Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Happy Merdeka Day. For this auspicious day, I present to you the poem that we recited during Malam Gemilang in Canberra. Videos will be uploaded soon.

A Letter From Tunku

(Haymini)

Once there was this dream I had,

It made me smile, I felt so glad,

I received a letter from someone familiar,

None other than Tunku, our first Prime Minister.

Tunku as as they say was a man of laughter,

He solves his problems, big or small, full of composure,

As I began to read his letter,

It came to my realization, the things that mattered.

(Siang Hang)

Dear Malaysian,

It has been 52 years since we lowered the ‘Union Jack’

It has been 52 years since we introduced ‘merah, putih, kuning dan biru’

It has been 52 years since the debut of ‘Negaraku’

It has been 52 years since I proclaimed “Merdeka”

Tell me, dear citizen of this privileged land,

Is everything going according to plan?

Is my Malaysia a country for all?

A land that provides shelter,

A land that offers a bright future.

Tell me, what has become of my country, Malaysia?

Do we stand tall among others?

Giving a hand to those in need,

And defend the powerless from becoming a victim of greed.

Tell me more about Malaysia,

Share with me a thing or two,

About the people, about the culture

Are we still living in harmony?

Tell me about my successors,

Describe to me their legacies,

Do they show compassion?

Do they show respect?

And not forgetting humility.

Tell me something, most importantly,

A country so young with many years to come,

A destination so far with burdens to bear,

Will the path that we chose, lead us there?

Yours sincerely,

Tunku.

(Haymini)

He penned his words so graciously,

A show of concern to his posterity,

I intended my reply to be short and sweet,

But in turned out as one full sheet.

(Iskandar)

Dear Tunku,

We have gone far, since the early days,

Mountains with the highest peak, we have conquered,

The earth with all its seven seas, we have crossed,

Oceans with all its depths, we have explored,

Stars that seem so far, we have reached.

At a time, we had the tallest structure,

But soon after, even taller ones emerged,

“Never mind” were the words of Dr. M.

“We still have the tallest twin towers”

All of those may seem superficial,

Missing some substance, lacking some essence.

Perhaps this is more significant,

We have established a common platform,

Where freedom of speech is upheld

Where great minds debate policies,

Where issues that are dear to our hearts are discussed,

Let me introduce you this special place called the mamak stall.

From “Should we teach math and science in English?”

To “Did Malaysia thrash Man U last night?”

Nothing is left untouched.

Besides that,

Here, Malaysia’s most unique cuisines are created,

Roti Planta, Mee Goreng Mamak, Nasi Lemak.

After 52 years,

We have finally found, the recipe to unity,

DOTA,

Nothing spells unity and integration

More than a weekly Dota session

Dear Tunku,

To the question

Whether I think that I’m in the right path,

My answer to you is

Yes, I do,

Because when I look around, I don’t see strangers

I see brothers, sisters, Malaysians,

Yours truly,

A proud Malaysian.

(Haymini)

Bangunlah rakyat Malaysia,

Sambutlah tangan saudara-saudaramu

Adanya mereka, kita tidak perlu gentar

Kerana bersama mereka, kita kan berjaya.

(Siang Hang)

Masa depan itu, mereka kata misteri,

Pahitkah? Maniskah? Hanya esok kita tahu,

Apa yang pasti perjalanan in harus kita teruskan,

Tapi bolehkah kita lakukan seorang diri?

(Iskandar)

Masa depan itu, mereka kata misteri,

Pahitkah? Maniskah? Hanya esok kita tahu,

Apa yang pasti perjalanan in harus kita teruskan,

Tapi bolehkah kita lakukan seorang diri?

Merdeka! (Iskandar)

Merdeka! (Siang Hang)

Merdeka! (Haymini)

Race to Istana Negara

Aug 1 -Heavily influenced by reality shows like the Amazing Race and such, Malaysia hopped on the bandwagon and organised its own program, ‘Race to Istana Negara’. Unlike the Amazing Race, contestants are not expected to run around in circles navigating themselves and cross the globe to search for clues. Instead, the routes are laid out for them and they are not required to run the distance as of a marathon.

A piece of cake you say? Here’s the catch. To add more excitement, the police were stationed at strategic places as obstacles and roadblocks for the participants. Sources informed that the cops have equipped themselves with tear gas and water canon for this event. This, however, did not discourage the participation of more than 30000 people. Due to the overwhelming response, the organisers divided them into two teams, Pro-ISA and Anti-ISA. Each wearing white and red t-shirts respectively. Participants were to work in teams, and the team that reached the finish line the fastest wins.

There are three possible outcomes awaiting the participants. The first is reaching the finish line, which is Istana Negara (National Palace). Second is stumbling to a roadblock midway which will lead them straight to jail (kind of reminds you of monopoly isn’t it?). The third is you can opt to exit the race by diverting from the route.

As the final tally showed, only 1 person managed to reach the finish line (Pro-ISA), more than 400 were sent to jail (Anti-ISA) and the others decided to call it a day(mostly Anti-ISA). Even though the participant from Pro-ISA finished the race thus claiming victory for his team, participants from Anti-ISA claimed there is preferential treatment towards this individual and should be disqualified for it. Consequently, the Anti-ISA claimed that they are the real winners of the day. Below are their reactions.

The man who reached the finish line: I wore the pro-ISA T-shirt underneath a Visit Malaysia T-shirt, to avoid being noticed by the authorities.

Pro-ISA: We won since we reached the palace and given the memo to the palace.

Anti-ISA: Victory is ours. The world has known our struggle.

Barisan Nasional: This race is a waste of time and public funds. This is all PR's doing. The security of the country is under threat.

Pakatan Rakyat: What security threat? It is our democratic right to do so.

Agong: What Race????

Guest Blogger: Of Big Mac and Teh Tarik

This written by my close friend, R Droto, who happens to be this month's Guest Blogger. You can read more of his writings here.


By R Droto

"I'm lovin' it"

Where in the world is peace? Well, it lies in your hand, for Goodness' sake! Flat out your hand, no, your fingers until you clearly see your palm. Then, close your thumb, ring finger and your pinkie. And there you go, PEACE - grinning until you see your glistening teeth in front of the mirror, water or its equivalent. Indeed, peace is actually in your hand. You are the one who would call the shot!

Remember a clown with a curly reddish hair and one-foot long shoes with circular shape at the edge? He also wears red and white stripes t-shirt. You must have noticed this guy if you like to eat strawberry Sundae and Big Mac burger. If you don't, I bet you are always using the drive-thru.

It is confusing. It truly is. Undoubtedly, people are starting to detest the regime for their merciless massacre in a land which they unwaveringly claim theirs. Historically speaking, the land was occupied by Arabs (Muslims, Christians and whatnot) for thousands of years, after which there were lots of conflicts that culminated in wars.

I know, I know, people are now hoping to get lowest possible prices for teh tarik, hence, price war breaks out. It's a good thing though to have a war like this. That shows how perfectly competitive teh tarik stalls are. Yeah, how ironic!

Not surprisingly, there are also some who couldn't be bothered by the situation in Gaza. Why? Let's see whether or not their all-time favourite fast food is still the aforementioned. Some might go straight off saying that the global economy is experiencing its recession, much to the extent that the situation may be worse off in a few months time. Hence, boycotting their Big Macs wouldn’t do any good to the global economy.

Fingers crossed, no more 1930s Great Depression. It could, however be justified if the economy is bent on agonizing people of all walks. Try to switch from Conventional Financial System to Islamic Financial System. Chances are, no one would be cast aside. Everyone is entitled to equal rights regardless of their status and social classes. Justified? Give it a shot then.

Granted, young children are being slaughtered in Gaza City, granted, the US doesn't give it a damn, instead it continues supplying military aid to the violent regime, granted people are still having starbucks coffee, granted president-elect Obama keeps quiet, granted, teh tarik dah kurang manis - though good for health.

Seeing children with limbs being torn off is so emotionally poignant. If only I were UAE's prime minister, if only I were the Iranian president, if only I were Barack Obama - I would have done whatever I could to put a halt to the massacre - OR technically called the genocide.

The root-beer (or Coca-cola for that matter) of the problem is none other than the extremists. Well, extremists being extremists. Nothing matters other than their own ideology with which they vow to do whatever it takes to disseminate. Dealing with them is a hell of a chore. Negotiation? This will do any good so long as both sides of the aisle unanimously abide by the resolution. Yeah, Strawberry Sundae will, at the end of the day, melt (if not being eaten instantly).

An old friend of mine was fervently advocating the military means by Israel as a tool to wipe out the entire Hamas population. Like an old man finishing off his last drops of teh tarik, but in a more subtle way. Infamous weapons like those of chemical are deployed to subtly obliterate the population; like a child licking the remaining BBQ sauce on the burger cover. What he believes - which is also what I believe, is that, there are always two sides of the story. One is right while another is wrong - or else, both are wrong which is presumably due to their selfish and baseless ideologies.

One wonders, the UN calls for a ceasefire was not being entertained. So, what’s the use of having a UN? What’s the use of coffee if it's not for Starbucks, The Coffee Beans and the like? Well, if we look back retrospectively, never once did Israel give a damn to UN's demand, let alone OIC's, let alone Middle-east countries, let alone South-east Asia's OR even Malaysia, for that matter! As written by a renowned scholar, 14 millions Jews in the world can actually outlast peoples from the other side of the divide. They have, indeed, done wonders for the world whilst others are still crawling to find the meaning of life - or kowtowing to the demands of these so-called economic-super-powerful people.

Speaking about economy, in Malaysia for instance, Pak Lah's heir-apparent has been very wary in facing the impending calamity of financial turmoil – which will come ashore at any time. After assuming the Finance Ministry Office, he comes out with RM7b stimulus package, which can, in a way or another, avert Malaysia from plunging into depression in the near future. It’s like a rose-coloured vision of a young country, isn’t it? Hope it isn't going to be just another bailout-er. Hence, more Teh Tarik stalls can be built by the ranks offering obscenely low prices for the combo tarik-and-roti-canai-kosong (AKA value meal)!

Now, I'm REALLY lovin' it!


Glossary
The tarik : An all-time favourite beverage by most Malaysians during breakfast. Made from tea and milk.


R Droto tries very hard to be sarcastic, but to no avail. He is committed to getting pleasure in writing which has become his favourite pastime since 2007. Will be pursuing his first degree in Commerce in Melbourne next month, he hopes to find comfort in getting his messages crossed.

How it all began

Wondering how the credit crisis starts? Watch this video to get a simple idea of it.

Roadblocks Anyone?

The area that was cordoned off was so big that if there were any mamak stalls nearby, they could even have their meals there complete with tables and umbrellas.

Forget about blogs for now. Roadblocks are the new 'in' thing. If we used to ask why blog? Now we would be asking why roadblock? When we're done with that question, a few other passes our mind. Do we have excessive roads that we need a few of them blocked? By blocking a few roads, will it reduce costs in line with the current cost cutting stance of the government? Why build the road in the first place if you want to block it?

After asking these questions, one thing is for sure. If the government thinks that blogs are a nuisance then it is fair to say that the people, however, think that roadblocks are a bigger nuisance. The people blogs to irritate the government. The government block roads to irritate the people. Fair enough. Why compare these two things; blogs and (road)blocks? Well, because they sound almost the same. That's all.

Now that we have established that roadblocks are indeed undesirable, why is it still here? They are occasionally put along the roads heading towards the city centre on certain days and once in a while could even span to the whole country. It's like the authorities talking among themselves "Hey, I just got a raise. Let's have mass roadblocks to commemorate this lucky day". Maybe we could also include this in our 'Tahun Melawat Malaysia' campaign, "Experience traffic jam like never before, only in Malaysia".

Obviously they are not smart enough to do that. They usually justify this ineffective and inefficient exercise of channelling resources which is most of them are taxpayers' money as a necessary evil. No matter how inconvenient it may be, it is done for the sake of this glorious nation's security and prosperity and......... (a few other reasons to make us feel good). The most recent excuse is 'to avoid any untoward incidents'. Let me tell you something, the roadblocks are the untoward incidents.

Fine, if our security and the peace of the country is their argument, lets examine the effectiveness of this method. Roadblocks, as we frequently watch on television might have its advantages if we are searching for a suspect of crime or terrorist like osama laden, mas selamat, corrupted officials trying to leave the country and people smuggling oil to the neighbouring countries. However, in any case of a demonstration, is it logical to construct a roadblock(other than the venue of the demo) especially on the stretch of an already busy highway?

Do they expect that they could identify every protester and stop them by the roadside? Based on my few experiences of participating in this every-other-day event, the police would just make the otherwise 3 lane highway into just one lane or two. Next they would stand there until their time is up and then pack up to resume their real jobs which is preventing crime. The area that was cordoned off was so big that if there were any mamak stalls nearby, they could even have their meals there complete with tables and umbrellas.

Just imagine, while we are stuck in the barely crawling traffic jam caused by the roadblock, we heard a policeman shouting from a distance "Mamak, roti telur satu.", "Siaaap"-NHF

Expired DNA

Excerpts from Malaysian Insider:

Putrajaya, July 18 — Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi joined the chorus of
ministers and government officials urging Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to give a sample for a DNA test and prove his innocence.
“If he insists that he is not involved, he should give the sample now and we will see the results as proof,” said the Prime Minister. He noted that police want to complete their investigations as soon as possible but was unable to do so because of Anwar's unwillingness to give a blood sample for a DNA test.The opposition leader has refused to entertain any request for blood samples, saying that he believed that the police would fabricate evidence against. Instead, he suggested that police rely on DNA which was extracted during the investigations into sodomy charges ten years ago.But Abdullah said:
“The DNA sample the authorities have is too old, so they need a new sample, what is wrong in giving?” Speaking to reporters today, he also dismissed talk that the accusation by a former aide against Anwar was part of a political conspiracy. But he conceded that he could not stop the international media from floating the idea of a conspiracy.“Actually what they are accusing us of is not right at all,” he said, adding that he had given his assurance to Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and its vice-president Azmin Ali that the investigation would be conducted professionally.“I can give the
assurance. Even his wife met me for a guarantee that a repeat of the earlier
‘black eye incident’ would not happen.

YB Azmin asked for an assurance and I said he (Anwar) will be safe and that we will investigate according to the provisions of the law,” he said.Meanwhile in Kota Baru, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat criticised the media for going overboard in their coverage of the sodomy allegations against Anwar. He was upset with the wall to wall coverage
in newspapers and wanted to know why his arrest was front page news but his
release was relegated to the inside pages.“Why must the media take pride in shaming him? Anwar is a human being and not an angel or devil. He is a Malay Muslim so I ask why must there be a concerted effort to shame him in the front pages of the media,” he said in his weekly sermon here Friday.

It seems that our beloved PM has little knowledge when it comes to medical related stuff. DNA samples becoming obsolete? Do we really need the sample whereas the pattern of his DNA should already be within the Police's database? Can we conclude that maybe the previous sample is no longer in their possession? Poured on some mattress maybe?

When it comes to explaining the scientific procedures, I would prefer some expert to do the talking. Not someone who listens halfway and sleeps halfway into the explanation. If I didn't know any better I would mistakenly interpret Pak Lah's statement as follow:

"The DNA has expired, we have long exceed its expiry date, there are also concerns that the DNA could have changed (evolution) over the years"

But thank god he didn't really say that. Where would he hide his face?

Top Ten : Incidents Related to Oil Price Hike

Regarding the recent 'unpopular' price hike, I would like to present to you Top Ten : Incidents Related to Oil Price Hike.

10. Bill Gates made an announcement that he would resign to venture in the oil industry.

9. An unemployed person holds a placard “Will work for gas”

8. Sometime in the future, “I want to purchase this house for 10 barrels of oil”

7. With every purchase of 10 litres of gas, you will get a free car.

6. A burglar enters the petrol kiosk while pointing a gun to the cashier “This is a robbery, quick, give me a full tank”

5. Police officer: Hmm…the burglar didn’t take anything except siphoning gas from the car.

4. Next to the pirated DVD’s there is a counter that says ‘Cheap oil by the litre’

3. At the bank, “I need a loan to buy some gas please”

2. Ah long (loan shark) comes to your doorstep, “Where is the 25 litres of petrol that you owe me, including interest, that’s about 125 litres”

1. After being asked to pullover Ali said to the policeman, “What if I give you half a tank and we assume that this never happened”

Check out other Top Ten here

Malaysian Artiste For Unity

Quoted from Malaysian artistes for unity website

"bored. so he telephoned a few friends. “how about getting together to make
an anti-racism national unity song and music video?” all said yes without
hesitation. not because pete threatened them with a sharp and rusty knife.
but only because they love Malaysia."

Our artistes have made their move, when will our politicians?

Royal Pain

There are so many things happening in Malaysia's political scene presently that if I were to choose a few simple words to describe it, I would say that "it is anything but dull".

With these circumstances, it's no surprise that political analysts or commentators are most likely to be employed and post 8th of March election, we saw quite a few more blossoming unofficially, including me I guess. Discussions in Kopitiams and Mamaks are as heated as ever. Speculations after speculations have been made but nothing is really certain, yet. Like I said, even a layman could now become a political analyst and speculate Malaysia’s political course albeit with his own unique interpretation.

Saving this matter for later let us move on to another issue. One of the most contentious news this week is regarding Karpal Sigh’s statement which is considered insulting to the Rulers and Islam. This issue comes about when Karpal allegedly questioned the power of the Sultan of Perak over a transfer of a civil servant. Now, let me make things clear by saying that I will not be analysing the legality of his actions and to those who seek just that, pardon me for disappointing you .What I am trying to analyse here is the reaction of the people (political analyst) towards his statement.

In about a few days, 19 police reports was made alleging Karpal to be seditious. Some go to the extent labelling Karpal’s action as tantamount to being disrespectful to Islam. Is it just me or all this seems a tad too dramatic. We never really did bother to lodge any police report when our neighbors’ house got robbed. We never bothered to report the corruption and the abuse of power occurring right in front of our eyes. And yet a meagre statement could somehow attract 19 different police reports against it. In retaliation someone from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lodgeed a report (only one) against Pak Lah under the Sedition act due to his comment towards YDP Agong’s action of appointing his own choice of MB, - “the appointment of anyone other than Idris (as Terengganu’s MB) is unconstitutional and invalid”.

It is clear that both parties here are playing the same game and we as the spectators only hope that justice will prevail. Charge Karpal for Sedition and you just have to subject the PM under the same charges. Isn’t that how justice should work? No one is above the law as Pak Lah always says. If that is the case, then we have to look a little further back into our history books. Recently it was the appointment of MB’s of Perlis and Terengganu. Before that there was Muhd Taib’s ‘conflict’ with the Selangor’s Sultan, the government reducing the power of the Rulers and most importantly the Constitutional Crisis. If we were to dig all this and scrutinise bit by bit, a lot of UMNO members would inevitably be charged with sedition. Even Dr. M would have to worry about a new case in his hands. This would then come under the Sedition Act that categorised “bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government” as having seditious tendency.

On the other hand, I’m no lawyer. You can do a little research yourselves or seek legal advice to confirm that one. Revisiting the first matter on speculations and the likes, it seems that Malaysians, and I do mean ordinary Malaysians like you and I, have a knack for them. When something new surfaces we examine it thoroughly and base on the information available, we arrive at a particular speculation. Until it is definite, it will merely remain as one. While speculations are sometimes harmful to the economy, i.e. 1997 currency crisis, it can also do a great deal of damage to the political stability, either for a certain party or the country as a whole. This is regularly so when political advisors give counsel to the MP’s based on a knee jerk reaction towards sheer speculations.

One clear example is the ongoing news about the crossovers of MP’s from BN to PR. We can see that BN MP’s are now dancing with PR’s tunes by giving unnecessary remarks and comments about the crossovers. It is more disappointing when an entire parliamentary session was focused on the same issue. It seems that they are too engrossed in this speculation and forgot about other important things to discuss about. It does not do to dwell on speculation and forget to live. As a so-called ‘political analyst’ I would say that BN could act proactive by starting to treat their MP’s fairly without discriminating them. Try to win their hearts instead of condemning the act of crossing over because that will not deter anyone from executing their initial intention. To PR, I hope that whatever your next move is, it will be for the sake of the greater good. The earlier the speculation ends (read: confirmed) the earlier our MP’s could get back to work.

To top it up, I reiterate that in Malaysia, there is no such thing as too many political analysts. There is, however, such thing as too many political advisors. In which case one of them might get entangled in a high profile murder involving a foreign model. - NHF

Are You Smarter Than An American.

Stupid American - Funny blooper videos are here


For those who have Astro, you should be familiar with the show 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' . Eventhough you haven't watched, you might have heard about it and have a glimpse of it during its commercial. Some could say that they were paid to look dumb on national television, but I don't think that the same applies for the above video.

If you could answer most of this question, then you are indeed smarter than an american (play fair now, don't use the wikipedia):

1. Name a country that begins with a U.
2. Who's is in the coalition of the willing?
3. What's the religion of Israel?
4. What religion are Budhist monks?
5. Who won the Vietnam war?
6. Who is Fidel Castro?
7. How many sides does a triangle have?
8. What is the currency used in the United Kingdom?
9. Kofi Anan is a drink, true or false?
10. Who is Tony Blair?
11. Which countries are the Axis of Evil?
12. Who's the first man on the moon?
13. What is a mosque?
14. How many kidneys does a person have?
15. How many World Wars have there been?
16. Which state does KFC come from?
17. What are Nagasaki and Hiroshima famous for?
18. Star Wars is based on a true story, true or false?
19. How many Eiffel Towers are there in Paris?
20. Where was the Berlin wall?

Demonstration IS Malaysian culture.

They used to say that demonstration is not the way to do it. But now they are the ones who are crowding the streets.


Don’t appoint deputy, protesters urge Selangor MB
by TheStar

Don’t appoint deputy, protesters urge Selangor MB
SHAH ALAM: Several hundred supporters from 12 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) held a peaceful demonstration at Dataran Shah Alam here yesterday asking Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim not to appoint a Deputy Mentri Besar.
The group asked Khalid not to even consider a non-Malay for the number two post, and to maintain the previous number of Malay executive councillors in the state.
The crowd, led by Selangor Umno Youth chief Abdul Shukur Idrus, also hit out at DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang for calling for a boycott of the swearing-in of the executive council in Perak because the act was disrespectful towards the Sultans who were highly respected by the Malays.
Lim later made a public apology over the statement.

Abdul Shukur also said that PKR and DAP had been disrespectful and insensitive towards the Malays when they supported the move to abolish the New Economic Policy which had benefited both the Malays and other races.
The demonstration, which started just after 4pm, ended less than 30 minutes later due to a heavy downpour.

The Alternative Media

Malaysia opposition win shows power of cyberspace

By Bill Tarrant

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's weak opposition was up against a hostile mainstream media and restrictive campaign rules, but it can chalk up much of its stunning success in Saturday's election to the power of cyberspace.

Voters exasperated with the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the ruling National Front furiously clicked on YouTube and posted comments with popular bloggers about tales of sex, lies and videotapes in the run-up to Saturday's election.

Jeff Ooi, a 52-year-old former advertising copywriter who made his name writing a political blog, "Screenshots" (www.jeffooi.com) won a seat in northern Penang state for the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Elizabeth Wong, a human rights activist and political consultant who runs a blog (http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com), won a state assembly seat in the central state of Selangor.

YouTube, the phenomenally popular video Web site, did as much damage as any opposition figure could hope to inflict, after netizens uploaded embarrassing videos of their politicians in action on hot-button issues.

One YouTube video in January showed ruling party MP Badruddin bin Amiruldin causing a ruckus in parliament over whether Malaysia was an Islamic state. "Malaysia is an Islamic state", he declared. "You don't like it, you get out of Malaysia!"

Muslim Malays form the majority in multi-racial Malaysia, but ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population and they deserted the ruling National Front in droves, partly in outrage over the religious debate.

SEX, SLEAZE, CORRUPTION

Another YouTube video that got wide distribution shows a rambling and incoherent Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, in a live interview with al-Jazeera, excitedly defending a police crackdown against peaceful protesters calling for changes to the electoral process in November.
Zainuddin was one of several "big guns" in the National Front that fell to the opposition's onslaught.

Sex, sleaze and corruption were election issues and they all had video soap operas on Web sites.
Malaysia's health minister resigned in January after admitting he and a female friend were the couple in a secretly filmed sex video uploaded on YouTube. That cost some votes.

"We were concerned about the morality of our leaders," said Maisarah Zainal, a 26-year-old teacher in Kuala Lumpur. "It didn't help that Chua Soi Lek was involved in a sex video."
Loh Gwo Burne, who secretly videotaped a phone conversation, allegedly showing a high-profile lawyer trying to fix judicial appointments with Malaysia's former chief judge, was elected to a seat in parliament from a seat in suburban Kuala Lumpur.

The grainy video hit a nerve in Malaysia, whose judiciary has been under question since the late 1980s.

Malaysia's blogging community offer alternative views in a country where the government keeps a tight control on mainstream media. The government said last year it might compel bloggers to register with the authorities to curb the spread of malicious content on the Internet.

Government backers doubt whether bloggers turned opposition politicians could make their presence felt. "Beyond the major cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, there's not much the bloggers can really hope to accomplish," says Mohamad Norza Zakaria, a leader in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO party ( www.umno-online.com )

The Chinese-backed DAP, by contrast, appointed blogger Ooi to head the party's "e-campaign."
Even a barely literate 89-year-old grandmother running for parliament with little money and only a bicycle to get around on, hopped the cyberspace bandwagon with a Facebook profile and her own blog, courtesy of some Internet savvy supporters. Mamin Yusuf, however, lost. It wasn't clear how many of her potential voters were hooked up to the Internet in northeastern Terengganu.