Penang's candidates

Sunday was Nomination Day for Malaysia's 12th General Elections. I watched Pak Lah and other candidates in the Kepala Batas constituency filing their nomination papers on TV. Pak Lah's constituency is next to my constituency of Tasek Gelugor. Local UMNO warlord Shariff Omar (deputy agriculture/agro-based industries minister) has been the Tasek Gelugor MP for three terms. He was deputy CM of Penang, before he moved to parliament. He had to give up his seat to elections first-timer senator Nor Mohamed Yakcop (second finance minister cum economics adviser to the gov't). I guess Shariff was not very happy, and so were some of the locals. This YB always returns to his kawasan regularly. He lives not very far from the Tasek Gelugor, Sungai Dua and Telok Air Tawar towns in the constituency. The state assemblymen/woman from TG constituency were retained to seek re-elections. At the 11th hour, incumbent Sg Dua ADUN, Jasmin Mohamed was dropped for a Pemuda UMNO candidate. Then at the 11th and a half hour later, he was in again. The Pemuda chap had a 'khalwat' case ongoing. On Nomination Day, it was confirmed that Nor Mohamed Yakcop will be fighting for the Tasek Gelugor parliament seat against Ismail Salleh from PAS. Jasmin Mohamed going for Sg Dua state seat against Mohd Salleh Man of PAS. Shahbudin Yahaya for Ptg Berangan state seat against Arshad Md Salleh (PAS) and Jahara Hamid for Telok Air Tawar state seat against Norhayati Jaafar of PKR. I predict that BN will win all those seats but with reduced majorities. Former Penang CM and acting Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon is running for parliament in Batu Kawan on the mainland. If he had stood for parliament on one of the island's Chinese majority seats, he doesn't stand a chance against the DAP. He will be facing off against Dr Ramasamy of DAP. There are 23% Indians,21% Malays and 54% Chinese in this constituency. I ,personally would like to see Koh Tsu Koon in parliament. Good luck to him. DAP sec.gen. Lim Guan Eng is trying his luck in Bagan on the mainland. The incumbent DAP MPs on the island were reluctant to give up their seats to an 'outsider'. He managed to get a state seat Air Putih in the Bukit Bendera parliament constituency ( the fortress of Gerakan sec.gen. Chia Kwan Chye). He could win both seats. PKR president Wan Azizah is defending her Ptg Pauh parliament seat. And the disgraceful ustaz Firdaus Ismail is trying again to get that seat. Wan Azizah will win again with an increased majority, if there is no hanky-panky from SPR and BN. I will not be voting in Tasek Gelugor (my wife will be voting here). I will be voting in Bayan Baru parliament seat and Batu Uban state seat on the island. I registered as a voter there in my bachelor days and haven't re-registered at my present address. Old friend Zahrain Md Hashim (PKR Penang chief) is running against MCA's Ooi Siew Kim for parliament. I wont tell who I'll vote for, my secret.