Satire appears to be a favoured weapon for BN in its print campaign in the Kerdau by-election, with some novel approaches in portraying Pakatan Rakyat’s 'misdeeds'.

BN is clearly far ahead of PAS in terms of volume and variety in its campaign material, but one of its more interesting publications is a tabloid called DebatRakyat .

Designed to look like a tabloid newspaper, the publication throws in a mix of serious denials of opposition claims and interactive and snide pieces that tie in with controversies involving Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

NONE On page six of DebatRakyat for example, the creators of the publication clearly had a ball churning out all sorts of names for 20 Pakatan leaders based on the letters in PAS’ acronym, under the headline ‘ Apa itu PAS? ’ (What is PAS?).

Among them include Putar Alam Semulajadi to describe Pakatan de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim, Pemimpin Ajaran Sesat for PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Perosak Agama Sendiri for PAS spiritual advisor Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

The photo-based article also needled DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang as Perangai Ala Syaitan , his son and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as Puas Aku Sekarang , and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali as Pakar Ahli Sabotaj .

In one page, a crossword puzzle asks readers to fill out the boxes based on questions like ‘ Awas (blank) kosong Pakatan Rakyat ’ and ‘ Parti perkauman paling teruk di Pulau Pinang ’.

BN has also been regularly publishing a four-page newsletter called Suara Kerdau since nomination day last Saturday, carrying the biodata of their candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad and various articles highlighting BN’s contributions to Kerdau.

NONE At events, flyers are handed out telling voters to forget about a twice “rejected” candidate, referring to PAS’ candidate Hassanuddin Salim and highlighting the fact that he has contested and lost in two general elections.

A booklet and campaign flyer were given to Felda settlers during BN head and premier Najib Abdul Razak’s visit to Felda settlements on Sunday, outlining the “105 renewals by the Prime Minister” and the “benefits” settlers have gained under BN.

Today, at an event bringing Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to meet parent-teacher association representatives and teachers in the Kuala Krau parliamentary and Kerdau state constituencies, printouts were handed out contrasting BN’s positives against PAS’ alleged indiscretions.

‘Buku Jingga’ not a focus

Most of BN’s campaign material have at least one article attacking Pakatan’s Buku Jingga , which was launched at the state level at PAS’ first ceramah after nominations on Saturday.

But it appears that the opposition’s national economic reform plan is a lesser issue in BN’s campaign, with much more focus on localised issues and the credibility of PAS and its leaders.

NONE PAS, on the other hand, has been quite conservative with its campaign material, with a limited number of flyers handed out during their campaign rounds and ceramah .

Summarised copies of the Buku Jingga were even sold for RM2 each during the launch, as a means to raise funds for PAS’ Kerdau campaign.

Pakatan also printed out copies of a Yellow Book , detailing the financial mismanagement of Pahang by BN based on the 2009 auditor-general’s report published last year.

The Kerdau by-election will see a straight fight between BN and PAS. Polling is set for March 6, the same date as the Merlimau by-election.