAS, and claimed that BN supporters had raised them. Confronted by the media
on the DAP's claims, Fong denied any knowledge of such actions, calling it "just speculation".
was low in the morning, reaching only 23% by 11.00 am. However, turnout picked up at lunchtime, hitting 59.2% by 3.00pm. Weather
conditions were generally favorable throughout the day with only scattered showers
in late afternoon, which resulted in the relatively high turnout of 74.4% at the 5.00 pm close.
However, the day was marred by allegations of vote-buying against the BN made by the DAP. According to a DAP party worker, a tip-off was received by the party at around 12.00 pm that a vacant house was used to disburse vote-buying money. Voters were alleged to have received as much as RM200 (ca. US$58) from BN operatives. However, in an immediate reaction, MCA president Dato' Seri
Ong Ka Ting
brushed off the allegation, calling the DAP's allegations baseless and made for "political mileage".
alleged that although BN and Lai had been caught in the act offering to renovate houses and passing out free food and drinks, in direct contravention of electoral laws, the Election Commission had taken no action.
The DAP later filed a complaint with the EC over the alleged vote-buying incidents, including claims that the government had announced development projects to secure support. The EC chairman rejected the latter allegation, stating that such actions were legal and within the government's discretion. MCA president Ong also rejected the claims, saying it was common for the opposition to make such allegations after electoral defeats, and accused the DAP of being contradictory in first blaming the government for not developing Machap, but later saying the development was vote-buying.
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, Malaysia, fell vacant after the incumbent, Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam
Poh Ah Tiam
Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam was a Malaysian politician, businessman and community leader of Chinese descent. Poh was born in Kampung Belimbing, near Durian Tunggal, Malacca...
of the Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
(MCA), died on 15 March that year. On March 21, 2007, the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) announced April 3, 2007 as the nomination day and April 12, 2007 the election date. The MCA candidate, Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong is a Malaysian politician of Chinese descent from the town of Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a major component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and holds the position of vice-chairman in the MCA's Alor Gajah division...
eventually defeated the opposition candidate of Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang is a Malaysian politician and businessman of Chinese descent from Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party and was the party's losing candidate for the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seat of Machap in the 2004 General Elections...
, with a reduced majority compared to the previous 2004 election.
Background
State assembly seat N.08 Machap lies in parliamentary seat P.135 Alor GajahAlor Gajah
Alur Gajah is a town and district in Malacca, Malaysia. Alor Gajah is also a parliamentary constituency of Melaka. It borders Tampin, Negeri Sembilan to the north. This town has a railway station at Pulau Subang about 10 kilometres from the town area...
. As of the 2004 General Elections
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
, Machap was a majority Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
seat (45.6%), followed by Malays
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
(38.3%), Indians (15.3%) and others (0.7%). In the 2004 election, the late Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam
Poh Ah Tiam
Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam was a Malaysian politician, businessman and community leader of Chinese descent. Poh was born in Kampung Belimbing, near Durian Tunggal, Malacca...
of the MCA, a component party of the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
(BN) coalition, garnered 5,847 votes, defeating Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang is a Malaysian politician and businessman of Chinese descent from Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party and was the party's losing candidate for the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seat of Machap in the 2004 General Elections...
of the Democratic Action Party
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
(DAP) (1,285 votes) by a majority of 4,562 votes.
Pre-nomination speculation
The English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
daily The Star
The Star (Malaysia)
The Star is an English-language, tabloid-format newspaper in Malaysia. It is the largest in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the . It has a daily circulation of between 290,000 to 300,000...
reported on March 17, 2007 that the opposition People's Justice Party
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(PKR) was the first to express interest in contesting the seat, with its information chief Tian Chua
Tian Chua
Chua Tian Chang, or better known as Tian Chua , is a Malaysian politician and is currently the Member of Parliament for the Batu constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is also information chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the largest opposition party in the Parliament of Malaysia...
as the likely candidate. Meanwhile on March 20, 2007, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) declared it would not field a candidate in the by-election, citing the fact that the seat has traditionally been a DAP versus BN contest. The DAP and the ruling BN declined to comment on their plans until after Poh's funeral on March 21, 2007.
Nonetheless, this did not stop the media from speculating. Those linked to Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Dr Fong Chan Onn
Fong Chan Onn
Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Human Resources. He is a former vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He is currently a Member of Parliament for Alor Gajah.-Profile:Dr...
, the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Alor Gajah
Alor Gajah
Alur Gajah is a town and district in Malacca, Malaysia. Alor Gajah is also a parliamentary constituency of Melaka. It borders Tampin, Negeri Sembilan to the north. This town has a railway station at Pulau Subang about 10 kilometres from the town area...
and MCA vice-president, were named as possible BN candidates. The list included Fong's special assistant Ngow Dow Soon, his political secretary Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong is a Malaysian politician of Chinese descent from the town of Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a major component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and holds the position of vice-chairman in the MCA's Alor Gajah division...
and his private secretary Chew Chong Lin. From the opposition camp, besides PKR's Tian Chua, potential candidates from the DAP include Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang is a Malaysian politician and businessman of Chinese descent from Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party and was the party's losing candidate for the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seat of Machap in the 2004 General Elections...
, whom Poh had beaten in the last general election
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
, or Tey Kok Kiew, special assistant to the party’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng
Lim Guan Eng
Lim Guan Eng is the 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang and Secretary-General of the Malaysian Democratic Action Party . He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, Leader of the Opposition in the Dewan Rakyat from 1973 to 1999 and 2004 to 2008....
.
On March 22, 2007, PKR and DAP reached an agreement, whereby PKR will yield the seat to DAP in the by-election, but will contest the seat in the next General Elections. PKR has also agreed to provide support to DAP but will not be directly involved in campaigning. Meanwhile, MCA president Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Ong Ka Ting
Ong Ka Ting
Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Malaysian cabinet. He is also the former President of the Malaysian Chinese Association and is the Member of Parliament for Kulai.-Early life:...
announced on March 26, 2007 that an MCA Presidential Council meeting on March 27, 2007 will choose the BN's candidate. The chosen candidate will be revealed after obtaining formal approval from the BN chairman, incumbent Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
.
Nominated candidates
Liou Chen Kuang
Liou Chen Kuang is a Malaysian politician and businessman of Chinese descent from Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party and was the party's losing candidate for the Malacca State Legislative Assembly seat of Machap in the 2004 General Elections...
, will contest in the by-election. Liou, a businessman, was chosen again despite losing in the last election. He was chosen due to his "knowledge of the local terrain", grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
support, and his willingness "to serve Machap constituents". The DAP also announced it would use the slogan Machap Demokrasi (Machap Democracy) to raise awareness among voters on the importance of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in Malaysia.
Three days later, on April 2, 2007, the BN deputy chairman and incumbent Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia is the second highest political office in Malaysia. There has been ten deputy prime ministers since the office was created in 1957. Although there has always been a Deputy Prime Minister since independence, there is nothing preventing a Prime Minister from not...
Dato' Sri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...
named a local MCA politician, 56-year old Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong
Lai Meng Chong is a Malaysian politician of Chinese descent from the town of Machap Baru in Malacca state. He is a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a major component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and holds the position of vice-chairman in the MCA's Alor Gajah division...
as the coalition's candidate for the by-election.
Nomination day scuffle
Royal Malaysian Police
The Royal Malaysia Police is a part of the security forces structure in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organization with responsibilities ranging from traffic control to intelligence gathering. Its headquarters is located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an...
arrested a man after receiving four reports, two from the injured man, and two each from a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a photographer from the Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
dailies Malaysian Nanban and Makkal Osai
Makkal Osai
The Makkal Osai is a Tamil daily newspaper based in Malaysia, one of only three Tamil-language dailies in the country, alongside the Malaysia Nanban and the Tamil Nesan.- Overview :...
, respectively.
Election irregularities
The opposition parties had alleged that the country's electionElection
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
process was not transparent and could be manipulated. However, the EC chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman on March 21, 2007 denied the allegations and challenged political parties to take the commission to court
Courts of Malaysia
The Judiciary of Malaysia is largely centralized despite Malaysia's federal constitution, heavily influenced by the British Common Law and to a lesser extent Islamic law, and is mostly independent from political interference.-History:...
on the matter. Despite the denial, the DAP described the EC’s move of not fixing the elections on a weekend as an "act of biasness to benefit the BN".
On March 27, 2007, as an attempt to counter the opposition's grievances on the transparency of the election process, the EC announced that new, translucent plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
ballot boxes will be used in the by-elections, replacing the black metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
ballot boxes used in previous elections. According to the EC, the new box is also lighter at only 500 grams, as compared to the metal box, which weighed 1.5 kg.
Opposition boycott
Due to alleged irregularities in the Malaysian election process, two major opposition parties, PAS and DAP, boycottBoycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
ed the January 2007 Batu Talam State by-election
Batu Talam by-election, 2007
The Batu Talam by-election was held on January 28, 2007. The seat of Batu Talam in the state assembly of Pahang, Malaysia, fell vacant after the death of the incumbent, Tengku Paris Tengku Razlan of the United Malays National Organisation , the leading party of the ruling Barisan Nasional...
in Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...
, which the BN won after defeating an independent candidate. DAP's decision to now contest in Machap has led the BN to accuse opposition parties of being "inconsistent" with regards to boycotting elections.
Chinese support for the BN
Some pundits opine that the Machap by-election, given the constituency's ethnic composition, may reflect support from the ChineseMalaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
community for the ruling BN. Many Chinese voters abandoned the BN in the 2006 Sarawak state elections
Sarawak state election, 2006
The ninth Sarawak state election was held on May 20, 2006 with nomination day on May 9. The election functioned to elect 71 representatives to the Sarawak State Assembly...
, BN's worst showing in a long time in the traditionally safe state, whereby nine seats, seven of which were predominantly Chinese, went to the opposition. The dissatisfaction was because of economic issues and a renewed push by some Malay BN politicians for more privileges under the Malaysian New Economic Policy
Malaysian New Economic Policy
The Malaysian New Economic Policy , was an ambitious and controversial socio-economic restructuring affirmative action program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971 under the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. The NEP ended in 1990, and was succeeded by the National Development Policy in...
. A December 2006 survey by independent social research outfit the Merdeka Centre, found that 60% of Chinese voters nationwide were open to voting for the opposition.
Some pundits argue the by-election might not reflect the purported general sentiments of the Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
. They believe that the DAP faces an uphill battle against the incumbent BN, as Machap is a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
constituency whereby local concerns predominate national issues and constituents are more conservative and less receptive to change. Furthermore, the deceased Datuk Wira
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Poh Ah Tiam
Poh Ah Tiam
Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam was a Malaysian politician, businessman and community leader of Chinese descent. Poh was born in Kampung Belimbing, near Durian Tunggal, Malacca...
was popular and had a good service record in Machap, having served for three consecutive terms and bringing tangible development in the constituency.
Alleged DAP-PAS secret co-operation pact
The day before the election, MalaysiakiniMalaysiakini
Malaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
reported that BN had distributed 1,000 VCD
VCD
VCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...
s containing a video clip
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
of a campaigner from the PKR
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
stating that a vote for the DAP would be a vote for the Barisan Alternatif
Barisan Alternatif
Barisan Alternatif was a coalition of Malaysian opposition parties, formed as a counterweight to the ruling Barisan Nasional...
, a coalition comprising PKR and PAS
PAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
. The DAP was a former member of the coalition, but pulled out after disagreement on PAS' advocacy of an Islamic state
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
. MCA vice-president Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Dr Fong Chan Onn
Fong Chan Onn
Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Human Resources. He is a former vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Association , a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He is currently a Member of Parliament for Alor Gajah.-Profile:Dr...
alleged the video was proof of the DAP's covert co-operation with PAS, and stated that BN had "to let the people in Machap know that voting for DAP will help realise PAS' plan to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
".
The EC also stated that 50 PAS party flags had been removed, as PAS was not contesting the by-election. The DAP alleged that the flags had not been put up by PAS, and claimed that BN supporters had raised them. Confronted by the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
on the DAP's claims, Fong denied any knowledge of such actions, calling it "just speculation".
Election day
Voter turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was low in the morning, reaching only 23% by 11.00 am. However, turnout picked up at lunchtime, hitting 59.2% by 3.00pm. Weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
conditions were generally favorable throughout the day with only scattered showers
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
in late afternoon, which resulted in the relatively high turnout of 74.4% at the 5.00 pm close.
However, the day was marred by allegations of vote-buying against the BN made by the DAP. According to a DAP party worker, a tip-off was received by the party at around 12.00 pm that a vacant house was used to disburse vote-buying money. Voters were alleged to have received as much as RM200 (ca. US$58) from BN operatives. However, in an immediate reaction, MCA president Dato' Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Ong Ka Ting
Ong Ka Ting
Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Housing and Local Government in the Malaysian cabinet. He is also the former President of the Malaysian Chinese Association and is the Member of Parliament for Kulai.-Early life:...
brushed off the allegation, calling the DAP's allegations baseless and made for "political mileage".
Post-election controversy
In a post-election analysis, senior DAP leader Tony PuaTony Pua
Tony Pua Kiam Wee is a Malaysian politician, currently the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara. Pua was the former Malaysian CEO of Cyber Village Sdn Bhd, a SESDAQ -listed company...
alleged that although BN and Lai had been caught in the act offering to renovate houses and passing out free food and drinks, in direct contravention of electoral laws, the Election Commission had taken no action.
The DAP later filed a complaint with the EC over the alleged vote-buying incidents, including claims that the government had announced development projects to secure support. The EC chairman rejected the latter allegation, stating that such actions were legal and within the government's discretion. MCA president Ong also rejected the claims, saying it was common for the opposition to make such allegations after electoral defeats, and accused the DAP of being contradictory in first blaming the government for not developing Machap, but later saying the development was vote-buying.