Anwar promises a surprise in Bagan Pinang

By Adib Zalkapli

PETALING JAYA, Sept 14 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) acknowledged Barisan Nasional (BN) were the favourites in the upcoming Bagan Pinang by-election in Negeri Sembilan, but pledged his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would give the ruling coalition a tough fight.
“God willing, with the people’s support we will pull a surprise,” said Anwar.
The Bagan Pinang state seat is an Umno stronghold situated within the Teluk Kemang parliamentary constituency represented by PKR’s Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abbas.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the PR leadership council meeting today, Anwar also urged the Election Commission to be consistent in ensuring that polling is on weekends for all elections.
He alleged the election body was biased in setting polling day on weekends only for Barisan Nasional strongholds.
Earlier today the EC set polling for the Bagan Pinang by-election on Sunday, October 11 while polling will be held on October 3.
“I hope, beginning with Bagan Pinang, polling will only be held on a weekend. We should not be telling them this as the Election Commission should know better,” said Anwar.
In the last Permatang Pasir by-election, a PR stronghold, polling was held on a Tuesday.
Meanwhile PAS’s Datuk Mustafa Ali who was also present at the press conference said that he hoped the 5,000 postal voters in the constituency would be able to exercise their rights independently.
“This is a very different by-election, where out of some 14,000 voters, 5,000 are postal voters,” said the PAS secretary general.
“Usually the postal voters, majority of them would support BN, but this time God willing, they will use their wisdom, their freedom to support Pakatan Rakyat,” Mustafa added.
The by-election was called following the death of Umno’s Azman Mohammad Noor early this month.
In the last general election Azman won the seat by defeating PAS’ Ramli Ismail by some 2,000 votes.
Negeri Sembilan PAS has proposed three names to be considered by the party’s central leadership to stand in Bagan Pinang; its state chief Zulkefli Mohd Omar, former state PAS chief Dr Rosli Yaakop and Ramli.
The Teluk Kemang Umno division on the other hand has proposed the name of former party vice-president Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad to be fielded in the by-election.