Penanti by-election, 2009
Encyclopedia
An election to fill the state assembly seat for Penanti
was held on May 31, 2009. Penanti has 15,384 registered voters, with 73% of them Malays, 24% Chinese
, 2% India
ns and 0.7% of other communities. Mansor Othman of the PKR
party won the election.
Deputy Chief Minister and state assemblyperson Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin quit the state assembly seat of Penanti, Penang regarding allegations over his non-performance in public office and corruption allegations. Fairus was however cleared of the alleged corruption links with quarry operations in the state by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
.
According to the mainstream media, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim
decided to force a by-election to allow his former political secretary Dr Mansor Osman to contest, win and automatically become Penang deputy Chief Minister. The Election Commission has set the nominations day for May 23 and polling day on May 31 for the Penanti state by-election in Penang.
Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak declared an election would be a waste of economic resources. However, he felt the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional
would not contest the election. It would be the first election uncontested by the ruling coalition since independence. MCA
supported foregoing the by-election and awarding the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
party victory, as a means to reduce political tensions.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad urged Barisan Nasional to contest the by-election., but Barisan Nasional supreme council announced on May 18, 2009 that the party would not contest the Penanti state assembly seat in Penang.
Penanti
Penanti is a small town in Penang, Malaysia. It is located about several kilometres from Butterworth town. It is located in the parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh.Mengkuang Dam is also found here.-See also:*Penanti by-election, 2009...
was held on May 31, 2009. Penanti has 15,384 registered voters, with 73% of them Malays, 24% Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, 2% India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns and 0.7% of other communities. Mansor Othman of the PKR
PKR
- Codes :PKR is:* the IATA airport designator of Pokhara Airport, Pokhara, Nepal* the ICAO airline designator of Pakker Avio, Estonia* the ISO 4217 code for the Pakistani rupee...
party won the election.
Election background
PenangPenang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
Deputy Chief Minister and state assemblyperson Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin quit the state assembly seat of Penanti, Penang regarding allegations over his non-performance in public office and corruption allegations. Fairus was however cleared of the alleged corruption links with quarry operations in the state by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ' ) is a government agency in Malaysia that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors...
.
According to the mainstream media, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
decided to force a by-election to allow his former political secretary Dr Mansor Osman to contest, win and automatically become Penang deputy Chief Minister. The Election Commission has set the nominations day for May 23 and polling day on May 31 for the Penanti state by-election in Penang.
Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak declared an election would be a waste of economic resources. However, he felt the ruling coalition 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...
would not contest the election. It would be the first election uncontested by the ruling coalition since independence. MCA
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...
supported foregoing the by-election and awarding the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
party victory, as a means to reduce political tensions.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad urged Barisan Nasional to contest the by-election., but Barisan Nasional supreme council announced on May 18, 2009 that the party would not contest the Penanti state assembly seat in Penang.
Nominations
Penang PKR deputy chief Mansor Othman, a 54-year old party veteran, was named the party’s candidate. Three candidates ran as independents: former Penang PKR Wanita chief Aminah Abdullah, company manager Nai-Khan Ari and motivational expert Kamarul Ramizu Idris.By-election Results
PKR's Dr Mansor Othman won 6,052 of the 7,100 votes cast in the Penanti by-election on May 31, 2009. Independents Nai Khan Ari, Aminah Abdullah and Kamarul Ramizu Idris obtained 494, 392 and 56 votes respectively. The polling ended with a low turnout of 46.1% or 7,100 voters despite fair weather.See also
- Penang State Assemblymen