PAS wins Permatang Pasir - Malaysiakini

Aug 25, 09 6:34pm

PAS has won the Permatang Pasir state seat by-election in Penang today with a majority of 4,662 votes.

The majority however had decreased by more than 700 votes since the last general election which saw the party winning by 5,433 votes.

The Islamic party claimed that its 52-year-old candidate Mohd Salleh polled 9,712 votes while BN's Mohd Rohaizat Othman, 38, garnered 5,050.

Voter turnout had also decreased this time around which the Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Yusof blamed on the A(H1N1) outbreak.



The by-election in the heart of Anwar Ibrahim's parliamentary stronghold of Permatang Pauh was held following the death of PAS state assemblyperson Mohd Hamdan Abd Rahman on July 31.

The EC is expected to announce the official result at 8pm.

This is the eighth by-election since the March 8 polls last year.

With this victory, Pakatan Rakyat has taken seven with BN only emerging victorious in Sarawak's Batang Ai contest.

More details at: www.malaysiakini.com

A blatant lie, says former law partner - Malaysiakini

Aug 20, 09 11:19am By Athi Shankar

Yusri Isahak, the former business partner of Rohaizat Othman, today vehemently refuted claims by Umno leaders that the party candidate was innocent from any wrongdoings.

"It's a blatant lie to say that he never knew anything about the cooperative land and money transactions.

"Apart from me, he was also the legitimate signatory of the company accounts.

"To suggest that he was implicated by my wrongdoing is a lie," Yusri (left) told journalists at a press conference at Yayasan Aman, Penanti today.

Yusri's startling revelation has surely put Rohaizat and Umno on the wrong foot again.

Since the issue of Rohaizat's disbarment by the Bar Council surfaced last Friday, the Umno leadership at the federal level has been working hard to deny that the candidate has a tainted legal background.

'Not guilty of any breach of trust'

"He is prepared to even make a statutory declaration if necessary to clear his name," said Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday.

In his press statement, Yusri urged Rohaizat and Umno to stop dragging him into the blame game alleging that he was solely responsible for the misappropriation of the cooperative money totalling RM220,000 in 2002.

"I am willing debate anywhere anytime in an open or close arena on this subject.

"He was also responsible for the misappropriation of the cooperative funds. It is unethical in the legal profession .. . Rohaizat was guilty of it.

He said that parties blaming him for being solely responsible for "swindling the cooperative money are lying."

Yusri said that he had quit as a lawyer in 2003 and went into agriculture.

"I was never charged by the Bar Council or had my licence revoked.

"I did not renew my legal practicing licence because I thought I was not suitable for the profession," Yusri said, explaining his career change.

He is now contemplating lodging police reports and filing civil suits against the parties who have made the "false accusations".

'Ambition to be a politician'

Yusri, 39, who left the law partnership in 2003, said his former partner may have misled the Umno leadership by misrepresenting the facts of his case "merely to fulfil his long time ambition to become an elected representative."

"But that does not mean I should become the black sheep," said Yusri, who was a partner in Rohaizat's legal firm, Saif Ariff and Rohaizat, between 1999 and 2003.

He recalled that in 2002, the Penang Small Rubber Plantation Holders Cooperative Society had appointed the legal firm to manage a land deal.

Yusri, who prepared the land sales and purchase agreement, said the cooperative had successfully applied for a RM320,000 loan and the money was deposited into the firm's Butterworth branch account.

Yusri and Rohaizat were signatories to the account.

Yusri said when the land deal was cancelled after a communication breakdown with the Acheh-based land owner, he had signed and issued a cheque for the sum of RM100,000 to the cooperative.

The remaining RM220,000 had remained in the firm's accounts.

More details at: www.malaysiakini.com

Bar Council: Rohaizat disbarred for personal misconduct - Star

Aug 18, 2009

PETALING JAYA: Rohaizat Othman, Barisan Nasional’s for the Permatang Pasir by-election, was taken off the advocates and solictors roll on March 7 last year after he was found guilty of personal misconduct, Bar Council secretary George Varughese said.

The Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board’s decision arose from an investigation into a complaint lodged against Rohaizat by the purchaser of a piece of real property, Varughese said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Rohaizat, who is also the Permatang Pauh Umno division secretary, had allegedly failed to refund almost RM161,000 to the complainant after the transaction was aborted.

Rohaizat appealed against the decsion of the Disciplinary Board to the High Court, and the appeal was dsimissed on Aug 12.

“He is therefore legally disqualified from practising as an advocate and solicitor,” Varughese said.

The finding of misconduct is personal to Rohaizat Othman, as the Disciplinary Board would not hold a lawyer liable for the actions of his or her law partners, he added.

Straight fight between BN and PAS - Star

Aug 17, 2009

By DERRICK VINESH, IAN MCINTYRE, CHRISTINA CHIN, ANN TAN and M. SIVANANTHA SHARMA

It will be a straight fight in the Permatang Pasir by-election - between Rohaizat Othman from Barisan Nasional and Salleh Man from PAS.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Permatang Pasir by-election on Aug 25 will see a straight fight between Barisan Nasional’s Rohaizat Othman and Mohd Salleh Man of PAS.

Returning officer Roslan Yahaya announced at 11.25am that the Election Commission (EC) had accepted the nomination papers of both candidates despite 15 objections being received.



Rohaizat, 38, a legal adviser, submitted his papers at 9.03am while Mohd Salleh, 52, who is state PAS commissioner, sent his in at 9.06am.



Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who earlier accompanied Rohaizat with many supporters to the nomination centre at the Youth Skills Development Institute (IKBN) here, said he was pleased with the smooth nomination process.



“The Barisan and the Opposition did not display any tense feelings (against each other) and I hope this situation will remain till the end of the campaigning period,” he told a press conference at IKBN here Monday.



Since the campaigning period would be during the fasting month of Ramadan, Muhyiddin appealed to both parties to watch their actions in keeping with the sanctity of the holy month.

However, towards the end of the nomination process, a misunderstanding broke out between PAS supporters and the police, causing Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan to be detained for allegedly starting it.

State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said the PKR supreme council member did not listen to the police who warned him twice against using provocative words via a loudspeaker.

“The incident started when some 50 Opposition supporters tried to break through our police barricade.

“They later intervened and prevented our men from carrying out their duties,” he said, adding that the incident would be investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code.

DCP Ayub said Gobalakrishnan, who claimed his left hand was fractured in the incident had been to the nearest hospital via ambulance.

Businessman Kamarul Ramizu Idris, 42, who failed to submit papers as an independent candidate on time, said he was delayed by the traffic congestion en route to the nomination centre.

He arrived at the centre at 9.45am, spoke to reporters for 10 minutes and filed his papers at 9.55am.

He claimed he asked for permission to go to the restroom and when he returned, everyone was leaving then. He then decided not to file his papers.

Nominations, which opened at 9am, closed at 10am.

Among the VIPs at the nomination centre were ministers Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein, Datuk Mustapa Mohamaed, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

Also present were MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas.

Among the opposition leaders present were PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, PKR chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

The Permatang Pasir seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman of PAS of heart ailment on July 31.

Mohd Hamdan, who had held the seat for three terms since 1999, garnered 11,004 votes to defeat Ahmad Sahar Shuib of the BN with a 5,433vote majority in the general election last year.

Permatang Pasir has 20,290 registered voters 72.34 percent Malays, 25.86 percent Chinese, 1.64 Indians and 0.16 percent, others.