Yes! 1MDB PM Najib’s snap GE14 is on!

 Yes! 1MDB PM Najib’s snap GE14 is on!

Yes! 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Prime Minister Najib Razak is almost definite to call for a snap 14th General Election (GE14) to consolidate his premiership.

As widely speculated, Najib’s Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) is taking advantage of the critically fractured Opposition to “strike it when it’s hot” in GE14.

And the snap GE14 speculation was made more a fact at the 45th Gerakan National Delegates Conference (NDC) in Kuala Lumpur today (Oct 9, 2016).

Gerakan is a component party of Najib’s BN ruling coalition.

Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong surprised everyone when he identified and introduced five potential candidates for GE14 in Selangor.

There were also two other surprises!

> The candidates included a Chinese-speaking Malay candidate, the party’s Deputy Speaker Syed Abdul Razak Alsagoff. He will also be the first Malay candidate in party history; and

> Mah challenged the Opposition to identify and name their potential candidates for the respective state and parliamentary constituencies so as to give voters time to compare and assess the quality and competency of the candidates offered to electorates.

It will be interesting to see how the Bukit Lanjan electorates will vote in GE14 as the incumbent is PKR’s Elizabeth Wong, a state executive councillor.

If Wong is defending her seat in GE14, she will be facing off with Syed Abdul Razak who speaks fluent Chinese dialects, Hokkien and Cantonese.

And this is the Facebook profile of Syed Abdul Razak: EXCO Selangor at Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia; Marketing Rep at IBM; Former Remisier at Mohaiyani Securities; Studied at Universiti Pertaninan Malaysia; Studied at Sophia University; Went to St. John's Institution, KL; Went to SMS Selangor.

And this is what Wikipedia says about the Alsagoff Family: The al-Saggoffs (transliterated elsewhere al-Saqqaf or al-Saqqāf) were spice traders and became influential by marrying into a royal family from the Celebes. They acquired many properties, like the other Arab families, including the "Perseverance Estate" where they grew lemon grass. The estate is now considered to be the heart of the Muslim community in Singapore. As well as being successful merchants and land owners, the family became involved in civic affairs. The family members, at times, held civic office from the 1870s until 1965.

But Syed Abdul Razak’s family remained in Kuala Lumpur and his grandfather, Syed Mohamed Syed Ali Alsagoff, was a lawyer for Selangor’s Sultan Abdul Samad.

How will Wong, who was unfairly photographed by his Malay boyfriend scandal, fare against a learned professional like Syed Abdul Razak in GE14?

And, given the split in Opposition votes, especially the Malay voters, can Wong still retain Bukit Lanjan for PKR?

Here’s what national news agency Bernama reported at the 45th Gerakan NDC:

"GE14: Gerakan Announces Five Candidates For Selangor - Mah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Gerakan today introduced five individuals as potential candidates in the 14th general election (GE14) in Selangor to give opportunity to the people to make an early assessment, said its president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.

Mah, who is also Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, said the strategy would allow the people to evaluate the candidates, who would also be the party coordinator for Parliament and State Legislative Assembly in Selangor.

"They will be screened by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) before their names are submitted to the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman.


"We hope by next month to submit the biodata and profile of the candidates to MACC to be checked for clearance if there are any problems that we might not know," he told reporters after officiating the 45th Gerakan national delegates conference here.

Five candidates who were introduced today included Selangor Gerakan chairman Datuk David Ang Chin Tat for the Puchong Parliamentary constituency.

For the state seats, the candidates are Gerakan vice president Datuk A. Kohilan Pillay to be placed in Kota Alam Shah; deputy Speaker Syed Abdul Razak Syed Long (Bukit Lanjan); Youth Organisation secretary Ben Liew Pok Boon (Teratai); and Gerakan Youth Human Rights and Legal Bureau chief Chai Ko Thing (Bukit Gasing).

Mah, who is also Teluk Intan Member of Parliament, said the five seats were allocated to Gerakan for Selangor except the Kota Shah Alam state seat which was given to MyPPP in the last GE13.

Following the annoucement, he hoped the opposition would also do likewise so that the people could compare the candidates being presented by both sides.
-- BERNAMA"