Barely a week after assuming the top posts in Umno, Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin will face a referendum of sorts – a triple by-election showdown.
Yi Ge Qiu surveys the Batang Ai state seat ahead of polling day. A defeat for the BN could spell long term trouble for the Taib Mahmud-led ruling coalition in the state. Win or lose, PKR will have to do some soul-searching over the choice of its candidate.
Over in the peninsula, Anil Netto takes a look at the Bakit Selambau state seat in Kedah and the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak.
At Bukit Selambau, the MIC faces crunch time as Samy Vellu promises to go house-to-house campaigning while Bukit Gantang should indicate to us whether the people regard Nizar as their “Mentri Besar yang sah”.
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The results will have deeper significance for the future of our fledgling democracy, still trying to break free from the old order. Our centre pages feature the historic Perak State Assembly held beneath the now famous Democracy Tree.
Even after winning elections, there is still much work to be done in transforming local communities, as Jeyakumar Devaraj shares with us his experience in Sungai Siput.
In our new Statistics Corner, readers will get a rare glimpse at the distribution of ASB holdings among the bumiputera community. On a lighter note, Angeline Loh reviews the movie Brave Heart, which still carries a relevant message for freedom lovers everywhere. Finally, Koon Yew Yin shares with us his philosophy of happiness based on compassion for others.
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AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
