THERE are no shades of grey when it comes to Umno’s most controversial man.

SOME see it as the passing of the torch, others have hailed the rise of women power - but the Johor DAP election also saw the descent of a former rising star.

THE dust has yet to settle over the Mahkota by-election but the angry exchange of words that has erupted is threatening to wash away the camaraderie between partners of the unity government.

RIGHT from the start, there was concern that the feud between Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and Teresa Kok would spill over into the Mahkota by-election.

CRITICS claim that PKR’s Reformasi slogan has become “reformati” but the party’s recent anniversary rally suggested there are still many out there rooting for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

IT was not exactly an earthquake but delegates at the Penang DAP convention might have felt a tremor when one of the two candidates for the Chief Minister post ended up near the bottom.

THE boyish-faced Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah has captured public attention with his ability to speak Mandarin.

A PICTURE is worth a thousand words but the photograph of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng surrounded by "his team" ahead of the state DAP polls spoke more of votes than words.

THE ripples from DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s open endorsement of rising star Steven Sim for the Penang chairman post have yet to subside.

From socks to food, there are simply too many incidents involving 2R or race and religious issues that are causing flashpoints for racial tensions in the country.

IT is never easy to step away from the pinnacle of power but Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow took that difficult step when he decided not to defend his post as state chairman in the DAP election.

The future still looks bleak for this once powerful party but several personalities captured the attention of those at the recent Umno general assembly.