The Permatang Pauh polls slated for May 7 is shaping up to be a battle to prove which is moderate - BN or Pakatan Rakyat – in wooing the Chinese vote.

 

Of the 71,890 voters there, 50,579 are Malays (70.36 percent), 16,462 Chinese (22.9 percent), 4532 Indian (6.3 percent)、40 Sabah bumiputera（0.06 percent, 33 Sarawak bumiputera (0.05 percent)、1 indigenous (0.01 percent）and 243 others（0.32 percent).

 

When launching its operations centre on Friday, MCA president Liow Tiong Lai reportedly said slogans like "defend diversity", "safeguard moderation" will be the party's battle cry to win support from the Chinese community.

 

According to media reports, Liow had reportedly denounced Pakatan for betraying the community, urging them to give MCA some "positive energy" to complete BN's transformation plan.

 

Before the 2013 national polls, DAP said it was able to counter-balance PAS but that is not the case, he said.

 

After the May 2013 polls, the political scenario has become more racialised and religious with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang tabling a Private Members Bill on hudud law in Parliament, he added.

 

Main target

MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong reportedly said the polls campaign's main target was winning the support of the 17,000 Chinese voters in Permatang Pauh.

 

Nomination day for the seat is on April 25 with early voting on May 3.

 

Responding to MCA's claims, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ( right ) said her party was more genuine in promoting moderation, compared to Umno or BN, PKR's main rivals in the polls.

 

"After the 2013 election, who questioned 'Apa lagi Cina mau?' Is this the kind of moderation they meant?" She asked when launching PKR's operation centre in Sama Gagah yesterday.

 

She was referring to an article in Utusan Malaysia after GE13 with the same headline which gave the impression that the Chinese mostly supported Pakatan, giving the coalition a 52 percent popular vote, while the Malays backed BN.

 

"If they are really keen to push for this agenda, they would have accepted the results and say 'even though the people don't support me, never mind, it is a democratic election.

 

"But they didn't say that and instead, blamed the Chinese for not giving them support," she said.

 

"They play two-faced politics by labelling Anwar Ibrahim as a traitor to the Malays in Malay areas while they attack him as a Malay chauvinist who has strongly pushed for the Malay language and New Economic Policy in the Chinese areas," she added.

'Who is more moderate?'

 

Meanwhile, Chinese community operation centre main coordinator Law Choo Kiang ( left ) claimed moderation is always part of PKR's struggle and slogan since the party was launched in 1999.

 

Which is why this party appear to have less religious and racial elements.

 

"If MCA and Gerakan said the voters should support moderation, then they should ask; between Umno and PKR, which is more moderate?

 

"Which is more racist and corrupt? Which has the better track record?

 

"When you try to help Umno campaign, please asked yourself, which party is more extreme and which one often scolds non-Malays?

 

"What they (BN) are doing is actually weakening the power of moderation," he held.

 

During a press conference after her walk-about, Azizah said PKR will announce its candidate on April 24.

 

Azizah, who held the Permatang Pauh seat from 1999 to 2008 when Anwar was in jail for abuse of power related to his first sodomy charge, is highly speculated to be the candidate.

 

Anwar, who is serving a five year jail term for sodomy at the Sungai Buloh prison, lost his seat when his family failed to obtain a pardon from the Agong to seek his freedom.

 

Asked if PKR had consulted Anwar on the choice of candidate, Azizah said his lawyers had informed him and the decision will be based on party consensus.

 

"The winning chance is positive for PKR as the people's sentiment is pro-Anwar and against the implementation of the six percent goods and tax services," she said.