BN talks up chances despite listless campaigning

SEBERANG JAYA, Aug 25 — Barisan Nasional leaders are talking up their chances of snatching Permatang Pauh despite a listless campaign without much presence on the ground against a strong and confident opposition.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat and its allies have been going all out since nomination day to ensure a higher majority for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while the BN have just relied on house visits and a few ceramahs that feature mainly outsiders to campaign for Umno’s Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah.

Local party workers and leaders particularly from Umno have been largely absent or just congregating around BN by-election campaign chief, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

Despite that, Arif Shah expressed confidence for the first time yesterday that Malay voters would support him in the by-election tomorrow where he faces former division chief Anwar, who is the strong favourite to win, and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Mamat.

“The level of support now had crossed 45 per cent. The remaining five per cent will come from the Chinese voters,” said Arif Shah when met after a dinner with the Chinese community near the Hamna flats here.

There are 58,459 voters in the constituency in mainland Penang with the majority being Malays and the by-election is widely seen as a formality for Anwar to enter Parliament where he hopes to fulfil his promise of toppling the BN government by Sept 16 and be prime minister.

The by-election is also seen as a referendum for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat electoral pact that won five states and denied the BN its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority in the March 8 polls apart from being a barometer of trust for Anwar who is facing another sodomy charge.

A similar charge a decade ago cost him a shot at being premier but Anwar now has the support of both Pas and the DAP which rules Penang and has declared polling day a public holiday to boost voter turnout.

But Arif Shah said Pas supporters are abandoning the Pakatan Rakyat and would quietly vote for him. “And the Chinese have realised that they cannot gamble with their future. Pas will turn racial and leave Pakatan and that will create instability within the country,” he told The Malaysian Insider, as he talked to some voters who rushed to shake his hand.

BN national leaders who were in Permatang Pauh campaigning also gave similar views. At a rally in Mengkuang Titi, near Bukit Mertajam yesterday, Najib said the Malays in Permatang Pauh are now slowly coming back to BN.

“Initially, the attendance was not very encouraging, but today we can see more people are coming to our rallies,” he told hundreds of people at the Malay village situated within the Penanti state constituency.

Najib also charged that Anwar has now become a liability to the Pakatan Rakyat, saying: “If you look at the accusations hurled against Anwar, they did not come from Umno or BN leadership. But they came from Anwar’s former allies, such as Ezam Mohd Noor and Dr Chandra Muzaffar.”

Despite the confidence displayed by BN leaders and Arif Shah, the situation in the ruling coalition’s operation centres revealed a lacklustre campaign. The rain had worsened the situation as party workers chose to either stay at the centres or abandon them. Others preferred to attend ceramahs and rallies where national leaders spoke.

In the areas surrounding Mengkuang Titi no BN canvassers were seen yesterday afternoon but several groups of Pas and PKR workers were busy distributing flyers to passersby along the road to Penanti. Pas campaigners were spotted near Sunway Carnival Mall which is believed by many to be Arif Shah’s stronghold.

Most BN campaigners stationed in the operation centres were also in the dark about their party’s campaign schedule. “But I know Anwar Ibrahim is in Jalan Semilang now,” said an Umno volunteer from Jalan Tenggiri, Seberang Jaya, when asked whether Arif Shah would be coming to the food court nearby.

Villagers who attended the rally in Mengkuang Titi were also more interested in food or the school bags presented to their children than Najib’s words. While the BN election director was giving his fiery speech, many were seen talking to each other or enjoying the buffet spread.
The campaign enters its final 24 hours today.