VOXPOP 'BN leaders worship money, obviously they think that money power can beget votes; thus the wanton throwing of millions of funds into Kuala Besut.'
PAS: 'Buy-election' has hit RM377mil
Kim Quek: Election Commission deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, what have you got to say to these RM377 millions of goodies raining on the electorate of Kuala Besut?
Why haven't you cried "bribery" as you did when Tok Guru Nik Aziz handed out a few hundred ringgit of ‘wang zakat' (alms) to three newly converted Orang Asli during the Galas by-election in Kelantan?
You declared then: "Alms or not, in the eyes of the law, any money given by anyone to voters that can sway their votes is considered a bribe under Article 10 of the Election Offences Act 1954".
You even said you had tipped off Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to take action.
In the face of such blatant double standards, can you blame the public for seeing you as an agent of Umno? To PAS, please keep a good record of these briberies for possible use later.
Dudeno: Let's hope that these projects that were pledged help Kuala Besut's economy grow quickly.
They will need to increase their income quickly to counter the rising cost of living as electricity, petrol and the prices of other essential items increase as a result of the federal government 'initiatives'.
Ferdtan: The RM377 million ‘bribe' in federal and state developmental projects that had been pledged to the people of Kuala Besut at this juncture when a by-election is taking place is a normal BN's modus operandi.
The BN leaders worship money, obviously they think that money power can beget votes; thus the wanton throwing of millions of fund into the constituency.
In this holy month of Ramadan, where pureness of thoughts and actions are important to all Muslims, we hope the voters do the right thing - reject the party that offered the ‘bribe'.
It would be an interesting scenario in the corridor of power in Putrajaya if PAS were to deliver an upset by winning the by-election. PM Najib Razak's fate as the president of Umno could be linked to the outcome of this by-election.
Clever Voter: Promising money is the only thing BN government knows. It has worked, so why shouldn't it be the case in Kuala Besut, too?
Gone are the days where we view government with respect, admiration and trust. No longer, we even have to look after our own safety despite being a taxpayer.
Sabahan: Out of the RM377 million promised projects, at least 50 percent will not be fulfilled. Of the remaining 50 percent or RM188 million, 70 percent will be siphoned off by Umno by inflating the costs, leaving only about RM50 million of actual value projects.
That's how Umno uses our tax money.
Kingdom on fire but battle rages for the throne
Cogito Ergo Sum: I think writer RK Anand has got it right overall. But I think it was Najib who undid the MIC by engaging directly with the community and by appointing Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy to the cabinet.
This move virtually pulled the carpet from under the proverbial feet of the party apparatchiks and leaders. To Najib must go the honour of delivering the coup de grace to the once and future kingdom of the MIC.
FutureMalaysians: A very well-written article. The Indian community in Malaysia is facing numerous problems. Nobody seems to care for the Indians in Malaysia. Here the so-called leaders are fighting over which side of the pie is better and sweeter. Do we need them?
Ksn: The result as to who wins matters only as to who gets the crumbs, bones from the Umno Baru government, not to the Indians of Malaysia.
The elections results of 2008 and 2013 are proof of the feelings of the Indians. They know that MIC and Umno Baru and their leaders of the past 25 odd years are responsible for their present state of affairs and their ‘bastardisation'.
Anonymous #33877536: The kingdom is not on fire. It was already on fire many years ago and is now completely burnt down for good.
The party cannot be a voice for the Indians in the government. They can't even solve student intake with P Kamalanathan there as deputy education minister.
Ketuanan Rakyat: The Umnoputras' Malaysian Indian Cronies (MIC) serves no purpose now for Indian Malaysians. Let it rot to death.
Alternately, they should move away from politics and concentrate on Indian cultural issues if they want to be relevant to Indian Malaysians. Malaysians should strengthen non-racial political parties from now on.
Nonbeliever: This is my free advice: MIC and MCA must go to Japan to learn how to commit 'Harasendiri'. If the Indians and Chinese still support them, they have themselves to blame. The Indian and Chinese communities must recover their own backbone.
Nostra: Sadly, whoever wins in the MIC polls will be saddling a dead horse.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .