PMTG PAUH PKR’s Permatang Pauh candidate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is often viewed as a loyal wife, running to her husband’s side whenever he needs her.

 

Today for example, Azizah has set aside her programmes in Permatang Pauh to attend her husband Anwar Ibrahim’s qazaf appeal in Kuala Lumpur.

 

The Permatang Pauh campaign period has entered its third day, and Azizah is still bringing messages from Anwar from the Sungai Buloh prison.

 

Since Feb 10, he is serving a five-year jail sentence for a sodomy conviction.

 

She never fails to tell voters that she has no choice but to fill his shoes and defend the seat, which was declared vacant when Anwar failed to obtain a pardon from the Agong.

 

Many would shed a tear, feeling her miseries. Some, however, think she is not fit to be a parliamentarian.

 

One such person is MCA Penang liaison committee chief Chew Mei Fun, who felt voters are beginning to tire of Azizah’s antics.

 

“People should realise by now that when they elect a representative, she should actually represent the people and not her husband or any family member.

 

“That is unfair,” said Chew, when met after she spoke at a dinner organised by MCA for 350 in Kubang Semang last night.

 

“Azizah needs to be very clear what is the role of an MP,” added Chew ( right ), who contested against Kajang assemblyperson Wan Azizah last year and lost.

 

Wan Azizah, who is also the PKR president also held Permatang Pauh from 1999 to 2008 when Anwar was serving a six-year jail sentence for abuse of power related to his first sodomy charge.

 

Youth before beauty?

 

Still, Chew admits it is an uphill battle for BN to win the seat - which has been in Anwar’s clutches since 1982 when he was in Umno.

 

But she sees a flicker of hope for Umno’s younger candidate Suhaimi Sabudin, who is 19 years younger than the 63-year-old Azizah.

 

Azizah and Suhaimi will be contesting against two other candidates - PRM’s Azman Shah Othman and independent Salleh Isahak.

 

Chew also felt it is only fair to the constituents to have a representative who does not need to juggle two constituencies at the same time.

 

“She did not serve the Kajang people, how can she serve Permatang Pauh?” claimed Chew.

 

“When it comes to serving the people, you cannot expect her to do that,” she said adding, “So the time has come for change.”

 

MCA is waving the development card in the face of voters although Permatang Pauh shows signs of being a developed town compared to its neighbours in Bagan, Bukit Mertajam in Penang and Kulim in Kedah.

 

But Chew said there are still pockets of poverty-stricken families whom she claimed Anwar as the former MP had neglected.

 

Like Gerakan, which wrested the Telok Intan seat from DAP with a razor thin majority in last year’s by-election, MCA hopes BN can repeat its performance citing Kajang, where Azizah won with a reduced majority last year, said to be owing to the lower turnout than in the 13th general election.

 

“We are targeting about seven to eight percent increase of votes. If we can do that, we would be happy,” she said.

 

GST giving BN run for money

 

Chew was asked if the party is making a headway with voters by explaining national issues like the unpopular six percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) that the BN government introduced on April 1.

 

Pakatan Rakyat has made it harder for BN by adopting the slogan “No to GST” as its main battle cry in this by-election.

 

“We do recognise the people are still not used to issues like the GST. There is a lot of confusion here.

 

“This is one of the reasons why we have to work double hard here,” Chew said.

 

MCA may have to work doubly hard, too, to convince voters that PAS’ insistence to implement hudud law in Kelantan and Malaysia is a “threat” to non-Muslims.

 

MCA’s age-old strategy to show that DAP has played out the Chinese by helping PAS in its desire for hudud does not seem to be working, with Chew claiming “many are still misled by DAP and say that hudud will not happen in this country”.

 

“Actually, the threat is there. All PAS needs is a simple majority in Parliament (to amend the syariah criminal code which allows Kelantan to enforce hudud on its citizens),” she claimed.

 

“We need to promote universal values, regardless of race or religion, but once you accept or approve of hudud being made into law, we would have two set of laws, or two courts and that will make us the laughing stock of whole world,” she stressed.

 

“Once religious laws become part of the law, it also actually interferes with the lives of others,” she said.

 

DAP has however repeatedly pointed out that MCA’s partner Umno is the one that has encouraged and assisted PAS in getting its Kelantan hudud enactment passed at the state assembly.

 

Umno’s Kelantan assemblypersons voted unanimously in favour of the hudud enactment during the last sitting.