--- On Thu, 4/11/13, Maha Wira <mahawi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Maha Wira <mahawi...@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Indian-Malaysian] Plot to ‘finish off’ Anwar
To:
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2013, 5:04 AM
Plot to ‘finish off’ AnwarAthi Shankar | April 11, 2013Umno likely to
pull out all the stops in the battle for Permatang Pauh, but observers say it
will be difficult to dislodge the opposition leaderPERMATANG PAUH: Many local
Umno chieftains believe that the forthcoming general election would be the best
chance to unseat Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in his home turf
– Permatang Pauh.They claim that many constituents were unhappy with Anwar’s
performance as their representative and realised that the opposition leader was
just a “ceramah” man, who preferred to be in Kuala Lumpur.They claimed that
people had realised Anwar had used Permatang Pauh folk as mere pawns for his
political chess game to be a
national leader.“Anwar should have left Permatang Pauh to contest elsewhere.
He should not again ask Permatang Pauh folk to sacrifice for him. Because of
him, Permatang Pauh folk are suffering from lack of business and development,”
claimed Umno members.Whether their claims hold water or not, Umno’s campaign
against Anwar would be based on those lines. Umno chieftains claim that with
the right candidate and strategies, BN would have the best opportunity to
finally “kill off” Anwar’s political career.They forecast that a defeat for
Anwar would break up PKR and make the party redundant. PKR’s demise, they said,
would then tear apart Pakatan Rakyat, the three-party coalition which had been
gearing
up all its machinery to capture Putrajaya.Umno leaders are perhaps still
living in dream world. Even after the 2008 electoral reverses, they still
failed to learn and realise that the country’s political landscape is so
divided, polarised and hypercritical that any ruling coalition would always
face formidable opposition.Stopping Pakatan’s march to Putrajaya is one thing
while ending Anwar’s political career is a different ball game altogether. It
would be easier to stop Pakatan, but beating Anwar in his home turf, where he
started his political career with a victorious electoral debut in 1982, is a
near impossible task.The Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency is on the
world map today because of
one man – its favourite son and opposition icon Anwar. Whether one likes him
or not, he is the undisputed king of Permatang Pauh. He is always a newsmaker
and a hot item for the media.The affection between Permatang Pauh folk and
Anwar is said to be too strong. Even when he was in jail, Permatang Pauh folk
remained loyal to his family, voting in Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the 1999
and 2004 general elections. She also won in 2008 before resigning to pave the
way for a by-election which Anwar won in style.“Umno would need a miracle to
topple Anwar,” said several constituents.As of June 2012, Permatang Pauh has
70,667 registered voters, a huge leap of 12,208 within four years from 58,459
voters in 2008. Malay voters make up about 70%, Chinese 25% while Indians only
six percent.Permatang Pauh encompasses three state constituencies – Seberang
Jaya, Permatang Pasir and Penanti. Seberang Jaya is
the most urbanised of the three and is a cosmopolitan centre with industrial
workers, professionals and businessmen making up the majority of its
population. It has 29,397 voters with 1,200 postal votes.Permatang Pasir is the
rural part of Permatang Pauh with predominantly a Malay-voting population and
its main economic activity is rice cultivation with some rubber and palm oil
plantations. The constituency has 22,733 voters.Semi-rural constituency Penanti
emulates Permatang Pasir’s agricultural activities mixed with some commercial
activities. It has 18,537 registered voters.Sex videos an outdated strategyThe
incumbent assemblymen are Umno’s Arif Shah Omar Shah of Seberang Jaya, PKR
state chairman Mansor Othman of Penanti and PAS state commissioner Mohd Salleh
Man of Permatang Pasir.Ironically Permatang Pauh is the only constituency in
the country to have three representatives elected in by-elections post-March
2008. Anwar defeated Arif in a
by-election in August, 2008 with a thumping majority of 15,671 votes. Mansor
and Mohd Salleh won their seats in by-elections in 2009.The 13th general
election would mark the first time Anwar would contest in a general election
since 1995. Umno Permatang Pauh, which has about 17,000 members
from 95 branches, has urged Najib Tun Razak to field strong candidates in all
constituencies to give the party a winnable electoral jigsaw.Local leaders said
that Umno’s chances in Permatang Pauh would be given a tremendous boost if a
strong personality challenged Anwar. Although the party has not finalised its
candidates, former state PAS leader and corporate figure Mazlan Ismail has been
tipped as the favourite to be given the task to unseat Anwar.Local Umno leaders
hope that Mazlan candidature can woo PAS supporters in the area. But whether
such optimism would materialise remains to be seen because for PAS, Umno is
always its sworn enemy.It seems there will be no massive swing of Malay and
Indian voters for Pakatan, unlike 2008. Umno claims that Malay and Indian
voters were flocking back to BN, and with party members being more united, it
had more than a fighting chance to upset Anwar and company.Umno, of course,
with blogger Papagomo entering into
the fray, will embark on a
massive “sex video” campaign to tarnish Anwar’s image, but observers said it
would not work – as it had never worked since 1998.“It’s an outdated strategy.
How can we use military strategy and weaponry of World War I and hope to win in
World War III? Umno should be more realistic and practical,” said a businessman
and Umno member.Umno will also use the “Allah in Bible” controversy sparked by
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng against Anwar but that too, is unlikely to
make an impact with the electorate.One must expect the battle-hardened Anwar
and PKR will be ever ready to face-off Umno’s strongest challenge in Permatang
Pauh.It’s not just another electoral duel. It’s a political battle for bragging
rights, pride and dignity. Anwar must win at all costs.“Never mind if Pakatan
fails to win Putrajaya. But the Permatang Pauh battlefield must be won. Pakatan
and PKR leaders, members and supporters know Anwar must not lose,” said
an observer.Ground study makes it difficult to envisage Permatang Pauh folk
abandoning Anwar, especially when he is leading his troops and many Malaysians
for a change of guards in Putrajaya. For many, Anwar is still a symbol of their
pride, an icon of reform.Many will not trade him for development promises ala
Umno. It’s too premature to make a bold prediction, weighing all pros
and cons, Anwar should be able to win, maybe with a reduced majority.
Nomination day for the general election is Saturday, April 20. Polling is on
Sunday, May 5.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/11/plot-to-finish-off-anwar/
