Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today officially opened the Perak Tengah District Health Office here, and cited it as yet another government effort to provide the people with the best health and medical care.

"This is another effort of the BN (Barisan Nasional) government over the scores of years of its administration because we realise that health is an important aspect of the people's lives which must be addressed.

"Health plays an important part in our effort to give value-added inputs and generate high productivity in every work that we do," he said.

The Perak Tengah District Health Office, spread over 1,282.05 sq metre, began operating on Aug 13 last year and consists of four major units, namely Management Services, Family Health Development, Epidemiology and Clinical Support.

Muhyiddin said serious attention given to the health sector, with the implementation of thousands of health projects throughout the country, had raised the standard of health in Malaysia to match that in the developed countries.

"The improved health standard has contributed a great deal to the other sectors, enabling Malaysia to record major achievements in several disciplines," he said.

Muhyiddin said the BN government had, through its initiatives and policies over the last four years under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, provided much aid and benefit to the people.

The beneficiaries were the people of all the races, who enjoyed a higher standard of living, a bigger income and better amenities, he said at the event, also attended by his wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Perak Director of Health Datuk Dr Nordiyanah Hassan.

Muhyiddin said the people would have to think hard and not change the government if they wanted the ongoing policies they benefited from to continue after the general election.

"When the policies are right, the economy is well, the people are able to live comfortably without anyone being marginalised, why is there a need for change?" he asked.

The deputy prime minister said the BN government's efforts had developed an economic sector that had become a major generator of growth and helped to reduce poverty among the people.

He said many people had commented that if this was the way Malaysia was going, then it would not have to wait until 2020 to achieve developed nation status but could attain that level in 2018, on condition that this government must continue to govern.

The growing healthcare sector in Southeast Asia received a big boost last year with the successful initial public offering (IPO) of IHH Healthcare Bhd. Raising RM6.67 billion, this was the world's third largest IPO of 2012 after Facebook and Felda Global Ventures Holdings. IHH's shares later jumped as much as 14 per cent on listing in KL and Singapore, with investors eager to participate in this Malaysian success story.
With more than 30 hospitals and clinics in Malaysia, Singapore, China and other Asian countries, IHH is already the continent's largest hospital operator. With a market capitalization of RM29.6 billion, it is now the world's second-biggest listed healthcare provider after HCA Holdings Inc. in the United States.
The listing was part of a larger plan by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to privatise government-linked companies that are not deemed strategic. This helps to unlock value for the nation and investors, and allows companies to expand using their IPO proceeds.
Even before the listing, IHH had planned to add 67 per cent more hospital beds by 2017 to capitalise on growing demand in Asia for better healthcare, given rising income levels and aging populations. This expansion has now been given a new impetus by the Barisan Nasional Government.
"We see opportunities in the region for the year ahead and will continue to build on our past year's performance and are looking for new opportunities in countries like Vietnam, Turkey and Abu Dhabi," IHH Chairman Abu Bakar Suleiman said recently.
IHH won the public tender in March for its first private hospital in Hong Kong with a RM2 billion deal with local billionaire Cheng Yu-Tung. The development of the 500-bed facility will be overseen by IHH's subsidiary GHK Hospital Ltd and will reach operational readiness by late 2016.
IHH beat two other bidders for the project to develop hospitals in two locations in Hong Kong as the territory looks to increase capacity. The company said the potential profit contribution from this joint venture would boost future earnings, which have seen a fourth-quarter profit rise of almost four times that of a year ago.
In fact, IHH has expanded rapidly in the past few years and currently employs 24,000 people in 30 hospitals as well as medical centres and clinics.
It has added Turkish hospital group Acibadem Saglik Yatirimlari Holding AS, Singapore's Parkway Holdings and India's Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd to its local holdings Pantai Hospitals and IMU Health Sdn Bhd.
Apart from boosting healthcare capacity in the region, IHH is also providing value addition to Khazanah Nasional Bhd. As the healthcare arm of the state investor, IHH's impressive growth is benefitting Khazanah, with a record high portfolio in 2012 that jumped 12.3 per cent to RM121.6 billion after the IPO.
"IHH Healthcare Bhd, with its integrated health network and diversified geographical exposure is a winner in the long run," said Public Investment Bank Research in a recent analyst report.
This shows that in healthcare too, BN's pro-business policies have succeeded in creating a Malaysian global leader. In this demanding sector, a Malaysian brand is holding sway internationally from Turkey to Hong Kong. That is some achievement.
IHH's success will also benefit healthcare in our nation, bringing in global expertise and world-class facilities. This is a win-win situation for Malaysia.

Malaysia is one of the top five medical tourism destinations in the world, a statistic that positively reflects on us. Although those tourists are attracted by the lower costs of common surgical procedures, foreigners would not be coming here if our medical expertise were not of the highest standard.
And while it is easy to dismiss medial tourism as foreigners arriving for "vanity procedures" like facelifts, our expert surgeons are, in fact, delivering affordable medical care that transforms lives such as the hip replacement to the Australian retirees who have been stuck on a waiting list Down Under. After the good treatment they get in Malaysia, they can go home with a new lease of life.
We also attract an increasing number of British patients who feel let down by their beleaguered National Health Service, and an increasing number from the Middle East, who come not just for the medical expertise in an Islamic environment, but for the care and understanding of the nursing staff.
It shows just how far we have come. Three decades ago tourists were warned to avoid local medical care when visiting Malaysia and urged only to use western doctors in case of emergency, recommended by their hotel or tour operator. Now we have visitors in their thousands, choosing Malaysian doctors in preference to those from their home nations.
And it is not just about medical procedures. Pharmaceutical companies with operations in Malaysia include Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Novartis and Abbott. These companies are producing everything from aspirin to Viagra in what is a highly specialised advanced technology industry in a sector that the Government wants to grow under the Economic Transformation Programme.
Again, these companies would not be operating here if the quality of our chemical engineers and pharmacists were not top rank.
The ultimate vote of confidence is that companies such as GSK and Pfizer, which have a presence in nine locations including Shah Alam, Penang, Ipoh and Kuching are not only producing drugs that have been developed elsewhere but are increasingly choosing to do their costly development work here.
For a company like GSK that spends two million euros per day (RM8 million) globally on research and development, that is a risk it would only take if key conditions – from a skilled workforce to a business-friendly government (currently in place) – are met.
A medical tourist arriving at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur might think they have arrived at a luxury hotel instead of a hospital. Rather than the sterile confines of many hospitals in their home nations, they stay in plush suites where the staffing levels put many public hospitals – and hotels - to shame.
But ultimately they are here for the care. Both the medical expertise and the trademark Malaysian smile will tell them that they're well looked after.

Access to health care is one of the foremost policy concerns in modern democracies, with serious consequences for our young but ageing society. Pakatan Rakyat have offered free healthcare for all Malaysians in response. Can this be done?
The answer appears to be no. Pakatan is offering an experiment doomed to failure, rather than building incrementally on a successful system.
"Every Malaysian is entitled to go to any government hospital to get prompt, competent and free healthcare," Pakatan claims, a laudable attempt to ensure that the rich and the poor both receive the medical care they need.
A true national health service, such as what the UK and Canada offer, is expensive, yet Pakatan immediately rejects any funding mechanism such as 1Care (called a "healthcare tax" in a dishonest example of political rhetoric). There is no talk of funding, except that "savings from abolishing monopolies" will help fund "specialist treatments to the low-income group for complicated surgeries".
At most, this represents a tiny fraction of costs.
Every other industrialised nation has run healthcare experiments for decades, and there is a point of agreement: when a service is offered for free, the people will demand more and more of it. The UK and Canada ration the provision and timing of health services. The U.S. makes emergency care free for all, but specialised care is only available without cost for the old and the poor. Japan and Europe employ a patchwork of systems with variable – but rapidly rising – costs. Inexplicably, Pakatan reject all of this data.
Outside of the UK and Canada, there is broad agreement that the best solution is to provide a mix of public and private healthcare solutions, and Pakatan embraces this by promising "free healthcare for all Malaysians through government hospitals while incentivizing the private sector to provide healthcare services at a reasonable rate." Yet how would the private sector be "incentivised"? Why use the private sector if government hospitals will ensure "free healthcare for all Malaysians"?
Today, the government subsidises 90 per cent of healthcare, ensuring availability while avoiding the free service danger. Pakatan decry this as extravagant and corrupt spending – and yet promise to spend even more.
Pakatan does not explain why the current system should be destroyed, despite successes such as halving the new HIV case rate since 2005. The current system certainly can be improved, and should be. Barisan Nasional has expanded the reach of care by allocating RM66.1 billion to the sector. BN has also committed to upgrading 350 Government clinics, and opening another 70 new clinics, for a total of 245 with those built so far.
Instead Pakatan promises a new system, with free and expansive service and a redundant private sector. The party promises something better and more expensive, without cost, which we know – from watching other countries – cannot be done.
The provision of healthcare is a serious issue, and Pakatan deserves credit for trying to improve it. Yet they didn't, and thus deserve no credit for their unserious proposal to this serious issue.

 Lembah Pantai Umno division head Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin has challenged Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar of Parti Keadilan Rakyat to explain to the people what she had done for the constituents.

Raja Nong Chik, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Lembah Pantai, said he had thrown the challenge to Nurul Izzah a few times but the latter had yet to answer.

He said the incumbent could not come up with anything, except to criticise BN programmes, saying this was wrong and that was wrong.

"The BN government has done so much for the people, for example, the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) and the building of more affordable houses for the people under 1Malaysia People's Housing (PR1MA).

"This is the solution and alternative we offer to the people...although it is not perfect, we will continue to improve on it," he told reporters after launching the Taska 1TNB here Tuesday.

The Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat sees a three-cornered fight involving Raja Nong Chik, Nurul Izzah and Independent candidate Rusli Baba.

Emphasising on his 7P Philosophy which comprises development, housing, maintenance, hawkers, enforcement, public transportation and a caring attitude, Raja Nong Chik said it was aimed at bringing better benefits to the people of Lembah Pantai.

He noted that the main issue the people currently faced involved security, and "we are now cooperating with the Royal Malaysian Police to help residents in Bangsar."

"We are hoping to increase federal reserve unit and People's Volunteer Corps personnel to resolve the security issue in the area," he said.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is the best as proven by the numerous successes of the transformation programmes implemented.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said, the BN government had also changed the situation and a lot of the people of Sabah for the better.

"Numerous programmes and implementations have borne fruit and impacted positively nationwide, including in Sabah," he said during a Sabah Foundation Road Show opened by Najib in Kuala Penyu town Tuesday.

Musa, who is also state BN coordinator, said in Beaufort, specifically in Kuala Penyu, the people enjoyed numerous development, including the RM60 million 1.1km Kuala Penyu Bridge across Sungai Sitompok.

In this regard, he urged voters to accept BN candidates who upheld the struggle to look after their welfare and fulfilled the BN manifesto which ensured a brighter future.

"We must be thankful to the federal government which has channelled allocations for, among others, the construction of a RM250 million international convention centre and a RM200 million water treatment plant for the people of Beaufort," said Musa.

Kuala Penyu, among the state seats under the Beaufort parliament, was won by Teo Mau Sing (BN) with a 257 votes majority at the general election in 2008.

In the coming 13th General Election, BN's new face Limus Jury will be locked in a four-cornered fight, which includes two independents.

Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir thanked the prime minister and his deputy for giving him the opportunity to remain in Jerlun although he had been moved from a parliamentary seat to the Air Hitam state seat.

The Kedah Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman admitted that he was little known when he first became a Member of Parliament but after five years, he was now close to the Jerlun folk.

"I can depend on my hard work for five years as a record of my achievement and that of other BN candidates in Jerlun. The people of Jerlun can see all this," he at a foundation-stone laying ceremony for a sports centre in the Jerlun parliamentary constituency in Sanglang, near here, Tuesday.

The ceremony was performed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Prior to this, there were speculations that Mukhriz would be contesting either parliamentary or state seats in Kubang Pasu and Langkawi, areas connected to his father, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His transfer from a parliamentary to a state seat is now tied to the post of Menteri Besar if the BN recaptures Kedah.

Mukhriz said that in the five years he was in Jerlun, many development projects had been implemented with the support of the federal government.

Sabah made the right decision to join the Malaysian federation, which paved its path to independence on Sept 16, 1963, thereby resulting in the state's current progress, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

He emphasised that Sabah's success could not be denied by anyone, especially in terms of its security and stability.

"I believe Sabah made the right decision (to join Malaysia) because Sabahans can clearly see the string of improvements in this land.

"However, without peace and stability, it would be impossible to bring about development and progress. What occurred in Lahad Datu and Semporna (militant armed intrusion) recently has been an eye-opener for us. It was a big shock but served to remind us how precious Sabah is to all of us," he said at a people's gathering in Padang Bongawan near here.

Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Barisan Nasional (BN) Kimanis parliamentary candidate Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and BN Bongawan and Membakut state candidates, Mohamad Alamin and Datuk Arifin Mohd Arif, respectively.

 The people must vote wisely after making an objective evaluation without being hoodwinked by "fairy tales" that can lead to electing a wrong party to administer the country, says former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

As citizens of this country shouldering a big responsibility to elect a new government on May 5, the electorate must be smart and vigilant without being carried away by emotions and misguided to make a mistake in electing the next government, he said.

"Under the administration of six prime ministers, including me, our country has remained peaceful and prosperous. The people are given the powers to elect the government and they should exercise the power diligently and not be influenced by emotions and other characteristics that are not good for human beings," he said when delivering a ceramah themed "People's Unity" at the Royal Malaysia Navy Base here Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir said making a mistake in electing a party that had no credibility to govern the nation would derail the country's development agenda.

"Malaysia have scored many successes. The North Port and Westport have handled more than 10 million containers in and out of the ports, Malaysians have conquered Mount Everest, sailed solo around the world on a yacht.

"The country is also producing parts and components for aircraft. These are the results of the people's wisdom in electing a responsible and credible government," said Dr Mahathir who was prime minister for 22 years.

Dr Mahathir said the BN government was not greedy by seizing all the powers for itself but instead was willing to share power with the 13 component parties representing various races, religions and cultures.

"Even then, there are certain quarters who instigated and created hatred among the people. If there is no willingness to share power and the country's wealth, the race that is not represented in the government will feel disappointed.

"When such a situation arises, it will pose a threat to the internal security and public order," he said.

Dr Mahathir said the prevailing peace and safety in the country have enabled the masses to elect the party of their choice to govern the nation.

He said the Muslims, as the majority race in this country, also have a big role to play.

"If we fail to elect a credible government, the Muslims will be blamed because the world regards Malaysia as an Islamic nation created by the people, the majority of whom are Muslims," he said.

Later, responding to a question on the possibility of s government change after the election, Dr Mahathir said the BN was a coalition that reprsented all races based on the power-sharing principles.

On the contrary, he said, Pakatan Rakyat was not a coalition but an alliance that did not share power.

"They know that if they contested individually, they cannot, the government party will win. In this election, they have fielded only one Pakatan Rakyat candidate in one constituency, that also they're not really successful," he said.

Dr Mahathir said Pakatan Rakyat cannot be a ruling party because the component parties have different principles and their struggles for the nation varied from one another and they cannot reach a common consensus.

"We'll find among them some people are very racists, only bent on pursuing the interests of certain races. Some claim they're an Islamist party, they interpret Islamic teachings merely to suit their party's struggles.

"They also want to implement hudud law (Islamic penal code) only on Muslims. They're now playing down the issue and instead, they want to create a welfare state now.

"The Hudud Law must be fair to everyone but the Hudud Law proposed by PAS is only enforced on Muslims. We don't support PAS-styled Hudud Law. The most important thing is fairness," he said.

Dr Mahathir said the Pakatan Rakyat had no other goals except to become prime minister.

"If we make a wrong choice, our development agenda will be affected. The opposition parties cannot reach a consensus. They're engaged in a tug-a-war, pursuing only their parties' ideals and aspirations.

"They also don't have the administrative skills to administer the country," he added.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) will not budge from defending its National Educational Policy as long as the people need it, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Tuesday.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister said the government was committed from the start to ensure all Malaysians had equal access to education.

"So, right from the start we have seen each prime minister paying special attention to the education sector, with the aim of elevating the people across the board.

"It is the BN government's commitment to provide education for every citizen because we are aware of the greater demand for an educated society in the future," he said when opening Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Desa Murni, Sg Dua here.

Also present were his wife Puan Seri Noorani Abdul Rahman and Penang BN chairman Tan Cheng Yew.

Muhyiddin said the BN government had allocated RM36 billion this year to the education sector as it realised that the nation was on the verge of extraordinary development and about to achieve developed status in seven years time, in order to generate the skilled human capital which would be required then.

He added that more than 10,000 schools had been built nationwide accommodating 5.4 million students and providing employment for 465,000 teachers.

"Therefore, from now until 2020, to ensure the completion of the planned agenda which is being carried out now, we need to maintain the existing government," he said to loud cheers from the packed audience at the function.

He admitted that in the process of fulfilling the needs of the society there were definitely some shortcomings but the government had more than compensated for them through other benefits.

He urged the people not to trade peace, harmony and good education under the BN government by trying something new that was doubtful.

"Why should we change if everything is going well.

We're seeing the blue wave everywhere in Penang and expect it to rise to a crescendo on May 5," he said.

Muhyiddin described SMK Desa Murni's infrastructure and facilities as extraordinary and urged the people to view it as a big contribution from the federal government to them.

Built at a cost of RM18.2 million in 2007, the school is one of the tallest in Malaysia and located about 10 kilometres from Kepala Batas.

It was opened in August 2010 and has three blocks comprised of nine, seven and three-storeys high with lifts.

The National Press Club (NPC) Malaysia today expressed shock over the death of a Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) cameraman following a scuffle with a political party supporter in Gua Musang.

Its president, Mokhtar Hussain, said it was sad that a journalist had to pay with his life during the ongoing campaign for the 13th General Election.

The cameraman, Mohamed Yaakub, 61, died of a heart attack at his home in Bandar Lama in Gua Musang at 12.45 am.

He had earlier been involved in a scuffle with a political party supporter whose car had blocked the path to his house, located close to a PAS base.

Mokhtar said that all parties involved in the election campaign should keep their emotions in check and not vent their anger on others, including journalists.

In KOTA BAHARU, the Kelantan Media Club expressed its concern over the incident.

Its president, Anwar Aminuddin Hussin, called for an investigation, saying that the assault of a journalist which resulted in his death was a serious matter.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, the Terengganu Journalists Club (Kawat) said such an incident should not have happened.

Its president, Ayob Mamat, advised all media practitioners to exercise caution when covering the general election campaign.

A pledge to find solutions to Sabah's illegal immigrant problems and solutions to native land issues are the highlights of a special 16-point Sabah Barisan Nasional manifesto.
The special manifesto by the state Barisan aimed at countering various local issues, including oil royalties raised by the opposition, was launched by Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Musa Aman together with heads of component parties at the Sabah Umno headquarters here.
"This is our commitment to the rakyat. We are continuing our efforts. Sabah Barisan will do more," he said while dismissing opposition promises in their manifesto as unrealistic.
The state Barisan manifesto promises to implement the recommendations of the ongoing Royal Commis-sion of Inquiry to solve the illegal immigrant problem, he said in apparent reference to the plan by the opposition to re-issue identity cards for Sabahans.
The manifesto, printed in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Kadazandusun, promises to also implement new laws and set up native institutions to find speedy solutions to land matters under Native Customary Rights.
Sabah Barisan also promised to protect the spirit of the 20-point Malaysia Agreement of 1963 while also promising equal opportunities for all in state service.
 When launching the manifesto, Musa said the state Barisan government was prudent in its spending and has over RM4.088bil in reserves while they have helped reduce poverty rates from 19.7% to 8.1% over the last three years.
Among the achievements of the state Barisan government were the issuance of communal titles that involved over 192,000 villagers while tourism earnings hit the RM5.17bil mark last year.

ARAU: PAS is confident that DAP would accept hudud law due to the party's willingness to contest using the PAS logo.
PAS deputy mursyidul am (spiritual leader) Datuk Dr Haron Din, however, said the party would implement hudud even with DAP's disapproval should Pakatan Rakyat gain control of the federal government.
"It was few years ago that DAP rejected hudud law, but not now," he said. "However, it can only be done after Pakatan is given the mandate," he told reporters here.
Dr Haron, who is contesting the Arau parliamentary seat, said Pakatan component parties must "give and take" in order to work together.

IF you're Malaysian, chances are your Facebook timeline and Twitter feed these days are inundated with election or political content. With Malaysia going to the polls on May 5 in a general election that some pundits say may see a change in government for the first time in 56 years, election fever has reached an all-time high in the nation's social media space.

Interim Prime Minister Najib Razak has described the 13^th general election (GE13) as Malaysia's 'first social media election,' and while many have argued that this isn't strictly true – in the end, elections are decided at the ballot box – it is undeniable that both sides of the political divide are using the Internet and social networks in particular as a serious communications medium in their campaign strategy.

If such is the case, the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition would seem to be winning the raw numbers battle, if nothing else. Dr James Gomez, associate professor at Universiti Utara Malaysia's School of International Studies, says that Barisan "has made strong inroads onto social media and has carved itself a competitive position."

Gomez notes that Najib's Facebook page has 1,580,00 'Likes.' Leaders from the Opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat, are trailing. Nik Aziz has 889,000; Anwar Ibrahim has 480,000 and Lim Kit Siang has 120,000.

"The combined numbers of the three (Pakatan) leaders are a good 80,000 likes below Najib," he noted.

On Twitter, the Opposition fares better. The three parties in Pakatan – the Pan Malaysia Islamic Party or PAS, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the People's Justice Party or PKR – have their own individual accounts. In terms of Twitter followers, PKR has 27,000; DAP 27,000 and PAS 1,200. Barisan has 24,000, Gomez noted.

 At a request from Digital News Asia (DNA), online intelligence solutions provider Meltwater, using its social media monitoring tools, measured the online buzz for a short period following the dissolution of Parliament on April 3 right up to the time the Election Commission met on April 10 to announce the dates for nomination and actual polling.

Meltwater's numbers also showed Barisan having a slight edge  but with the caveat that social media chatter does not translate to direct votes, and the cautionary note that 'paid-for' posts are skewing numbers artificially.

One key takeaway from Meltwater's monitoring is that most of the discussions are coming from Twitter instead of blogs, says its marketing and communications manager for Asia Pacific, Janet Yu.

"This is slightly surprising because in the 2008 election, blogs were the major communications medium for the Opposition," she says. "But now, Twitter has the highest volume."

Yu also notes that members of the public write more about the Opposition than they do about Najib. "On average, (Opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim has three mentions per minute on Twitter, while the (interim) prime minister has one mention per minute," she says.

Yu isn't sure she would call GE13 Malaysia's first social media election either. "The volume of discussion has been pretty consistent since Parliament was dissolved. We're looking forward to more discussion as we get closer to the actual election."

When asked what role social media is playing or can play in elections, she notes that "social media has always been a medium that encourages people to share information and discuss issues. In my opinion, it is like a real-time public opinion sentiment check on the candidates.

 "For this specific election however, it is still too early to draw any conclusion," she adds.

Yu  is also wary of using social media as a barometer of where the votes are going. "Voters and social media users may have an age gap, since more young people are on social media but they may not be at the right age to vote yet.

"We saw a lot of discussion on social media in the US presidential elections, but social media users do not equal number of voters at the poll," she says. "Also, a trending topic on social media about politics may not refer to the candidates' political platform and standings."

The Meltwater figures show Twitter having an overwhelming share of voice at 81.5%; followed by Facebook at a distant second with 9.7%; blogs at 3.9% and forums at 1.3%. The rules of online political discourse and campaigning are obviously changing from just a few short years ago, when blogs ruled the roost.
[Updated information: It has also been pointed out by some social media experts that Twitter gets a high share of voice rating because some monitoring tools cannot trawl Facebook, thanks to the latter's privacy settings. -- ED]
The Twitter edge probably comes from the high penetration of mobile Internet users in Malaysia, says Yu, and the ease of sharing content on the micro-blogging service.

"The fact that it is limited to 140 characters has encouraged a low barrier to entry," she says.

This does not mean political parties should pour all their resources into Twitter only. As Yu notes, "forums will appeal to people with similar interests; while blogs are good for thought leadership, particularly for political leaders."

Barisan Nasional (BN) is the only party in the country that has a proper plan to develop Malaysia, said Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. He said the opposition have not made any preparations or plans to develop various facilities as carried out by BN, to ensure a more comfortable and prosperous lifestyle for the people. "I do not think PKR or DAP can do more than what BN had done. This is not being arrogant but only BN has the capability in the aspect of leadership or plans to reform and develop this country. "For example BN featured a large pool of experienced and capable candidates for the election to help and fend the people," he said at a 'Leader meet the People' session in Kota Samarahan, here, Tuesday. Also present was the candidate for Kota Samarahan Parliament seat, Rubiah Wang from Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) who is contesting on a BN ticket. Elaborating further, Taib said when the people give their votes to BN candidates, it meant they were also giving themselves an opportunity to move forward. "If we want progress, do not waste time (choosing other parties), choose BN right away as BN has the leaders who could develop Malaysia. "In Kota Samarahan, the people can see the change brought by the BN government in developing the Samarahan division with various infrastructure. In the past, the Samarahan district was considered a jinx area but today the district is a centre of academics as more universities will be built by the BN government," he said. According to him, he believed the residents of Kota Samarahan needed progress and would not stray from the wave of development in the country. At the ceremony, Taib also announced several allocations amounting to RM20,000 to upgrade the village community hall.

Parties in the opposition pact are campaigning according to their own party ideology and their own whims and fancies, they have no common platform in their campaigns.
DAP in Chinese areas talking about equality, as if the Chinese have been sidelined and abandoned by the government all this while, PKR going to kampungs and towns on cheaper petrol as if Malaysia's petrol price is the highest in the world and PAS on Islam as if the religion has been ignored all along by the government.
And yet, when they are on the same stage at ceramahs, they lie saying they are for all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion and they are together in all policies to be made and implemented.
Now, voters who rational and wise ask: "Why must each party use each other's party logo instead of just one? Why must they quarrel over seats allocation when they are supposedly to be together? Why they talk about different subjects to different groups of voters?"
PAS has just yesterday opened up 'the cans of worms' when he said PKR's candidates have problems such as being drug addict and son on.
The reactions was of course anger from PKR leaders and despite this, they all claimed they are together in everything, the cheek to lie when everything is in the open.
Voters being exposed and wise are now wary of the hypocracy and know the game plan and hidden motives of each party in the opposition pact.
They know these leaders of parties in the opposition pact are jokers and court jesters, trying to attract them through their acts on stage rather than hard evidences of their seriousness to run the country professionally and with credibility.
Their stupidity and antics are now exposed layer-by-layer as they travelled the country wooing voters to vote for them when they know they have failed in delivering their pledges and promises made in 2008 general election.
They think voters are forgetful, forget what they have promised and pledged and voters do not see their weaknesses and failures.
They act on stage, make jokes and dance to make voters who watch them laugh and forget the past, pump into their minds new dreams and new hopes.
That's what oppositions are and they think, playing the 'old records' will see them through the election, smooth ride to Putrajaya, forgetting that it has been five years and voters are getting smarter and wiser.
They forget voters are exposed to so many things through the internet, they forget voters can get their background and all 'hidden skeletons in the cupboard' at the tips of their fingers with just a push of the fingers.
Their differences on almost everything are open to public scrutiny and no amount of cover-ups can stop the public, who are voters, to make assumptions or even judgement.
Dancing and joking on stage infront of voters only confirm their stupidity.

Prior to that, Mat Taib has been causing problem to UMNO for getting married in Thailand, with Tengku Puteri Zaharia, the princess of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. Thus, his resignation on the case is a huge 'relief' to UMNO.
However, he then came back interrupting UMNO in 2006 when Tun Abdullah Badawi appointed Mat Taib to the National Assembly. The appointment however, only lasted for a while because as soon as Dato' Seri Najib took over the government, Mat Taib's service in the National Assembly was put to stop.
What happened proves how top leadership really want to clean the party from those who are problematic and could not perform well. In other words, those who do not contribute, instead, they cause more problems to the party.
Today, UMNO being 'cold' towards Mat Taib has proven to be logical.
Mat Taib clearly do not deserve to sit in this party when he decided to jump off from the party only because his son-in-law, UMNO Youth Chief of Kelana Jaya Branch, Ahmad Affandi Hamzah, was not nominated as candidate in DUN Seri Setia.
This shows that Mat Taib could not accept his 'fall' and still hopes for 'persuasion' from leadership by 'defending' his family. Mat Taib might have forgotten that election is not about him, it is about religion, race and the country.
As a politician, obviously Mat Taib cannot admit that his decision to join PAS is because his in-law was not listed as candidate. Instead, Mat Taib gave the excuse that some TV hosts in Malaysia are not wearing any veil, showing that the government is not Islamic enough. And from there, he chooses PAS because PAS focuses on matters regarding veil, so PAS is much more Islamic to be compared to UMNO.
Our message, Mat Taib do not have to give any 'religious' excuses as he join PAS because PAS is the very party which uses the name of Islam in this country up to the point where they change everything that is haram to halal, clear evidence are denied, every mistake is covered, as long as they gain political benefit.
We have accepted the fact that Mat Taib is not that great, but no one has ever thought that he is just as good as Bob Lokman or Abby Abadi who thought that PAS is Islam and Islam is PAS.
Does Mat Taib think that after every women wore veil, so every adultery cases, scandals and misconduct done by anyone including leaders will automatically be halal? Why did Mustafa Ali chose a women not wearing any veil to be his 'friend' in bed? Perhaps if the woman was wearing veil, their case would be halal? Or it is already halal, because it involves a PAS leader?
Whatever it is, it is up to Mat Taib to justify himself over his move to PAS.
For Mat Taib's attention, it is a celebrated moment, just as same as the departure of Kadir Sheikh Fadzir who is also known to be corrupt and dirty, even if he did meet with rakyat a lot, he never really fulfil his promises.
People like them do not deserve to be in UMNO, they only deserve to be in PAS, PKR or DAP. Thank you, Mat Taib, for leaving UMNO.
There is probably no need for us to dig and repeat on who is Mat Taib or Muhammad Muhammad Taib a.k.a. Mike Tyson. He is the former Selangor Chief Minister who was exposed of bringing money worth RM3.8 million to Australia. Considering that UMNO is unlike PAS where they often pretend as if they did not see anything whenever their leaders slip up, so on April 1997, Mat Taib was ordered to resign.

At the Rio+20 Earth Summit last year, Malaysia was praised for "applying new green-growth technologies in a variety of industries, from agriculture to tourism."
That praise came from none other than UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who would no doubt be even more effusive if he knew all the details. What of the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation, set up by the Government of Datuk Seri Najib Razak to provide research and development for renewable energy projects? Or the Green Technology Financing Scheme, which has a kitty of RM3.5 billion for soft loans for green enterprises? This project is the incubator for precisely the sort of "green growth technologies" Ban Ki-Moon was commending last year.
These initiatives aren't promises for the next term of Parliament, but promises already fulfilled. The Government has already launched and delivered projects that make a sustainable Malaysia a reality and protect our environment for generations to come. No wonder BN believes we can cut carbon emissions by forty per cent by the year 2020, as laid out in the 2011 Renewable Energy Act, while still achieving high income status.
Pakatan Rakyat pays little attention to green issues in its manifesto, instead obsessing about Lynas and RAPID, over which it has made promises it is already preparing to break. Its manifesto does vow to reform "all existing legislation relating to logging" which begs the question: Did whoever wrote that sentence look at what is going on in Pakatan's backyard, especially Kelantan, Kedah and Penang?
Kelantan is not just a disaster zone of illegal logging, which the PAS-led Government struggles to deny, but when the run off from rampant jungle clearing in the Lojing Highlands resulted in dirty water sources nearby, all Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat could say was: "What to do? The water is already contaminated."
After more than two-decades, his tired administration has adopted the language of defeat on environmental issues, while at the same time saying it needs more time to fulfil its promises.
The PAS administration in Kedah has been logging without conducting a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) but then again, the EIA that is planned in Penang for Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's controversial mega-projects is to be carried out by the very firm contracted to build the highways and undersea tunnel.  It's like getting your mother-in-law to assess your wife.
No wonder leading political scientist Dr Chandra Muzaffar this year dismissed the Pakatan states for their "problems involving land deals, zoning irregularities, and problems connected to shady contracts".
Najib can make promises for the future because of what he has done so far. So when BN's manifesto mentions not just forest preservation, but re-forestation of areas that have already been cleared, voters can be confident it will happen.
Pakatan can only be judged on its state record and that ultimately leads to a damning judgement.