Penanti Polls: The Day of Reckoning Is Here!
By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan
Good Morning. As Penanti folk get ready to go to the ballot boxes, Pakatan Rakyat leaders especially PKR candidate Mansor Othman are praying hard that the weather will be clement and conducive for voters to get safely to the polling stations.
Ironically, the Penanti contest has become famous because of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s decision to boycott it. Fearing another politically damaging loss after losing in four of the past five by-elections, the embattled Najib had hoped to avoid a fresh round of bad publicity by skipping Penanti.
Yet the opposite has happened, thanks in part to the relentless police crackdowns on dissenters who criticised his handling of the government, his power grab in Perak state, as well as his personal scandal in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder-and-commission case.
“What really surprised me is not that the police are investigating a police report lodged against me for sedition and criminal defamation, but that the police report was lodged by the police itself,” said Pakatan’s Lim Kit Siang.
The DAP adviser, who was among leaders hauled up over speeches they made at Penanti. Kit Siang had accused Najib of sparking the political turmoil in Perak.
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“If my speech is defamatory of Najib’s character and reputation, why is the Prime Minister not instituting civil legal proceedings to clear his name and secure just compensation from me? When did the Police acquire the new task of protecting the reputation or lack of reputation of Barisan Nasional leaders in government?”
Billed a referendum on Najib’s first 60 days in office, Penanti will certainly reflect how Malaysians feel about their newly-anointed PM, who took over the hot-seat on Apr 3.
PKR expects roughly the same number of votes as 2008, fearful of low voter turnout
Meanwhile, the Pakatan is confident that it can maintain its support level despite strong chances for a poor voter turnout, which will disadvantage it.
Already, Umno has asked its 5,000-odd Penanti supporters not to vote. Free trips to northern border shopping-and-sex towns have been organized to ferry them safely away from town today.
“We expect to maintain the same 7,000 support level,” said Tian Chua, PKR strategic affairs director.
“In town centres, I am predicting 80 percent support rate, while in the interior areas where the populace is predominantly Malay, support might be 50-50. However, if Umno boycotts, the majority will add in our favour.”
PKR vs 3 Independents
Mansor, a former university don who has become a popular figure with his humble ways despite his double-barreled qualifications, is facing three high-spirited Independents.
The most prominent of these are the by-now notorious Aminah Abdullah, who spiced up the by-election with shocking revelations that she had been bribed by two PKR officials not to contest. The party has denied the accusations and proceeded to sue her.
Nai Khan, the newly-resigned Gerakan Youth chief from Teluk Wang branch, and last but not least, Kamarul Ramizu, who entered but lost in the Bukit Gantang polls last month, have also spent long hours working the ground at Penanti.
However, with the Pakatan machinery behind him, Mansor is expected to win. He will succeed Fairus Khairuddin, the former Penang deputy chief minister (I), who quit the seat last month.
Fairus won in the 2008 general election by a majority of 2,219 votes. He polled 7,346 votes against Umno’s Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid’s 5,127.
Penanti is a small constituency of 15,384 voters, including 24 postal balloters. It is located on mainland Penang, with padi fields, rubber and palm oil plantations dotting a landscape of villages with a smattering of commercial activities. Most of the folk are industrial workers and small businessmen. Some 73 percent are Malay, 24 percent are Chinese, and 2 percent Indian.
It is indeed a core Malay heartland, another reason why this has been touted as a referendum on Najib, who sees himself as the undisputed leader of the Malays.
Suara Keadilan will be providing live coverage of the balloting, which begins at 8am and closes at 5pm. There are nine polling stations, with 32 streams. Results will be announced probably only after 8pm.
