Anwar boost for Pakatan in KT as the fight begins in earnest ~ Malaysiakini

Security, weather, phantom voters and outright vote buying are still topmost worries for Pakatan leaders as they try their best to wrest the seat from a BN led by deputy premier and finance minister Najib Razak, who has made no bones about loosening the country’s purse strings in order to win at KT

Updates with Anwar quotes on the increasingly ‘dirty’ tone of the campaign

By Wong Choon Mei, SK

Has the tide shifted in Kuala Terengganu or is the make-or-break by-election still tied with zero room for error? The answer to this proverbial 64 million dollar question remains elusive still.

Depending on which camp you speak to, you will get a differing clutch of responses, but few really want to make any substantial claims – not now – when there are only two days left to go to balloting on Saturday.

Some believe that the Pakatan Rakyat has managed to score an upset by swinging the Chinese vote from a faction-torn MCA.

Yet others are convinced that Barisan Nasional has sewn it up – winning favour with the predominantly Malay populace in KT with promises of mulit-billion ringgit oil royalty payments and outright vote buying for anywhere between RM300-400 per voter.

Which camp is right or wrong will only be known come Saturday – and late at night, hopefully by 10 pm, when all the ballots cast have been verified by the Election Commission.

But from now until then, the fight is still on and in fact, raging even more furiously as both sides ride neck-to-neck at the home stretch.

“I am concerned how the Malay voters will vote. The Malays here are poor, money is being thrown by Umno to fish for votes,”  Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told AFP today after going on a walkabout around the coastal town, which is also the state’s royal capital.

“They are threatening civil servants. They are saying – we know who you will vote for.  Umno is really desperate, you can see by the tone of their campaign. It is shocking. I am confident that we will win, but I’m concerned about the onslaught by the government which is very strong.”

Promises and failed promises

His political credibility on the line, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has tried hard to win over the KT folk, but his campaign has so far been largely centered around a slew of election goodies and hazy promises of development to Malaysia’s second poorest state.

“If we are given the mandate, I promise we will make big changes in Kuala Terengganu,” Najib told a rally. “The PAS elected representative has served for five terms as state assemblyman. Where else can he go? So, choose a candidate who gets the support of the BN government.”

However people in KT, the royal capital of the state, may not be so easily influenced this time.

If they redid the math, they they would know that with exception of the four years of PAS rule from 1999 to 2004, the state has been under BN control since independence from British rule in 1957. And during this time, Terengganu has improved just one notch – from poorest to second poorest state.

So what’s the buzz with election promises then? What about election promises made in the past? Didn’t the BN promise development in the past, what happened? Where is the development? Is it commensurate with the oil revenue derived from the state? Is it adequate compared with the taxes paid by oil firms to the federal government? What about the state’s oil royalties – where are the missing payments anyway?

These form the crux of the issues the two main candidates – from BN and Pakatan – have had to deal with as they go on their rounds to visit voters. Their explanations and the way they explain these issues will perhaps be the the key deciding factor on who wins at KT this Saturday.

Whom do you like better – Wan Ahmad or Wahid?

Representing the BN is 46-year old Wan Ahmad Farid, while Wakap Mempelam five-term state assemblyman Wahid Endut is standing for Pakatan Rakyat.

According to recent surveys, the decision may also depend on who voters like more rather than on any national or state issue. It may finally boil down to who has a more likeable or more trustworthy face – which candidate voters feel they can empathize with better and which candidate has the stronger track record.

Both men are actually homegrown or ‘local boys’. Wan Ahmad, who comes from a wealthy background, spends more time in Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital, while the 52-year old Wahid knows his home state inside-and-out.

The father of nine has at finger tips all the issues that concern his constituents and his state, in particular the controversial oil royalty payments still owing by the federal government to Terengganu.

Wan Ahmad probably is as familiar with issue that strikes at the heart of many Terengganu folk. But ironically, the former deputy home minister might find his allegiance torn between the federal government – which is run by his party – and his own home folk.

Hadi and Nik Aziz show the way

For example, Najib earlier this week said Terengganu stood to receive between RM1.6 to 3.0 billion ringgit in royalty payments if the world price of oil continued to rise. But parliamentary disclosures show that the federal government still owes the state at least RM1.6 billion ringgit.

Said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang: “Why the inconsistency? Tell us the truth of the matter. First there was no oil royalty but now there is.

Unlike Wan Ahmad, who has shirked from public debate on the issue, Hadi insisted that BN disclose all details of the amount payable to the state. Hadi said this was a core issue not just for voters in KT, but for Terengganu folk throughout the state.

Said PAS research chief Dzulkefly Ahmad: “Menteri Besar Ahmad Said (from the BN) says there is still a shortfall of RM1.5 billion not yet paid, but the actual amount is at least RM2.5 billion.”

In a press interview conducted yesterday, the PAS president said he was encouraged by the positive response that he and his team received throughout the campaign.

“In my trips throughout the campaign, whether visiting voters or at large rallies or even small ceramahs, I was received very positively and this welcome was extended to PAS from voters and supporters alike and even from the ‘fence-sitters’.

“This is a very positive development and especially so when we also managed to get very positive response from the Chinese voters,” Hadi said.

Not so well publicised by the BN media is the presence of PAS spititual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat. The revered Islamic leader is also in town and has insisted on campaigning despite his frail health.

“This is very touching to us and has made us even more determined to go all out,” said one PAS stalwart.

Anwar back in the saddle

Controlling the overall traffic is Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who immediately headed to KT upon his return from Sarawak.

The charismatic former deputy premier shared the latest with the crowd that came to greet him last night.

“With one more from Kuala Terengganu, we would have 93 parliamentary seats and then there would be change,” Anwar said.

He was referring to BN Members of Parliament from Sabah and Sarawak, who expressed their wish to cross over to the Pakatan during his recent trip to East Malaysia.

The Pakatan currently has 82 out of 222 seats in Parliaments.

The number 93 is made up from two more prospects from Sabah, six from Sarawak, another two from states Anwar declined to identify, and one from KT – should Wahid and PAS carry the day for the Pakatan this Satuday.

Should the Pakatan succeed at KT, it would not only be a big boost for their campaign of reform, but also take the coalition another step closer to toppling the federal government.