Malaysia under fresh fire over handling of plane crisis

The Malaysian Insider
March 16, 2014

China today criticised Malaysia's handling of the missing MH370 jetliner, saying it wasted precious time and resources by releasing 'dramatic information' on the plane a full week after it vanished. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 16, 2014.China spearheaded fresh criticism today of Malaysia's handling of the missing MH370 airliner drama, saying it "squandered" precious time and resources by releasing dramatic information on the plane's fate a full week after it vanished.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak revealed yesterday that an investigation indicates that flight 370 was deliberately diverted and flew for several hours after leaving its intended flight path, though he stopped short of saying it was hijacked.

The startling revelation after a week of confusion and competing theories, prompted questions over how long Malaysian authorities had been privy to the new data, and whether they had missed an opportunity to intercept the diverted plane.

"It is undeniable that the disclosure of such vital information is painfully belated," a scathing editorial by China's state-run Xinhua news agency said, noting the "excruciating" seven days it entailed for relatives of the missing.

Its suggested Malaysian officials were guilty of an "intolerable" dereliction of duty.

Two-thirds of the passengers on board the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing were Chinese.

There was particular anger and frustration that Malaysia had taken so long to cancel search operations in the South China Sea if it already knew the plane had doubled back and flown towards the Indian Ocean.

"And due to the absence – or at least lack – of timely authoritative information, massive efforts have been squandered, and numerous rumours have been spawned," the editorial said.

Najib revealed Saturday that the Boeing 777's communications systems had been manually switched off – one after the other – before the jet veered westward.

He cited satellite and military radar data that made investigators believe it had been deliberately diverted by someone on board and flown on for hours – either south into the Indian Ocean or north towards South and Central Asia.

"As the leader of the international search and rescue mission, Malaysia bears inescapable responsibility," it added.

There was similar outrage among users of the micro-blogging network Weibo – China's version of Twitter.
"The Malaysian government's behaviour in this affair can be summed up in one word: 'deceptive'," said one typical comment.


The now week-long search for the Boeing 777 initially focused on waters in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, where the plane disappeared from primary radar on March 8.

Much of the data confirmed by Najib had already been leaked in the US media, but it was only on Saturday that he announced the end of search operations in the South China Sea.

The prime minister insisted that Malaysia had not allowed national security concerns to prevent the "real time" sharing of confidential information with other authorities.

"We understand the desperate need for information... but we have a responsibility to the investigation and the families to only release information that has been corroborated," he said.

Malaysia Airlines also issued a statement defending the delay between acquisition of the satellite and radar data and Najib's statement.

"It was critical that the raw satellite signals were verified and analysed ... so that their significance could be properly understood.

"This naturally took some time, during which we were unable to publicly confirm their existence," the statement said, adding that validating new information before releasing it would remain "paramount".

But security and aviation experts continued to question why so many resources were deployed in searching the South China Sea for so long, and how the Malaysian military had failed to identify the plane as it backtracked over the peninsula.

"It is an astonishing failure of security," said Ajaj Sahni, executive director of India's Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi.

"And it seems an astonishing failure of technology in every aspect that something like this could happen."

Terence Fan, an aviation expert at the Singapore Management University, said Malaysia's crisis management was flawed and had tested public confidence.

"Why did they need days to 'corroborate' from their own radar images that the airplane could have turned west?" Fan said.

"Couldn't they have known from day one that the different communications systems on the aircraft were turned off at different times?" he added. – AFP, March 16, 2014.

A nation responds to loss of MH370

by Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
March 10, 2014

COMMENT The loss of MH370 will be a defining moment in the country’s history. While attention rightly focuses on comforting families, finding the plane and what has caused this tragedy, the event has shown the depth of caring among Malaysians.

Across faiths, ethnic groups and borders, Malaysians have reached out to each other and to friends. Pride has been put aside in accepting international help and social media on the whole has shared more messages of hope than division. In the shared sadness of loss, the tragedy had revealed and reinforced a strong sense of community.

The image of an interfaith prayer led by former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was perhaps the most powerful moment over the weekend, as it reflected what had been happening in society itself as Malaysians from all walks of life reached across their differences for those affected by the missing plane. It did not matter what word was being used, as the sentiment was the same. 

Crises like these reveal character. They tell us who can handle pressure, test leaders and what are the real priorities. The character that was revealed is a society that cares for each other.

Despite all of the anger and stupidity surrounding recent events – from red paint throwing to unjust legal decisions – the ties among Malaysians are strong and resilient.

The silent majority of people who go about their lives, take planes, go on vacation and work, came out this weekend in the phone calls made to each other, recollections of classmates and on Facebook. This same silent majority is the one who is fed up with politicians abusing power and attacking each other, and wants more emphasis on solving the country’s problems and more dignity in political engagement.

They put Malaysia, its citizens and visitors first. If anything, this is a silver lining of the tragedy.

Never the same

Crisis also bring changes. This loss will bring home how globalised the country is – and take away some of innocence of many Malaysians who have been gratefully largely sheltered. This event is a country’s shared trauma on many levels, and this involves careful outreach to children and others who need help to process and understand.

MH370 will likely bring small changes in everyday life. The area most affected will be travel, as it will introduce new security protocols and make the time of travel in airports longer. The changes will also extend to visas, code sharing and travel destinations.

This event will hit Malaysia in its Visit Malaysia year, and expectations need to be adjusted. People who travel are more likely to stay connected with loves ones, who are likely to worry a bit more. Despite this crisis, it is important to remember that air travel is still among the safest means to get around. 

The airline affected will face even greater challenges. MAS was in trouble before this terrible loss. The airline will now deal with even more scrutiny as it moves ahead. While its staff are valiantly working day and night to engage – and there will most certainly be lessons on how crisis management could have been improved – there are dark clouds on the horizon for the national carrier.

One of the most difficult tasks ahead will be strengthening the airline and this will involve more interventions than have happened so far, with security and safety a crucial element of this review and recovery effort.

Malaysia’s practices in immigration and security will also come under heavy scrutiny. The longer the uncertainty surrounding the flight’s status goes on, the more intensity and speculation. The government cannot ignore that something went wrong in its management in this area.

As a regular traveler, I see first-hand the pressures many of the immigration staff face in long hours and from long lines. The focus needs to be on the system as a whole, rather than the possible shortcoming of a few officers. The fault is with inadequate enforcement procedures from the top and leadership.

The loss of faith in security will require meaningful reforms and improvements in governance. This loss can be an opportunity to bring about much-needed changes in areas of rule of law, safety and security.

Dark side surfaces

There is more international attention on Malaysia than ever before. Not all of the intensity of exposure has been positive. MH370’s loss will also bring to the fore serious issues that are facing Malaysia in other areas of governance.

These include concerns with the illegal economy, human trafficking and corruption. It is estimated that Malaysia’s illegal economy is almost 20 percent of its economy. Illegal outflows of capital are massive, with the latest report of the Global Financial Integrity putting the country at the second highest in the world.

Legitimate concerns also have been raised about transparency, information-sharing, treatment of different ethnic communities and more. These issues have long been raised in the domestic arena, and will remain prominent.

In this age of globalisation, the actions at home are shared abroad. The ability of the government to manage messaging to an international stage in the age of social media is minimal. The impact on Malaysia’s economy longer term cannot be ignored. This is a wake-up call that more needs to be done to protect ordinary people and simple principles of fairness and dignity in governance can go a long way in this protection and protecting Malaysia’s national interest.

The choices ahead are stark – to continue to allow the dark forces to grow or to meaningfully address them. MH370 on many levels shows that the time for denials and dismissals is over. Approaches that emphasise particularism and exceptionalism do not help the country.

The tragedy has brought people together and put the interests of ordinary people centre stage. Malaysians should be proud of how they have come together and in the process have reminded their leaders of the real priorities to build their country and community.

DR BRIDGET WELSH is associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

Pakatan Rakyat to make history with boycott of Parliament meeting

BY EILEEN NG
March 09, 2014

For the first time ever, the first day of Parliament meeting on Tuesday will be a walk in the park for government lawmakers as the opposition bench will be vacant following a planned boycott to protest Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's conviction on a sodomy charge.

Anwar (pic), who is the opposition leader, had announced that opposition MPs would only be present for the King’s traditional address to the parliament when he opens the second session of the second meeting on Monday but will not take part in the events after that, including the traditional banquet.

Anwar had said he did not want to rub shoulders with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and Chief Justice Tan Sri Ariffin Zakaria, who will be attending the opening.

"I don't want to smile like a hypocrite with people who are cruel," Anwar had said during his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Shah Alam yesterday.

However, Anwar said he will write to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to inform that Pakatan MPs would not participate in the banquet.

"I would, however, inform the King that we would gladly participate if he invites us for another banquet that does not feature the PM and the CJ," he had said.

Anwar said on March 11, Pakatan MPs will be attending the nomination for the Kajang by-election which will now be contested by PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail after Anwar was disqualified following his sodomy conviction.

Later in the afternoon, the Pakatan Rakyat MPs will attend the Kuala Lumpur High Court for DAP veteran Karpal Singh's sentencing after the latter was found guilty of committing sedition against the Perak Sultan recently.

Earlier, prior to his conviction, the timing of the nomination, which clashed with the first day of Parliament sitting had not escaped Anwar's notice, and he had lambasted the Election Commission (EC) for "deliberately" choosing the date when it was well-known that the opposition leader will have the floor in Parliament.

"I will go to Parliament after nominations and will bring up the issues related to Kajang in my debate," he had said at one of his ceramah in the mixed urban seat.

Anwar aides had also assured that their boss will make it in time to Parliament.

"Nominations start at 8am and will end by 10am latest, while the debate begins at 11.30am. There's enough time for Anwar to be in Parliament," PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil had said.

Polling for the Kajang by-election is on March 23 after the sudden resignation of its previous assemblyman PKR's Lee Chin Cheh.

In Parliament, the Permatang Pauh MP is expected to touch on the raging racial religious issues and Pakatan Rakyat's olive branch to rival Barisan Nasional for a national consensus, despite the cool response from the ruling coalition.

However, as the content of the King's speech is so broad-based, MPs from both sides of the divide will take the opportunity to raise various issues and at the same time, take potshots at their opponents as the meeting will end on April 10.

Among the issues expected to be brought up in the month-long meeting are the rising cost of living, problems and delays associated with the construction of the low-cost terminal klia2, the water deal between Putrajaya and Selangor, and the controversial school-based assessment (PBS) system.

Expect fireworks during the tabling of the contentious motion on the boundary redelienation exercise as well as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which the opposition had always maintained the country was not ready for.

Opposition MPs and civil society groups had opposed the redelienation process, claiming that it is vulnerable to gerrymandering and malapportionment, while the Election Commission had stressed the exercise is needed to balance out parliamentary areas to ensure they do not burden the MP.

The plan is to ensure a constituency has 100,000 voters or less, and currently, among the areas with more than 100,000 voters are Seremban, Kapar, Serdang, Puchong, Gelang Patah, Pasir Gudang, Selayang and Gombak.

The last redelineation exercise was in March 2003. The redelineation should have been done in 2011 but it was deferred because of the 13th general election last year.

As for the GST bill, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah is expected to table it for readings and debate.

"Once tabled, it will be open for debate and it has to be passed into law this year as the GST is scheduled to be implemented in April 2015," deputy finance minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan was quoted as saying by English daily The New Straits Times recently.

Pakatan Rakyat MPs had fiercely opposed the Bill, to the extent of having nationwide roadshows to counter Putrajaya's media blitz to promote the GST, which will replace the current sales and services tax.

The GST Bill was tabled for the first reading in 2009 for implementation in late 2011, but was withdrawn during the second reading in 2010 following fierce public resistance.

In October last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the implementation of the broad-based consumption tax pegged at 6% in his 2014 Budget speech.

This Parliament sitting will also keep MPs from Sarawak busy as they will have to face the upcoming Balingian by-election, which was triggered with the resignation of its incumbent, former chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Taib had to give up the seat to accept the post of Yang di-Pertua Negeri, succeeding Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng.

Sarawak DAP chief and Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen said it would not affect Pakatan representatives' duties even if the by-election takes place during the parliamentary sitting. – March 9, 2014.


Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/

Mengapa Anwar diseksa begitu rupa?

Mengapa Anwar diseksa begitu rupa? – Wan Hamidi Hamid

March 08, 2014

Apabila “Langkah Kajang” diumumkan sebagai penjelasan mengapa Anwar Ibrahim perlu bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil (PRK) Kajang, ada yang menyokong dan ada yang membantah, dan ada pula yang keliru.

Seperti mana yang dijelaskan oleh Pengarah Strategi PKR, Rafizi Ramli, langkah itu merupakan usaha mempertahankan Selangor daripada komplot Umno merampas kuasa, dan seterusnya menjadi platform Pakatan Rakyat menuju ke Putrajaya.

Banyak suara sumbang kedengaran di kalangan Pakatan Rakyat, khususnya dari PKR sendiri, yang tak puas hati, marah dan geram dengan keputusan Anwar.

Semua tahu ia bermula dengan sesuatu yang tak kena dengan Menteri Besar Selangor Khalid Ibrahim dan saingan politiknya Pengerusi PKR Selangor Azmin Ali merangkap orang nombor dua parti itu.

Lee Chin Cheh meletak jawatan sebagai Adun Kajang pada 27 Januari. Pada 5 Februari, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) menetapkan 23 Mac sebagai hari mengundi.

Sewaktu kalangan Pakatan Rakyat masih berbalah tentang Langkah Kajang, tiba-tiba Mahkamah pada 28 Februari menetapkan 6 dan 7 Mac untuk mendengar rayuan terhadap pembebasan Anwar dalam kes liwat II.

Semalam, pada 7 Mac, Mahkamah Rayuan mendapati Anwar bersalah. Dengan itu, Anwar yang sudah bebas daripada tuduhan pada 9 Januari 2012 oleh Mahkamah Tinggi kini dianggap bersalah pula atas tuduhan tersebut.

Semalam juga, Mahkamah menjatuhkan hukuman penjara lima tahun terhadap Anwar.

Sepatutnya Selasa ini, 11 Mac, Anwar akan mengemukakan borang pencalonan PRK Kajang. Kini keputusan Mahkamah menghalang Anwar daripada bertanding.

Jadi Anwar tak boleh bertanding dan tak boleh menang, dan tentunya tak boleh menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor; dan pastinya menyukarkan jalan ke arah Putrajaya.

Inikah yang dimahukan oleh segelintir dari kalangan Pakatan Rakyat?

Ketika kalangan Pakatan sedang berbalah dahulu, pimpinan Barisan Nasional (BN) amat bimbang dengan Langkah Kajang. Sewaktu kalangan Pakatan Rakyat beradu-domba, pimpinan BN mula mengorak langkah.

Ini bererti BN benar-benar takut dengan Langkah Kajang. Mereka bimbang kemungkinan Anwar akan mengorak langkah menuju Putrajaya. Kerana ia bererti berakhirnya era BN.

Kerana itu Anwar perlu dikorbankan demi mempertahankan kuasa Umno-BN. Kerana itu Anwar berterusan menjadi mangsa konspirasi BN yang menyeksa kehidupan politik dan keluarga beliau.

Sayangnya masih ada segelintir kalangan Pakatan Rakyat yang tak nampak, tak sedar dan mungkin tak peduli semua ini. Mungkin hati mereka berada di tempat lain. –Roketkini.com, 8 Mac, 2014.



Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

Social contact, regular exercise key to living longer

February 18, 2014

Newly presented research shows that social contact and regular exercise are key to aging well and living a longer life.  Reuters pic, February 18, 2014.Social contact and regular exercise are key to aging well and living a longer life, according to newly presented research.

In fact, feeling extremely lonely can increase an older person's chances of premature death by 14%, an impact nearly as strong as that of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status, according to John Cacioppo, psychology professor at the University of Chicago.

He noted that a meta-analysis of several studies published in 2010 showed that social isolation had twice the impact on the risk of death as obesity.

Cacioppo presented the findings Sunday at an annual conference in Chicago of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The research carried out on a group of 20,000 people revealed adverse health effects of feeling alone, including sleep problems, high blood pressure, impaired immune cells and depression.

"Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers is not necessarily a good thing if it means you are disconnected from people who mean the most for you," Cacioppo said.

Often, loneliness is accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle, which can significantly weaken one's health.

Simple exercise such as walking regularly at a good pace can't just cut the risk of cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease by 50% it can also clearly slow down the normal aging process of an older person's brain, Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh told AFP.

At the conference, the assistant professor of psychology presented new details of a study published in 2011 that involved 120 people aged 65 and older.

With age, the brain shrinks, he said. Physical activity, however, helps improve its overall functioning and, in particular, increases the volume of the hippocampus by 2%, which reverses cerebral aging by one to two years and boosts mental capacities.

"For one, this research has demonstrated the brain remains highly modifiable late in adulthood," Erickson said.

"Even though the brain shrinks and declines tend to happen it does not seem to be as inevitable... and exercise seems to be a great way to take advantage of this natural capacity for brain plasticity."

What's more, it's apparently not necessary to do a lot of exercise to get that result a "modest amount" is all it takes, he said.

However, he acknowledged, "there is still a lot to learn. We don't really know very much about how much is exactly needed."

"Even though we have learned a lot I have to say we still have a long way to go," he added.

"But that being said, physical activity seems to be one of the most promising approaches for positively influencing brain health in late adulthood."

According to the Pew Research Center, the baby boomer generation began to turn 65 on January 1, 2011, with 10,000 doing so each day until 2030, said Cacioppo.

"This has been called the silver tsunami," he said.

Some see an aging population as inevitably one with greater dementia and poor health, as predicted 15 to 20 years ago, he added.

"But in fact we see a decline in disability rather than an increase in part because" of medical advances and people "starting to take better cares of themselves."

Still, a sedentary lifestyle rather than one filled with physical activity is the norm in old age, he said.

"But we have new information about how to better age. 

AFP, February 18, 2014.

Anwar impresses congregation during visit to Holy Family church in Kajang

BY JENNIFER GOMEZ
February 16, 2014

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaking at the hall of the Holy Family church in Kajang. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 16, 2014.

 
Rebuffed by keepers of his own faith when he tried to preach at a mosque last month, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was welcomed with open arms at the church of the Holy Family in Kajang after the English and Mandarin masses today.

Parish priest Father George Harrison welcomed the opposition leader as "our brother" before he gave the floor to Anwar, who vowed the 1,200-strong crowd with his 25-minute speech on various issues.
But it was Anwar's bold and direct approach to answering the questions from the congregation that impressed the crowd.

When he was asked about his stand on the religious issues currently affecting the country and the rights of Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians to use the word Allah, Anwar said that even international Muslim scholars thought it was a subject unworthy of debate.

"When I asked an international scholar about it, he asked me what kind of question that was.

"I told him it was Umno's question, so he explained that Muslims recite five times a day: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of Heaven and Earth.

"So, if Allah is Lord for the entire universe, how can there be limitations?" Anwar pointed out.
He also stressed that for Umno, the Allah issue  was clearly not about faith.

"If it was, then their stand must be binding on all. But in this case they are saying Sabah and Sarawak can use the word but not in the peninsula," Anwar said to loud cheers.

He then joked that this meant that a person who boarded a flight from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur will say "Insyallah I'm going to KL" when he gets on the flight but when he lands, he will have to say "Alhamdu Lord".
Anwar’s meeting of the Catholics at the Holy Family church hall comes amidst religious tension between Muslims and Christians which was reignited last year when the Court of Appeal had ruled in October that the Catholic weekly Herald could not use the word Allah in its publication.

The church is appealing the decision.

Herald had won a High Court decision in January 2009 that had overturned the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word Allah in its publication.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) further stoked the tension when it raided The Bible Society of Malaysia's premises in early January and seized more than 300 Bibles, including the Bup Kudus, because they contained the word "Allah".

The term Allah is used by Christians who worship in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban, such as those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Two-thirds of Malaysia's 2.9 million Christians are from Sabah and Sarawak.

Mindful of the possible consequences of his visit to the Holy Family Church, Anwar said if Umno-controlled media would use his church visit against him, they should take note that he had been speaking at churches since his activist days in the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) in the 1970s.

He added that he continued giving his views at church events even as a government minister.

"So to the Umno-controlled media here, note that I have been going to church, I'm here now, and Insyallah,I will continue to do so."

In an obvious response to critics who had chided him for standing as an assemblyman, after he was once acting prime minister, Anwar admitted that he had gone from one extreme to the other and his experiences would help him.

"I was right up there as acting PM and then went to prison, so I'm wiser and have benefited from all my life's experiences," he said.

Anwar’s visit to the Holy Family church is part of his meet-the-people programme ahead of the Kajang by-election, which he is contesting as a PKR candidate.

His "rock star" appeal was obvious with parishioners excitedly waiting for nearly three hours to catch him in action.

When Anwar appeared just before noon, there was thunderous applause and everybody tried to capture the moment with the cameras on their handphones.

The multi-purpose hall was packed, with many having to stand.

Dressed smartly in a light pink striped shirt and brown pants, the crowd cheered when Anwar spoke about how he had brought international fame to Kajang.

"The international media mentioned me in their news, saying that my decision to stand here in 'Kay Jang' shocked my friends and foes," he said to rapturous applause.

Beaming from ear to ear, a 72-year old parishioner, who wants to be known only as Alex, said: "I have heard him speak many times, and I wouldn't want to miss this.

"We totally support him and want to hear what he has to say, especially on the Allah issue," he added.
Alex said that during the 8.30am mass, their priest had told the congregation to welcome the opposition leader as "he is our brother".

Alex said that to address the concern among a small group of parishioners who  had questioned the wisdom of allowing Anwar to speak at their parish for fear of a backlash from Muslim extremists,  Harrison had told his congregation "not to be afraid".

"I believe the church's stand is to accept everybody, so even if it was an Umno politician who wanted to speak in our church, we are not going to say no," Alex said.

Debbie, a housewife, agreed, saying that she and her friends were eager to hear Anwar's plans.
"As Christians we are taught never to resort to violence, and we stick to that.

"But the country needs a change of political power because what we want is unity not just in talk, but in action."

Another parishioner Andrew Loh agreed, saying that Christians were concerned over the Allah issue and wanted to hear what Anwar had to say about it.

"The Allah case is in court because that is the only avenue for us. As Debbie said, we will not resort to violence, but it is our right to go to court," he said.

Bernard, 45, agreed, saying that the case was about principles and the "rights of Christians".

Marcel, 50, said he fully backed Anwar as Selangor menteri besar as it was necessary for the latter to get back into mainstream politics.

Also present were Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives director Datuk Seri Dr Edmund Santhara and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Others include his party colleagues comprising Subang MP R.Sivarasa, Batu MP Tian Chua, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming,Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng.

The Election Commission has set March 23 as the polling date for the Kajang by-election, the country’s third since the general election last May, while nomination is on March 11.

Early voting has been fixed for March 19.

PKR”s Lee Chin Cheh won the Kajang state seat in Election 2013 with a 6,824-vote majority in the constituency that is 48% Malay, 41% Chinese and 10% Indian.

Lee had garnered 19,571 votes followed by Lee Ban Seng of the BN with 12,747 votes. Mohamad Ismail of Berjasa obtained 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat were Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

The latest to indicate his intention to contest the seat is former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid is the third independent candidate with former PKR links to join the Kajang by-election, after Anwar’s former tennis partner Senator Datuk S. Nallakarupan and Anwar's former legal assistant Yuktes Vijay.

The Barisan Nasional has yet to indicate its choice of candidate but MCA vice-president Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun is widely tipped to be the party's choice.

 – February 16, 2014.