Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is confident that Barisan Nasional would not be affected by the expiry of the Negri Sembilan state assembly at midnight Wednesday.
He said he believed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has several issues to address before dissolving Parliament.
The Negri Sembilan assembly completed its five-year term on Wednesday.
The former prime minister was at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2013 to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between PWN Excellence Sdn Bhd and Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd here.

Despite the Sulu intrusion, Barisan is set for a big win in the Land Below the Wind, thanks to a fragmented Opposition.
IN-FIGHTING among Opposition parties for seats has been overshadowed by how the Feb 9 Sulu intrusion will impact voting patterns in Sabah.
Although observers believe that the "fixed deposit" status of Sabah for Barisan Nasional would remain, concerns are growing over the east coast seats, especially the Suluk-Bajau majority ones around Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kunak.
Barisan candidates will have to work much harder to convince the migrant ethnic voters on why a stable and united government is important for the security of the state.
With security utmost in the minds of the people, even urban or semi-urban seats once considered black or grey to the ruling government could shift back to Barisan, particularly with the business community now finding "solace" with the coalition.
The prospects for the parliamentary seats of Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan are looking brighter for the ruling coalition, affirming the "fixed deposit" tag.
Kota Kinabalu and Tawau are now in the hands of the Opposition, while Sandakan was won by Barisan with a razor-thin margin.
Sabah Barisan withstood the March 2008 tsunami, delivering 24 of the 25 parliamentary and 59 of the 60 state seats.
Within Pakatan Rakyat, the DAP and PKR contested against each other after failing to cut a deal. Among the Opposition parties, it was only the DAP which saw victory, winning the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat and the state seat of Sri Tanjung.
Sabah Barisan, which was led by Datuk Seri Musa Aman, chalked a landslide.
By September 2008, however, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) pulled out with its two MPs (Sepanggar and Tawau) together with two state assemblymen (Likas and Luyang). But two other assemblymen (Elopura and Tanjung Papat) opted to stay put with Barisan by joining Gerakan.
Datuk Seri Lajim Ukim of Umno and Datuk Wilfred Bumburing of Upko left Barisan to align themselves with Pakatan, raising the political heat in Sabah late last year.
Furthermore, their entry into Pakatan was not entirely welcomed by Pakatan leaders in Sabah.
Pakatan, the SAPP led by former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the Sabah chapter of State Reform Party (STAR) headed by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan have shown no signs of a deal for a one-on-one contest against Barisan.
Yong's SAPP wants to contest more state seats while giving way to Pakatan for the parliamentary seats. STAR, on its part, wants Pakatan to leave Sabah entirely to local parties. Pakatan is not interested in such demands. Even the SAPP and STAR themselves are also unable to work out a seat-sharing formula.
As the Sulu crisis continues to linger in the minds of the people, Sabah parties are slowly getting back into the political groove with a clearer indication that the Opposition has agreed to disagree, opening a free-for-all fight against Barisan.
The Opposition's game plan augurs well for the eight-member Sabah Barisan. Some observers believe they can pull off a repeat of 2008.
Local issues and choice of candidates are likely to be key topics for the ruling coalition.
Musa heads Sabah Umno, which is set to defend all its Muslim bumiputra seats (32 state and 12 parliamentary seats). It will focus on taking back Beaufort after Lajim quit the party.
The party is maintaining a tight lid on possible new faces.
However, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and Kalabakan MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh are among the estimated 20% who are speculated to be dropped to make way for new faces.
Taking the fight into the political hotbed of the Kadazandusun and Murut areas will be Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan who is the Kadazandusun Huguan Siou (paramount leader), Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president (PBRS) Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.
Talk is rife that Pairin is likely to give up one of his two seats (Keningau parliamentary and Tambunan state seats).
Kurup may be retiring in favour of a new face. There has been talk that his son might contest.
For the Chinese seats, Gerakan which was nearly wiped out in the peninsula, has shot into the limelight with the party holding three state seats and two state Cabinet posts in Sabah with the defections of SAPP members.
Sabah Gerakan together with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Datuk V.K. Liew, Sabah MCA's Datuk Edward Khoo and PBS' Datuk Yee Moh Chai will face an uphill battle to win over the urban voters.
All Barisan parties are lobbying to contest the six seats (two parliamentary and four state seats) formerly allocated to the SAPP. To date, Barisan has yet to announce how the six seats will be allocated.
At one stage, the urban Chinese-majority seats were considered lost for Barisan. But with the DAP and SAPP unable to see eye-to-eye, Opposition votes could be split and the incumbents could pull through, albeit narrowly.
The hot seats to watch out for are:
> Penampang The parliamentary constituency which has the largest Catholic population is set to test the popularity of incumbent Dompok, who has pushed for key issues about illegal immigrants and mission schools;
> Pensiangan Kurup, a survivor of Sabah politics, is likely to have a tough time to defend the seat which he won after he was returned uncontested in a controversial Nomination Day decision;
> Keningau Will it be Round 2 for the feuding Kitingan brothers? If Pairin decides to defend the seat, he will face off with his politically estranged younger brother Dr Jeffrey. In their previous battle, Pairin retained the seat with a 4,264-vote majority;
> Sandakan LDP's Liew will be facing stiff challenge in this Opposition-inclined seat which he won by a mere 176-vote majority against the DAP;
> Beaufort This parliamentary seat will be the focus of Umno's onslaught as Lajim remains a popular figure in the constituency where the two state seats of Klias and Kuala Penyu currently held by Barisan might be at stake due to Lajim's clout; and
> Kota Kinabalu A three-way tussle is on the cards for this seat where Barisan is hoping to slip through with a win as home-grown Opposition party SAPP (barring a last-minute compromise) takes on the DAP.
As for Musa who has broken the jinx of Sabah chief ministers not lasting more than nine years he is set to keep the ruling coalition in control of the state and deliver more than two-thirds of the 25 parliamentary seats.
A big win will also ensure Musa's position within Umno and Barisan.

LAST Saturday there was a session with an opposition leader in one of the hotels in Petaling Jaya. Being an ardent follower of politics and an eligible voter, I went to hear what the opposition leader had to say.

Upon reaching there, one of the opposition's henchmen, a youth in his 20s, rudely demanded my age, citing that if I was not a "youth" then I must wait outside, as the event was not for elders.
I was disgusted at the high handed attitude of the youth, who claimed he had been instructed by his party to do so. But then, I saw there were other senior citizens in the ballroom.
I realised then, I was being discriminated because of my appearance. I guess they could not make out if I was Malay, Chinese or Indian.
I guess they did not know what a Sikh looks like as they had been shrouded by their political masters, too.
His explanation, unacceptable though, was that this event was for the youth. He said it was stated on their website.
I disputed it and said the condition for entry to the event was not stated on their website. It was mentioned that the youth will have an opportunity to throw questions to their leader but there was no mention that only youth will be allowed for the session.
I was then surrounded by their people and I felt intimidated. But as a voter and knowing my rights, I challenged them to state where they had put the conditions for attendees or the public.
The episode left me, my relatives and friends with one major apprehension on the issue of how the opposition is trying to empower the youth of today.
I have nothing personal against the youth, as I was once in their shoes, too. However, manners and respectfulness must always be there in whatever age group they belong to.
If this is the kind of arrogance and grooming that is championed by the opposition, then the lasting impression is bitter in all aspects.
The public must be reminded repeatedly that merely changing for the sake of change, as championed by the opposition, may land ourselves with more problems.
The opposition does not appear to have the right mix of leaders to progress in the future.
Where is the structure of management? They propagate that the youth will lead but if they are nurturing the ideology of governing through might, we may be heading towards more turbulent times.
A simple session with their leader has so many obstacles and red-tape, with discriminative thug-like attitude controlling the guests.
What can the rakyat expect in return? I do not feel safe, how is the rakyat going to feel safe and assured with the future of Malaysia in their hands?
Governing a nation is not a trial and error virtual game. It takes far more than just emotions and will to administer.
It's time for the rakyat to think not only locally, but globally and in a holistic manner.
The future of Malaysia is not for gamble. Your single vote essentially decides the future of all. Opposing just for the sake of opposing will not bring you far.

Narinder Pal Singh, Shah Alam, Selangor

ANWAR Ibrahim's bluff did not work…exposed by the self-styled Sulu 'Sultan' himself through spokesman Abraham Idjirani.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak did not meet brother of Jamalul Kiram 111, Bantilan Esmail Kiram 11 as alleged by Anwar following the photograph that appeared in the internet posted by of course none other than those supporting Anwar.
The reason is simple – to deflect the issue of Anwar meeting with Nur Misuari and the report from Philippines intelligence that he met Misuari few months before the Lahad Datu incursion.
Anwar's meeting with Misuari have been highlighted openly and without any spin which worry him and PKR, added to that was PKR vice-president Tian Chua's statements that the incursion was Umno's made drama.
Anwar and PKR are under pressure and given the gravity of the situation where the party is losing credibility and integrity as well as support, they are now putting the blame on Najib for the incursion.
Knowing the party's skill and expertism in spinning issues and deflecting truth to make-believed lies, they try to turn the table or the focus from Anwar and Tian Chua to Najib.
But with the denial from the Sultanate himself through his spokesman, Anwar is back in trouble and he has to find ways to get out of this.
Make-believed stories now have failed and the party is in dire straits as the pact they formed with DAP and PAS before 2008 general election has hit a snag with the two party going back to their original struggles.
DAP, being a Chinese chauvinistic party is back on its original path while PAS, back to its Islamic struggle which is now being questioned by its own members as the party leaders try to balance between true Islamic teachings and political survival with nits partners.
PKR is without any of that as it has only one objective – to put Anwar as Prime Minister – the rest are irrelevant.
And Anwar, obsessed with his ambition has, from the start surrounded himself with people who are 'intellectual and wizard' in spinning and creating believable stories, has been on such work to create doubts on Najib and the ruling parties as well as on Malay institutions which included the police and armed forces to win votes.
Devoid of real philosophies, he just pumps into the minds of the people all kinds of created make-believed stories that included the photo of Najib and Esmail to deflect the focus on him.
But now, with the denial, Anwar and PKR are in deep trouble because Malaysians who are concerned, regardless of race and religion are getting fed up with his antiques and lies and empty promises.
Anwar is indeed desperate and seeking anything to keep him from drowning.

POLITICAL violence is now seeping in Malaysia's political scene and it is growing into a culture…for the opposition of course…especially PKR as more and more of the party's leaders particularly Anwar Ibrahim's skeletons being revealed.
This culture began in 1998 when Anwar was expelled from the Cabinet where he began his street demonstrations and since then, Kuala Lumpur faces various demonstrations by NGOs aligned to him.
The recent political violence, latest at Kota Kinabalu airport as depicted in the U-tube by Rocky's Bru reflected the desperation PKR is at present.
PKR has been very aggressive in digging and exposing the ruling party's weaknesses and particularly Prime Minister Najib Tun Abdul Razak with their make-believed stories being repeated with different actors and different places.
PKR aggressive onslaught has taken a backseat as Malaysians at large began to see the truths and this has put the party in an awkward position as credibility took a downward slide.
Wanting to remain relevant and the need to be regarded as strong and still influential, the party embarks on 'political violence' and of  course as usual, always blame Umno for starting it and the irony is that the party manages to convince many.
PKR which began as a group that embarked on street demonstrations has developed into a political party but without philosophies and concepts thus still practicing street demonstration and violence as its culture.
The party leaders, who are deep in scandals and have a history of street demonstrations, are regarded as JOKERS by the DAP and not credible at all by PAS, are 'working overtime' to pre-empt moves by BN.
BN's responses in rebutting all the make-believed allegations done systematically worry PKR as thinking voters are now distancing themselves from the party, even the party's members and supporters are running away as fast as they can.
The situation has made PKR desperate and pressured and the only way now, since all else failed, is political violence which can trigger fear and restlessness among the public.
This violence is expected to occur even after polling and the height of this will be on polling day – expect much violence when voters queue up to vote.
PKR is desperate and is willing to do anything to spoil the general election because the party leaders know the party will be buried after the general election.
The party leaders know Malaysian voters are now looking for 'real and fulfilling' future rather than rhetoric and 'mad approaches' that have no logical basis, only talks and dreams.
Thus, the political gangsterism is the answer to the party's desperation – if you can't beat them, do not join them but scare them – that seems to be the motto now.

The death of private investigator, Balasubramaniam A/l Perumal due to heart attack which is still mourned by his relatives. Some of them are blaming PR for pushing him to be active in the political world.
If we are to consider the facts, those who have heart issues should get a lot of rest and light exercise.
If PR do care and they did not push Bala and gave him more chance to rest until the end of his heart bypass surgery which has already been set, there might be a probability that his death can be avoided.
However, everything has been fated and we should all convey our condolence to his family.
And now, his death is still being discussed by a few in PR when some thought that the action of bringing Bala back to Malaysia is just a waste for PR.
Such opinion is also shared by a pro-PR website, suarapakatanrakyat.com which in its article, "Bringing Bala Home Is A Disaster For Pakatan Rakyat".
According to the website, Bala was a police officer and he has bad record when he was in service for RMP. Few of his bad record include kidnapping (Kidnapping Act) and slapping a civilian (Indecent Act).
Based on those bad record, the portal thinks that it has given PR a bad image, thus, affecting the public trust on PR's campaign regarding Altantuya's issue.
The worry expressed by the portal might be right. No one would want to believe stories that came from police officers with bad record.
Besides, up to his death, Bala still refuse to return Razak Baginda's RM50,000 which was supposed to be handed to Altantuya, which Bala took.
And we still have not considered Bala's credibility as he kept on changing his statutory declaration (SD) which contradicts one another on the same issue.
With the bad record above, it would be hard for the public to really care about what Bala said. Despite that, it is a little too late for suarapakatanrakyat.com to warn their favorite party

Once upon a time, there lived a Princess called Jacel, in a pathetic little hut, in a small village in Southern Phillipines.   The princess has always cursed her hard life – a life harder than most ordinary villagers in the Land Below The Wind, which used to belong to her family.

She blames her great-great grandfathers for giving up the land at a pathetic cost of RM5000 a year but she never sees of a way of getting it back.  Not until a chameleon named Anwar Ibrahim came along and offered some hope of regaining the family's throne.  

She dreams of living a real-princess life after getting back the throne, but things turned out to be better with this magic chameleon.  Princess Jacel suddenly find herself already living a princess life, flying on a jet-plane, having all kinds of gadgets that she didn't even dare to dream before and got introduced to the amazing world of the….'Twitter!'

The excitement was just too much to handle that she couldn't wait to announce to the world that she, is a Princess - the Princess of Sulu, the heir of the rightful ruler of the Land Below the Wind!

But then, she went and showed the world the ultimate proof that her family doesn't have the rights to land.  She showed us a Lease Agreement signed at 22nd January 1878 read:

"GRANT BY THE SULTAN OF SULU OF A PERMANENT LEASE COVERING HIS LANDS AND TERRITORIES ON THE ISLAND OF BORNEO DATED JANUARY 22, 1878"  to Baron von Overbeck the 'real' ruler of Sabah at the time.  Sabah then became part of Malaysia, and Malaysia continues to comply with what has been agreed.  

We don't know which part of the word 'permanent' that the Princess doesn't understand.   But considering her hard life and the DNA passed by her great-grandfathers, who had willingly given up a big piece land for a little amount of money, I think we should not be so hard on her.

However, not being hard on her seems to be unfair, considering what her men has done to our policemen and soldiers and for causing trauma to the villagers of Sabah and for the trouble that she has caused our government plus the affect on Malaysia's image and economy.

What is worse is that this Princess is starting to sound more like a PKR member, than a Princess of some non-existence kingdom.

In a press conference, she called the public not to believe the conspiracy theory being peddled by the government and that Najib and his UMNO are gearing up for Malaysia's election this month.

She also said that the conspiracy angle is "purely for political exigency and popularity. This issue to them is not important, especially on election time in Malaysia".

She added "Today, the imaginary conspiracy was propagated through text messaging to divert attention away from the true issue. The conspiracy theory is an insult to the Filipino people and to the sultanate of Sulu, more so to the Raja Muda (Agbimuddin) and his people."

She almost sounds like Nurul Izzah if  not Tian Chua or Anwar himself.  We can almost expect that she would continue saying that the whole incident was a slander to bring down her father!

The Sabahans are only so lucky that the Sulu Sultan had given up the land or they would find their lives in the hands of a Sultan who thinks that bloodshed is good for popularity, especially with the election approaching.

Malaysians are very peaceful people and that's why this country remains peaceful despite unending attempts by the Opposition to create chaos.  We let the Sulus come and go freely, believing that they too, are peaceful people.  It is just natural for Malaysians, when looking at the Sulus, even Jacel herself, that the first thing that triggered our mind, was 'pity'.  These 'good' people of Sulu, they look like us, they are of the same religion, and then our hearts melted.

But thanks to Anwar the chameleon that we now are able to see that the Sulus are not as good, in fact are savages, brutal and cold-blooded.  Religion is only by the 'tudung' worn by Jacel but it was proven in the battle, that they actually worship the satan.

The chameleon has obviously succeeded in misleading or cheated the Sulus into giving up their lives for his sake.  And for that, the Sulus have obviously lost everything.  

Even without a throne, the Sulus royalties have proven themselves to be ever willing to be a tool to anyone, and risk their peoples' lives for easy money.

Jacel may have some gadgets, a twitter account, and flies on jet-planes, stays in hotel suites for awhile but that's all there is to it.  In no time, when Sabah is no longer an issue for the Chameleon, the Sulus will be forgotten, the terrorists would be wiped off.  Jacel will go back to being a nobody, as she actually is.

Even then, nobody knows whether Jacel is the real supposed-princess.  We know that there are disputes over the matter of heirs and heiress of the Sulu throne and nobody can even prove who is the right person to claim the throne.    But even if somebody can, the problem is, there is no throne!

How could Jacel call herself a Princess when the there is no kingdom to rule?  As hard and painful as it is, it is the truth that Anwar is just a chameleon, not a wizard who can grant wishes and fulfill dreams.

So, stop calling yourself Princess, Jacel.  It's just very wrong and very silly.  

Mr Najib's popularity appears to be at an all-time high. Among more than 1.5 million civil servants and federal agencies staff, he was greeted like a superstar.

Of course, that was to be expected after he met their demand for higher pay, better benefits and allowances, including pension for retirees.

Indeed, Mr Najib has become the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition's number one asset.

His various 1Malaysia initiatives have made him more popular than his own party.

Mr Najib denied they were populist measures.

"My conscience is clear, what I said is based on success stories, Malaysia's success stories. When we succeed to take care of our country, we say people are our biggest asset," he said.

Mr Najib's star appeal has never failed to draw huge crowds at nationwide road shows, which concluded last weekend in his home state of Pahang.

Many celebrated the handsome allocations to improve the state to improve infrastructure and housing.

Mr Najib also promised annual cash handouts that will amount to more than US$1 billion if his government is returned to power.

It is clear that Mr Najib has a huge fan base among hundreds of thousands of civil servants and statutory body workers.

He promised to always look after their welfare which he hopes will be rewarded in the coming General Election.


Prime Minister Najib Razak's approval ratings appear to have improved ahead of Malaysia's General Election, according to some surveys.