The biggest challenge for the opposition coalition now is to sustain their supporters’ euphoria after the surprise acquittal of their leader, Anwar Ibrahim of the sodomy charge.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ( left ) said that the difference between Anwar being in jail or free, is the effect of an upsurge in spirit and support for the opposition.

NONE Pakatan Rakyat now has to think collectively on how to sustain this euphoria for at least three of four months, he said, before the  13th general election which must be called before 2013.

“Then it is no longer a question of sustainability but how to encourage a final switch in support for Pakatan,” he told Malaysiakini after a pro-Anwar ceramah in Seberang Jaya last night.

“I do not think Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak can wait for the end of the year to call for elections. The impact from the feel-good factor would be lost if he prolongs it.

“So the issue for us now is how to maintain this momentum. The next time we have a rally, the numbers should not be less than this, with or without Anwar."

About 5,000 people attended the jubilant ceramah in Seberang Jaya to hear hot pre-election speeches from a long array of speakers who included Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, PKR deputy chief Azmin Ali and Parit Buntar PAS MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

NONE Azmin ( centre in photo ), who is Bukit Antarabangsa MP, went through the rigmarole of the sodomy charge and court decision, while Lim found a platform to disseminate the state’s welfare policies to the crowd.

The Opposition Leader’s absence, due to a trip to India and Turkey, did not dampen the spirits of supporters and well-wishers who had come to see Anwar in person after the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision yesterday.

However, several people like LLG centre director and former Gerakan politician Toh Kin Woon left earlier.

“I thought Anwar would be here,” he said.

NONE An opposition supporter from Bukit Tengah felt the ceramah was lacking in the direction that the opposition coalition must take, now that Anwar has been acquitted.

Chuan Jun Lim, a young voter, said the speeches were mere rhetoric, and only meant to whip up a feel-good feeling.

Supporters and members want to know what to expect after the euphoria has ebbed, he said.

“There should at least be some direction as to the next strategy or (ways to face) threats from Umno, which I am sure will never give up targetting Anwar,” he added.

Prepared for ‘worst-case scenario’

Saifuddin, the Machang MP, said PKR had been well prepared for a “worst-case scenario” if Anwar had been convicted and jailed.

Over the last three years, PKR had prepared members to face a situation as if the party were under threat.

NONE “Our checklist (for preparation for polls) is almost ready. We have gone beyond the stage of identifying polling agents but have also identified potential candidates in winnable areas,” he said.

“Anwar has been saying in interviews that we must have at least 40 percent of young professional candidates in our list. That percentage is achievable.”

Saifuddin said the party’s current strategy is to distribute compact discs with a collection of 60 of Anwar’s speeches on national issues.

These were prepared in view of the possibility of Anwar’s imprisonment.