Source : Malaysiakini
Anwar once again reiterated that his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance is poised to sweep power by Sept 16, even though it now only commands 82 seats in parliament compared with the ruling BN’s 140 seats..
The former deputy prime minister has not given details on how he hopes to achieve the result, but political observers believe there may be switchovers from the BN camp if he wins the Permatang Pauh seat and returns to parliament to officially lead the opposition.
Meanwhile, Anwar also accused BN, especially Umno, of resorting to personal attacks against him in the campaign.
He lashed out at Wanita Umno deputy chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil, who earlier declared 'jihad' (holy war) against him.
He claimed that Sharizat was feeling sour because she lost to his daughter Nurul Izzah during the March 8 polls.
"For that she announced a holy war against me and Sharizat should be the last to talk about it herself!" he hit back.
Confident of winning
Regarded as a hero by his supporters for uniting and leading the opposition to its biggest ever haul during the March general election, Anwar expressed confidence about winning in Permatang Pauh against BN candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah but declined to predict by how many votes.
Permatang Pauh, a quiet northern town, has drawn hordes of supporters and is now the focus of national attention. While many believe it is a given that Anwar will win, bookies are doing a roaring business taking odds on the size of his majority.
According to the latest talk in the warungs or coffee shops that dot the semi-urban town, the going bet now is that Anwar will win with a majority in excess of at least 10,000 votes if the voting turnout is more than 70 percent.
The Permatang Pauh seat fell vacant after Anwar's wife PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail vacated it to pave the way for her husband’s return to parliament after a 10-year absence.
A former prime minister in waiting, Anwar was sacked by ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges he says were framed by his political enemies.
He was released in 2004, a few months after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over from Mahathir.
While the previous sodomy charge was overturned by the courts, Anwar now faces a fresh sodomy allegation, this time by former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Anwar has pleaded not guilty and claimed that it is a political conspiracy to stop him and his Pakatan alliance from taking power.
Although the sodomy case is being wielded by BN as their main campaign weapon, Anwar said he has never before experienced the kind of support he was now getting from the constituency.
He said feedback from the ground showed that "the people just don't buy it."
DOWN UNDER TO HEAD OFF PAKATAN RAKYAT
By Wan Hamidi Hamid and Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
Barisan Nasional backbenchers have been told to attend an overseas
retreat, believed to be in Australia, in what is being seen as an
attempt to head off their potential defection to Pakatan Rakyat.
All BN lawmakers were told through a text message sent out yesterday
that attendance for the trip is compulsory.
But the response so far has been lukewarm.
The text message from the BN Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) reads: "BNBBC
has received approval to hold a retreat overseas from Sept 7 to Sept
19. The attendance of all MPs is compulsory."
"This is for all BN backbenchers not just Sabah Sarawak and is
organised by Bung Mokhtar and Tiong, the chairman and deputy," an East
Malaysian MP told The Malaysian Insider, referring to BNBBC chairman
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and his deputy Datuk Bung Moktar Radin.
But the East Malaysian MP said he would not be attending the retreat.
"It makes no difference. If people want to cross then they'll cross
but nobody is crossing anyway," he said.
Speculation has been building up in recent days that a number of BN
MPs are planning to defect.
The swirling rumours are a result of Opposition leader Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim's pledge to overthrow the BN government through mass
defections by Sept 16.
There are 140 BN MPs in Parliament but 65 are ministers and deputy
ministers.
The opposition has 82 MPs with one independent.
Anwar needs only 30 MPs to cross over and he will be able to form a
new government.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the planned retreat is being
funded by one BN MP.
But fewer than 30 MPs have responded so far to say they will attend
the retreat.
"This is the most stupid idea I have ever heard of. How can you stop
defections like this? I wonder if they have the approval of the PM,"
said one BN MP from Johor.
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