KUALA TERENGGANU: Last night, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim supped with some 600 voters in a seaside restaurant here famous with the local Chinese community for its porcine fare.
He ate no pork. The VIP table, where he was seated alongside Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and ex-minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, were served with halal dishes catered from outside.
But in religiously-sensitive Malaysia, where one man's meat is easily another man's poison, the former deputy Prime Minister's willingness to eat in a non-halal joint scored him brownie points with the majority non-Muslim dinner crowd.
Over dinner, he shared his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) dream of a new Malaysia. He painted a picture of a harmonious multi-religious Malaysia advocating equal opportunities for all races, and a caring government that is strongly anti-corruption.
His speech, generously sprinkled with words of wisdom from the Chinese sage Confucius, held the mainly Chinese crowd captive.
Until he made a crude and explicit reference to the removal of male genitalia, in the context of hudud, the Islamic laws which prescribe the cutting off of limbs for criminal offences.
But they forgave him soon after when he, sensing the crowd's displeasure, apologised profusely for his slip of tongue.
Anwar had flown into Kuala Terengganu two evenings ago and had been rushing around the four state constituencies to campaign for its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sister party, Pas, ahead of the by-election less than 24 hours away now.
The Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of its Barisan Nasional (BN) MP Datuk Razali Ismail a month and a half ago.
As with the BN, the top leaders in the alternative Pakatan Rakyat (PR)have been dropping into town over the past few days as the tussle grows more intense.
Anwar may have wowed the Chinese voters with his studied wit, but the majority Malay voters who are the real "kingmakers" in the by-election have remained more resistant to his charm.
At an outdoor ceramah in Kubang Ikan two nights earlier, less than 200 people turned up to hear him speak.
The few who did greeted him with shouts of "Allahu Akbar" and "Takbir", but were less responsive to his studied presentation of the PR ideals, peppered heavily with Arabic phrases.
The fight over Kuala Terengganu is widely seen by pundits as a test to determine the future leadership of Malaysia.
However, the east coast voters hold an earthier view. For them, the by-election is very much a local affair.
As charismatic a speaker as Anwar is, he is still an outsider.
Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
16/01/09
He ate no pork. The VIP table, where he was seated alongside Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and ex-minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, were served with halal dishes catered from outside.
But in religiously-sensitive Malaysia, where one man's meat is easily another man's poison, the former deputy Prime Minister's willingness to eat in a non-halal joint scored him brownie points with the majority non-Muslim dinner crowd.
Over dinner, he shared his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) dream of a new Malaysia. He painted a picture of a harmonious multi-religious Malaysia advocating equal opportunities for all races, and a caring government that is strongly anti-corruption.
His speech, generously sprinkled with words of wisdom from the Chinese sage Confucius, held the mainly Chinese crowd captive.
Until he made a crude and explicit reference to the removal of male genitalia, in the context of hudud, the Islamic laws which prescribe the cutting off of limbs for criminal offences.
But they forgave him soon after when he, sensing the crowd's displeasure, apologised profusely for his slip of tongue.
Anwar had flown into Kuala Terengganu two evenings ago and had been rushing around the four state constituencies to campaign for its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sister party, Pas, ahead of the by-election less than 24 hours away now.
The Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of its Barisan Nasional (BN) MP Datuk Razali Ismail a month and a half ago.
As with the BN, the top leaders in the alternative Pakatan Rakyat (PR)have been dropping into town over the past few days as the tussle grows more intense.
Anwar may have wowed the Chinese voters with his studied wit, but the majority Malay voters who are the real "kingmakers" in the by-election have remained more resistant to his charm.
At an outdoor ceramah in Kubang Ikan two nights earlier, less than 200 people turned up to hear him speak.
The few who did greeted him with shouts of "Allahu Akbar" and "Takbir", but were less responsive to his studied presentation of the PR ideals, peppered heavily with Arabic phrases.
The fight over Kuala Terengganu is widely seen by pundits as a test to determine the future leadership of Malaysia.
However, the east coast voters hold an earthier view. For them, the by-election is very much a local affair.
As charismatic a speaker as Anwar is, he is still an outsider.
Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
16/01/09
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