SUNGAI PETANI: The by-election for the Bukit Selambau state seat created history by drawing the most number of candidates ever seen contesting a state seat.
A record 15 candidates submitted their nomination papers at the SM Teknik Sungai Petani for the seat that had been a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold until the 2008 general election.
The previous record was eight candidates for the Tanjung Kapor state seat in Sabah in last year’s election.
A total of 13 independent candidates joined BN’s S Ganesan, 50, and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR's) S Manikumar, 35, in vying for the seat vacated by PKR’s V Arumugam, who resigned on Feb 9.
Arumugam had won the seat with a 2,362-vote majority in March 8 last year. The large number of independents is probably because Arumugam had initially contested the seat as an independent but against all odds, emerged victor in a straight fight with BN’s S Krishnan.The fight became a two-way affair after PKR candidate Saiful Izham Ramli’s nomination papers were rejected.
Arumugam obtained 13,225 votes to Krishnan’s 10,863 votes, with voter turnout at 73.76%.
The 13 independent candidates are businessmen Mohd Fazil Abdul Wahab, 38; R Loganathan, 33; Vaneson Michael, 34; Abdul Rahim Abu, 49; Radzi Md Lazim, 56; Husaini Yaacob, 44; Khamis Awang, 32; T Chandrarajan, 40; Tan Hock Huat, 46; marketing manager Sarala Loganathan, 34; retired army personnel turned venture capital representative Anuar Abdul Hamid, 58; management consultant A Jayagopal, 57; and unemployed S Moganakumar 43.
Sarala, the former People Progressive Party (PPP) Wanita chief, is the sole woman among the 15 candidates.
Election Commission (EC) deputy returning officer Datuk Abdullah Mat Akhir said the names of all 15 candidates would appear on a single ballot paper. According to Kedah EC director Zainal Abidin Zakaria, this is the first time that an A3-sized ballot paper will be used.
The symbols being used by the candidates are oil palm (Loganathan), key (Tan), fish (Vaneson) chair (Radzi), tiger head (Mohd Fazil) alarm clock (Abdul Rahim), bicycle (Sarala), umbrella (Jayagopal), book (Moganakumar), cockerel (Khamis), bus (Husaini) telephone (Anuar) and aeroplane (Chandrarajan).
A carnival-like atmosphere prevailed outside the school where supporters on both the BN and PKR, running into thousands of each side, overwhelmed the 500-odd independent supporters.
With a police helicopter hovering above, under the watchful eyes of riot police on duty, the BN and PKR supporters were kept about 500 metres apart while the independent supporters were located in between them.
There were no untoward incidents involving supporters from both camps. Beating Indian drums, kompang and trumpets, the BN and PKR sides tried to outdo each other even though the EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar personally advised the parties to refrain from doing so as it contravened the Election Offences Act.
Among the BN big guns who came to lend moral support to Ganesan were ministers Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk S Subramaniam, Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek and MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu.
The PKR camp meanwhile was represented by deputy president Azmin Ali and vice-president Tian Chua.