Anwar begins his campaign in Sg. Lembu.
Only the candidates' list is different.
And one of them, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - who used to be their MP from 1982 until 1999 when he was convicted for corruption -says his victory will help him be Prime Minister that will fulfill his promises and their desires.
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate wasted no time in going to the ground after the nomination process which resulted in a three-cornered fight for this rural enclave in mainland Penang.
The other two candidates are Barisan Nasional's Arif Shah Omar Shah - who is Seberang Jaya state assemblyman - and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Mamat. Akim is a splinter of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) - Anwar's ally in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition that rules Penang.
With the three fighting it out to represent them in Parliament, the residents and voters seemed spoilt for choice as they spoke about the rising costs of day-to-day life and marginalisation after 50 years of Merdeka.
None spoke of the primacy of culture, Islamic values or the high electricity reserve capacity by utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad due to unfair contracts with independent power producers - a point the former deputy prime minister had been repeating when promising to cut pump prices.
In the working class neighbourhood of Kampung Bagan Serai in Seberang Jaya, he had tea with the villagers, mainly ethnic Indians. He was accompanied by Padang Serai MP, N. Gobalakrishnan, who promised to the crowd that they would be voting in the next prime minister.
Anwar himself alluded to that promise as he likened himself to a Tamil film hero who is out of prison and ready to rescue te downtrodden from evil landlords or gangsters.
"Today we form the government, tomorrow we will release the Hindraf detainees," he said to loud cheers as he repeated his promise to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) and free all detainees from Kamunting be it Hindus or Muslims.
Most Indians voted against the BN after the government detained five Hindraf (Hindru Rights Action Force) leaders involved in a huge protest in Kuala Lumpur last November.
The PKR leader's promise resonated with the villagers.Mageswary Balan, 23, a housewife and a mother of two kids said she has been an Anwar fan since young.
"Anwar has helped us a lot. I am sure he will do more," she said without elaborating. Not surprising as Mageswary was born born and raised in the village, located some two km away from the most developed part of Seberang Jaya when Anwar was already MP.
"I know Anwar likes to help the poor, and when he becomes the prime minister not only he will solve the problems faced by the Indians, he will also save the whole country," said 21-year-old factory worker Mariappa Manoharan.
Data entry clerk, Vellu Balan, 25, might not have read the Anwar's economic agenda, but he knows the Pakatan Rakyat policies from friends and relatives.
"Others can come here and campaign and promise a lot of things, but I know they will not deliver, only Anwar can do it," said Vellu, who was among the 200 villagers crowding the ceramah and shouting Merdeka to encourage the charismatic politician.
As day turned to dusk, Anwar stopped at an isolated new village near the Penang-Kedah border, in Sungai Lembu where hundreds of his admirers waited to have dinner with the PKR candidate.
They were no different from the crowd in Kampung Bagan Serai. "Anwar is good, I know, I read a lot about him on the newspapers" said Foo Koi Ene, 60, who could not wait to hear Anwar's speech and to eventually put him in Parliament.
And although she is not eligible to vote, 21-year-old account clerks Low Yean Siew hopes Anwar can alleviate escalating cost of living, when he comes to power.
"I like Anwar, as I believe he can reduce the petrol price. He sounds very convincing," she said.
Pump prices was uppermost in the minds of the mainly Chinese crowd here. "I have to work very hard now that it may lead to death," said car accessories salesman, Boon Chai Wong, 24. "If petrol price is reduced our business will be better."
Anwar used plain words to explain his promises to the standing room only crowd at the ceramah, most of whom applauding warmly when he touched on equality, quality of the education system and national unity.
With a smile, the wildly popular politician who last contested the seat on a BN ticket ended his speech by saying, "I am so happy to see some of the villagers here who used to be with Gerakan or MCA."
-TMI
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