KUALA LUMPUR: Political groups are readying themselves for what is being seen as both exciting and tense as Malaysia is to have nominations made public for the country's general election on Saturday. Activists and political leaders tell Bikyanews.com that the future of the country will begin to be determined as candidates are made known and campaigns take full force. “It is really exciting to see Malaysian democracy in action,” opposition activist Nur Mohammad told Bikyanews.com as Saturday morning got underway in Kuala Lumpur. For Mohammad the effort to get the word out began on the micro-blogging site Twitter. “We are tweeting all sorts of information to people so they can get an idea of who the candidates are. It is very fun to get down to business,” Mohammad added. Some 500 candidates are expected to battle it out for 22 seats in parliament and over 1,000 candidates will fight for 505 seats in the country's 13th general election. The Election Commission is expecting the highest number of candidates vying for the 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats, as well as an increase in the number of independents joining in the fray. Some of hot seats in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor include Lembah Pantai, where Nurul Izzah, the daughter of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, is pitting against Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, while opposition Islamic party PAS vice president Husam Musa is taking on UMNO secretary general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor in Putrajaya, the federal government's administrative center. Meanwhile, Parti Keadilan's chief strategist Rafizi Ramli is expected to make his debut in the quest for the Pandan parliamentary constituency against Gary Lim from MCA, while its former president Ong Tee Keat is expected to defend his seat as an independent. Elsewhere, all eyes are also on Gelang Patah in southern state of Johor where DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang is expected to slug it out with former chief minister of Johor, Abdul Ghani Othman. Both Prime Minister Najib Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim are defending their seats in Pekan and Permatang Pauh respectively in possible multi-cornered fights there. There are 13.3 million eligible voters in the coming polls. While many are said to have made up their minds, others said how candidates perform during the 15-day campaigning period will be crucial in helping them decide before they cast their ballots on May 5. BN
