COMMENTS: Tomorrow, 5 May, 2013, 13.3 million registered voters across the country will cast their votes for the 13th General Election (GE-13).
According to the Election Commission, 1,903 nomination papers have been accepted throughout the country on the nomination date on the 20th of April.
Out of the total number, three nominations were rejected.
A total of 222 parliamentary seats will be contested. From the figure, 25 parliamentary seats will be contested in Sabah and 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak. Thus, making it 56 parliamentary seats which will be contested in East Malaysia.
The remaining 166 parliamentary seats are being contested on the peninsula.
Meanwhile, for the State Legislative Assembly or constituency clash, 505 seats will be contested for throughout the country.
From the total, 383 seats will be contested in the peninsula and 122 seats will be contested in Sabah and Sarawak.
Barisan Nasional is participating in all parliamentary and constituency seats and so it the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, comprising of PKR, PAS and DAP.
PKR has lined up 99 Parliamentary candidates and 172 constituency candidates. PAS will be contesting for 73 parliamentary seats and 236 constituency seats. Meanwhile, DAP will only be contesting for 51 parliamentary seats and 102 constituency seats.
The GE-13 this time will register the highest number of participation from independent candidates, 79 parliamentary seats and 191 constituency seats.
Similarly is the tussle for several seats involving clashes from several corners.
This include four-corner clashes at 24 parliamentary seats and 42 constituency seats, five-cornered at 7 parliaments and 25 constituencies, six-cornered at one parliament and 10 constituencies and seven-cornered at one parliament and one constituency.
The campaign period for the GE-13 started on the 20th of April until midnight tonight.
Based on the campaign channel, BN has certainly more access compared to Pakatan Rakyat.
Based on several reports, it is found that BN is using 26 Radio channels, 9 television channels and 11 print media which is available to the people every day.
Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat only uses the party’s official media and the rest are media channels from the internet.
In the GE-13, several states will be the focus. Among them is the state of Johor, which is Umno’s birth state which is said to be the most powerful stronghold of the party.
Pakatan Rakyat’s action in storming the southern state was proven with the one-on-one clash between DAP Advisor, Lim Kit Siang at P162 Gelang Patah and the former Chief Minister of Johor, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.
In Parliament P140 Segamat, the Johor PKR Liaison Chairman, Chua Jui Meng will contest against the incumbent of the seat, Dr S Subramaniam.
Meanwhile, at P125 Putrajaya, PAS Vice-President, Datuk Husa Musa will face the Umno Secretary-General, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Many among the political observers from the country and from abroad have said that the true GE-13 clash involves the two main figures, the President of Umno, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the PKR De Facto Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Najib has been interpreted as the last legacy of the RAHMAN theory. While Anwar is seen as the culmination of a wave of the people’s uprising in the country of wanting change after being ruled for more than 56 year by the legacy of the party now led by Najib.
Therefore, tomorrow is the moment where over 13.3 million registered voters will make a choice where more than 48% consists of young voters.
During the GE-12 in 2008, six states were successfully captured by Pakatan Rakyat but Perak was later recaptured by BN when three Pakatan candidates jumped party.
This question will only be answered on the 6th of May.
We at TVSelangor wish ‘Happy Voting’ to all Malaysian citizens.