'Real wind of change in S'wak, not Penang'

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s remark that he senses a wind of change blowing in support of BN in Penang has been laughed off by the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman (right) said the real wind of change is blowing in the east, in Sarawak, where he said there has been a remarkable increase in support for Pakatan.

Mansor, the PKR state chief, said the party is confident of capturing about 14 seats in the April 16 polls, just as its ally, DAP, is confident about its ‘winnable’ 15 seats.

He also denied that PKR would face a crisis with the breakdown in seat-allocation talks between the party and local opposition outfit, Snap, saying “We will face it”.

"I sense an increase in support for Pakatan compared to 2001 (state election). In those (days), only a handful of people, sometimes only 10, could be seen at our ceramah (political talks) but now thousands attend,” he told reporters in Bayan Baru last night.

“Our flag (PKR’s) is flying high in Iban areas, which hardly happened before. This is the real wind of change, not the one in Penang as described by Najib on his visit here.”

Najib, who is BN and Umno chief, had made a day-long working visit to Penang on Saturday. He visited several markets, attended an Indian cultural event in Bayan Baru and launched the 1Malaysia Penang Football team organised by its president and Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohamed Hashim.

At the 1Malaysia event in Permatang Pasir, Balik Pulau, Najib said he senses a wind of change in the northern state, but added he hoped that it would translate into support for the BN.

National news agency Bernama reported that the PM is confident of recapturing Penang in the coming election, which Najib flatly denied.

Federal minister and Gerakan chief Koh Tsu Koon, who attended the event with Najib, has also denied that the comment was made.

Does size matter?

When told that a large crowd had greeted Najib on his walkabouts, Mansor said these are public places that are usually crowded “whether there is a PM’s visit or not”.

He said the size of the crowd at public events is no measure of political support for any party.

“If it is the measure of growing support for a party, then what about the number of people who have attended PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's ceramah ?” he asked.

“These people were not even invited and no food was served during the ceramah . They have come in droves even when it was raining heavily.”

The event during the PM’s visit featured a special invitation to dine with him, lots of food and free transport to the venue, Mansor noted.

"I do not think we need to press the panic button here," he quipped.

Mansor said that if BN truly senses “a wind of change”,it would have refrained from messing with PKR flags or disrupting Anwar’s ceramah .

He claimed that PKR members in Balik Pulau had recently lodged a report that the police had confiscated party flags and banners in Permatang Pasir, where Najib’s event was held.

Mansor also made light about the many grievances facing Malay traders, who recently discussed their plight with Najib.

“Who are they?... Malay contractors have been getting a lot of business from state government agencies like the Penang Water Department and Penang Development Corporation,” he said.

‘Exodus will have no impact’

Asked to comment on the departure of 3,226 members from PKR, headed by former Bayan Baru division vice-chairperson M Nyana Segaran, Mansor said the party had already suspended Nyana Segaran.

“ Suspension is as good as sacking,” said Mansor, denying that the exodus would have an impact on the party.

“Since he lost to Pantai Jerejak assemblyperson Sim Tze Tsin in the last party election, we have seen changes in Nyana Segaran. Moreover, he is also very close to Zahrain who quit PKR last year.

“PKR did the right thing by suspending him. This time we were prepared, we did not just give you (reporters) a standard answer like ‘we knew he would quit’.”

On a related matter, Mansor said he has received reports that the ‘Datuk T’ sex video has been viewed by several quarters in Penang and Perak, at government-related functions.

Mansor said he had advised the complainant to lodge a police report.

He also questioned why no action had been taken yet against those who possess the footage or who have invited others to view the tape.

“We encourage healthy politics where everyone can compete fairly, not like this. What has happened is shameful to investors, while we are exposing our kids to porn,” added Mansor.

“Already we try to restrict our youths from having an open mind, now we are trying to corrupt their mind.”