Pakatan says vote for change, not money

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders pleaded with Hulu Selangor voters last night to seek change rather than money in tomorrow’s polls by electing Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, as both sides continued to indulge in pork-barrel politics and personal attacks.

Both PR and Barisan Nasional (BN) campaigners have lavished land titles and money in the past week to sections of the 64,500 voters, whose votes are crucial in deciding between Zaid and MIC candidate, P. Kamalanathan.

With a day left before voting, PR organised a major ceramah in the quiet Felda town of Sg Buaya for PAS spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, to defend Zaid who has been repeatedly attacked for his drinking past.

To the disappointment of the 5,000-strong crowd, Nik Aziz was unwell to take the stage after having appeared at other events in the night, due to fatigue from a two-week pilgrimage to Mecca.

PKR de facto chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the standard-bearer since nomination day last Saturday, was more energetic than usual, perhaps inspired by the massive turnout in light of the shabby presence of voters throughout his and PR’s eight-day campaigning trail.

Anwas labelled Umno as a racist and corrupt party. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Mixing humour and firmness, the former deputy prime minister went straight to blast Umno, the BN lynchpin, as a corrupt and racist party filled with politicians fattened by Malay largesse.

“Who are they enriching if not themselves?” Anwar raged to a thunderous applause.

“Why do you only want to elevate the Malays but at the expense of other races? We should elevate all of those below, people like you all,” he said while pointing to the sea of supporters before him.

Just as in the past, the Permatang Pauh MP slammed what he described as Umno’s attempt to silence him through intimidation and malicious trumped up charges, like the Sodomy II trial he was currently facing.

He said he has made enemies for wanting to introduce what is termed as “new politics”, a concept free of communal politicking and supposedly bottom-up, unlike Umno and BN’s top-down rule.

“So if you want this to change, you must help us give victory to Zaid,” he said, to which the crowd replied: “Boleh!” (Can!).

Zaid, who spoke after Anwar, added by lambasting Umno’s attack on him, which he said was character assassination and the way of the old.

Umno has been exploiting Zaid’s drinking past, particularly to the Malay voters within the parliamentary constituency. Malays form some 53 per cent of the electorate and majority are known to be pro-Umno.

But Zaid pleaded with the voters to not play Umno’s game anymore, saying it was time the electorate worked for change by rejecting BN.

The Hulu Selangor crowd was asked not to be ensnared by money politics. — Picture by Choo Choy May

“Yes, they gave you RM50,000 but that is not the solution,” the former law minister declared, referring to the cash handout given by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib yesterday to 100 Sungai Buaya Felda settlers as compensation for the failed promises of development.

“What they are doing is just to buy your votes. It does not solve the problems, I want to solve your problems,” said Zaid, appealing for voters here to give him a chance at serving them.

Also present were DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution and PKR vice-president Azmin Ali. Azmin was seen mingling with Zaid, in an apparent show that the alleged rift between them was concocted to divide and hinder the growth of the pact.

The presence of PR juggernauts indicates the pact’s earnestness in trying to retain the seat. Whether this will suffice to overturn BN’s favourable position remains to be seen.

But the often quiet and dark 3km road from the main entrance to the town was lit up as cars parked along the narrow route, eager to catch the “stars” after having missed their ceramah due to the time constraints of work-life.

PR is organising another slew of ceramah for the final 24 hours today, to secure every vote it can in order to hold on to the seat first won by PKR’s Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

He had beat four-term MP Datuk G. Palanivel by a narrow 198 votes in Election 2008 but his death last month triggered the by-election. -TMI