A fight that Umno cannot afford to lose
(Malaysian Mirror) – PORT DICKSON – As expected, the Bagan Pinang by-election will be a straight fight between Umno and PAS after an independent candidate failed to get his papers through.
Umno’s Isa Abdul Samad and PAS’s Zulkefly Omar were confirmed as the two candidates by returning officer Abdul Wahab Shamsuddin at the end of the objection period at 11am.
Campaigning has now officially kicked off and an intense, all-out dog-fight can be expected until balloting takes place on Sunday Oct 11.
But for this morning, despite seething undercurrents, the atmosphere was generally cheerful although rain clouds darkened the sky.
Crowds built up and roads were closed to control traffic. Umno supporters outnumbered those from arch rival PAS – a rare occurence and perhaps indicative of the final outcome.
Because the state seat is an Umno stronghold – one that they have never lost before – there is an air of confidence, even swagger, amongst party workers as they rushed around preparing for the hordes of VVIPs who will descend on their small seaside town.
Former Negeri Sembilan mentri besar Isa Abdul Samad overcame a corruption and vote-buying record to be chosen the flag carrier for BN. And unless there is a shock default in his nomination papers, he is poised to be the man to break Umno’s losing streak.
The party hopes to ride on his popularity in the area. After losing seven of the eight by-elections since March 2008, this is one contest Umno cannot afford to lose.
Giant beater
Facing off against Isa is PAS state chief Zulkefly Omar, a 45-year old businessman popular with his party mates for his straightforward ways.
Zulkefly has a tough task indeed, but if he triumphs, he will gain instant fame as the giant-beater of Negeri Sembilan.
Both men arrived early at the nomination centre at PD municipal council. Isa is accompanied by top BN leaders including Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassain and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, MCA president Ong Tee Keat and MIC chief S Samy Vellu.
Pakatan Rakyat’s top brass were also in full force led by PAS president Hadi Awang and PKR’s Syed Husin Ali.
“We are in this by-election to win,” a cheerful Hadi told reporters.
A straight fight no matter how many candidates
Despite initial speculation of a crowded field, with Independents moving in to ride on the massive publicity of this particular contest, only Teluk Kemang PKR leader Shahruddin Abdul Hamid turned up.
Shahruddin defied his party, which had threatened to expel him if he went against Pakatan rules and competed as an Independent against Zulkefly. But he was disqualified.
“My proposer, it turned out, is not from the Bagan Pinang constituency,” he said, adding that he would find a replacement. However, byt the end of the nomination period at 10am, he was still without a proposer.
Still, regardless of whether Shahruddin had succeeded in making the by-election a three-cornered fight, Bagan Pinang would still have been to all intents and purposes a straight fight between Umno and PAS.
Neither Shahruddin nor any other Independent, if indeed any had turned up, could have expected to cart away enough votes to matter to either Umno or PAS whether individually or collectively. Chances are they would have lost their RM15,000 election deposit.
Intense campaigning ahead
Bagan Pinang is a Malay majority seat with 13,664 registered voters. The populace consists of 63 percent Malay, 21 percent Indian, 11 percent Chinese and 5 percent other races.
Although Pakatan is expected to swipe most of the non-Malay votes, Umno is still expected to triumph easily and even exceed its previous 2,333-vote majority on the back of Isa’s popularity.
With the Malay vote split down the line, Umno’s trump card will be the 4,604 military-based postal voters in the constituency.
Already, PAS is crying foul, alleging that there are actually only 1,200 eligible postal voters. The rest have already retired and have moved onto other parts of the country, it claims.
The DAP too has slammed the Election Commission for bias in not allowing the party and its colleague PKR to put campaign materials such as flags and posters.
No matter which, what is for certain is that over the next eight days until balloting next Sunday, a highly-charged and no-holds-barred campaign can be expected.
