For Pakatan Rakyat leaders, PKR's victory in yesterday’s Permatang Pauh by-election is a sign that the struggle for reformasi by its former MP Anwar Ibrahim has not been forgotten.

The by-election is a vindication of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is languishing behind prison bars in Sungai Buloh, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a statement today.

Lim said Anwar had been “unfairly and selectively” prosecuted by the Umno-led federal government to silence him and end his political career with a five-year jail sentence for a sodomy conviction that Anwar disputes.

Despite BN’s efforts to wrest the seat for the last 17 years, the voters have rejected the party by rejecting the goods and services tax (GST), BN’s alleged financial scandals and its divisive politics, he added.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said in spite of Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s confidence in snatching victory from PKR, BN’s votes only increased by a mere 0.38 percent to 40.44 percent.

“Much has been said by the mainstream press about the reduced majority, in their desperation to hide BN’s failure by ignoring the real cause - the 14 percent drop in voter turnout from 88 percent to only 74 percent,” Lim added.

PKR’s president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail won the seat with a comfortable majority of 8,841, against Umno’s Suhaimi Sabudin, PRM’s Azman Shah Othman and Independent Salleh Isahak.

'The people are still with Anwar'

State DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow said the people want Pakatan to consolidate and offer a promising hope for the future.

“Penang DAP will remain steadfast in this political struggle  to bring change to the country,” Chow, who is a state executive councillor.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar ( left ) said the positive outcome of the Permatang Pauh polls indicated that the people were still with Anwar.

Nurul Izzah said the increase in votes from the Malays, and youths, gave Pakatan hope to continue the struggle and prepare for the coming 14th general election, which should be called by 2018.

PKR national Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the victory sends a clear message to the BN that the people were “fed-up” with the alleged mismanagement on the part of the government, especially the decision to impose the burdensome GST.

“The result of the by-election also shows that the voters reject the slander and cruelty inflicted on Anwar,” Nik Nazmi said.

'Comradeship vital for Pakatan'

Meanwhile, Penang PAS deputy commissioner I Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the party was successful in delivering the votes to PKR in Permatang Pasir, the state seat held by Salleh Man of PAS.

Mujahid ( right ) said the by-election result proved that comradeship is important if Pakatan wants to continue its agenda to open a new political landscape in the country.

"Permatang Pauh brings hope during one of the most difficult moments the three parties - DAP, PAS and PKR - had to go through recently," the Parit Buntar MP added.

Mujahid was referring to the national spat between DAP and PAS, with DAP severing ties with the Islamic party’s president, Abdul Hadi Awang, over his Private Member’s Bill on hudud in Parliament.

PKR withdrew support for the bill as it was not discussed in the Pakatan leadership council, resulting in PAS Permatang Pauh division threading a boycott of the by-election unless PKR apologised for its action.

The Penang PAS Youth wing also warned of a boycott unless PKR apologised for its Youth wing's demand that Hadi  states his stand on speculation that PAS would form a unity government in Kelantan with Umno.