RDN. SYMPLICITY HTN 2, 30 MONTHS FOLLOWUP

RDN stands for Renal Denervation.
RDN is a recently ( about 4 years ) discovered technique of trying to treat resistant hypertension ( not due to drug non-compliance ). I have written about it in the past.
Brief summary of the theory : Because there are sympathetic nervous fibers around the renal arteries, and many feel that this may be one of the reasons for resistant hypertension, ablating these sympathetic nerves may help to lower Blood Pressure.

 Early work was done by the Australians and Poles. They began with the use of the Symplicity catheter. This proved safe and successful. However, we have since learned that BP lowering is not instant, and may have to wait up to 6 months. That remains a big drawback with this technique.

                                 The Symplicity catheter by Medtronic, the pioneering company.
At the recently concluded American Society of Hypertension Annual Scientific meeting 2013,at San Francisco, Dr Murry Esler, the Australian pioneer, presented the 30 months follow-up data on the 37 patients from Symplicity HTN 2 study that was still on follow-up. Remember that this study started in 2010 and had enrolled 49 patients. Looks like 12 patients ( 24% ) were lost to follow-up, even in the good Australian Medical system. In these remaining 37 patients, Dr Esler was happy to report that the BP reduction seen at 6 months was still maintain. So also was the reduction in HR ( heart rate ). There was no increase in medication. Looks like the results are durable.
              I have always commented at International meetings that we are still adopting a wait and see attitude, although we note all the good results coming in, because of the issue basically of the various reasons for "Resistant Hypertension". In our Malaysian population, there seem to be a rather high percentage of "white coat" hypertension. The office BP measurement may not be a good way to diagnose and also to monitor hypertension treatment success or failure. Both Symplicity HTN 1 and 2 trials did not use Home BP monitoring or ambulatory BP monitoring. I am also rather concerned about the sham effect of this treatment procedure, because of an effect way to measure procedural success immediately. We have to await 6 months to see the BP settling. Is this a placebo effect from a "sham" procedure? The planned Symplicity HTN 3 trial, enrolling 500 patients will try and address some of these issues.
              Obviously many commercial company see a potential for business here. many RDN meetings have been held and more are being planned. 5 types of RDN catheter have already received CE mark approval. Although till date, non have received FDA approval. Dr Esler counted that about 40 more catheters are in the pipeline, showing us what the market potential is, as seem by the healthcare industry.
             For us, we will wait a little longer. I will be very keen to work with GPs in the Klang Valley and also some of the Renal Interventionist, to set up a Malaysia registry and gather our own experience. I think that that is the way forward. Copying data from first world countries have their usefulness but also many limitations. We are Malaysians.

NEW YORK TIMES ON MALAYSIAN GE13. WHAT YOU DO NOT GET IN MAIN MEDIA.

Malaysian Elections Expose Worrying Social Schisms

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 6, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — It was hardly the look of the victorious. Wearing a bright blue shirt and a grim expression, Prime Minister Najib Razak appeared before the media on Monday to somberly acknowledge that his coalition had won general elections for the 13th time in a row.

He had reason to be cheerless. The National Front coalition's victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections despite losing the popular vote has not only exposed the entrenched racial divide in the country but also a new schism — between the rural poor who preferred the status quo and the urban middle-class who wanted change.

Healing the divisions will be a big challenge for Najib, who took the oath of office Monday to begin his second five-year term after surviving the fiercest challenge to the National Front's 56-year rule. If left untended, the racial and social divisions could undermine the stability of Southeast Asia's third-largest economy.

On the face of it, the National Front appears to have done well. It won 133 seats in the 222-member Parliament — down a fraction from the 135 it held before the elections. The opposition People's Alliance coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim won 89 seats. But look deeper and the numbers carry a grim story for Najib:

— The National Front polled 5.24 million votes to the opposition's 5.62 million votes, according to the Election Commission.

— The National Front banked heavily on three states with large rural populations — Sarawak, Sabah and Johor — where many people from indigenous groups and the ethnic Malay majority are beholden to the government for handouts traditionally given to them. The three states alone, out of Malaysia's 13, accounted for more than half of the 133 seats won.

— People in many urban areas — especially Chinese who are Malaysia's second largest ethnic group — voted overwhelmingly for the opposition, reflecting the huge disenchantment with the government's affirmative action policies that favor Malays.

Speaking at the news conference, Najib blamed a "Chinese tsunami" for the coalition's performance.

"On the whole, the people's decision this time shows a trend of voting polarization," Najib said. "This worries the government, because if it's not handled well, it could spark tension."

Many opposition supporters also believe the coalition resorted to fraud to win, including using migrants from Bangladesh as illegal voters. The government and electoral authorities deny it.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department recognized the election result, calling it the "most competitive" in the Southeast Asian nation's history, although it did acknowledge the allegations of irregularities.

"We are aware of concerns about voting irregularities and note the opposition parties faced significant restrictions on access to the media. Addressing these issues is important for strengthening confidence in the electoral process. So we call on all parties to peacefully respect the will of the voters," department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters on Monday.

Despite losing the popular vote, the National Front benefited from gerrymandering of constituencies.

In Sarawak, on Borneo island, nearly all of the six constituencies won by the opposition had between 26,000 and 40,000 voters each. In contrast, only two of the National Front's 25 parliamentary seats in Sarawak had that many people vote Sunday.

"What we are seeing here is a regime that has used the trappings of power to stay in power," said Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University. "The reality is that many people will see this election as an election bought and stolen. There will be a huge trust deficit for the National Front."

The results also reflect the complexities of modern-day Malaysia, which evolved from a 1950s backwater of rice paddies and tin mines into a country where cities like Kuala Lumpur and its famous Petronas Twin Towers are only an hour's drive from rural rubber and palm oil plantations.

In recent years, the rural-urban divide has created groups whose political perspectives lie far apart. Traditional National Front loyalists comprise villagers who receive valuable cash handouts from the government ahead of elections and rely on government-linked TV stations and newspapers for information. Many among the rural Malays also fear the opposition will scrap affirmative action programs that provide scholarships, loans and other benefits for Malays.

In the cities, the opposition has made gains among middle-class voters who read and spread news about the government's failings including corruption scandals on independent news websites and blogs.

During campaign rallies this past month, the ruling coalition handed out sacks of rice to crowds who came to listen to speeches. Opposition candidates passed around empty bags seeking donations

The National Front has held power for 56 years through a unique system of race-based politics. The coalition is dominated by Najib's United Malays National Organization, a Malay Muslim party, and supported by smaller parties representing the other ethnic groups. Traditionally, the Malays, Chinese and Indians voted for these parties, ensuring the National Front won every election since independence from Britain in 1957, usually with a two-thirds majority.

But in the 2008 elections, Anwar's opposition alliance changed the face of Malaysian politics to bring it in line with democracies elsewhere. It created a non-racial opposition that capitalized on anger against corruption and the abuse of affirmative action policies. That struck a chord not only with the Chinese and Indians but also with a large section of urban Malays who feel the affirmative action often benefits a group of the rich and well-connected elite.

Anwar also played on the anger against the government for two sodomy trials he has had to face. His supporters are convinced they were government plots to destroy him politically.

Following the election result, Anwar sent out a two-word message to his Twitter followers: "Wear black."

"It is a sad day for Malaysia," said Renee Choong, a public relations consultant. "Corruption will continue. The Chinese will be even more sidelined from now on. I fear there will be no place in the country for ethnic minorities."

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's biggest city, Anwar's alliance won nine of 11 parliamentary seats, losing the other two by slim margins. Farther north, in the ethnic Chinese-majority state of Penang, known for its electronics factories and beach resorts, the National Front was trounced so badly that its state chief immediately resigned.

"The National Front is even more reliant on Malay votes now. It is more UMNO now than ever before," said Ibrahim Suffian, head of the Merdeka Center opinion research firm.

Najib pledged to soon reveal a "national reconciliation" plan to heal racial rifts. Khairy Jamaluddin, a ruling coalition youth chief, tweeted that the victory was merely a "reprieve" and warned the National Front would lose the next elections if it fails to deliver positive changes.

It must be clear to Najib that to woo the Chinese he would have to take more serious steps than participate in the kind of events the National Front's corporate allies held for two Chinese constituencies before the elections -- a performance by South Korean rapper PSY and a dinner with Bond actress Michelle Yeoh.

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

   

PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT OF USA ON GE13

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by the Press Secretary on Malaysia’s Elections

On behalf of the President and the people of the United States, we congratulate Prime Minister Najib on his coalition’s victory in Malaysia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday May 5.  We also congratulate the people of Malaysia, who turned out in record numbers to cast their votes, as well as the parties of the opposition coalition on their campaigns, as a vibrant opposition is a foundation of democracy.  We note concerns regarding reported irregularities in the conduct of the election, and believe it is important that Malaysian authorities address concerns that have been raised.  We look forward to the outcome of their investigations.  The United States looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with the government and the people of Malaysia to continue to strengthen democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region.

I WOULD LIKE TO CIRCULATE THE TRUE STATEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE AND NOT THE ONE PRINTED IN STAR.

INCREMENTAL MORTALITY RISK FACTORS IN T2DM

T2DM is common in Malaysia and getting commoner. It maims and it kills. I saw a patient yesterday who had T2DM for more than 10 years, I put him through CABG for chest pains, 6 months ago he had two episodes of transient diplopia which got better with plavix, and saw me yesterday with left calf intermittent claudication. Since 6 months ago, he had gained 5 Kgms and he likes to eat. He is well educated too. This is a common problem. I felt so upset with him, because I know that he is staring at a stroke soon.
Can we risk stratify those diabetics who are going to get into trouble, especially those who have an increase risk of dying. Yes we can, says the Italians.
Dr Salvatore della Cromo from the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni, Italy and colleagues published a simple study in the May 1 issue of Diabetic Care. They looked into the Gargano Mortality Cohort of 679 T2DM patients on follow-up for 7.4 years, and picked up the risk factors that affected mortality, and applied it in the Foggia Mortality Trial of 936 T2DM patients on 4.5 years of follow-up, to see the risk factors that affect mortality in an average of 2 years. They risk quantify the mortality risks factors of Age, Urine:Creatinine ration, LDL-C, Insulin, Hypertension, HDL-C, BMI, Diastolic BP and Serum Triglyceride into risk scores from 0-1. The low risk category have scores less than 0.67, the high risk category has scores of >0.8 and the medium risk category have scores from 0.69-0.79. Those at the high risk score category had a 24x increase mortality in 2 years compared to those in the low risk category. Those in the medium risk score category had a 7x increase mortality compared to those in the low risk category.
They found that Age >70, Rised Ur : Creatinine ratio, raised LDL-C, Insulin use and hypertension on treatment increase risk of dying, and high HDL-C, high BMI and diastolic hypertension, seemed to lower mortality risk. The last two is difficult to explain.
They however did made two caveats. 1 That this is not a pathophysiological study, so they are unable to explain everything. Just an observational study to produce a clinical model of risk stratification, and 2. That it is in Italians, challenging the rest of the world to repeat the study for their own population cohort.
Interesting.
The message that I take is that if I am diabetic with any of those risk factors, I wish to be very careful and try my best to lower my HbA1C and my other risk factors.

AFTER THE GREAT MALAYSIAN ELECTION ROBBERY.

Well, today is 13th May 2013. It is juts naother day, although some would like to frighten us and say otherwise. It is just another day.
More importantly, it is one week after 5th May 2013, or GE 13 day. many of us are still suffering from depression and sleeplessness, as we still cannot complete our grieve reaction and understand how a government can go so low as to steal an election at the last minute, or let me say, last few hours.
Let me recollect.

Before 5th may 2013, we knew of the Gerry Meandering that was going on since the 90s, and of course, the press was all BN and MCA, then there was the Bangla invasion, and the phantom ICs. We knew all these and in fact worked very hard to overcome this pre-election rigging. I forgot to mention all the bribes, and free dinners and Psy shows and bettings against LGE. Of course all print media is BN, with 5-6 pages of adverts against DAP. We knew all these. We battled very hard.

Then come 5th May 2013. The voter turnout was good. EC says 80%. The mood for change was high. We went "Bangla Watch" to catch Bangla. Oh yes, the indelible ink. That is a joke, right? It is obviously NOT indelible. I hear that some Bangla voted 3x.

Election results started at about 7pm. It was all rosey. The first seat declared was Putrajaya taken by BN, little dispute there. I was watching Malaysia Kini. Then all the online results were closed with PR leading in many of the seats. This seemed to be inline with the unofficial polls result after the poll station borang 14 tally. This was the unofficial results. This went on till about 11pm.Then suddenly after 12 mid night, it was all BN. Even the seats where PR was obviously leading. Notable example was Bentong, Segamat, and Labis. Of course Lembah Pantai was sounding the alarm. The Ketua Election Officer felt tired and wanted to rest and called a recess. Can you beat such an excuse. Of course all the polling agents would not leave the room. They smell a rat. They called for backup help.They were watching the ballot boxes like a hawk. YB Nurul was ahead by 1,800 or so votes. I received an sms that the FRU was there, to clear a crowd that was surrounding the hall, to prevent unusual ballot boxes from turning up. As God would have it, a car did turn up, and in the boot were h 2 extra ballot boxes marked P120, when the Lembah Pantai seat was P121. YB Nurul was saved by the residents. And more importantly, Lembah Pantai provided us with one of the many smoking gun as to how they cheated.

They say they won. They had less than majority support ( 46% ) but had 133 seats. The PR had 51% but 89 seats.
To distract, they played the racial blame game.
How sad. The government has lost their legitimacy and cling on desparately to power and divide the people by racial sentiments and hatred.
Now you all may understand why we cannot get over the 505 blues. The subsequent article by Rafizi will made it more clear.
Anyway, DSAI obviously felt as a grieved as us. He decided to appeal to the people.\

Kelana Jaya stadium was crowded. I was happy to be part of it. Many left because they could not enter the stadium. The young ( who made up the majority ) were vociferous. They wanted change and they want it now. We all felt robbed and violated. They stole it from us.

So also in Penang,

So also in Ipoh.
What a shame. We have a government who has lost touch with the people, who cheated before the elections, and who lost and cheated at the last moment to cross the finishing post.

Maybe, I do not say it so well.
YB Rafizi, in his article in www.freemalaysiatoday.com says it better.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli today revealed 27 parliamentary seats that the party’s “#SiasatPRU13” team, which he heads, would investigate for possible election fraud.

The seats are Bentong, Kuala Selangor, Baram, Sungai Besar, Pasir Gudang, Labis, Machang, Ketereh, Titiwangsa, Tebrau, Bagan Serai, Kota Marudu, Beaufort, Setiawangsa, Segamat, Ledang, Balik Pulau, Kulim Bandar Bharu, Pulai, Kuala Kangsar, Muar, Pendang, Hulu Selangor, Sabak Bernam, Merbok, Pensiangan and Saratok.

“We have received 237 complaints and statements this week [on election fraud]. Aside from public complaints we received, we also analysed the election results based on four criteria,” Rafizi told a press conference at PKR’s headquarters here.

The criteria outlined by Rafizi are:

    Margin of win below 5%;

    Spoilt votes outnumber small margin of win

    Early and postal votes outnumber the margin of win garnered from normal votes, to the extent that it affected the results of the normal votes

    Seats with reports of fraud

He said that at least two of the criteria applied to all 27 seats shortlisted.

“Once we go through all the evidence and have interviewed every person who filed a report with us, we shall bring it up to Bersih’s People’s Tribunal. We now await for news from Bersih on when they will set up the tribunal.

“Second, we shall organise all the information so that we can file an election petition to the affected areas.

“We shall also call up witnesses to expose all they know to the media, and allow the media to scrutinise the evidence we gathered so far,” said Rafizi.

But he was not optimistic that filing a petition to the courts would bring a result that would favour  Pakatan, as the election law was “stacked against” them.

“The election law is written by BN, and the judge must work within that law. The number one flaw is the defective electoral roll, which cannot be challenged.

“So even if you go to the court and prove that Bangladeshis and Indonesians voted, as far as the court is considered, the roll is still considered valid and the petition will be dismissed,” explained Rafizi.

But Rafizi stressed that the purpose of the probe was not just to reverse the election results, which saw BN winning 133 parliamentary seats and Pakatan 89, but to “create momentum and awareness and disgust among people about the various ways of cheating undertaken by BN.”

Rafizi said the team, which comprises 67 volunteers, had divided all complaints they received into six categories, which are:

    Voters not allowed to vote because someone had voted in their name

    BN purchased votes by offering cash or vouchers

    Unknown voters registered to other individuals’ homes

    Disappearing indelible ink

    Election Commission offences such as signing the Borang 14 before the recount, or not providing a copy of the Borang 14.

    Suspected foreigners provided with identification cards and allowed  to vote.

“Just yesterday at a food court in Balik Pulau, we caught pictures and have proof of agents exchanging vouchers brought by voters into cash,” Rafizi claimed.

He further noted that 19 of the 27 seats highlighted were contested by PKR, which was why the party was spearheading the probe.

“The reason why PKR has the most instances of election fraud [as opposed to DAP and PAS] is because we contested in seats with a mixed demography, of which 60%  to 70% of the voters were Malay.

“These are hotly contested seats where the margin of victory is small, therefore fraud can make an impact. And fraud at most can bring about 2,000 votes.”

In contrast, Rafizi said, the majority of seats DAP and PAS contested were won by a margin too large to be affected by fraud.

We are all in black. We are unable to get over our grieve, until justice is restored and the wrong righted. That is the normal grieve reaction and solution.

HIMPUNAN KEMERAHAN RAKYAT. 8th MAY 2013

Yes, I was at this rally yesterday night,again forming a medical team to assist in providing emergency medical aid, and yesterday, there was plenty of it.
I arrived there at about 8pm, having parked my car at the KGNS golf club ( where I am a member ), and walking the 1+ Km to the Kelana Jaya stadium. As God would have it, it was raining a heavy drizzle and more a nuisance than a threat. I was travelling with Dr Steve Wong, Plastic Surgeon,

                        This was the stadium at 8pm, at the entrance to the Emergency gate 1.

When I was on the way, I rang the medical team co-ordinator to arrange to meet. They were at the a little basement below the central stage. I did not know where that was, so I decided to park myself at the Emerg gate 1, and asked him to come to me. At 8pm, the filed was only about half full, so I could walk about. It was noisy. Mr Genta, the co-ordinator came and we met up. Then we went to collect our medic team vest and also meet the senior medical officer, Dr Azrin, to receive instruction. My other 3 members have yet to arrive.

                                             8pm at Emergency gate 1, Kelana Jaya stadium.
About 9 pm, 2 more members reach me, Mr Danny and Dr Tan
 The crowd was rapidly building up and so I asked them to take a walk to the east side of the stadium. Dr Roland and team was covering the south side of the stadium. The main station was at the west side of the stadium. I was at the North side of the stadium. Little did I know that all these planning would be useless, as the crowd swell so big and fast that after a while, I could not move out of the little enclosure at the North side. It was body to body and the sweat smell was significant, and it was humid and stuffy.

                                 The crowd at 9pm. Dr Tan and Dr Wong, is facing the stadium.
                                                      Next to Emergency gate 1.

                              The crowd at Emergency Gate 1, at 10 pm. It was body to body.
                                I tried to take a patrol to the south gate area. Impossible. I could not advance more than 5 feet. So I gave out and shifted my station to join the main station, at the main entrance. By this time, our cell phones were not working. There was no network coverage, and so we lost communications, not that we could communicate earlier. It was so noisy with the Voo.............vela thingy, that you cannot have any decent conversation.

                                     The crowd outside the stadium, near the main entrance.

                                                        The crowd outside the stadium.
The crowd was quite amazing , and they kept coming and coming till 11pm. many went home to watch on you tube. At the peak, I estimate about 100K rakyat. They were of all races, Chinese, Malays and Indians. manily young men and women, ages between 20-40 years, form the bulk. Every now and then, you will see an elderly couple. There was no racial barrier. One Malays man thank me and another young Malay youth, offered me water. They also help to carry some of the unwell to shades. No there was no race barrier last night.
As I walked, I also met many newly elected MPs who were there. Dr Lee Boon Chye, Dr Tan Kee Kwong, Mr Rafizi, and Mr Tian Chua,
When I started my perimeter ( outside ) patrolling, I attended to 4 cases, two looks like stuffiness and faints ( vaso-vagal) or hunger. One was an asthmatic attack, and thank God, I had a Ventolin Inhaler which I gave to her, and after she improved, and thank me, I left. The last was most interesting. This young man was having an acute convulsion like attack, in clear consciousness. I reckon that it was severe anxiety. I was worried that it could have been a drug reaction of some sort. He was young, fit / muscular with some tatoo marks. Anyway, after some reassurances and water, he cooled down, and requested that the ambulance get him to the nearest medical center for observation. When he was better, he said that he had a past history of these attacks.
One important observation that Dr Wong and me made was that throughout the whole night, we DID NOT even see one policeman, not that we miss them. Not one blue shirt? maybe they were concern, that coming in their blue shirt may made them compliant with Anwar's call for black Saturday. The other observation was that despite having 100K people in a stadium, no untoward incident ( I mean violence ) happened. Of course the Unit Amal was there to direct traffic. Everything was calm and peaceful. So we have showed by 2 rallies, KL 121 and Himpunan Kemerahan Rakyat, that we can gather and disperse peacefully if the Police do not go bash us up like in Bersih 3.0 
I left my duty at about 11.45pm last night and walked back to KGNS to collect my car. The whole road leading to KGNS was like a giant carpark, with cars parked all at the center of the road, facing both directions.

                              Cars along the KGNS road. It was gridlock. Nothing can move.
When I reach KGNS, I went to explore to see why cars cannot move. Obviously, in the direction from KGNS to old airport road, cars were trapped because of their bad parking and some cars stall. The traffic light also favours those who parked at the stadium. For those cars parked facing the LDP exit from KGNS, they cannot move as LDP was jammed, I was told also by cars badly parked. So we all waited. I walked back to my car in KGNS, asked my colleague to get the husband to fetch us home. Dr Ang stays in Saujana, so he came to give us a lift home.
I finally got home at 2.30am, and after reading some important emails, when to bed at 3am.
Now having some hang-over. But it was great, to see so many, so peacefully assembled in one place for a common cause. I must say that I hardly heard the speeches. No time. I did a fair amount of work.

All in a day's work, I suppose. They stole the election from us, and we want them to know that and right the system too.

For those of you who did not come, you miss something great for you and the country. You miss an important chapter in our history.


                                            

HIMPUNAN KEMERAHAN RAKYAT

Announcing a people's gathering at Kelana jaya Stadium, at 8.730pm on 8th May 2013.

Please come and join us and protest the stealing of GE 13 from the people on 5th May 2013.

GE 13. MALAYSIA. 5th May 2013

Well, after much waiting ( 18 months for some of us ) Parliament was finally dissolved, and  nomination day was 20th April 2013. Polling day was announced as 5th may 2013.
The campaigns began and all the battle cries started, from UBAH, to Ini Kali Lah ( both originated from Sarawak, I believe ), and finally Ini Kali Lah UBAH. The turnout at all the PT ceramahs were fantastic, especially in the urban areas. The the slogan for the last 2 days ( promoted mainly by DAP ) was " Wu Yet Wu, Huang Zhen Fu". So we all ran healthcamps for YB Nurul ( Lembah Pantai ) and Dr Tan Kee Kwong ( Wangsa Maju ). Incidentally, both won.
Come 5th May 2013, I woke up early and decided that I should reach my polling station at Sek Menegah USJ 2 about 5 mins away, at 7.45am. Little that I know that about 100 people also had the same idea. By the time I arrived at USJ 2 secondary school, the q was already around two corners.

                                                   The Q at Sek Men. USJ 2 at 7.45am

                                      The crowd in the school when polling station opened.



In away, I was upset, must wait so long. In a way I was very happy, the larger the voter turnout, the better our chances to fight the " Fantoms" " Illegals " and the "Xtra ballot boxes", what I call the FIX. The government is trying hard to FIX us, and we know it, but cannot do anything about it, since they are the judge, jury and executioner. We have to beat them despite FIX, and the higher the voter turn out, the easier to fight FIX.
Anyway, at about 10 mins before 8 am, the school door was opened, and the SPR staff announced that senior citizens ( those above 55 years ) could go first to a separate Q. That allowed me to get to my polling room 2, faster. I got to vote, of course, Hannah Yeoh and Mr Wong Chien. Not that I like them, to be honest but we want to change the tenant at Putrajaya. For me, it was not the individual, but the party.
I cast my vote, and the indelible ink, it is a joke. Using tissue paper and mineral water only, I got half of it off. By the time I got home, it is almost all off, without effort of soap. I have seen many left index finger when I went on "Bangla Watch" which was clean as a whistle. Who are they trying to kid?
Anyway, after voting, I stayed around, as advised, to watch for Banglas / illegals who may turned out to vote. I hang around also to observe the SPR officers doing their job. Holding an MBBS, many accept me walking around outside the polling station, to advise and help and observe.
As it turn out, Hannah and Wong Chien came around, and was disturbing the SPR officer who was doing a good job. I tried to tell them that the SPR officials outside Sek Men USJ 2, were doing a reasonable job. They refused to answer and just stormed off. They may be very smart people, but there is much to learn about politics and how to be a politician.
Anyway, I did my "Bangla Watch" in USJ 2 till 12noon, then went for lunch, and then headed to help my friend YB Nurul Izzagh at Lembah Pantai. I did not know where the polling stations were in Lembah Pantai, so I just park my car at the busiest stretch of Kg Kerinchi Road, near my second healthcamp, and walked asking directions to the nearest polling station. As God would have it, I ended up at Sek Rendah Agama Sri Pantai, which is at the end of Jln Pantai Permai 1. I was obviously the odd guy out in that environment. I stayed there till 5 pm.

 

                                          Me on "Bangla Watch" at Sek Rendah Agama Sri Pantai.
I told myself to watch out for Bangladeshi looking characters loitering around, or coming in groups or vans, and then to call the Bangla Watch, Tahan number. Then the rain came. It was cats and dogs. Even the drain cover was washed away. While hiding in the shade with the people there, I found out that I was not alone. Many ( about 5, were also there on "Bangla Watch" ). There were a group - 3 of Chinese from Cheras, and a few Malays from Kg Kernchi, on the same mission. As God would have it, after 3 hours ( 2-5pm ), there were no Banglas spotted. We did not apprehend anyone.
I left my station there at about 5 pm, walking about 2 KM back to my car parked far far away.
Reached home at about 6pm, thru the NPE at the back of Sri Pantai.
It was dinner and waiting for the results.
The spirits was good. The voter turn out at USJ 2 and Sri Pantai school were good. I thought that we could score 90% voter turnout, making it easier to fight FIX.
I decided to use Malaysia Kini as my portal of choice.
The first sign of trouble for me, was the when MKini announced that the EC declared that voter turnout was 80% only. I began to feel that things may not go well. At 80%, we may not overcome FIX.
The results started coming in at around 8 pm, I think. Putrajaya was one of the first result, and that went to BN. At 22.45hrs, it was BN 27 PR 18. At 2300hrs 31 / 22, at 23.18 hrs 37/24, at 0014hrs 57/35, this did not look good. The gap was widening. I went to bed at about 1.15am when the score was 97 / 54. I was sick to the stomach, and my SVT came. They were near the Hill ( in billiard terms ), and we were not. I knew that we will not be able to change the tenant at Putrajaya.

Well, we could analyse why we lost? Why did we not do well in Sabah, despite the Sulu Occupation? Why did the Malays fail us and decided to remain with BN. How come PKR / PAS could not bring them in? Why are the Penangnites so different? They would not succumb to money politics and bribes, and I hear big bribes. Why do people elsewhere succumb to bribes so easily? Why are the people of Bangsar so brave that they came out to surround the counting center, so that the xtra ballot boxes cannot get in? So many many questions? So few answers.

I have just suggested to BERSIH 2.0 committee to have a black armband day, to remember the day when we were FIX-ed, by FIX - "Fantom", "illegals" and "Xtra ballot boxes".

BN may have won, but the victory is hollow. They cheated. I am quite sure.
I am also very very concern for the many brave Malaysians who spoke up during this GE 13 campaign and now face the prospect of jail terms and prosecution.

GOD BLESS MALAYSIA