Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 'shocking' resignation is not likely to affect Umno's chances of victory in the coming by-elections in Kedah, said former Pendang member of parliament Othman Abdul.

Othman, tipped to be the Barisan Nasional candidate for Pendang, which will be contested on July 18, said Mahathir's resignation was understood by all and the people "welcomed" Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the acting prime minister and Umno president.

"What will affect our chances of winning are squabbles among Umno leaders like what happened in 1998, not Mahathir's resignation. This time we are united behind Pak Lah," Othman, who is Pendang Umno division chief, told malaysiakini in an interview on Saturday.

Following Mahathir's shocking resignation on June 22, a transition plan was put in place two days later whereby Abdullah will succeed Mahathir in all his party and government posts after October 2003.

The premier is currently on leave in the Mediterranean and will return to the country on June 4.

The Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections were called following the death of its representative, the late PAS president Fadzil Noor on June 23. Fadzil defeated Othman in 1999 with a 2,939-vote majority, polling 22,413 against the latter's 19,474. Othman was a four-term MP before he lost Pendang to Fadzil.

Close contest expected

Beside Othman, other potential BN candidates include Kedah Development Authority general manager Tajuddin Abu Bakar and State Puteri Umno protem chief Suraya Yaakob, who is also the movement's Pendang pro tem chief.

Based on the electoral rolls certified by the Election Commission in December last year, Anak Bukit has 19,890 voters and Pendang 54,471 voters.

With BN winning 18 of the 22 polling stations in Sungai Tiang and losing 17 of the 21 in Bukit Raya in the last general election, a close contest is in store between Umno and PAS in the two seats.

The Anak Bukit state seat is particularly important to the BN as the ruling coalition lost its two-third majority in the Kedah state legislative assembly when Keadilan's deputy youth chief Saifuddin Nasution Ismail won the state seat of Lunas in a by-election in 2000.

The Pendang parliamentary seat is seen as "precious" to PAS as the party boasts the largest number of members about 10,000 in the district .

PAS campaign issues

On what issues he expects PAS to raise in their campaign, Othman said Umno's stand on the Hudud enactment in Terengganu, the Tabung Haji fiasco where millions of ringgit have gone missing due to an insider's job, the 'failure' of the present education system and the usual tirade of cronyism and corruption by BN politicians will figure prominently in PAS' attacks against the BN.

"But then again, all these are national issues and not related to the village folks here. Here we are more interested in the price of padi or rubber," said Othman, who was the former acting disrict officer in Pendang.

"We are prepared to counter PAS attacks with issues like development, the usage of English language as the medium of instruction for certain subjects, religious harmony and Malay unity," he added.

Othman said despite the odds, Umno may have a slightly better chance of victory this time around because PAS has not produced a 'qualified' local leader as candidate for the by-election.

Asked whom he thinks are the likely PAS candidates, he said it could either be the party's information chief Azizan Abu Bakar or Fadzil's political secretary Dr Hatta Ramli, who resides in Kuala Lumpur.

"They may be qualified academically but they are not familiar with the people and the local situation," he added.