Day 5: Flash floods mar Tenang campaign

FREE TENANG DAY 5 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.

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8am: It has been raining in Tenang since early morning. This has interrupted the daily routine of the locals who mainly work in oil palm and rubber plantations.

9.20pm: BN candidate Mohd Azahar Ibrahim is giving an interview to the Chinese media; however Malaysiakini's Chinese edition reporter is not allowed in.

10am: The Election Commission (EC) today distributed 119 postal ballots for the by-election on Sunday.

According to Bernama, Tenang assistant returning officer Mohd Farid Kassim said 101 of the ballots were for EC employees, 17 for the police and one for a voter who is in Hong Kong.

The EC employees will cast their ballots at the Labis District Council office and the policemen at the Labis police station, he told reporters.

Mohd Farid said the ballot for the voter in Hong Kong had been handed over to the post office for delivery.

He said all the postal ballots had to be returned to the EC before 5pm on Sunday.

11.30am: PAS serves a notice of demand to Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, telling him to apologise within 24 hours for his claim that PAS candidate Normala Sudirman had questioned a non-Muslim on the sale of beer.

If Chua fails to do so, PAS will sue him for defamation.

PAS also dismisses BN candidate Azahar Ibrahim's claim that a disputed land sale in which he was involved has been solved. 

Party vice-president Salahuddin Ayub says an individual bought the land illegally due to Azahar alleged "negligence" and has sued Azahar and the state government, seeking RM1.5 million in compensation. The case has been fixed for hearing on Feb 7.

"Azahar, if you still have dignity, you should withdraw from the contest, this is also the only way for Umno to clean its name," says Salahuddin.

PAS and DAP are holding hold a joint press conference at the PAS operation centre.

Johor DAP chief Boo Cheng Hau says the party lodged a police report yesterday morning, complaining that a group of young Chinese bikers, carrying PAS and DAP flags, had moved around the Tenang area, purposely being loud and noisy late at night.

He claims this was done by "the other side".

12pm: Azahar schedules another interview with non-Chinese media. This was later cancelled.

12.05pm: It's still raining in Tenang and seems like it will continue the whole day. If it does, many campaign activities will be disrupted.

12.30pm: Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Ahmad Maslan, who is in charge of the Federal Land Authority (Felda), rejects a debate challenge by PAS-linked Persatuan Anak Felda (Anak) chairperson Mazlan Alimana, whose group represents disgruntled Felda settlers.

The deputy minister instead suggests a closed-door dialogue on the matter, and turns the challenge on its head.

"If he is a anak jantan (man), take up my challange," Ahmad Maslan tells a press conference at the Tenang media centre.

He says a debate cannot solve problems faced by Felda settlers because the time allocated would be too short. He accuses Anak chairperson Mazlan (right) of seeking cheap publicity.

"I will bring all my officers to answer his allegations on Felda, if one day is not enough, we can do it for two days," says Ahmad.

12.45pm: BN candidate Mohd Azahar Ibrahim appears at the media centre in Bandar Labis Tengah. He was initially scheduled to give an interview to several media organisations at 12pm at the Umno operations centre but had to put it off to attend the funeral of a friend in Tenang Station.

He joins deputy mininster and Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan, who is giving a press conference there. Even then, Mohd Azahar does not speak to reporters much and is seen nodding off when Ahmad is speaking.

Mohd Azahar evades reporters when cornered for interviews before rushing off.

1pm:  Asked about the court case on Feb 7 involving the dodgy land sale, Azahar maintains that the case happened when he was a government servant and it is being handled by the state legal advisor.

"That is an administration issue, it has nothing to do with individual. It is a civil case, not criminal case," he says at a press conference with Ahmad Mazlan (above, right of Azahar).

"When we enter politics, we'll face all kinds of provocation, never mind. Its okay."

3pm: Normala, with the help of DAP party workers, goes on house-tohouse visits in Taman Gunung Emas.

3.30pm: There are reports that flash floods have hit several spots in Tenang Station, including Kampung Paya Merah Lama, Kampung Lembah Bakti and Kampung Veeran.

As a result of the non-stop downpour, flood waters have reached a height of about 1m in some areas.

4pm: Normala, accompanied by PKR vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar (above), is to meet Orang Asli community at Kampung Segamat Kecil.

6pm: Normala is to meet people at the Taman Tenang night market.

6.30pm: The flash floods in some spots in Tenang still show no signs of receding as the rain continues to pour.

A Malaysiakini reporter is stranded in the Sime Darby Labis Estate after an assignment there, with about one foot of floodwaters cutting off the main road as well as the short cuts.

However, floods appear to be a common occurrence in the area, with some of the locals saying that they are "used to it".

7.24pm: The Election Commission is ready for the possibility of shifting polling stations in the event of floods on polling day on Sunday, its chairperson says today.

According to Bernama, Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (right) said heavy showers over the past few days and the weatherman's forecast of rain in several areas of Johor until Tuesday had prompted the EC to make the necessary preparations.

Returning officer Md Asri Amir will assess the situation and decide whether to shift any of the polling stations, Abdul Aziz told the national news agency.

7.30pm: Gerakan Labis holds a 'dinner with the rakyat' in Bandar Labis Tengah. Expected to be in attendance is Gerakan president and Minister in Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon.

8.47pm: Around 50 people are at DAP ceramah at Bandar Labis Tengah operation centre, much less than yesterday crowd when DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was present. Only local and state DAP leaders are slated to speak tonight.

9pm: DAP Senator P Ramakrisnan urges Indians to vote for PAS candidate Normala when speaking to a crowd of 70 people, mostly Indian, at a ceramah in Taman Tenang Jaya.

"Let us pack up BN. We have had enough with their corruption. Let us vote for Cikgu Mala."

During the intervals between speeches, Indian songs are played and there are dance routines and other performances in disco lights to entertain the crowd.

9.00pm: BN's Mohd Azahar appears at an MCA meet-the-Chinese dinner. He not only writes Chinese calligraphy "xin-shou -xiang-lian" (unite) with MCA president Chua Soi Lek, but joins in the making of tang-yuan (glutinous rice ball),symbolising 1Malaysia.

9.50pm: PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar (right) speaks to an audience of around 70 Malays at PAS operation centre on Jalan Segamat, Labis.

9.50pm: MCA president Chua Soi Lek welcomes the decision to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate Teoh Beng Hock's death, as this has widen the scope of insvestigation.

Chua dismisses the suggestion that the decision was part of the BN’s strategy to woo over Chinese votes.

10.30pm: News had spread that BN candidate Mohd Azahar Ibrahim had called for another interview with the press in repeat of the one he had at 9am today, but Malaysiakini gets kicked out, yet again.

Malaysiakini was asked to leave from the first interview, where it was understood that it only lasted for seven minutes.

The second interview apparently lasted half an hour.

11.15pm: PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat arrives at Dataran Air Panas Labis for a ceramah.

In attendance were 200 people, mostly locals and predominantly Malays. In his speech he spoke on religious issues, calling on Tenang voters to choose someone with "morals".