Big win for Anwar

Big win for Anwar
27 Aug, 2008

He scores 66.6% of votes cast, beating Barisan Nasional rival by 15,671 votes

By Carolyn Hong, The Straits Times

A jubilant Mr Anwar acknowledging supporters in Bukit Mertajam after Mr Anwar's by-election win yesterday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim scored a thumping victory in the Permatang Pauh by-election yesterday that will send him back into Parliament after a decade in the political wilderness.

He outdid his wife's big majority in the March general election, securing 15,671 more votes than his opponent. Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who stepped down to let her husband contest the seat, had achieved a 13,388 majority.

The win boosts Datuk Seri Anwar's ambitions to take over the central government and last night, he called it 'a people's victory'.

'Today, Malaysia shows it wants true Merdeka (independence). We want change. People do not want to be oppressed and made a fool of,' he told a cheering crowd of several thousand gathered at the counting centre.

Mr Anwar polled 31,195 votes, while his Barisan Nasional (BN) opponent Arif Shah Omar Shah won 15,524 votes. The third candidate Hanafi Hamat garnered only 92 votes, losing his RM15,000 (S$6,300) deposit.

The turnout - 81 per cent of about 58,490 voters - was similar to that in the March poll. There were 447 spoilt votes.

Thunderous cheers of 'Reformasi' (reform) broke out as the Election Commission announced the result after a day of polling which went smoothly, watched by more than 5,000 policemen.

Some supporters let off fireworks. Others shouted Mr Anwar's campaign slogan of 'Merdeka'. There were also chants of 'Putrajaya' - the seat of government - a reference to Mr Anwar's plan to seize power soon.

The police said the last 10 days of campaigning were the most violent in the country's history, judging from the number of complaints lodged. That was not surprising, with accusations and counter-accusations of dirty tricks flying around and BN using a sodomy charge against Mr Anwar to sway voters.

But Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who led the BN's campaign, told a separate press conference last night that the result showed democracy in Malaysia was not flawed.

He also said the ruling coalition would study the drop in voter support in the constituency compared to the last election.

'We are prepared to make the necessary changes to regain public confidence in the BN,' he said.

Umno information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who was among the earliest to concede defeat, told reporters: 'Yes of course we have lost...we were the underdogs going into this race.'

It is not clear when Mr Anwar will be sworn into Parliament, which takes a break after Budget Day on Friday and resumes on Oct 13. The Speaker has said he might be sworn in only in October.

Mr Anwar's strong majority will help him regain the confidence of his opposition allies as well as potential BN defectors.

The result also showed that he had the support of Malay voters who made up nearly 70 per cent of the electorate.

This was crucial for him to quash accusations that he had neglected Malay interests in his eagerness to put up a multiracial front and grab power.

The Malay backing will also quell some of the disquiet at his opposition ally, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), that Islamic interests were being shunted aside and that Mr Anwar was taking too dominant a role in the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.

The results can only strengthen his grip on his coalition as he strives to woo at least 30 BN defectors to topple the federal government.

Signs of an Anwar victory came early in the day when the turnout exceeded 50 per cent just five hours after polling began. This was despite the by-election being held on a weekday, although the opposition-held Penang state government declared it a public holiday.

But his big win does not yet guarantee his political future. He is still facing a criminal charge that he sodomised a former male aide and, if convicted, he will lose his seat.