PMTG PAUH Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail may be a petite woman, but her fangs are out now, as she fights off claim after claim that threaten her chances of victory in Permatang Pauh.

 

In particular, she is upset about being described as a "blind loyalist" to her husband, jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

 

Last night at an anti-goods and services tax (GST) ceramah in Seberang Jaya, Wan Azizah spoke with a firm voice and asked that she not be insulted during the campaign.

 

“Do not insult me, do not say I am a blind loyalist. I am not blind.”

 

She said this in reference to allegations by a group of residents from Kajang, her constituency as assemblyperson, who claimed she merely obeys Anwar’s orders .

 

“Anwar went through the same (sodomy) allegations twice - there were many things which were not right about his case,” she said.

 

“Why should I follow BN and believe what they say about Anwar?” Wan Azizah asked some 500 people who turned up for the ceramah.

 

Anwar was first jailed from 2001 to 2006, for abuse of power related to his first sodomy charge.

 

During his absence, Wan Azizah contested his Permatang Pauh seat in the 1999, 2004 and 2008 elections.

 

She was victorious in all three, but vacated her seat on July 31, 2008, to allow Anwar to recontest the seat and allowed him to return to Parliament.

 

She has remained as PKR president since 1999, and her post was never challenged in the party’s triennial elections.

 

Wan Azizah now faces three candidates - Umno’s Suhaimi Sabudin, PRM’s Azman Shah Othman and Independent candidate Salleh Isahak - in the parliamentary seat that goes to polls on May 7.

 

Early voting is on May 3. Anwar lost the seat when he failed to obtain a royal pardon for his conviction.

 

‘I am not alone’

 

Wan Azizah also refuted an obscure news portal that said she was “lonely and alone” on her campaign trail, which entered its sixth day today.

 

To show she is neither lonely nor alone, Wan Azizah roped in several top Pakatan leaders to join her on stage as she delivered her short speech at the Tapak Expo.

 

Among them were PKR deputy chief Azmin Ali ( right ), central committee member Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Seberang Perai assemblyperson Dr Afif Bahardin, PAS deputy chief Mohamed Sabu, PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli, Penang PAS commissioner Mujahid Yusof Rawa, political secretary to the Penang chief minister Wong Hon Wai, Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto and Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer.

 

Last night, at a dinner organised by PAS at Cross Street, Permatang Pasir, these leaders also sang praises of Wan Azizah.

 

Azmin said Wan Azizah is not an ordinary woman.

 

“A nation can be rotten because of corrupt leaders, but Wan Azizah lived a simple life compared to others,” the Selangor menteri besar said.

 

Mahfuz ( left ) described Wan Azizah as the “most suitable candidate” to take over Anwar's baton in Permatang Pauh.

 

“Her victory is not only important for Permatang Pauh, but also the whole country,” said the Pokok Sena MP.

 

“All these years, Wan Azizah and her family have suffered so much because of the struggle,” he added.

'You too, Muhyiddin?'

 

Hatta, who is PAS election director, reminded that Kak Wan was the founding president of PKR when the party was launched before the 1999 general election.

 

She was also the country’s first female opposition leader, Hatta said.

 

She is committed to the struggle until now, although her opponents, including Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, tried to belittle her ability, he added.

 

Apart from BN’s strategy to portray Wan Azizah as living in her husband’s shadow, Muhyiddin has kicked off a campaign to undermine Wan Azizah by questioning her ability to juggle between two constituencies .

 

However, Hatta ( right ) called the DPM’s bluff pointing out, “If they say she cannot take care of two constituencies, how about Muhyiddin?

 

“He is DPM in Putrajaya, but needs to serve his voters in Pagoh as he is the MP there,” he said.

 

Hatta said Pakatan works as a team in Parliament, so the question of whether Wan Azizah could serve Permatang Pauh as MP and Kajang as assemblyperson at the same time does not arise at all.