Before the battle
Three days to the scheduled Bersih gathering and The Malay Mail has organised the second installation of Spark the Debate featuring Bersih 3.0 co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Yayasan Orator CEO Muhammad Yunus Zakariah will be moderating tonight's event entitled 'Electoral Reform: Is enough being done?' at The Club@Bukit Utama, Bukit Utama Golf Course in Bandar Utama.
7.30pm - Guests arrive at The Club, filling up the empty seats very quickly. A long queue is outside as guests patiently file up for registration.
7.50pm - Ambiga has arrived and we are awaiting KJ's arrival.
7.57pm - Almost full house and guests are still walking in. Quite a number wearing yellow t-shirts.
8.11pm - Seats are all taken up and some lucky ones who managed to get into the hall are standing at the back just so they won't miss out on the action.
8.16pm - Khairy has arrived. The entrance doors have been closed and News Editor Ahmad Najmuddin Najib takes the mic to ask the attendees to take a seat.
8.18pm - UStream feed and The Malay Mail website may be experiencing slow feed because online traffic to both websites are at its peak.
8.19pm - Ahmad Najmuddin makes announcement that both speakers are making their way to the hall.
8.22pm - Crowd gives a big round of applause to both speakers as they make their way in.
8.24pm - Ahmad Najmuddin welcomes everyone with a little background of Spark the Debate. As he introduces the speakers, the crowd responds as if to compete in how loud they are and who they support.
8.27pm - Managing Editor Terence Fernandez says a few words saying "we are all friends ... Good evening friends". The Malay Mail was turned away by many who were uncomfortable with subject of debate, Fernandez says. Thanks the crowd for supporting this cause and staking "your claim as Malaysians who care a d***".
8.34pm - Crowd outside still wanting to come in the hall but because the hall is full, they are turned down.
8.38pm - Moderator Muhammad Yunus is introduced
8,40pm - A little bit of a comedy moment as both speakers take their positions at the podium
8.40pm :-
7.30pm - Guests arrive at The Club, filling up the empty seats very quickly. A long queue is outside as guests patiently file up for registration.
7.50pm - Ambiga has arrived and we are awaiting KJ's arrival.
7.57pm - Almost full house and guests are still walking in. Quite a number wearing yellow t-shirts.
8.11pm - Seats are all taken up and some lucky ones who managed to get into the hall are standing at the back just so they won't miss out on the action.
8.16pm - Khairy has arrived. The entrance doors have been closed and News Editor Ahmad Najmuddin Najib takes the mic to ask the attendees to take a seat.
8.18pm - UStream feed and The Malay Mail website may be experiencing slow feed because online traffic to both websites are at its peak.
8.19pm - Ahmad Najmuddin makes announcement that both speakers are making their way to the hall.
8.22pm - Crowd gives a big round of applause to both speakers as they make their way in.
8.24pm - Ahmad Najmuddin welcomes everyone with a little background of Spark the Debate. As he introduces the speakers, the crowd responds as if to compete in how loud they are and who they support.
8.27pm - Managing Editor Terence Fernandez says a few words saying "we are all friends ... Good evening friends". The Malay Mail was turned away by many who were uncomfortable with subject of debate, Fernandez says. Thanks the crowd for supporting this cause and staking "your claim as Malaysians who care a d***".
8.34pm - Crowd outside still wanting to come in the hall but because the hall is full, they are turned down.
8.38pm - Moderator Muhammad Yunus is introduced
8,40pm - A little bit of a comedy moment as both speakers take their positions at the podium
8.40pm :-
Ambiga : Neither the PM nor Bersih 2.0 is going to get there in the 13th GE (clean electoral roll). Ong Kian Ming's three-month research is just the tip of the iceberg - uncovering 10 things wrong with the electoral roll.8.42pm - Some of the points she raised in Ong's research are more than 1,000 voters are aged 100 and above. 15,855 voters whose IC numbers indicate a different gender than EC's roll. Shows that a possibility that a person of a different gender registered to use the IC. There is much speculation that non-Malaysians given citizenships and hence voting rights. Cases highlighted under the 10 categories looked at covers 100,000 cases. Ong did another piece of research that shows 3.1 million voters whose IC addresses shows different constituency in which the voter is actually voting in. "Someone's IC shows he is voter of A constituency but he's voting in B constituency". Information was given to EC by NRD in the year 2002 and the EC has done nothing about it. 65,000 foreigners were found in electoral roll and people who have been removed or added. EC seems to be giving the impression only 42,000 doubtful voters. When they downplay it saying "it's a small number" it is a highly irresponsible statement. PSC did not even scratch the problem. EC also never raised them with the PSC. I would have thought that the EC would have had full disclosure with the PSC with these. Postal voters is another big issue. It is vulnerable to election rigging. There has been cases of ballots being sold - also a problem with postal voting. In Sibu by-election - postal votes made the difference. PSC did not study this issue. Our quarrel with PSC is that they didn't study the issue of security. To date we haven't seen any regulation for Parliament laid by the EC in relation to these. Overseas voters (last point). How can we deprive people of their right to vote because of logistics?!
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