Anwar under pressure to swear

Permatang Pauh, Aug 24 - Swearing on the Quran has become a favourite theme of this by-election, especially after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak unexpectedly did so on Friday night. The focus immediately shifted to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Will he follow suit?

There is certainly pressure on Anwar to do so, but he has consistently refused to, saying that it was making a mockery of Islam.

Instead, he is bringing in top religious leaders from his political ally Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) to counter this practice, and to convince conservative Muslim voters of his stand.

These leaders will be part of his rallies as the campaign goes into its final lap before polling on Tuesday.

Najib had spontaneously taken the oath at a mosque here, swearing that he did not know Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu and had nothing to do with her murder.

He has been accused of having had an affair with her, and his wife, of having a hand in her murder. A former ally of Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda, is now on trial for abetting the killing of Altantuya.

The trial is pending.

Najib's action has reignited interest in oath-taking, which had been a hot issue in the Permatang Pauh by-election after a former Anwar aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, swore on the Quran that Anwar had sodomised him.

Saiful's oath had been replayed repeatedly on big screens here and published on leaflets for this by-election. Its impact is unclear, with as many voters dismissing it as those who feel that it damages Anwar's integrity.

'Taking the oath is a very serious thing. It's between a person and God, and God knows his motives,' said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday.

He refused to be drawn into the debate on whether Anwar should do the same to deflect criticism, but said people should not make light of an oath.

He added that Najib may have felt compelled to do so because of the allegations hurled against him for months.

'That is for him to decide,' he said.

Anwar's strategy has been different. He has attempted to address the Muslim concerns by lodging a complaint in the Syariah Court against Saiful for slander.

This achieved the twin purposes of establishing his Islamic credentials, while making it difficult for Saiful to prove his case as Islamic law sets a high standard of proof.

But Anwar has still been unable to quash the calls for him to swear on the Quran.

He hopes to do so with his campaign this weekend. Top Islamic leaders from Pas are making a beeline for Permatang Pauh to speak at rallies as a last-gasp effort to convince Muslim voters that the oath is not Islamic.

Yesterday, Islamic scholar Harun Din spoke at a rally in a field in Guar Perahu.

Today, Pas spiritual leader Datuk. Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat will join Anwar at a rally.

There are also strong rumours that Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat has invited top foreign Islamic scholars to speak in Permatang Pauh on this
issue, but his aides could not confirm this. - Singapore Straits Times

A firm DAP 'No' to theocratic state

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today reiterated his party would reject any proposal to turn the country into a theocratic state, whether Islamic or Christian, fuelling speculation it will just be a matter of time before the Chinese-dominated party hits the collision course with coalition partner and Islamic hardliner PAS.

The UMNO chess game

Permatang Pauh, Aug 24 - When Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak swore in a neighbourhood mosque here that he did not know the late Altantuya Shaariibuu, his oath stirred much excitement.

It was as much for the Permatang Pauh by-election as for his own political future.

'I am not afraid to utter these holy words in a mosque because I am speaking the truth,' Najib said on Friday night.

He has been battling accusations that he had an affair with Ms Altantuya, who was later found dead, and that his wife had a hand in her murder.

This had been rally fodder for opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who gleefully used it to deflect attention from his sodomy case.

There is even a poster of Ms Altantuya in the main town of Seberang Jaya, with a plea for justice.

The Mongolian's murder is, however, less of a red-hot issue here than on the larger political stage where Najib is battling for his future in Umno. His oath is thus timely.

Although Permatang Pauh is a battle with their arch rival, many Umno leaders are treating the campaign as a sort of chess game within Umno.

In their eyes, the Barisan Nasional has already been checkmated, and they have moved onto a new game - using the campaign as leverage in the internal Umno leadership fight.

The by-election campaign takes place at a time when Umno is facing internal rifts, and as its grassroots elections are in full swing.

Bickering and internal distractions had caused the Umno campaign to sputter for days even as the opposition machinery roared to life with hundreds of volunteers.

Even up to now, Anwar's campaign is far more energetic and organised.

For the first few days, the Umno campaign almost seemed a one-man show by Najib who is in charge of the BN election machinery.

He has been here every day, travelling daily from Kuala Lumpur where he has to attend to government business.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made three brief appearances, as did a handful of other ministers and Umno politicians.

There was a noticeable lack of big names for a poll which had been dubbed the mother of all by-elections.

'It was the Umno branch meetings that distracted the party workers, but they will be there in full force from the weekend,' said an Umno leader.

But privately, Umno's top leaders have blamed it on internal Umno politicking.

It is learnt that whispers had gone around among some party members that a defeat for Anwar here would mean a victory for Abdullah.

And a show of support for Abdullah is the last thing that his enemies want at this time.

There is still much unhappiness over his plan to hand over power to Najib only in 2010, and some hope that a severe thumping in Permatang Pauh could be ammunition to force an earlier transition.

An Umno branch leader in Permatang Pauh told The Sunday Times that there are still strong feelings against Abdullah.

On top of that, there is an intense struggle for the Umno divisional chief's post in Permatang Pauh, in which the BN by-election candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah is an aspirant.

His selection as candidate boosted his standing, and alienated the other contenders.

It took a lot of persuasion by Najib to convince them not to sabotage the BN campaign, and Arif Shah eventually had to pledge not to contest an Umno post if he won the by-election.

It did not help that there was a sense of defeat from the start.

An Umno MP, who has not bothered to campaign, told The Sunday Times: 'What's the point? We have lost already.'

Some in Umno's top ranks even say they do not rule out that some top guns may be hedging their bets by staying away, not knowing if Anwar was really on the cusp of seizing power or making an audacious bluff.

The Umno campaign has picked up in the last few days, but the tide still appears to favour Anwar.

Even the most optimistic count in Umno gives the party only a few additional voters, and that's not enough to win. - Singapore Straits Times