Pakatan Rakyat will give Barisan Nasional a tough fight in the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election next month, promised its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim today.

Assuring that Umno would face a torrid time in its attempt to retain the seat, he also dropped hints that his party PKR would prefer PAS heavyweight Mohamad Sabu as the candidate.

However, he said PKR would throw its full support behind any PAS nominee for the by-election to be held on Saturday, Jan 17.

anwar ibrahim penang event 091208 02 Nomination day is on Jan 6, giving the contesting parties a 11-day campaign period.

Popularly touted as the 'Battle of KT', the contest will see all Pakatan heavyweights entering the ring to ensure victory for the coalition’s candidate.

Political pundits view the by-election as crucial in determining the current and future support for both BN and Pakatan.

"We will work hard and give a tough fight to BN. No doubt about it," PKR supremo Anwar told reporters in Penanti, Penang.

He was in Permatang Pauh with his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Adha with his constituents.

Full support for PAS candidate

The 'Battle of KT' will be the second by-election since the March 8 general election following the Permatang Pauh by-election won by Anwar on Aug 26.

kuala terengganu parliament state seat breakdown 031208 "We will fully support the PAS candidate, notwithstanding whether the person is Mat (Mohamad) Sabu or anyone else," he said.

mat sabu mohamad sabu Mohamad Sabu is widely considered as among the liberal-minded leaders in the Islamic-based PAS.

He indicated that Pakatan would use a multi-racial campaign platform even though Malays make up 88.2 percent of the 80,229 registered voters in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency.

The seat fell vacant when incumbent Razali Ismail, also the deputy education minister, died of a heart attack on Nov 28.

In 2004, the Umno leader defeated PAS executive council member Syed Azman Syed Ahmad by 1,933 votes.

In the March 8 polls this year, Razali won by a slim 628 majority, defeating Mat Sabu and 89-year-old Maimun Yusuf in a three-way fight.

Analysts rate the contest as 50-50 for both Umno and PAS. BN won the seat in 1986, 1990, 2004 and 2008, while the now defunct Semangat 46 won it in 1995 and PAS won it 1999.

Denies PKR defections

"I and other top Pakatan leaders from PKR and DAP will enter the field to campaign for PAS victory," said Anwar, rating PAS' chances of winning as 'optimistic lately' without elaborating the reasons behind his rising confidence.

najib permatang pauh 260808 01 On Umno president-elect Najib Abdul Razak’s statement that 'Kuala Terengganu is not Permatang Pauh', an amused Anwar said the same leader had said that 'Permatang Pauh is not the March general election' during the August by-election.

The parliamentary opposition leader however, acknowledged that the by-election would be a tough contest between the PAS and Umno candidates, adding that the Pakatan election machinery would work hard to ensure victory.

Meanwhile, Anwar also dismissed the alleged defections of about 1,000 PKR members to Umno in Padang Serai, Kedah, as another gimmick to undermine the credibility of Pakatan in view of the by-election.

Pointing out that similar 'mass defections' were also widely reported prior to the general election and Permatang Pauh polls, he said it was a common ploy by BN to hoodwink the voters.

"By right, if one were to take stock on the number of defections, PKR should be member-less by now. Truth is, so many Umno leaders, like Dr Mahathir (Mohamed) have left the party," he said.