FREE TENANG DAY 3 What's happening in the by-election campaign in the state constituency of Tenang? Quotable quotes, planned events and unplanned incidents as they take place in N5.


8am: BN candidate Mohd Azahar Ibrahim arrives at the pasar tani in Dataran Labis.

He and Labis MP Chua Tee Yong go around shaking hands with the traders and shoppers.

NONEReporters ask Azahar if he is worried about talk amongst opposition circles that they have uncovered 'dirt' on him.

Azahar laughs, saying he won't resort to personal attacks.

PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub was said to have claimed that PAS would start revealing 'personal secrets' of Azahar if the BN continued to harp on the issue of the party candidate Normala Sudirman not shaking hands of men.

Asked if Normala's refusal to shake hands with men would help with the BN campaign, Azahar stammers a little before saying, "no comment".

8am: PAS candidate Normala Sudirman pays her respects to the family of a deceased resident in Kg Air Panas, and later visits the sick in Ladang Labis Utara.

9.30am: Mohd Azahar pays his respects to the family of a deceased in Kg Contoh, Tenang Station, and then goes to visit Felda Tenang.

10.15am: Reports are coming in from various government agencies and reporters that the dobi (laundry service) in Labis as well as in the neighbouring town of Segamat are overwhelmed by brisk business.

"They have refused to accept clothes to wash until the end of the by-election," exclaims an Information Ministry officer who declines to be named.

The media centre for the by-election is now abuzz with reporters exchanging information on where to get their clothes washed.

It is understood that there is only one dobi shop in Labis and another in Segamat, 30km away.

11am: A voter receives a phone call from an 'unknown number', that turns out to be a questionnaire in Mandarin, surveying voters' tendencies. Malaysiakini is in the presence of the voter when the call arrives.

"Dear Tenang voter, who will you vote in the by-election? Press 1 for PAS, press 2 for BN, press 3 if you are not sure," the voice message says.

The message does not identify the sender. The voter says he has been receiving the call for the past two weeks.

"Can they do this?" he asks, annoyed. He says he is worried as to whether his confidential details listed with his telco have been compromised.

NONE12 noon: Normala (right) attends special press conference at DAP operation centre.

12.30pm: PAS has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Labis MP Chua Tee Yong to retract his allegation that PAS candidate Normala had questioned the sale of alcohol.

"We want him to come up with hard evidence that she actually said this," said Johor PAS deputy commissioner Dzulkefly Ahmad, who is also the party's by-election coordinator.

"We want him to give us the name of the coffeeshop, (as well as) the date and time that Normala said this, by 12 noon tomorrow. If not, we will file a defamation suit against him."

2.30pm: Mohd Azahar and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin are scheduled to have a drink at Kopitiam Steven in Labis, and will then go on a walkabout.

3pm: Normala is scheduled to visit business premises in Labis town before having house to house visit at Ladang Bukit Dato'.

NONE3.30pm: MCA has been slapped on the wrist by BN deputy chairperson and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for its attempts to ridicule PAS candidate for refusing to shake hands with male voters in Tenang.

"There is no need to go on about this. I don't want to prolong this matter," the BN's polls commander-in-chief told a press conference.

He said Normala has her reasons for not shaking hands - and than she has the freedom to do so - and that BN should not manipulate the issue.

4pm: Azahar is expected to have a walkabout at Jln Segamat before meeting MIC party workers at 6pm.

6.15pm: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said he will continue to use PAS' Islamic state agenda as an issue for the Tenang by-election as it was his duty to do so as the party president.

"When we talk about the Islamic state issue, it is something that's not new, it's not something that's extraordinary or something that we pluck out from the air.

"It's something that's based on the (PAS) constitution which clearly states that they want to set up an Islamic nation.

"As a Chinese-based party, it is my duty and I'll be failing in my duty and MCA would be failing in its duty if we don't explain to Chinese the true agenda of PAS, because (PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang) has said this very clearly," he said.
 
8.30pm: BN movie treat for Kg Sawah Baru villagers. Its candidate Azahar is expected to be present.