Umno likely to contest Penanti

Speculation is rife in Penang that Umno will contest at month-end in the Penanti by-election after all.

Simultaneous visit to the Penanti constituency by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Wanita chief Shahrizat Jalil yesterday have heighten speculations that Umno would stick to its gun and challenge Pakatan.

Khairy ( left ) and Shahrizat have been visiting and talking to numerous Umno groups in a fact-finding constituency tour to test the ground and have a first-hand look at the party chances of regaining the seat.

Even if the political climate is not favourable for Barisan Nasional in Penanti, the Putrajaya ruling coalition is likely to contest the seat to safe keep its pride and reputation of not shying away from electoral challenges.

Yesterday, Khairy and Shahrizat entourages were going for rounds in Penanti areas such as Sungai Lembu, Mengkuang and Guar Perahu.

Emergence of canopies

When asked by newsmen on the possibility of BN contesting in Penanti, Khairy merely quipped that the Youth movement had left it to the discretion of BN supreme council.

“Pakatan should stop politicking and instead help the nation to rebuild the economy,” he said, echoing the campaign line adopted by Umno and BN top leadership.

The timing of their entourage rules out the notion that they were merely in Penanti for a routine party dialogue session-cum-working visit with the grassroots.

BN supreme council will sit on May 18 and a decision would be made then to decide if Umno should field a candidate for the Penanti by-election.

“Khairy and Shahrizat ( right ) presence in Penanti today indicates that Umno plans to contest. At least, it points to that direction,” said a local leader.

Moreover, the mushrooming of canopies in Penanti, apparently built by the police force and sponsored by Umno, suggests that BN is preparing for a contest with Pakatan.

If a by-election contest takes place, Umno will face off Pakatan in Penanti for the third time in 14 months.

The Penanti seat comes under the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency, which is held by Pakatan supremo, Anwar Ibrahim.

Umno lost Penanti to Pakatan in the last general election in March 2008 and suffered another defeat during the Permatang Pauh by-election in August.

The Penanti seat fell vacant when its incumbent state representative, former deputy chief minister (DCM 1) Mohammad Fairuzs Khairuddin, resigned on April 16.

BN, make up your mind

Pakatan already nominated its state deputy leader, former academician Mansor Othman, 58, to contest on the behalf of Pakatan. If he wins, Mansor is set to be appointed as the Penang government new DCM 1.

Despite a thorough deliberation on the by-election, Penang Umno liaison committee did not adopt any stand during its meeting in Georgetown on Thursday.

The state committee did not want to pressure the party top leadership into making any decision.

Indeed, the state committee, headed by Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ( left ), has left the ball in BN supreme council’s court.

BN chairperson and Umno president, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has expressed desire to pass over Penanti, claiming that by-elections were a waste of public resources - a stand supported by BN component party, Gerakan.

However, former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamed and local Umno leaders preferred a contest.

Ahmad Zahid has already said Penang Umno would abide by any decision taken by BN supreme council, although its state and division machineries are nevertheless ready to take on arch rival Pakatan in the Penanti contest.

Different views from Umno leaders

Last night’s meeting saw local Umno leaders having split opinions on the question over whether or not the party should contest the seat.

Some claim that Umno should contest to please and maintain its loyal vote bank while certain leaders were critical against a possible unprecedented move by ruling BN not to contest an election.

They have argued that Umno shall never give Anwar and Pakatan a walkover because it would paint a wrong picture that the party faced a dearth of talented leaders.

“A walkover to Pakatan would be seen as cowardice by Umno to avoid an electoral defeat. It would indecorously dent our pride and give our rival a free ride to victory,” said a party assemblyperson.

A handful others, however, felt Umno should pass over Penanti to avert another undignified defeat, arguing that the party would only waste its financial resources and time for a lost cause.

Either way, Penang Umno has drawn out a strategy to justify any decision to be taken by the BN supreme council.

If BN decides to contest, its campaign strategy would be focused to give Pakatan a tough fight.

“We will plea to electorates not to give Pakatan an easy victory. Who knows it might work for us in scoring an upset,” said a local leader, who admitted that Pakatan was the favourite.

On the other hand, Umno plans to justify a ‘no contest’ decision by claiming that frequent by-elections were waste of public resources.

Umno will also point out that it was Pakatan that had forced the Penanti by-election on the voters merely to flex its political muscles and a newly-found electoral strength.

Possible Umno candidates

Permatang Pauh Umno division has already submitted to the Umno top leadership via the state liaison committee a list of potential candidates, including the likes of division chief Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid, deputy chief Nasir Abdullah, both businessmen, and secretary Rohaizat Osman, a lawyer by training.

In an event of a contest, Rohaizat is tipped as the likely candidate.

However, this may not go down well with Jalil, who harbours hopes of having another shot at Penanti. He was Penanti assemblyperson from 2004-08 before losing it to Fairus in last general election.

A major stumbling block to Umno’s desire to contest Penanti is the factionalism in Permatang Pauh.

Previously touted division committee member Malik Shariff has already ruled himself out due to intense factional politicking.

A former senior government officer, Malik was seen as a neutral candidate acceptable to all four factions - respectively led by division chief Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid, former general election candidate Pirdaus Ismail, former division chief Ahmad Saad, and Seberang Jaya assemblyperson Arif Shah Omar Shah.

Apart from Mansor, former PKR state women chief Aminah Abdullah has indicated desire to contest Penanti as an independent candidate while Islamic-based party – Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) – has also shown interests to join the fray.

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) has withdrawn its earlier intention to contest and would support Pakatan in the Penanti by-election.

A likely ‘football match’

Polling is on May 31, a Sunday, and nomination day falls on Saturday, May 23.

Drawing similarities to a football match, Pakatan election chief strategist Saifuddin Nasution taunted recently that his party had been warming up on the pitch for too long by waiting for its opponent (Umno) to emerge from the stadium tunnel to square it off for the fifth time in the Peninsula.

Prior to Penanti, by-elections were held in Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu and Bukit Gantang parliamentary, and Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai state constituencies.

“BN has changed its captain to Najib but still dare not enter the field. They will only decide next Monday. Never before BN and Umno had delayed such decision,” he mocked.

Machang parliamentarian Saifuddin said Pakatan was overall leading four-nil in its electoral battles in Peninsula, which he described as the “premier league football played in big main stadiums”.

He dismissed Pakatan’s Batang Ai defeat to BN as a “loss in a football match played in a remote village pitch.”

However, the sudden emergence of Khairy and Shahrizat in Penanti left lingering doubts that Umno would stay out from facing its adversary.