The slander and poison-pen letters flying around in Bagan Pinang show the opposition were now in a state of desperation in facing the Barisan Nasional in the constituency, said Umno vice president Hishammuddin Hussein.

bagan pinang by election nomination 031009 hishammuddin hussein Hishammuddin, who is also home minister, said the fact that the opposition were resorting to desperate tactics like trying to cause a split in the BN leadership in the state and using violence were clear signs that the BN candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election was feared by them because of his huge popularity in the constituency.

"I see PAS acting like desperadoes. They are resorting to telling lies, trying to cause rifts among Umno leaders.

We have seen what they tried to do to Umno supreme council member Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, actions like these show Isa Samad is a candidate feared by the opposition," he told reporters.

He added that PAS, being the underdogs in the election, would resort to anything in trying to get voters support and the people could expect more dirty tricks from its members in the run up to polling day on Oct 11.

On the incident involving Abdul Azeez, who claimed to have been punched by opposition supporters during nomination yesterday, Hishammudin said police would carry out a thorough probe into the matter.

Food prices soar

Meanwhile, Bernama also reported that travellers to Bagan Pinang were complaining of soaring food prices.

A traveller, Mohd Junaidi Abdul Rahman, 33, said he had to cough out RM140 for a meal of two mackerels, a tom yam soup, a chicken soup and rice and drinks for six people at a food stall at Mile 4, Jalan Pantai here last night.

"It is unbelievable, it is more expensive than eating out in Kuala Lumpur," he told Bernama .

A party campaigner, Tan Loke Kim, 29, said he bought a bottle of 1.5 litre mineral water at RM1.60 yesterday but when he bought it again at the same shop today, the price had gone up to RM2.80.

He called on the authorities to take action against unscrupulous traders who fleeced customers during the by-election campaign. - Bernama