BERAPIT, Penang - A
three-cornered fight awaits Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim
at Permatang Pauh, a constituency he has held from the 1980s, but that
is unlikely to worry him much.
The more than 30,000-strong crowd stretching at least 2km long that
accompanied him to the nomination centre at the Institut Kemahiran Belia
Negara in Berapit, Penang is a testament to his huge popularity and
resurgence as the country's foremost Malay leader.
![Anwar draws 30,000 crowd stretching 2km to nomination centre:Confident of taking Putrajaya]()
The huge crowd of mostly everyday people from all age groups also
underscores the amount of hope Malaysians have pinned on him and his
Pakatan Rakyat coalition to effect change in the country. They want him
not only to win the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat but also to wrest
the federal government from Prime Minister Najib Razak and
corruption-riddled Umno-BN coalition.
"We are quite optimistic (of wining the federal government) but we have to work very hard," Anwar told Malaysia Chronicle as his minders forged a way for him to get back onto his Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat bus.
Focus on federal government, Permatang Pauh a sure-win for Anwar
In Permatang Pauh, Anwar will face Umno's Mazlan Ismail, an engineer and vice president with Telekom Malaysia who was also a former PAS member. An independent candidate Dr Abdullah Zawawi Shamsuddin, a Penang-based medical practitioner, is the surprise third contestant.
There is little doubt that Anwar will steamroll over both Mazlan and Abdullah, who are political lightweights compared to the 64-year-old former deputy prime minister, who is not only well respected within Malaysia but maintains close rapport with top leaders from around the world.
Indeed, if Pakatan wins more than half of the federal Parliament's 222 seats, Anwar will become the country's 7th prime minister and go down in history as the first man to ever effect a regime change in Malaysia, which has been ruled by the Umno-BN since 1957.
Many pundits believe that in the past few weeks the odds have further shifted to Anwar's favor. One example cited is the latest controversy allegedly instigated by Umno-BN over the DAP's right to use its traditional 'Rocket' logo in the coming May 5 general election.
Although a late announcement from the Registrar of Societies finally confirming it would not challenge the DAP's use of the Rocket on the balloting papers, it may be too late for the Umno-BN government to regain voters' trust.
"It is too late. The way the ROS and Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration handled the issue stinks to high heaven. Few voters doubt there was an attempt to shackle the DAP and the sympathy votes will flow to the Pakatan," Eddie Wong, a PKR veteran told Malaysia Chronicle.
GE13 off to a spirited start
Be that as it may, supporters from both camps are already staking claims to victory outside the IKBN compound.
The huge crowd of mostly everyday people from all age groups also
underscores the amount of hope Malaysians have pinned on him and his
Pakatan Rakyat coalition to effect change in the country. They want him
not only to win the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat but also to wrest
the federal government from Prime Minister Najib Razak and
corruption-riddled Umno-BN coalition."We are quite optimistic (of wining the federal government) but we have to work very hard," Anwar told Malaysia Chronicle as his minders forged a way for him to get back onto his Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat bus.
Focus on federal government, Permatang Pauh a sure-win for Anwar
In Permatang Pauh, Anwar will face Umno's Mazlan Ismail, an engineer and vice president with Telekom Malaysia who was also a former PAS member. An independent candidate Dr Abdullah Zawawi Shamsuddin, a Penang-based medical practitioner, is the surprise third contestant.
There is little doubt that Anwar will steamroll over both Mazlan and Abdullah, who are political lightweights compared to the 64-year-old former deputy prime minister, who is not only well respected within Malaysia but maintains close rapport with top leaders from around the world.
Indeed, if Pakatan wins more than half of the federal Parliament's 222 seats, Anwar will become the country's 7th prime minister and go down in history as the first man to ever effect a regime change in Malaysia, which has been ruled by the Umno-BN since 1957.
Many pundits believe that in the past few weeks the odds have further shifted to Anwar's favor. One example cited is the latest controversy allegedly instigated by Umno-BN over the DAP's right to use its traditional 'Rocket' logo in the coming May 5 general election.
Although a late announcement from the Registrar of Societies finally confirming it would not challenge the DAP's use of the Rocket on the balloting papers, it may be too late for the Umno-BN government to regain voters' trust.
"It is too late. The way the ROS and Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration handled the issue stinks to high heaven. Few voters doubt there was an attempt to shackle the DAP and the sympathy votes will flow to the Pakatan," Eddie Wong, a PKR veteran told Malaysia Chronicle.
GE13 off to a spirited start
Be that as it may, supporters from both camps are already staking claims to victory outside the IKBN compound.