It all starts now. For the next nine days, all eyes will be on Manek Urai, a little-known state seat and rural constituency in Kelantan.

At stake is how Umno, a Malay nationalist party, will fare against the strength of the Islamic credentials of PAS in a constituency where almost all the 12,293 voters are Malays.

pas and bn candidate fauzi abdullah tuan aziz manek urai election nomination day 060709 PAS is banking on 50-year-old Kuala Krai fish wholeseller Mohd Fauzi Abdullah (right in photo) - locally known as Abe Uji - to carry the day on July 13.

It will be the local version of his name that will be on the ballot paper, and at the top, too.

Umno has chosen its Kuala Krai Youth chief and bureaucrat Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat to try and wrest the seat from PAS. Umno has only been able to take this seat twice from PAS in 12 general elections.

The by-election will not have an impact on the status of the state government, as PAS holds 38 of the 45 state seats. Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is also the party spiritual adviser.

muhyiddin yassin and najib and umno Still, there is a buzz as to whether Umno could, under the new tag-team of Najib Abdul Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin, attract more of the Malay vote.

Both parties concede that national issues may not feature prominently in the election campaign, as greater priority will be given to ‘rice-and-curry’ issues that are close to the hearts of this rural community.

Muhyiddin hopes to see a repeat of the outcome in Pengakalan Pasir in December 2006 - Barisan Nasional won the state seat in a by-election, causing an upset.

“I do not think the constituents in Manek Urai Urai will taksub Tok Guru (follow Nik Aziz wholeheartedly),” said Muhyiddin, who is also deputy premier.

“It is time for BN and Umno to try and bring development to the rural people here and uplift their economic well being. If the people of Manek Urai are confident that we can bring change, we will be successful.”

‘People fed up with PAS’

Umno, has first to determine the extent of damage done by the speculated rift between Kuala Krai Umno division chief Ramzi Abdul Rahman and former division chief Wan Zaid Abdullah. This is said to be tearing the division apart.

However, Muhyiddin downplayed the issue, saying the issue is a thing of the past. He called on all division leaders to work together to ensure victory for Tuan Aziz.

khairy jamaluddin interview 230209 07 Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin (left) echoed a similar sentiment in seeking an all-out effort to attract young voters to support BN.

“About 40 percent of the voters in Manek Urai are youth. We hope to attract them and bring change to their lives. We will approach them to win votes,” he said.

Wanita Umno head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil noted that it is time for women in Manek Urai to vote for change.

“From observations and feedback, women in Manek Urai are fed-up with the PAS government in Kelantan,” she claimed.

“It has failed miserably to administer Kelantan and the women and kampong folk want a change.”

In the PAS camp, much is being made of the ‘Nik Aziz factor’ - he is their start attraction, as seen in numerous posters around the constituency. Even non-Malays are enthralled by his charisma.

manek urai by election pas banner poster agriculture is prayer One pose captures him seeking ‘divine intervention’ - the posters all displayed around Manek Urai alongside large flags tied to electricity poles on the roadside.

After almost two decades of running Kelantan, the 78-year-old politician and religious leader has captured the heart of the Kelantan people, and kept the state out of Umno hands.

Locals say that, so long as Nik Aziz leads Kelantan PAS, Umno does not have a chance in the state.

If so, the by-election outcome can be deemed a foregone conclusion.