Umno: Guan Eng does not want Mansor as DCM

Umno is not surprised at Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman's recent candidacy announcement in Nibong Tebal, describing it as a form of punishment for earning the wrath of his boss, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

The party's Penang chief Zainal Abidin Osman said the early announcement by PKR defacto leader Anwar Ibrahim was expected since Mansor ( right) was caught in an audio tape labelling Lim "cocky, arrogant and tokong (a deity)".

Lim may be smiling at this, Zainal Abidin said, but deep in his heart, he wants Mansor "out of his sight as soon as possible".

"It is a signal not to piss off the CM. If election is still far away, Lim would probably ask for his (Mansor's) resignation, like what happened to former Deputy Chief Minister I Fairus Khairuddin," Zainal Abidin told Malaysiakini today.

The former deputy rural development minister also said that since polls are so near and taking the party's interest into consideration, Lim wants to be assured that he does not need to see Mansor again if Pakatan Rakyat were to form the state government.

Mansor needed in Putrajaya if...

During the Thursday night announcement in Sungai Nibong at a packed ceramah, Anwar explained that Mansor would be assisting Pakatan in Putrajaya if the coalition manages to take the federal government in the coming 13th polls.

Zainal Abidin, ( left) who had also been foreign affairs parliamentary secretary before, said Lim may have "pressured" Anwar into issuing the early announcement as it was clear that the former does not want a deputy who says "nasty things about his boss".

Lim cannot afford to get rid of Mansor now as it would indicate the Pakatan was in a "disarray", he added.

"But the CM wants the assurance that Mansor will not contest a state seat again or become DCM, so he is being pushed to become a member of Parliament," he said.

Zainal Abidin said if Pakatan were sincere in wanting Mansor to win an MP seat, the party would have chosen  a "safe" place, won by a big majority in 2008, like Bayan Baru for him.

The three state seats - Batu Maung, Batu Uban and Pantai Jerejak under the constituency have also been seized by PKR.

But Nibong Tebal is a "tough" seat, he pointed out, with no guarantee of PKR regaining it.

" I have a feeling that this is one of the way to sacrifice Mansor. This is a form of punishment and he has to pay the price," he said.

"They are sending him to a high risk seat like Nibong Tebal where it is not sure whether PKR or Umno will win. This shows they are listening to Lim (right )," he added.

"This shows how strong Lim's influence is on Anwar," he stressed.

Anwar's apology no cure

In a related development, Zainal Abidin said that the Nibong Tebal people had not been amused by Anwar's apology over his choice of candidate in 2008 - Tan Tee Beng who quit PKR to become an independent.

Tan, former Gerakan Youth chief, later joined Kita, only to be sacked recently.

Zainal Abidin condemned Tan ( below) for not serving the people, before or after, he departed from PKR and that the Nibong Tebal folks preferred a local candidate.

"People no longer want to be cheated by non-performing MPs. Anwar apologising and admitting his mistake in choice of candidate, and then asking for votes again is not fair," said Zainal Abidin.

"The PKR candidate may not serve again! Mansor does not serve Penanti either. You can ask Lim if he works well as the deputy chief minister. Don't ask Umno, ask Lim or the DAP," he added.

He described Mansor who hails from Kedah as a "running" candidate who previously contested in Balik Pulau, becoming Penanti assemblyman in 2008, and now eyeing the Nibong Tebal seat.

Contest between old friends

On whether he would go for the Nibong Tebal seat, Zainal said that he would accept it if Prime Minister Najib Razak has the confidence in him and allows him to contest there.

He added that he had served the constituency before 2008, and has several plans for it.

However, if Najib, the BN chairman, chooses another for Nibong Tebal, Zainal Abidin said he would work with the nominee to ensure the coalition wrests the seat back from PKR.

"If Najib gives me a chance, and if Anwar keeps his word to let Mansor contest here, it would be a fight between old friends," he said, referring to his 25-year old friendship with his potential rival.

"We have done things together to help the Penang people . So we if we face each other in the election, let there be a clean and good fight, not one that is aggressive, or full of slander or lies," he added.

"We will contest on a friendly basis and let the people decide who wins".