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Several Umno assemblypersons in Penang want the party to challenge PKR in the upcoming Penanti by-election, believing that Barisan Nasional could cause an upset in the opposition-held state.

Hilmi Yahya, Ariff Shah Omar Shah and Jasmin Mohamed said Umno should field a candidate as this is a matter of political pride, and would prevent the party from being labelled a coward.

Neither BN nor its predecessor, the Alliance, has failed to contest any election since the first post-Independence election in 1959.

BN chairperson and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak has hinted that the coalition may not contest the Penanti by-election, to avert wastage of public funds.

However, a final decision will be made when the Umno and BN supreme councils respectively meet at the end of this month.

The Penang Umno trio hold the view that Penanti could be a political turning point for BN, thereby denting PKR’s pride.

However, much will depend on whether Umno selects the right candidate - one accepted by all in the faction-ridden Permatang Pauh Umno division - and if the right strategies are deployed.

Teluk Bahang assemblyperson Hilmi is certain that Umno will find it tough to take back the state seat from Pakatan Rakyat.

Penanti falls under thePermatang Pauh parliamentary constituency - a PKR political fortress - whose MP is none other than Opposition Leader and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“However, if we field the right candidate and play up the right issues, we have a chance to score an upset win over Pakatan and PKR,” said Hilmi, a former Penang deputy chief minister.

“We can also point to the people that Pakatan leaders are irresponsible and more keen on politicking than working with the government to stem the (impact of the) global economic crisis and help the people (through these) hard times.”

He said Umno and BN could engage public sentiment by criticising recent by-elections as a waste of public funds.

The Bukit Gantang federal seat and Batang Ai state seat fell vacant when the incumbents died, while the Bukit Selambau state seat was vacated by the PKR representative due to family matters.

Penanti fell vacant when PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin resigned on April 14. He also quit his appointed posts following a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation into his alleged links with illegal quarry operations in Penang.

Last August, PKR head Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat to allow Anwar, her husband, to make a comeback to active politics after serving out a five-year ban due to a court conviction.

‘Tough, but winnable’

Seberang Jaya representative Arif Shah concurred with Hilmi, saying that PKR could have avoided the by-election by appointing state executive councillor Abdul Malik Kassim as the Deputy Chief Minister 1 (DCM 1).

“Abdul Malek is qualified for the position since he already has a year’s experience in the government. Why should PKR opt for a fresh candidate without administrative experience to helm the hot seat?” asked Arif Shah (right) .

Penang PKR deputy chairperson Mansor Othman is the favourite to contest as Pakatan candidate, while local Umno leaders are backing Permatang Pauh division committee member Malik Shariff as BN candidate.

A former senior government officer, Malik is seen as a neutral candidate acceptable to all four factions - respectively led by division chief Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid, former general election candidate Pirdaus Ismail, former division chief Ahmad Saad, and Arif Shah.

However, this may not go down well with Abdul Jalil (left) who harbours hopes of becoming a candidate. He was Penanti assemblyperson from 2004-08.

Sungai Dua assemblyperson Jasmin Mohamed said Umno should not give a walkover to PKR in Penanti - as Anwar has asked - because it would paint the wrong picture that the party is facing a dearth of talented leaders.

“As a ruling federal party, Umno can ill-afford to give our adversary PKR a walkover,” he said.

He acknowledged that the odds are against Umno due to PKR’s strong political presence. The latter’s candidate would have additional incentive to win the seat as victory will mean he or she will become DCM1.

However, pointing out that Umno had won the seat in 2004 general election despite losing the Permatang Pauh constituency, Jasmin said: “A victory in Penanti is not beyond our reach although it will be tough.”

State Umno secretary Azhar Ibrahim noted that, win or lose, the Penanti by-election would make no difference to Penang Umno.

“If we win, we will add one more to our 11 assembly seats. That’s all. It will not change the state government,” he said.

The Election Commission will decide the status of the seat on Friday.