Aminah Abdullah, an independent candidate in the Penanti by-election, vowed she would not be drawn into a name-calling contest with PKR leaders days after she was disparagingly called ‘Minah Ronggeng’ (a woman with low morals).

Instead she took party vice-president Azmin Ali's ‘Minah Ronggeng’ jibe with an open heart.

"Never mind if Azmin want to call me Minah Ronggeng. I am happy and thankful a thousand times to have been given such a title. But I will not react the same way by name calling him or others,” she told journalists during her routine morning campaign rounds in the state constituency.

"I will not use such campaign tactics ... it’s not my style."

She nevertheless recalled that the Gombak parliamentarian had once told her one should not engage in smear or character assassination campaigns.

Speaking at Pakatan by-election rally in Kubang Ulu, Penanti on Wednesday night, Azmin ridiculed Aminah as a ‘Minah Ronggeng’ for claiming that PKR had offered her the deputy chief minister post if she wins the by-election.

"Why would PKR offer a person like Minah Ronggeng the position of DCM when we have a former professor as our candidate?

"Minah Ronggeng should see her face first on the mirror before making such senseless accusations," said Azmin, bringing laughter to the 1,000 villagers who were there.

The PKR candidate for the by-election is former academician from Universiti Sains Malaysia Mansor Othman who faces independent candidates Aminah, Nai Khan Ari Nai Keow and Kamarul Ramizu Idris in a four-cornered fight.

On Monday, Aminah had accused two local PKR leaders, supreme council member Cheah Kah Peng and Batu Kawan division deputy chief Peter Lim of attempting to bribe her with RM80,000 and the president’s post one of the local municipalities if she were to withdraw from the contest.

She alleged that alternately she was offered by the two leaders, whom she referred as close friends, the DCM post if she refused to quit and wins the by-election instead.

She had handed over audio recordings and photographic evidence of the meeting to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Election Commission.

Cheah and Lim, both whom gave statements to MACC yesterday, conceded that they had visited Aminah on her invitation, but denied making such offers.

Aminah’s allegations has spiced up a rather dull electoral affair in Penanti, mainly due to the unprecedented absence of a Barisan Nasional candidate from Umno.

Given a tongue-lashing by state chief

Aminah today also revealed the ‘dark secret’ about being given a tongue lashing by PKR state chief Zahrain Md Hashim during a seminar at a hotel in Jawi, Penang.

Aminah, a former state PKR Wanita chief, said she was verbally assaulted by Zahrain and four other party leaders in full view of the PKR women leaders at the 2007 seminar.

While the incident was not scandalous, Aminah said she felt “embarrassed and humiliated” by Zahrain’s behaviour.

She however did not disclose further details of Zahrain's tongue lashing apart from saying that she was accused by him of lying and being a poor performer as a women leader.

Aminah said she had a audio recording of the incident and would make it public at “the right time”.

Aminah also hit out at Zahrain, a former Umno Tanjung Umno chief, for bringing Umno’s culture into PKR, which she claimed has crippled the party with factionalism and greed for power.

"These former Umno members are not qualified to criticise their former party because they are much worse," she said.