One party head, in particular, was concerned whether his
party would get any seat at all, but yesterday's meeting was just the first
round as more meetings have been scheduled in the coming days.

There was another important matter on his table – his travel itinerary to
Kedah, the frontline state of the opposition front, ahead of the general
election.

The visit to the northern state on Monday is part of the Prime Minister's
nationwide whirlwind tour before he decides on the date of the elections,
expected to be called anytime now.

Kedah has been given special emphasis by PAS and Parti Keadilan Nasional
because they believe they will be able to capture the state following the fall
of Kelantan and Terengganu.

Four of the Islamist party stalwarts – secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa,
former Mesjid Negara imam Taib Azamuddeen Mohd Taib, former Youth chief Mahfuz
Omar and fiery orator Mohamed Sabu – are defending their parliamentary seats in
this rural heartland.

Keadilan has also announced that it is fielding vice-president Tian Chua and
supreme council member Irene Fernandez, an outspoken advocate of migrant
workers' rights, in the state.

Umno has also regarded Kedah as a state to be defended passionately as two
former prime ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, hail
from the state.

With a battle royale looming, Abdullah, a respected religious scholar, is
heading to the state to tell the voters that Islam is not just the monopoly of
PAS politicians.

In previous stops, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu, he repeatedly told
his audience of farmers that God did not tell Muslims not to work too hard but
instead asked Muslims to strive for progress and to do so in moderation.

He has countered allegations by PAS that the Barisan government is secular and
not Islamic, pointing out that the Government had introduced Islamic practices
in finance and education.

At the same time, Abdullah has also reassured non-Muslims that he is a leader
of all Malaysians, regardless of their religion and race. He has also pointed
out that their rights would be protected, as entrenched in the Federal
Constitution.

The stakes are high. In the 1999 general election, Kedah Barisan took eight
parliamentary seats while PAS won seven. At state level, Barisan has 23 seats
against PAS' 12 and Keadilan's one.

The Barisan is putting in extra efforts to win back the lost seats because
gerrymandering, common in all democracies, has always benefited the ruling
parties.

As far as figures are concerned, the re-delineation exercise has made the job
of the opposition more difficult.

Mahfuz, for example, won his Pokok Sena seat with a 3,637-vote majority, but
this time, the Draga state seat, with a large Chinese electorate, has been
shifted from Alor Star to Pokok Sena.

The Alor Star seat is held by MCA central committee member Datuk Chor Chee
Heung, a popular politician who has held the seat for two terms. He won the
Alor Star seat with a 14,589-vote majority.

Tian Chua has been speculated to contest against Chor this time.

Nasharuddin, who won his Jerai parliamentary seat by a 182-vote margin, is also
having a headache as the Gurun state seat, also with a sizeable non-Muslim
vote, has been moved from the Merbok parliamentary area to Jerai. Former
Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin won the Merbok seat with a 15,376-vote
majority in 1999.

The PAS propaganda machine has, to some extent, convinced its supporters and
opposition sympathisers that the Barisan is in danger of losing Kedah but the
figures seem to suggest otherwise.

In the 1999 polls and the subsequent Anak Bukit by-election, PAS won four parliamentary
and eight state seats with three-digit majorities.

The political sentiments in 1999 were very much different then.

The Malay voters then were upset with the manner the Government had handled the
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issue and much of that anger was translated into votes
against the Barisan.

A new man is now in charge of the Government and Umno – and Abdullah fits the
image of a Muslim leader respected by the largely conservative electorate in
Kedah.

Abdullah's first duty on being appointed Prime Minister was to visit the
flood-hit padi fields of Kedah and to announce that agriculture would top his
agenda from now.

Such talk has certainly helped Abdullah, who speaks the northern Malay dialect,
score points in the fight for the hearts and minds of Kedahans.

A day earlier, news had broken out that the Prime
Minister had called off his plans to attend the Group of 15 summit in Caracas,
Venezuela, to concentrate on the elections, but he avoided being drawn into the
question, saying he had to meet his officers first.

While there were no discussions on the election at the Cabinet meeting, the
capital was abuzz with speculation yesterday that Parliament had been
dissolved.

Not wanting to be caught off guard, some newspaper organisations sent reporters
to Istana Negara on hearing talk that Abdullah was heading to the palace to
seek an audience with the King to dissolve Parliament.

Readers called up newspaper offices to seek confirmation, with one claiming he
heard about the palace meeting on TV, even though there was no such report.
There were plenty of these rumours on the Internet as well.

One of Abdullah's aides, on being contacted by The Star about such talk,
replied: "What palace meeting? I just walked out of his room. He is still
there."

But most Barisan Nasional component party leaders have started to finalise
preparations for the polls while waiting to meet the Prime Minister to get his
endorsement of the candidates.

The selection of candidates is regarded as a more onerous task as there will
always be many aspirants while some incumbents are reluctant to retire
gracefully despite having overstayed in their constituencies. Barisan sources
said that no firm decisions had been reached on the final list of candidates.

Other decisions include moving several state Barisan leaders to federal level.
Among those mentioned are Mentri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman and state exco member
Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, both from Johor.

Then, there are the more complicated matters such as swapping of seats among
Barisan component parties and claims of overlapping following the drawing up of
new seats.

The guessing game has become more difficult because no date has been fixed for
the next Barisan supreme council meeting.

While all the nitty-gritty hasn't been settled, nevertheless, over the past one
week, Barisan leaders have been closeted at their headquarters planning their
election campaigns while, at state level, election workshops were held over the
weekend to brief workers on new election rules.

The fact that Abdullah cancelled his trip to Caracas to focus on his nationwide
tour has fired the imagination of Barisan and opposition leaders, with most
believing he will dissolve Parliament within the next few weeks.

Some predict this could happen as early as next week before Parliament begins
meeting on March 8.

Under election rules, a vote must be held within 60 days of Parliament being
dissolved. The Election Commission will then set the nomination date within 10
days and the polling date is likely to be not more than 10 days later.

Against the uncertainty of when the polls will be held, one thing remains sure
– the Prime Minister is going full steam with his visit to the states to carry
the message of his fight against corruption and instil the culture of
accountability, good governance and credibility.

It's a long journey for the parties involved as they have
to fly to London or Frankfurt for a connecting flight to Caracas.

There have been no signals from the Prime Minister's office over the status of
Abdullah's itinerary, which requires Abdullah to stay in Caracas until Feb
29.

But it is almost certain that Abdullah will give the G15 summit a skip and
focus his attention on preparations for the general election.

It is likely that Abdullah would shift his energies on his whirlwind tour of
the nation and this week, he will focus on the northern states.

An official announcement on the cancellation of the trip would be a strong
indication that the polls would surely be called soon.

Last week, he flew to Terengganu and Sarawak, where he met state Barisan
Nasional leaders. The messages and mood of the huge gatherings were familiar,
all pointing to the polls.

On Sunday, flags of the Barisan were put up in several strategic spots in
Penang, particularly in areas where election workshops were being
conducted.

In Tasik Glugor, PAS and Umno appeared to lock horns by competing to put up
flags at the highest points of the trees in the area.

Going by the probabilities, it is possible that Parliament would be dissolved
as early as March 7 before its scheduled session the following day.

It would serve little purpose for the honourable members if Parliament is
dissolved midway.

In the 1999 elections, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dissolved Parliament midway in
the session – the first time in the country's history – but that was because he
had to table the Budget.

This time, there is no such predicament for Abdullah. Most MPs would rather
spend their time campaigning instead of attending the daily meetings for a
month.

Most Barisan MPs will not relish the idea of allowing their opposition
counterparts to use the Dewan Rakyat to score political points in the run up to
the elections.

The Government also does not want the opposition to bring up potentially
embarrassing issues, which would put the former on the defensive.

If Parliament is dissolved by March 7, the Elections Commission will probably
fix nominations within two weeks and polls are likely to be held by the end of
March or early April. The campaigning period would probably be less than 10
days this time.

Over the next one week, most Barisan parties would have drawn up their list of
potential candidates. The distribution of the 25 new parliamentary seats would
need to be quickly finalised in the coming weeks to enable the component
parties to gear up in these new areas.

According to informed sources, even that should not be a problem as the
majority of the new seats would go to Umno, which has a strong campaign
machinery.

The time is right – Abdullah, who has just completed his 100 days in office, is
probably the most popular Malaysian leader now.

With Abdullah likely to announce his decision to call off his trip to Caracas
this week, it should be all systems go from now for the elections.

He also ordered the state liaison committees to activate
their election machinery to involve members at every level.

But Abdullah has said he will visit Teheran from Feb 18 for a conference on aid
for developing countries. Then there is the Group of 15 summit in Caracas,
Venezuela, from Feb 25 to 29.

He has gone on record to say that he would attend both meetings but also said
trips could be postponed for all kinds of reasons. He is also scheduled to
visit Sabah on March 2.

The consensus among Barisan and opposition leaders is that the polls are near –
and they predicted Parliament could be dissolved by early or mid-March.

Most Members of Parliament have questioned the necessity for Dewan Rakyat to
meet from March 8 to April 12, saying their minds would not be on the debates.
They would rather spend time campaigning in their respective
constituencies.

The government bench also does not want to trade verbal blows with the
opposition for an entire month at the Dewan, particularly when the latter would
seize every opportunity to raise all kinds of controversial issues, including
potentially embarrassing ones.

More significantly, the five-year term of the Sabah Government will end after
April 12. If state elections are not called by then, the assembly will
automatically dissolve and elections have to be called within the next 60
days.

Barisan leaders are in favour of holding the Sabah elections simultaneously
with the rest of the country, saying it would be a costly affair to have
separate polls.

In the 1999 general election, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called for elections when
the Dewan Rakyat was in session – the first time in the country's
history.

Various dates have been thrown up in the guessing game, with most believing
that polling will be held either at the end of March or early April. The
general consensus that Barisan will capitalise on the "feel good" sentiment
prevailing among voters.

Not wanting to be caught off-guard, the opposition is also in full swing, with
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang announcing the party's manifesto in
Kedah last week.

PAS and Parti Keadilan Nasional, which have made Kedah their frontline state,
have announced their allocation of state and parliamentary seats in the state.
Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua and supreme council member Irene Fernandez
are both contesting in Kedah.

Malacca-born Tian Chua contested against MCA vice-president Datuk Dr Fong Chan
Onn in Selandar in the 1999 polls. The Human Resources Minister won with a
thumping 10,447-vote majority.

This time, it is speculated that he will contest against MCA central committee
member Datuk Chor Chee Heung, who is the Deputy Home Minister, in Alor Star.
Chor won with a 14,589-vote majority against DAP's George John then.

Fernandez, a social activist who campaigns for the rights of migrant workers,
is making her debut in this general election. Talk is that she will try her
luck in Padang Serai, held by Christina Lim Bee Kau who won with a 9,372-vote
majority against Keadilan's Saifuddin Nasution.

While it is clear that DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang and his deputy Karpal Singh
will be contesting, no one is sure which constituency Lim will pick. Karpal
Singh is likely to remain in Penang.

In 1999, Lim lost to Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye by 104 votes in
Bukit Bendera while Karpal lost to Gerakan's Lee Kah Choon by 775 votes.

At state level, Lim lost to Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan at Kebun Bunga (3,708-vote
majority) and in Datuk Kramat, lawyer Lim Boo Chang of MCA defeated Karpal
Singh by 3,148 votes. His son, Jagdeep Singh, lost to Datuk Koay Kah Huah at
the Bukit Glugor state seat by 4,017 votes.

The spotlight this time will also be on Kelantan and Terengganu where Barisan
is trying to make an impact. Barisan leaders seem optimistic about Terengganu
but most analysts do not think the coalition will be able to win back Kelantan
where Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat has a strong grip.

Umno campaigners are counting on Abdullah to make the difference in the rural
heartland. With his Islamic credentials and his Mr Clean image, many opposition
activists are worried.

His common touch and his widely publicised crusade against corruption have
endeared him with padi farmers and fishermen, who welcome his decision to make
agriculture a priority in his agenda.

Over the next few weeks, we can be sure that election fever will be felt as
Barisan and the opposition shift into high gear in the run-up to the 2004
general election.

The Federal Constitution also clearly stipulates the
right of the Chinese community to practise their traditions. Moreover, the
school authorities, under the jurisdiction of the Education Ministry, had given
the nod for the gathering to be held at SK Sultan Sulaiman I.

Hadi, the hardliner of the Islamist party, had given three reasons for refusing
to approve the gathering – the open house would be held during prayer time, the
venue was not appropriate for entertainment purposes, and that women performers
would be involved.

Malaysians can understand and appreciate Hadi's reservations on the timing of
the gathering. However, the organisers had said it would not start until
8.40pm.

In fact, the unwritten rule for many event organisers, even in Kuala Lumpur, is
to begin functions at 8.30pm to allow Muslims to perform their prayers. Such
sensitivity should rightly be observed.

But, as Culture, Tourism and Arts Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Fadzir
said, Chinese guests could eat first if they wanted to. I believe the Chinese
guests at the Terengganu gathering were polite enough to wait for their Muslim
friends.

What I cannot fathom is Hadi's fuss over the gathering's entertainment
programme. Husband-and-wife team Yusry and Erra Fazira are highly regarded for
their wholesome family act. Female singer Bienda, for example, is probably
among the few Malay artistes who wear the tudung.

Surely he has no quarrel with the Alleycats, probably the only non-Malay band
singing Malay songs and comprising singers who are now in their 50s.

Taking into account the conservative setting of the east coast state, the
organisers had included nasyid groups and a Chinese orchestra.

Hadi had said the ministry's application to the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council
did not comply with the provisions of the Entertainment and Places of
Entertainment Enactment 2002.

Although he did not specify which provision, it is learnt that the enactment,
which was passed by the PAS state government, forbids women artistes from
performing in public places – even for cultural dances.

Last year, organisers of a Deepavali gathering landed in hot soup when they
included a traditional Indian dance by male and female performers. Then, the
Kuala Terengganu MCA earned the wrath of Hadi when they wanted to hold a social
dance for senior citizens.

The latest objection by PAS is another reflection of how intolerant its leaders
can be towards the political, cultural and religious rights of minorities
despite professing to protect them if the party were to form the next federal
government.

In fact, PAS leaders, including its spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat,
even defended the Taliban when they blew up the largest free-standing statue of
Buddha in Afghanistan.

In the name of religion, PAS leaders would remove every layer of democratic
process in Malaysia by labelling its opponents as "infidels and Jews" while
non-Muslims who speak up would be told they lack the credentials to speak about
the party because they have no knowledge of Islam.

This tactic has long been used by PAS to intimidate its opponents and those
without the courage and stamina to fight its leaders from shoving down the
throats of moderate Malaysians their own interpretations of Islam.

Equally disturbing is the continuing silence of non-Muslim leaders in Parti
Keadilan Nasional, which is bent on helping PAS wrest power. Never mind if they
only get the crumbs by becoming a junior partner in the ruling coalition.

Where are the outspoken non-Muslim Keadilan leaders who dare to challenge the
Federal Reserve Unit police at demonstrations but remain timid when PAS leaders
trample on the rights of moderate Malaysians?

But the disease is no laughing matter. We have banned the
import of chicken from Thailand and we must ensure that our soldiers do not let
their guard down in preventing any attempt to smuggle chickens across the
border.

The Thai government has come under fire from the public for an alleged cover-up
but the authorities have maintained that it was actually a "screw-up" and there
was no attempt to conceal the disease.

Thai government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair blamed government agencies for
"misinterpretation of procedures" and "inadequate information relayed", saying
there was a distinction between a cover-up and inefficiency.

But the damage has been done with two lives lost. The Thai government did a lousy
job by taking things lightly.

Accountability, transparency and the availability of information must always be
upheld in dealing with matters involving the public, particularly their health.
Thailand, it seems, has not learnt from the SARS outbreak.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra revealed that the famous Chatuchak
weekend market tested positive for the virus and poultry culling would
continue.

With thousands of stalls selling products from local handicraft to pets, the
market is regarded as a compulsory stop for tourists. By naming the market as
one of the two places in Bangkok hit by the bird flu, tourism will certainly be
affected.

The irony is that earlier this year, Thailand declared 2004 as the Year of Food
Safety. For the sake of its credibility, Thailand must now seriously handle the
whole issue.

Singapore, which imports 120,000 live chickens from Malaysia daily, has
strengthened its checks on our 50 to 60 trucks at the Tuas checkpoint. The
precautions include checking for infection – chickens with purple necks, combs
and legs or swollen heads and legs.

Documents detailing each chicken's journey from farm to market are verified as
a form of contact tracing. If a bird is found with the virus, the entire
consignment can be traced and culled immediately.

Learning from the SARS experience, Singapore has gone one step further – it has
designated Tan Tock Seng Hospital as the place for all patients suspected of
having contracted bird flu.

The Singapore government has emphasised that unlike SARS, the bird virus is not
transmitted between humans. Still, bird flu victims will be treated the same
way as SARS patients. It means they will be isolated.

Experts around the world have been fighting against time to find out how the
disease has spread and one possibility is migratory birds. World Health
Organisation officials said such birds played a key role in passing the virus
by producing infected droppings that dry up, turn to dust and are inhaled by
other birds.

Other possible factors include the smuggling of infected livestock,
contaminated feed, clothing and equipment, as well as over-crowded chicken
coops. A common factor among the 10 countries hit by the virus was the natural
route taken by millions of migratory birds that could have passed the virus to
domesticated birds.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng has advised the people to take
precautionary measures if Malaysia is to remain free of the virus. He stressed
the authorities were monitoring all cases of influenza-like illness but there had
been no abnormal increase in such cases.

He said all poultry-based food, including eggs, should be thoroughly cooked
because heat would kill the virus. In other words, roasted chicken is fine but
avoid half-boiled eggs for the time being.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Shariff Omar has directed chicken
farmers to check the presence of migratory birds, including egrets and terns,
which might be attracted by the food in poultry farms.

Our authorities can take other stringent measures, such as reducing the number
of crows in places like Klang, Johor Baru and George Town, which have many
eatery outlets. More checks should be conducted on restaurants that keep
livestock such as birds.

Besides being illegal zoos, they pose a health hazard to customers. The
authorities should not wait for handwritten reports before taking action
against these restaurant operators.

We also need to keep a close watch on migratory birds found in padi fields and
other areas to make sure they do not carry the virus.

But our health and civil defence agencies should consider holding a field
exercise to simulate an actual disease outbreak to test our preparedness in
such situations.

By taking these steps, we would not just be fine-tuning ourselves to face any
disease outbreak but prove that we have a credible, responsible, transparent
and competent government.

But the disease is no laughing matter. We have banned the
import of chicken from Thailand and we must ensure that our soldiers do not let
their guard down in preventing any attempt to smuggle chickens across the
border.

The Thai government has come under fire from the public for an alleged cover-up
but the authorities have maintained that it was actually a "screw-up" and there
was no attempt to conceal the disease.

Thai government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair blamed government agencies for
"misinterpretation of procedures" and "inadequate information relayed", saying
there was a distinction between a cover-up and inefficiency.

But the damage has been done with two lives lost. The Thai government did a lousy
job by taking things lightly.

Accountability, transparency and the availability of information must always be
upheld in dealing with matters involving the public, particularly their health.
Thailand, it seems, has not learnt from the SARS outbreak.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra revealed that the famous Chatuchak
weekend market tested positive for the virus and poultry culling would
continue.

With thousands of stalls selling products from local handicraft to pets, the
market is regarded as a compulsory stop for tourists. By naming the market as
one of the two places in Bangkok hit by the bird flu, tourism will certainly be
affected.

The irony is that earlier this year, Thailand declared 2004 as the Year of Food
Safety. For the sake of its credibility, Thailand must now seriously handle the
whole issue.

Singapore, which imports 120,000 live chickens from Malaysia daily, has
strengthened its checks on our 50 to 60 trucks at the Tuas checkpoint. The
precautions include checking for infection – chickens with purple necks, combs
and legs or swollen heads and legs.

Documents detailing each chicken's journey from farm to market are verified as
a form of contact tracing. If a bird is found with the virus, the entire
consignment can be traced and culled immediately.

Learning from the SARS experience, Singapore has gone one step further – it has
designated Tan Tock Seng Hospital as the place for all patients suspected of
having contracted bird flu.

The Singapore government has emphasised that unlike SARS, the bird virus is not
transmitted between humans. Still, bird flu victims will be treated the same
way as SARS patients. It means they will be isolated.

Experts around the world have been fighting against time to find out how the
disease has spread and one possibility is migratory birds. World Health
Organisation officials said such birds played a key role in passing the virus
by producing infected droppings that dry up, turn to dust and are inhaled by
other birds.

Other possible factors include the smuggling of infected livestock,
contaminated feed, clothing and equipment, as well as over-crowded chicken
coops. A common factor among the 10 countries hit by the virus was the natural
route taken by millions of migratory birds that could have passed the virus to
domesticated birds.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng has advised the people to take
precautionary measures if Malaysia is to remain free of the virus. He stressed
the authorities were monitoring all cases of influenza-like illness but there had
been no abnormal increase in such cases.

He said all poultry-based food, including eggs, should be thoroughly cooked
because heat would kill the virus. In other words, roasted chicken is fine but
avoid half-boiled eggs for the time being.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Shariff Omar has directed chicken
farmers to check the presence of migratory birds, including egrets and terns,
which might be attracted by the food in poultry farms.

Our authorities can take other stringent measures, such as reducing the number
of crows in places like Klang, Johor Baru and George Town, which have many
eatery outlets. More checks should be conducted on restaurants that keep
livestock such as birds.

Besides being illegal zoos, they pose a health hazard to customers. The
authorities should not wait for handwritten reports before taking action
against these restaurant operators.

We also need to keep a close watch on migratory birds found in padi fields and
other areas to make sure they do not carry the virus.

But our health and civil defence agencies should consider holding a field
exercise to simulate an actual disease outbreak to test our preparedness in
such situations.

By taking these steps, we would not just be fine-tuning ourselves to face any
disease outbreak but prove that we have a credible, responsible, transparent
and competent government.