Normination turnout at Permatang Pauh

100,000 or more were the estimation of the crowd, with the Pakatan Rakyat supporters out numbering the Barisan Nasional supporters of about 10,000 led by a somewhat quiet and inhibited Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Umno Youth leader Hishammuddin Hussein and his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin.
It is unprecedanted, for the very first time, BN has been outnumbered so overwhelmingly in any by-election nomination in Malaysian. Barisan Nasional has been so-outnumbered and overwhelmed, whether in terms of supporters; publicity materials whether flags, buntings or banners; or sheer enthusiasm, morale and spirit of the supporters.
In the sea of humanity at the Nomination Centre this morning, Anwar’s supporters from the three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, DAP and PAS simply surged over and submerged the Barisan Nasional supporters from Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC.
UMNO Youth Hishammuddin played the sympathy card when he “begged” Permatang Pauh voters to support the Barisan Nasional candidate “because we are the underdog”.
The role of an “underdog” does not suit well with Hishammuddin. The memories among Malaysians are still fresh that he was far from being an underdog when he wielded the keris at the Umno Youth general assembly for three consecutive years, utterly insensitive of the sensitivities of a multi-racial Malaysia. Nor is the Prime Minister’s son-in-law best cast in the role of an “underdog”!
The engulfed and timid BN team at the Nomination Centre yesterday morning was certainly not one of an “underdog” but of the “runningrat ”!
Anwar’s total lack of confidence in the independence and integrity of the electoral system that Dr Mansor Othman, former Penang PKR leader, had to be nominated as an independent candidate as a contingency move in case Anwar was unreasonably disqualified - with Mansor announcing his withdrawal when Anwar sailed through the nomination process, forfeiting RM15,000 in the process!
Anwar had very good reason to take such a precautionary measure as the decision by the Election Commission to fix a Tuesday – August 26 – as the polling day for the by-election was clearly designed to discourage a high voter turn-out being a working day.
The battle of the Permatang Pauh by-election for the next ten days is on!