Pakatan Rakyat candidate Mohd Salleh Man, 55, contesting the Permatang Pasir by-election is from PAS.
He faces off Barisan Nasional and Umno challenger, Rohaizat Othman, 38, who is hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
But candidates aside, there is one man who stands head and shoulders above others in Permatang Pasir state constituency - Permatang Pauh parliamentarian Anwar Ibrahim.
Apart from certain areas with hardcore PAS voters, Anwar remained the biggest crowd puller.
The non-Malay voters are virtually Anwar loyalists. They are simply mesmerised by his oratory skills and anti-BN jibes.
Like Permatang Pauh by-election last year, some 90 per cent of the constituency's nearly 5,800 non-Malay votes should go for PAS, largely due to Anwar.
The PKR de facto leader Anwar won Permatang Pauh by-election last August by a 15,671-landslide majority, securing 31,195 votes against his nearest challenger from Umno Arif Shah Omar Shah's 15,524,
Relatively unknown Hanafi Hamat from Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) lost his RM15,000 deposit with mere 92 votes.
Anwar garnered more than 13,000 votes in Permatang Pasir constituency.
In several Pakatan rallies held in current by-election in pre-dominantly non-Malay areas, Anwar had appealed to voters to give full support to PAS state commissioner Mohd Salleh.
"Give him the same support you have been giving me," Anwar said at last night rain-affected rally Kampung Cross Street, Bukit Mertajam.
Even Barisan Nasional leaders and grassroots campaigners tacitly conceded that Anwar would be the major difference in the contest.
"This is his territory. He is the towering political figure here," admitted an Umno local leader.
The tribal king
Many BN campaign strategists are resigned to defeat partly due to Anwar's presence and Rohaizat undermined credibility due to various surfacing allegations on malpractices and wrongdoings.
Their best hope now is to reduce the PAS majority.
Permatang Pasir, which has been PAS sole seat held by the late Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman in Penang since 1999, has 20,290 voters and one postal vote.
Some 72.36 percent of the electorates are Malays, 25.85 percent Chinese, 1.63 percent Indians and 0.16 percent others. It has 300 new voters.
The by-election was called after from Hamdan passed away on July 31.
One may claim that Permatang Pasir is PAS stronghold and can be retained without Anwar's influence.
However, one shall not forget PAS first won Permatang Pasir in 1999 general election via Hamdan on the wave of Anwar's sympathy votes.
The constituency's most famous son, Anwar then was languishing in jail.
In 2004, general election, Hamdan won it again by only 679 votes before retaining it in March last with a majority of 5,433 votes beating Umno's Ahmad Sahar Shuib.
Anwar secured more than 7,000 majority votes in Permatang Pauh by-election in Aug last year, 2,000 votes more than Hamdan.
Anwar' undisputed position as Permatang Pauh 'tribal king' inevitably invites trouble.
Upset but unperturbed
The latest poison pen book on him - '50 Kemusyiklan Tentang Manusia Bernama Anwar Ibrahim' (50 doubts about a human named Anwar Ibrahim) is a testimony to the extent his adversaries fear his political strength.
Anwar though looks upset but seems unperturbed by the book, which has been circulated in several places in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled state of Selangor
"Certain people are behind this book but they dare not identify themselves.
"But we know it must from Umno . . . circulated freely at bus and taxi stands," he said after a rally last night.
Apart from this 193-page book, titled, another book titled 'Nasib Melayu Selangor' (The fate of the Malays in Selangor) attacking the leadership of Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has also been circulated.
The two books, with no author or publishers' names, emerged soon after the Selangor government supporters club claimed that there was an Umno-BN conspiracy to topple the state Pakatan administration.
Anwar drew similarities with the latest poison pen book on him with the '50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM' (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister), which appeared more than 10 years ago.
'50 Dalil' was distributed in 1998 just before Anwar was sacked from his deputy prime minister post and kicked out from the party over allegations of sodomy and corruption.
Anwar acknowledged that both books on him have hallmarks of malicious and vicious campaign to tarnish him.
But he felt that Malaysians, especially Malays, would not be influenced by such venomous propaganda.
"Malaysians and Malays are matured now. They would not believe all these slanderous lies," he told Malaysiakini in between his busy by-election campaign schedule.
Voters fatigue?
Meanwhile, the voters in Permatang Pasir seemed to be hit by fatigue.
Perhaps the trial of a third by-election in their constituency within the last 17 months may have tolled them. Crowd turnouts in many rallies have not been encouraging.
Some voters are less keen to attend rallies, even those organised by Pakatan, partly because they have already made their minds and partly being bore down by rhetoric political statements.
Some observers predict a low voter turnout for the polling day on Aug 25.
Permatang Pasir will be the third by-election within a year in the Permatang Pauh parliament seat and eighth in the country overall since the last general election.
Pakatan has won six while BN took the Batang Ai state seat in Sarawak.
With just about 24 hour ago to Tuesday polls, BN election think-tank had acknowledged that the coalition was trailing Pakatan by 40-60 per cent among Malay voters and by 10 - 90 per cent in non-Malay areas.
While BN strategists believe they can win over 10 per cent more Malay votes, they are clueless about what to do with non-Malay votes.
"Most non-Malays seem friendly and were supportive to our candidate. Of course they are accepted all our gifts and instant projects.
"But I doubt they will vote for BN. They have not lost their hatred towards BN leaders, who they perceived as arrogant and corrupted," said Umno local leader.
Although Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has openly stated that BN would make development promises to woo voters, BN campaigners were seen making promises to carry out small projects, such as to renovate surau, village homes and repair roads.
Anwar has already called on voters not to be shy of asking for cash and material aids from BN during the campaign.
"Ask BN to repair your suraus, homes, re-tar roads. . . ask their leaders to give fertilizers, tractors and other agro-aids.
"But when you vote, vote for the moon (PAS symbol)," said Anwar, drawing laughter and applause.
Permatang Pasir folks are highly likely to heed to their favourite leader's call.
24/08/09
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