PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat finally threw his weight behind the fight for Hulu Selangor last night, rounding up the list of Pakatan Rakyat heavyweights canvassing for support in tomorrow's polls.

The Kelantan menteri besar rushed straight into the battle zone after arriving from Mecca, and made it clear that his Islamist party was fully behind PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim.

It was quite an eventful night for the Pakatan, with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim also announcing a slew of defections from Barisan Nasional rivals.

Topping the list was former Umno member and son of the late Ghafar Baba, Tamrin Ghafar, followed by former MCA Sungai Besi senior member Farn Cheong Than and around 20 members from the Bagan Pinang and Teluk Kemang Umno Youth divisions.

hulu selangor by-election 230410 nik aziz support zaid ibrahim 03 But for Nik Aziz ( left in photo ) his first order of business was to brand BN as "childish" for their "kaki botol" (drunkard) and "kaki judi" (gambler) smear campaign against Zaid at a joint press conference with the latter in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

After that he continued to press the attack, particularly against Umno, at a ceramah in nearby Assam Kumbang, urging voters not to buy into the Malay nationalist party's claim of being the sole bastion of development in the country.

In his maiden campaign speech in Hulu Selangor, Nik Aziz declared that the Pakatan is as capable as anyone else in bringing development.

Development battle-cry whacked

"Umno always says vote for them for development, but anyone who wins can bring development, even communists," he said to a 200-strong Chinese crowd.

This was, however, the only speech he could deliver for the night, having cancelled other scheduled appearances.

It was understood that 79-year-old Nik Aziz, still tired from his travels needed to rest for today's final campaign push.

T hulu selangor by-election 230410 nik aziz support zaid ibrahim 02 he senior PAS leader's late appearance in Hulu Selangor is seen as much needed leverage for Zaid, who has been troubled by the BN's drinking-and-gambling smear tactics.

The Pakatan is hoping that Nik Aziz's endorsement of Zaid would help override any negative effect from the character assassination, which some Pakatan leaders quietly admit have had dented Zaid's chances among the majority Malay electorate.

And Pakatan's faith in Nik Aziz's popularity was not misplaced, if the turnout in Sungai Buaya was any indication.

Respect's magical drawing power

Some 5,000 people had made their way to the ceramah, expecting to see and hear him speak.

It seems their respect for him extends even in his absence, with the majority of the mostly-Malay crowd staying back to listen to the other speakers though it was clear he wasn't coming.

They were all ears to the speakers, including Anwar, Zaid, PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.

And even if they rehashed topics, which ranged from Umno's alleged avarice to their purported Israeli links via public relations firm Apco Worldwide, the crowd responded enthusiastically with cheers of "reformasi".

Nik Aziz has at least two more events to attend today as part of Pakatan's bid to woo more votes, especially from the Malays.

But whether or not his last-gasp foray into Hulu Selangor will create the desired impact for the Pakatan, it will only be known tomorrow when 65,000 voters in the constituency go to the ballot box.

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