A few weeks ago, Jawah Gerang swung sceptical PKR officials over to his side at the party headquarters in Petaling Jaya by telling them he would slit his throat if he lost the Batang Ai by-election.

The bravado tipped the scales in his favour over the claims of the more polished Nicholas Bawin as PKR candidate for the state seat made vacant by the death of BN’s Dublin Unting in early March.