Penang PKR elections director Abdul Malik Kassim refuted a news report published today that says the party is not prepared for a by-election in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.

The Bernama report, quoting Malik as saying that PKR was not ready for the by-election as it had been confident the judiciary would find Permatang Pauh MP Anwar Ibrahim not guilty of sodomy, was published by several news outlets.

"I said we were then preparing for the 14th general election (when Penang Umno was already preparing for Permatang Pauh) but we are always prepared to fight for the seat for Anwar so that we can obtain a respectable majority there," he clarified.

"I said while Penang Umno was confident of Permatang Pauh, PKR is confident of the judicial system and looked forward to Anwar's not guilty verdict.

"Sadly, it was not to be," added Malik, who is the Penang state executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs.

Anwar has been in the Sungai Buloh prison since Tuesday, after the Federal Court upheld the Courts of Appeal's decision to sentence him to a five-year jail term for sodomy.

Seat due to be declared vacant on feb 24

At a press conference held in Komtar yesterday, Malik was asked to respond to remarks by Penang Umno that the party was ready and confident in facing the Permatang Pauh seat, which will be declared vacant on Feb 24.

Malaysiakini was present during the press conference.

The seat will be vacated and a by-election called in 60 days if Anwar fails to apply for a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or if His Majesty rejects the PKR de facto leader's plea for pardon.

Malik had then replied that Umno has been confident and prepared all along - since 2013 - because its leaders seem to know the results of Anwar's court verdict.

"It seems they were sure that Anwar would be pronounced guilty," Malik said.

"This is also evident from the swift reaction of the Prime Minister Office in issuing a statement, after the court judgment, to declare that the judiciary is independent," he added.

"Why the urgency in releasing the statement? It shows the clumsiness of the guilty," he stressed.

Malik also claimed that Penang Umno remains confident about the by-election as the party has been moving in voters to Permatang Pauh.

"It happened to my constituency in Batu Maung, where there was a  movement of about 10,000 voters there before the 2013 general election.

"These people did not know they were voting in my constituency," the Batu Maung assemblyperson added.

"When I won, Umno congratulated me as a giant killer.”