It's Anwar vs Malaysian Government

The scene at Sekolah Rendah Seri Penanti beside the Kubang Semang police station was extremely noisy. Cheers, jeers, party chants were coming from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan supporters.

Why all the attention on this particular polling station? Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be casting his vote here. Although he was only coming at 9am, supporters (and detractors) were lined up on the street from as early as 8am.

Police kept them back and made sure the area in front was clear so voters could come into the polling station unhampered. Finally at 9.35am, Anwar and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail arrived.

Dressed in a light blue shirt and black trousers and wearing a songkok, Anwar walked into the school with his wife on his left arm. He cast his vote in Room 1 while Wan Azizah cast hers in Room 3.

Anwar told the press outside the polling station that "it's not Anwar versus the candidate but it's Anwar versus the government of Malaysia — the ruling party".

He emphasised that the most important thing is winning, in an obvious reference to BN's fight to bring down the majority and so gain a moral victory even if its candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah loses in this by-election.

He ended by sending this message to the government: "We are entering Parliament with a clear agenda. It's time you behave and accept the stark realities of the day."

Meanwhile, Arif Shah, accompanied by his wife Datin Latifah Asmawi and son Izwan Shah, arrived at the polling station at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seberang Jaya II in Lengkok Tenggiri at about 7.50am.

They walked there from their house nearby accompanied by several supporters.

Arif, dressed in a white shirt and wearing a black songkok, left the polling centre at about 8.20am after meeting some voters there.

Twenty-five polling centres are open for the electoral roll of 58,459 people in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency to participate in what has become a referendum for the governing and opposition coalitions.

Go out and vote, Najib tells Permatang Pauh constituents
He attributed the problem partly to massive jams that occurred on most roads leading to polling stations here. A mid-afternoon thunderstorm later also contributed to the problem.

"I have visited some polling stations and the process is going on smoothly," he told reporters.

"I am dissappointed that some untoward incidents have been reported but otherwise everything is proceeding smoothly. The problem of traffic congestion is caused by the high number of outsiders brought in by the opposition," he said.

Najib said the outsiders had been acting aggressively but police would ensure the safety of all was taken care of.


Excerpt from http://themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/malaysia/8156-permatang-pauh-votes



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It's time for Malaysian to decide our future

The ceramahs are over, as are the lightning visits by politicians promising this and that and the allegations and counter-allegations for a sizzling by-election that has caught the imagination of the world.

It"s D-day today.

Voters are queuing to go to the ballot boxes, which just opened at 8am today, to choose their next wakil rakyat in an election widely seen as a referendum for both the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional since the March 8 general election.

Will it be the Barisan Nasional's affable and much-loved home boy, Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah; Pakatan Rakyat's iconic and ambitious Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or the independent black horse, Hanafi Mamat?

That's a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the 58,459 voters on the electoral roll. The bulk of it will be borne by those in the 21 to 40 age group, who makes up as much as 40 per cent of the total electorate.

The smart money is on Anwar for an easy win with only the majority in question but the answer should be known by 9 tonight.

BN believes it will lose the seat by between 6,000 and 12,000 votes slightly lower than in the March general election.

Why the disparity?

Because it acknowledges that security agencies, Wanita Umno have lost ability to gauge voter sentiment, making any assessment difficult.

The Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat comprises three state seats: Seberang Jaya, controlled by Umno; Permatang Pasir, under Pas; and Penanti, a PKR stronghold.

It is a Malay-majority constituency. The racial breakdown puts the Malays at 69.4 per cent, Chinese at 24.5 per cent, Indians at six per cent and others, at 0.1 per cent.

When the seat was vacated on July 31 by the incumbent, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, PKR's president, the by-election was initially thought to be a mere formality for her husband, Anwar, to launch his re-entry into Parliament.

She had held the seat for three terms and was said to be his proxy. He had been the popular MP there before her, from 1982 until his high-profile sacking from the BN government in 1999 following a series of exposed sex and corruption scandals that landed him in prison for six years.

Anwar was also barred from political office until April 14 this year, missing the March 8 general election by a hair, and prompting this turnabout of events.

As Anwar is favoured to win with two of the three state seats already in Pakatan's pocket, Malaysia's underground bookies are taking bets not on who will win but by how wide Anwar's margin of victory will be.

Last week, the odds stood 5-1 in favour of Anwar winning by a majority of 20,000 votes. At the last check, the odds had dropped to 3-1 with a 10,000-vote majority. Anwar's popularity, it seemed, had dropped thanks to the shadow of fresh sodomy allegations brought against him by a former male employee, Mohd Saifu Bukhari Azlan.

But his coalition partners have rallied round him. They placed their own resources at his disposal, sending out their troops of campaigners to aggressively work the ground on his behalf.

The Pakatan camp has styled itself as a force for change and Anwar as the agent of change.

Its campaign strategies were focused on effecting reforms in the national economy and governance, and humanising it with tales of Anwar's sufferings past and present, which was used to mirror the rakyat's suffering under the prime minister's increasingly unpopular policies with regards to the management of the country.

The entire opposition movement stepped up its campaigning in the last weekend, with the multicultural leaders on both sides, Lim Guan Eng, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, even Pas's much beloved spiritual advisor Tok Guru Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat, appearing together at the punishing nightly ceramahs and at other venues despite having their own respective congresses to attend to over the last two weekends.

In comparison, the BN election machinery appeared lacklustre, disorganised and far from being united. While the Pakatan election machine was working overtime sending out updates to press even at 3am, the BN's information department seemed to have gone to sleep.

It was unable even to furnish reporters with ministers' daily schedule. One expected more with the deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, himself leading the ground charge and even Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi "turun padang" several times in the past nine days of campaigning.

Unlike Anwar's meetings with the grassroots, Najib did not seem to engage the local community when he attended several kampung functions yesterday. He flew in, accompanied by outriders, delivered his speeches aimed at discrediting his rival for the post of prime minister, speaking at length on the Sodomy II allegations and other scandalous exposes made by Anwar's former stalwarts, Ezam Mohd Nor, Datuk KS Nallakaruppan and Saiful.

But the response from the locals was poor. Most of them looked bored. A sprightly 76-year-old man from Kampung Kolam, Kubang Semang, said he was an Umno stalwart but explained that what he cared for in a leader was his ability to lead the people and generally take care of the welfare of citizens. And that was why he liked Najib, whom he believed to be a capable leader for his concern for retired soldiers from World War II and the communist plague in the 1960s.

However, he wished the BN would stop harping on the sodomy allegations. It was embarrassing, not just for the politician but for the image of Malaysia internationally.
"Buat malu sahaja," said the retiree, now a committee member on the all-powerful village committee.

It also seemed strange that Najib had not been briefed on the ground situation beforehand, as the emcees at these dos would announce, in nervous voices, "Errr... for your information Datuk Seri." as they laid out whatever situation it was in that area.

At a kenduri bersama rakyat in Kampung Kolam, Kubang Semang, yesterday afternoon, it was noted that Najib gave his speech, sat down and engaged in a mystery discussion before a gathering of mostly elderly villagers who stewed in the heat of the tent, hemmed in on all sides by pressmen, bodyguards and the BN cheer squad from out-of-town.

But the most telling sign of a fractious Barisan was seeing the rotund Arif Shah, the candidate, strolling about in a pasar malam in Taman Siakap, Seberang Jaya, minus any entourage whatsoever.

The locals love Arif Shah. Over the years, he has built a strong rapport with his constituents, Malay, Chinese, Indian and others who do not fit the racial pigeonhole. They reckon he is the best assemblyman around.

But his greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. As several Chinese locals have said during an interview, he is too good locally for them to lose him to Parliament.

And of Hanafi Mamat, from a spinter cell of Pas, well, his strategy has been to sit in his bilik gerakan, a makeshift tent pitched onto the grassy embankment next to the Seberang Jaya roundabout, and wait for volunteers to step forward, even though he insisted he had grand plans as an MP.

Excerpt from http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles.php?id=8151-d-day-for-permatang-pauh-and-malaysia


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BN uses DNA proof to stain Anwar image

With defeat staring them in the face in Permatang Pauh, Barisan Nasional politicians have been pulling out all the stops to damage Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim"s image.

Over the past 24 hours, several politicians on house-to-house visits in the by-election campaign have been talking about details of the sodomy charge against the Opposition icon, even pointing out that the stains on accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan"s undergarments and body matched Anwar"s DNA.

And when faced with scepticism, some ruling coalition politicians have gone a step further providing details of DNA tests conducted by the Chemistry Department.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the tests were conducted on several samples from the underwear and body parts a few days after Saiful lodged a police report on June 28. The tests allegedly confirm that the DNA on the samples belonged to Saiful and Anwar.

In his police report, the former aide alleged that he was sodomised by Anwar in a condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26. Anwar was charged with having carnal knowledge against the order of nature but he has asserted that this fresh sodomy allegation was part of a political conspiracy to stop him from becoming the prime minister of Malaysia.

Before nomination day on Aug 16, Barisan Nasional officials reached a consensus not to highlight the sodomy charge against Anwar, knowing that as many as six in 10 Malaysians did not believe the allegations and many Malays were uncomfortable discussing sexual issues in public.

Instead, the plan was to focus on the strengths of the local candidate, Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, a rotund politician with a common touch.

That plan was scratched a day before nomination day when Saiful swore on the Quran at the Federal Territory mosque that he was sodomised by Anwar.

From then on, the sodomy charge provided the backdrop of the by-election campaign with Umno politicians questioning Anwar"s reluctance to take an oath of innocence.

This strategy found some traction among Malay voters in the early days of the campaign but Pakatan Rakyat has since countered it effectively by getting spiritual heavyweights from Pas including Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Datuk Haron Din to speak at ceramahs in the constituency and question the validity of Saiful"s oath.

To make believers out of the unbelievers, some BN party officials have been contemplating giving voters nuggets of evidence and information about the sodomy case against Anwar, including results of laboratory tests.

But other senior officials have disagreed with this approach, saying that now that Anwar had been charged in court, evidence and witness accounts should only be presented during the trial and not during the by-election campaign.

But the hardliners won the day, arguing that the Opposition has been employing all kinds of tactics including releasing statutory declarations to damage BN leaders and cast aspersions on the government"s case against Anwar.

So for the last 24 hours, BN officials on house-to-house visits have been going into some detail on the sodomy charge against Anwar, fishing out a laboratory report where necessary to make the case that the samples taken from Saiful"s underpants and his body matched that of Anwar"s.

Is it going to be enough to turn defeat into victory? Unlikely. Is it going to turn droves of Malays against Anwar?

Unlikely. But these are desperate times for the BN.

Excerpt from http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles.php?id=8124-bn-tries-to-stain-anwar-with-dna-proof

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BN admits paying "spies" for information

Barisan Nasional candidate for the Permatang Pauh by-election Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah today admitted to paying local residents to help gather information and gauge voter sentiments, saying that this should not be taken to mean vote buying.
Without disclosing how many people were recruited for this purpose, he said the money was paid not only to BN campaign workers but also to some residents to act as "spies", although they are not told who they were working for.

"We pay them for going to the ground and gathering information for us. Some of them (voters) do not even know that they are 'working' for BN simply because we never tell them that they are getting information for us. This is how our machinery works," he said when met at his house.

"With additional money to 'operate', our spies can go the coffeeshops to talk to the people and to collect information, so that we can know what is really happening in the constituency; not that we want to buy votes."

Arif Shah said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) actually wished to do the same, "but we do it first, so now they are using this to attack us."

He was asked about comments by PKR information chief Tian Chua that some voters in Permatang Pauh were getting RM50 to RM300 for cpies of their identity cards, adding that the amount varied according to location and races.

He had advised voters not to accept the money and to vote without fear and according to their conscience.

On this, Arif Shah explained that the BN did not take the voters' identity cards, but merely recorded the identity card numbers for audit purpose.

"We want to know where our money has gone. It is easier for our auditors to check if we have the identity of those who received the money. PKR has been condemning such tactics used by the BN as the Opposition has already received numerous complaints on the incident; however, no voters who received the money dares to testify in public."

Arif Shah also said he is optimistic on his chances to be elected as the MP for the constituency, with only three more days of campaigning left. Polling is on Tuesday.

He described the participation of the Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Mamat in the by-election as being to the disadvantage of PKR, as it would split the opposition votes.

"We know that PAS is silently disagreeing with PKR; so I believe a lot of PAS votes will go to Akim and if Hanafi says he is confident of getting 5,000 votes (as reported in the newspaper), this means PKR will lose 5,000 votes, which is good for me," he said.

However, when asked, Arif Shah denied that Hanafi was planted by BN to split the votes.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, when met at the Butterworth Welfare Department where he gave monetary aid to the needy, lamented that as a candidate, Arif Shah should not use such tactics and that he should be disqualified as a candidate.

"This is the culture of BN, we (Pakatan Rakyat) will never do something like this. If BN wanted to give money to the people, it should give to all and not only limited to Permatang Pauh voters or during a general election or by-election," he told reporters.

However, Lim, who is DAP's secretary-general, said the idea of using informers can only be accepted if it is for the purpose of upholding justice and fighting corruption.

Asked if the Election Commission should act against Arif Shah, he said the commission must take action because as a candidate, he is not even supposed to buy meals for people.

"But the commission uses double standards. If we are using such tactics, it is definite we will be sanctioned by the commission for violating election laws. So we urge the people not to accept the money from BN," he added.

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Gus Dur - I totally believe Anwar

Abdurrahman Wahid, the former president of Indonesia and influential leader of Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim need not swear on the Quran as it is un-Islamic and there is no such requirement under Islamic laws.

Gus Dur, as he is popularly called, also said the recent swearing on the Quran by Anwar’s former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan was un-Islamic. “I challenge anyone to prove the reverse. They better open the law books of Islam.”

Saiful has accused Anwar of sodomy and the de facto leader of PKR has been charged in court. Hearing is set for Sept 10.

“I think the accusation of sodomy is wrong. I have known him for 15 years. I believe totally in him,” Gus Dur said at a press conference at PKR headquarters here today.

He added that it was enough for Anwar to take the matter to the syariah courts and to say, “By God, I did not do such a thing.”

The PKR adviser had earlier last month at the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department filed a qazaf report which charged Saiful with making false allegations.

Gus Dur said that while his views were personal, they were shared by “many Indonesians” and the reason why other leaders had not spoken out was because of a “silent majority rule”.

Despite stepping down as president of Indonesia in 2001, Gus Dur is still the chairman and de facto leader of the Parti Kebangkitan Bangsa’s (PKB) syura council. PKB is the political arm of the highly influential Nahdlatul Ulama, an Islamic group that commands a following of over 30 million.

Gus Dur said that the former deputy prime minister’s chances of winning the Permatang Pauh by-election and becoming prime minister were “very good” and that he would be meeting Anwar on Sunday and again after the results of the by-election.

Meanwhile, he poured scorn on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s execution of Islam Hadhari, saying that it lacked honesty and does not condone democracy.

“He acts in one way and says another,” Gus Dur said, adding that Anwar would make a more democratic leader.
Excerpt from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/7855-gus-dur-swearing-on-quran-is-un-islamic


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BN using dirty tricks -Anwar

In the first day of campaigning, opposition leader and home boy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already alleged that his former party Barisan Nasional (BN) will resort to dirty strategies to cut his majority in the Permatang Pauh by-election this Aug 26.

He claimed inside information and told the people to disregard the tricks.

"BN will campaign house-to-house to ask residents in Permatang Pauh not to go out to vote on Aug 26, saying that I have already won the by-election.

"BN will also give RM500 to each voter not to vote for Anwar Ibrahim, but my advice to you is to take the money, but vote for me," he said at a tea reception at Kampung Bagan Serai here yesterady.

The former deputy prime minister also reiterated Pakatan Rakyat tpromises when it formed the government, cutting pump prices by 70 sen and freeing the five Hindraf leaders currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Anwar is facing BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Mamat in a three-cornered fight for the seat that he had held between 1982 and 1999 when he was convicted of corruption.

Meanwhile, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib said BN had a stronger chance of wresting the seat from PKR following the entry of Akim into the picture.

The Rural and Regional Development Minister's views,were shared by Penang MCA liaison chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai who said Hanafi would be able to attract a segment of PAS supporters as many of them were unhappy with Anwar, Bernama reported.

BN Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein also felt the same but reminded the BN election machinery to work hard to ensure a BN victory.

Penang BN chairman Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon reminded the BN election machinery to double its effort especially at the grassroots level and said he hoped the people of Permatang Pauh would not be taken in by the empty promises the opposition would be making.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the party was making every effort to get at least 2,700 of the 3,390 Indian voters in the constituency to vote for the BN.

PAS vice president Datuk Husam Musa said the by-election would be a tough battle for the PR as it had to contend with the BN's formidable election machinery but was confident the opposition coalition would prevail.

He said that Anwar's former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's action of swearing on the Quran at the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur Friday that Anwar had sodomised him, would not in anyway sway PAS members support for Anwar as it was "obviously timed to derail Anwar's plan of making a comeback".

PKR supreme council member Saifuddin Nasution Ismail described the by-election as mere formality to fill the vacancy as the constituency was a PKR fortress.

As for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, he said that he viewed this by-election as historical one as involved a former political stalwart, referring to Anwar, who is a former deputy prime minister.

Meanwhile, former PKR Youth chief Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor said the BN could win the seat as the mood of the people there had changed since the time he was in PKR.

"I can feel it. It is not the same as in 1999 and 2004 (when the outpouring of support for PKR was very great)," said, Ezam, who rejoined Umno recently.
Excerpt from http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/7801-anwar-claims-bn-using-dirty-tricks-

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Arif Shah has potential to get more votes - Chedet

Though not optimistic on Barisan Nasional (BN) winning the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in the upcoming by-election, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad feels BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah has a good chance of getting more votes compared to previous candidates.

The former prime minister also believed the BN candidate had the potential in reducing the vote majority of his opponent, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the by-election on Aug 26.

"Datuk Arif Shah may get a better majority this time compared to the poor results obtained by the other candidates," said the former prime minister to reporters after opening the Galeri Dunia Seni Lukis here, Friday.

Nomination day for the Permatang Pauh by-election is Saturday.

Dr Mahathir also acknowledged the Chinese language proficiency of Arif Shah, saying that the added language would be an advantage for him in getting more votes especially from the Chinese voters.

"I'm still not that convinced that he (Arif Shah) can win but in view of his Chinese education, the Chinese voters may be attracted to him," he said.

On calls made by the PAS Ulama Council pushing for their party president to become the prime minister if Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in forming the new Federal Government on Sept 16, Dr Mahathir said: "BN is more solid. Pakatan Rakyat is not a proper coalition...it's just one party taking advantage of the people... not a proper coalition... just an understanding to contest in the general election."

The Ulama Council head, Datuk Mohamed Daud had during its assembly recently called for Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be made the prime minister as he was more qualified.

Commenting on the upcoming budget on Aug 29, Dr Mahathir said the budget this year would be a significant one as the world was moving into recession.

"For the first time, everything has gone up in price simultaneously, and (it's a) high percentage... never happened in the history of the world," he said.

-- BERNAMA
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Nominations submitted by 4 candidates

Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah of Barisan Nasional (BN), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and two independent candidates had submitted their candidacy for the Permatang Pauh by-election when nominations closed at 10am.

The independent candidates are Hanafi Hamat, president of PAS splinter party Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) and Dr Mansor Othman, former Penang PKR chairman.

The objection period is from 10am to 11am.

Arif, 51, dressed in a yellow baju Melayu, was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak to the nomination centre at Dewan Aminuddin Baki of the Tuanku Bainun Teaching Institute. He submitted his nomination papers to returning officer Roslan Yahaya as soon as the centre opened at 9am.

Other BN leaders present included Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, who is also Penang BN chairman, MIC president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu, MCA vice-president Datuk Ong Tee Keat, BN Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Wanita Umno vice-head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil and Umno information head Tan Sri Muhammad Muhamad Taib.

Several minutes later, Anwar, 61, wearing a light blue baju Melayu, submitted his nomination form.

He was accompanied by his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, three of their children, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, PAS vice-president Husam Musa, and DAP chairman Karpal Singh. PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat arrived at 9.30am.

Hanafi submitted his nomination papers at 9.25am and Dr Mansor, a few minutes later.

The Permatang Pauh by-election is being held after its MP, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, resigned to make way for her husband, Anwar, to contest the seat. Polling is on Aug 26.

Police deployed about 3,000 officers and men to control the crowd of more than 10,000 banner-toting supporters and conducted land and aerial surveillance to ensure that the nomination proceeded smoothly.

The fine weather added to the cheerful atmosphere at the centre.

-- BERNAMA
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