Tracking The Election Campaign Trail 5

Churches campaign for religious freedom in the coming general election

Although churches together with other religious bodies of the minority ethnic population have hitherto remained nonpartisan, this time around they are urging their followers to vote for candidates that support religious freedom. They view with increasing concern over what they perceive as an attempt to Islamize the country by overzealous Muslim politicians and bureaucrats . Read here for more.


M'sian opposition reaches GE pact to avoid multi-cornered contests

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S two main opposition parties have agreed to field only one candidate in every constituency in next month's elections to avoid multi-cornered fights, which in the past have split the votes and benefited the ruling coalition.

The Democratic Action Party and the People's Justice Party reached the deal after much haggling over the past weeks - ahead of nomination day this Sunday for the March 8 general elections, officials said on Tuesday.

'By and large, we have reached an agreement. It was not easy,' DAP chief Lim Kit Siang said. 'There should not be any three-corner fights.'

He said the parties had agreed on the seats for four key states, including hotspot Penang, while pacts for the remaining nine would be worked out by party officials at the state level.

(From www.straits times.com)


More goodies given.
Mara Junior Science Colleges which have been and are continuing to be built throughout the country cater overwhelmingly for Malay students.

Hostel fees waived for needy Mara students

PARIT: Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) students whose families earn RM650 monthly or less will be exempted from paying hostel fees and provided with free uniforms and other educational necessities.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the poverty line of RM650 per family would now be used to determine those who qualified for the aid.

“In this era of globalisation, one could only succeed if given quality education,” Najib said at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new RM80mil MRSM building here, about 40km from Ipoh.

Among those present were Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin.

Najib noted that 15 such colleges would be built under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

(From star online)