THE numbers have finally hit home. For years, the country’s Chinese population has been decreasing steadily but now it’s officially recognised that Penang is no longer a Chinese majority state.

Last week, a Chinese newspaper highlighted that there were now 18,000 more Malays this year than Chinese in the state.

Quoting Penang Statistics Department director Wan Mohamad Noor Wan Mahmood, Nanyang Siang Pau reported that there were about 650,000 Chinese in Penang, making up about 43% of the total population in 2005, but this was expected to drop to 40.9% this year.

NEVER mind if it was only for a week but the voters in sleepy Hulu Selangor have never had it so good. Malaysians would know by now that a by-election is the best thing to happen after a general election in this country.

In a general election, the campaign is spread out across the 222 constituencies and media attention is focused only on certain areas, those regarded as hot seats with key personalities. Thus, a constituency like Hulu Selangor would not be on the media radar screen.

Due to the by-election, Hulu Selangor, a large rural area with only one Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, is suddenly the talk of the nation.