PAS launches polls machinery in Sg Limau

PAS Kedah kicked off its Sungai Limau election machinery last night in Bukit Besar, amidst pouring rain and roaring thunder, as though signaling the immanency of a battle in the northern state.

Their supporters stood undeterred, like soldiers, on the muddy ground, wrapped around in raincoats and armed with umbrellas, among Pakatan Rakyat leaders, reading aloud the party's pledge to remain united to defend the seat, even as a sudden blackout struck.

The party chose the area to kick-start its machinery as the place is described as "soft", meaning this is the location of most of its diehard supporters.

PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu or popularly known as Mat Sabu,, said the voters in the area are those with higher educational level with many having experienced life outside the rural area.

Mat Sabu's 30- minute speech, peppered with jokes and snide remarks against PAS' arch rival Umno, set the tone for the party's campaign which will take place from Oct 23, nomination day up to the polling day of Nov 4.

PAS' campaign material, if Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar's speech last night can be used as an example, will leverage on several controversial issues which grabbed national headlines recently.

Most notably was how the 1959 Preventive Crime Act (amendments and extensions), which allows detention without trial, was bulldozed through Parliament on Oct 2 and the Auditor-General's report, a week later revealing massive leakages and irregularities in the country's administration.

"But Umno will exploit racial and religious issues to try and capture this seat, and they will pour in a lot of incentives to win the hearts of the voters, " said Mat Sabu, (right) when asked if PAS was confident of retaining the seat,  left vacant when its assemblyperson Azizan Abdul Razak died of an ailing heart on Sept 26.

"Umno will use the issue of PAS' relationship with DAP, they will whip up racial sentiments and the Allah issue to try and influence the Malays, as they have done in past election campaigns," he added.

All through the night, Mat Sabu remained tight-lipped about the party's candidate, beyond saying, "he is a human being from PAS, endorsed by both DAP and PKR, that is definite".

 Candidates still be mulled

Speculation is high that PAS may field Jerai PAS Youth chief Azam Samad, a political mentee of Azizan, former PAS Kedah menteri Besar  (from 2008 to May 5 this year).

However, two others are also being considered - Muzaini Azizan, the former MB's former special secretary and Kedah PAS secretary Musoddak Ahmad.

Mat Sabu said the party will announce its candidate on Monday Oct 21, the same day, Kedah MB Mukhriz Mahathir is expected to reveal Umno's choice.

Although Azizan won the seat with 13,294 against BN's 10,520 votes, retaining the seat for five consecutive terms since 1995, PAS is aware of tough challenges in several "hard places".

Dulang Kecil and Dulang Besar and coastal areas around Sungai Limau Dalam, home to the poorer fisherfolk, are labelled "hard" as the community is said to often rely heavily on government handouts and incentives to improve their livelihood, thus their tendency to support the BN.

Kedah PKR chief Johari Abdul says the party will nevertheless take charge of the "hard" areas and try to win over the voters there to PAS.

But more than that  PKR has also pledged, toplay host to its party leaders, who will make their way to Sungai Limau from all over the country, to help PAS.

"I am sure this time, Umno will bring lorries full of goodies...I was in Umno before, I know how it works, they only know how to use money to keep their power," Johari told the 200 odd crowd, listening intently to the two-hour ceramah, as they burst into laughter, cracking jokes themselves, from time to time.

Govt handouts big hurdle

Dulang Kecil and Dulang Besar and coastal areas around Sungai Limau Dalam, home to the poorer fisherfolk, are labelled "hard" as the community is said to often rely heavily on government handouts and incentives to improve their livelihood, thus their tendency to support the BN.

Kedah PKR chief Johari Abdul says the party will nevertheless take charge of the "hard" areas and try to win over the voters there to PAS.

But more than that  PKR has also pledged, toplay host to its party leaders, who will make their way to Sungai Limau from all over the country, to help PAS.

"I am sure this time, Umno will bring lorries full of goodies...I was in Umno before, I know how it works, they only know how to use money to keep their power," Johari told the 200 odd crowd, listening intently to the two-hour ceramah, as they burst into laughter, cracking jokes themselves, from time to time.

"Besides, as the new MB of Kedah, Mukhriz wants to show he can win. He is also going for Umno's veep post, though many say it is tough to win," added Johari, the Sungai Petani MP.

Sungai Limau voters mostly comprise farmers and fisher folks, who are 93 percent (25,323) Malays, traders or swiftlet farmers, who are 6 percent (1,042) Chinese, along with others - Indians, Siamese  and East Malaysians who make up the remaining one percent.

Although the battle in Sungai Limau will focus mainly on the Malay heartland, DAP has vowed to give its full support, cautioning the crowd that BN is out to destroy the good relationship among the opposition coalition partners in Pakatan, which managed to retain.

Firm belief in Pakatan unity

"I believe we will not break apart. Let us show them at this election that the popular vote (52 percent won by Pakatan at the 13th general election against BN's 42 percent) is the real choice and desire of the rakyat, and not a temporary gain," said Kedah DAP interim chief Zairil Khir Johari.

"Reject the BN's economic model which only benefits cronies by exploiting racism and religious sentiments," added the Bukit Bendera MP, who came over from Penang, with several DAP members to lend show support.

"Even with the New Economic Policy, the Malays have remained poor. Now Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has announced the BEE (Bumiputera Economic Empowerment Agenda), which promotes mega-projects for bumiputeras," he said.

"But who are they, these bumiputeras? Those projects are not for us but for the cronies within BN," he quipped.

Also present at the event were assemblypersons Ameruddin Hamzah (Anak Bukit) and Tan Kok Yew (Derga), Penang PKR chief and Nibong Tebal MP Mansor Othman.