At Penanti: Free Umno trips, Najib, Ezam and Minah Ronggeng
By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan
In a bid to roil the Pakatan Rakyat at the Penanti by-election, touted as a referendum on Prime Minister Najib Razak and his first 60 days in office, Umno leaders have been busy spinning a web of deceit.
No only are they are going all out to get Penanti voters to accept free trips and desert the town on the May 31 polling day, pre-meditated plans aimed at discrediting the Pakatan have also been unveiled under the guise of ‘campaigning’ by certain Independent candidates.
According to Pakatan candidate Mansor Othman, Umno branches had now resorted to sponsoring all-expenses-paid trips to border towns, such as Padang Besar, Bukit Kayu Hitam and Wang Kelian, in a bid to hijack Penanti voters from the ballot boxes this Sunday.
“This is another dirty tactic deployed by Umno to stop voters from casting their ballots for me,” said Pakatan Rakyat candidate Mansor Othman. “And it is a dangerous one. It could inflict PKR a shock defeat.”
A referendum Najib cannot hide from despite subterfuge and treachery
A former Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer, Mansor is facing three Independents – ex-Penang PKR Wanita chief Aminah Abdullah, newly-resigned Teluk Wang Gerakan Youth chief Nai Khan and Kamarul Ramizu.
Pakatan’s arch rival – the Umno-BN – is abstaining from the contest amid widespread jeers of cowardice and warnings that its leader Najib would resort to subterfuge and treachery to get his way.
But despite pushing through the controversial decision to skip Penanti, part of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s stronghold, Najib has failed to avert comparison and measurement of his performance as a Malay leader versus the evergreen Anwar.
Already, Najib’s manoeuvres to whittle down Anwar’s prestige by instigating the ‘Independent’ candidates to attack the Pakatan’s campaign in Penanti has borne fruit.
Aminah has publicly accused her former PKR colleagues of trying to bribe her. The 56-year, also known by her nickname of ‘Minah Ronggeng’, is a staunch stalwart of ex-PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor, who was lured over to Umno by Najib last year.
“She hardly campaigned. She just issues press statements and moves around only with her family members as if she is running a private limited company.What’s Minah Ronggeng intention to be here?,” PKR vice-president Azmin Ali asked a crowd of nearly 2,000 at a late-night ceramah.
It was pre-planned and pre-meditated. Her family secretly taped the conversation.
Aminah had alleged that two PKR officials – Cheah Kah Peng and Peter Lim – offered her the post of Penang deputy chief minister, or head of Penang municipal council, and RM80,000 if she were to withdraw from the by-election.
But according to the duo, at no time did they offer her the posts nor RM80,000. In fact, she had been the one who insisted that they have lunch at her home, where she trapped them into conversation implicating that they were out to ‘bribe’ her. Her family secretly taped the conversation and also took photographs.
“Aminah is pulling off a political stunt. She has used our honest friendship for her own selfish gain,” said Kah Peng.
“Why would PKR offer a person like Minah Ronggeng the position of DCM? Why would we offer her when we have a former professor as our candidate?” asked Azmin. “Minah Ronggeng should see her face first on the mirror before making such senseless accusations.”
