Permatang Pauh voters are told to move beyond opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim and embrace a BN candidate to reap the benefits of development.

Permatang Pauh, said Penang Umno liason committee chief Zainal Abidin Osman (below), has been 'deprived' of development being under PKR for 17 years now.

"These 17 years were all about Anwar, his wife or daughter or best friend," Zainal Abidin, who currently holds the Penang- Federal Action Council chief post, told Malaysiakini .

"How about the Permatang Pauh people? That is most important,"  said the former deputy minister in the Ministry of Rural Development.

"After 17 years, they have been deprived a lot of development compared to their neighbours in Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor," he added.

Kepala Batas and Tasek Gekugor are currently held by Umno's Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Shabudin Yahya.

By-election approaching

Speculation is rife that Anwar's second daughter Nurul Nuha ( below right ), 31, will be fielded as the candidate for Permatang Pauh.

Anwar - who is currently serving a five-year jail term in Sungai Buloh for sodomy - was the MP for Permatang Pauh for 17 years under the BN ticket.

His wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail held the seat while Anwar - after he was sacked from his deputy chief minister's post - was in prison for abuse of power related to his first sodomy charge which stretched 1999 to 2004.

Azizah vacated the seat in 2007 for Anwar to return to active politics in 2008, after which held the posts of parliamentary Opposition leader and PKR de facto head.

The seat will once again be vacant and a by-election will be declared in 60 days if Anwar fails to seek a pardon from the King to allow him to be released from prison.

"Anwar is history [...] Permatang Pauh voters can be nostalgic about him being the deputy prime minister once upon a time but that was 20 years ago," stressed Zainal Abidin, who was lately awarded the Dato Seri title.

Umno won't give up

Under BN, Anwar brought some development like the Universiti Institute Teknologi Mara and Tengku Bainun teacher's training center to Permatang Pauh, Zainal Abidin noted.

However, Permatang Pauh simply cannot continue living with Anwar, his family or his cronies, he said.

Nurul Nuha, 31, will only serve to carry on Anwar's legacy, he added.

"Move on and allow a good local person to contest the Permatang Pauh seat [...] someone young and qualified.

"We dont know who he is [...] we have to find or give someone else a chance [...] someone outside Anwar's circle, maybe they can do better," he said.

Zainal Abidin said in view of some quarters in BN not wanting to contest the Chempaka seat, Penang Umno wanted to propose that it does not wish to give up contesting in Permatang Pauh.

'Millions in allocations'

The Chempaka state seat in Kelantan fell vacant following PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan Menteri Besar's death last Friday.

"We want to give the Permatang Pauh people a chance to decide whether they want PKR or go for change.

"They only have to look at neighbouring constituencies - Kepala Batas, Tasek Gelugor and Balik Pulau - which are all held by BM MPs to see the development taking place," he said.

"Development mushroomed in these constituencies as the MPs provide small projects to the local people over the years," he added.

Zainal Abidin said local BN MPs have millions of ringgit in allocations to help bring changes to Permatang Pauh (left) .

He said it was not too late for the Permatang Pauh people to enjoy these allocations if they were to choose BN in the coming by-election.

"This time, the polls will not be about forming the state or federal government, it would just be about electing a new MP to help the people," he said.

'Give us three years'

Zainal Abidin urged those who do not feel the need to have government aid - like the business or professional communities not to be 'selfish but to think of the many poor people who still need such help.

"Do you know there are kampung houses without electricity in Permatang Pauh, where drains are so clogged you do not see the drains?" He asked.

"There are many things a local MP can look into. After all, the people have voted in three state assemblypersons under Pakatan in the Permatang Pauh constituency," he pointed out.

"Why not give the parliamentary seat to BN?

"Give our guy three years to prove whether he can be better than Anwar, his wife, daughter or best friend," challenged the former Nibong Tebal MP.