Sleaze, Race Dominate Crucial By-Election

IPSnews, by Baradan Kuppusamy

PERMATANG PAUH, Penang, Aug 22 (IPS) – Sleaze and race are dominating the by-election for this constituency where opposition leader and self-proclaimed prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim is fighting to return to parliament after a decade-long absence.

Anwar tells voters that if he elected he will be just one step away from toppling the government and replacing it with a new one that is free of racial discrimination and corruption. He proposes to do that by inducing defections from the ranks of the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front coalition) or BN.

In response to Anwar’s challenge, the ruling coalition has unleashed money, patronage and the overwhelming control it has over mainstream media to convince the 58,000 voters in this constituency that Ibrahim is simply unfit to be anything, let alone the next prime minister.

Their main weapons in this campaign are sleaze and the manipulation of racial fears to influence the voters, 70 percent of whom are Muslim-Malays.

One matter persistently used in the campaign is the charge filed against Ibrahim on Jul. 26 that he sodomised a former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan. The trial starts on Sep. 13. [more]

Permatang Pauh: Let people decide, says Anwar

TheSun, Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN (Aug 22, 2008): Let the people decide the outcome of the Permatang Pauh by-election and let Barisan Nasional MPs decide whether they want to cross over to PKR or not, said PKR’s de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who is one of the contenders for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, said there is still a possibility of him winning the seat despite seemingly confident remarks by the BN and BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah.

“We should just let the people decide on this ultimately,” he said.

As for BN’s claims that he is lying about being able to get 31 MPs to cross over to form a new government come Sept 16, Anwar said the decision lies with the MPs.

“They should let the MPs decide on whether they want to cross over or not when the time comes.”

He said it is a fact that the BN have publicly said it was impossible for the Opposition coalition to deny them a two-third majority in the March elections. [more]