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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Three-corner fight for Permatang Pauh

The Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election on Aug 26 will see a three-corner fight among three candidates : PKR adviser and de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Seberang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Hamat.

Former Penang PKR Chairman, Dr Mansor withdrew after Anwar’s nomination was accepted but declined to comment further. He withdrew before the candidates were announced, however, he lost his deposit because he withdrew after the nomination period ended at 10am, Returning officer Roslan Yahaya said.

The by-election for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency, which has 58,459 voters, 69 per cent of whom are Malays, 25 per cent Chinese and six per cent Indians and others, is being held after Dr Wan Azizah resigned as its MP to make way for her husband, Anwar, to contest the seat.

Anwar had held the seat from 1982 until 1999 when he was convicted and jailed for corruption. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Barisan Nasional (BN) expects a tough battle in the Aug 26 Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election but is confident of winning the three-corner fight.

Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib said BN had a stronger chance of wresting the seat from PKR following the entry of Akim into the picture.

PAS vice president Datuk Husam Musa said the by-election would be a tough battle for the PR as it had to contend with the BN’s formidable election machinery but was confident the opposition coalition would prevail.

He said that Anwar’s former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s action of swearing on the Quran at the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that Anwar had sodomised him, would not in anyway sway PAS members support for Anwar as it was “obviously timed to derail Anwar’s plan of making a comeback”.

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