Malaysia's Anwar says his team is working hard for by-election

Wan Azizah (L) speaks as her husband Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim looks on.

PENANG, Malaysia: De facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he is not just waging a psychological warfare by claiming that he has the numbers to bring down the Barisan Nasional (BN) government by September.

As the campaign heats up for the by-election in Permatang Pauh, the ruling UMNO party is highlighting their candidate's ability to speak several languages, including Mandarin. But Anwar's supporters said it takes more than just a talent for languages to win the polls.

Permatang Pauh, which is in the northern state of Penang, was one of the star performers for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in the Malaysian general elections in March, with Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, winning by a large majority.

But Anwar, who is now contesting in the Permatang Pauh's by-election after his wife stepped down to make way for him, is not resting on his laurels. He said the team has been working very hard since the campaign kicked off.

"The incessant propaganda campaign by UMNO is a very racist one. It's about Malay survival, Malay supremacy and a vicious attack on my personal character as a stooge of the Chinese and of course, the other malicious campaign. Ours is unity, economic programme because the economy is sluggish," he said.

Anwar also has bigger plans beyond Permatang Pauh, which include staking a claim to the premiership – something that the ruling BN, led by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, believes is wishful thinking on the opposition leader's part.

"It's a fact that they have publicly said (that it's) impossible, the entire coalition of opposition will not garner or deny them a two-thirds majority... In fact, they were so confident of wresting over Kelantan - we have proven them wrong the last time and we can prove them wrong (again)," Anwar said.

Attempting to deny the opposition leader his road to the federal parliament is Arif Shah Omar Shah from UMNO. He not only holds a seat in the Penang legislative assembly, but is also multilingual. The opposition, however, remains unfazed about Arif Shah's linguistic talents.

Chong Eng, MP from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), said: "Having a person who is able to speak in many dialects is a good thing for the multiracial country, but the policy of Barisan Nasional, especially UMNO, does not reflect that.

"So a person's ability would not be able to bring a difference unless there is a policy change. I don't think he is going to bring about any policy change."

While Anwar's supporters seem confident of victory in next Tuesday's by-election, what they are concerned now is the vote margin. The Penang state government has urged employers who have workers from the Permatang Pauh division to give them time off to cast their votes in next week's by-election.

CNA/so
Channel NewsAsia
23/08/08