Permatang Pauh Unlikely To Lead Pakatan Rakyat To Putrajaya

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Supporters of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim believe victory for the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor in the Permatang Pauh by-election may take the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to the seat of government in Putrajaya.
They are convinced a victorious Anwar could exert pressure on the government and pave the way for the PR coalition comprising PKR, DAP and PAS to enter a new era.
For DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, the Permatang Pauh by-election is not an ordinary one but one which brings hope for the opposition alliance to form a government which truly represents a multi-racial and multi-religious people.
"It is for this reason that we were prepared to open a DAP operations room in Permatang Pauh although the candidate is not from our party. This reflects our determination to ensure a Pakatan Rakyat victory," he said.
However, a political analyst regards the assumption of the Pakatan Rakyat of riding on the by-election victory to Putrajaya as a ploy to garner the sympathy of the people.
"It will not be as easy as how the Pakatan Rakyat leaders portray it to be: when Anwar wins, he will return to parliament and then the Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs will cross over and Pakatan Rakyat will form the new government," said Prof Amir Hussin Baharuddin of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
He said an MP who truly upholds democracy should honour the mandate of the people who have elected him or her.
"The people chose him (or her) based on the party that he had (or she) represented and the people have to wait for another five years to vote in their new representatives. Those who jump ship are oblivious to the trust placed upon them," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak said the post of prime minister was not determined in a by-election but in a general election and the people had given their verdict on March 8.
"Should he (Anwar) win in Permatang Pauh, can he afford to form the government? He needs 31 more people (MPs)," he said.
Anwar had been boasting that the BN government would be toppled by Sept 16 as many BN MPs, especially from Sabah and Sarawak, were ready to jump ship.
Citing Anwar as desperate and unrealistic, Najib said that as the BN chief whip, he knew BN MPs well and was confident that they would not demean themselves to help Anwar realise his dream.
For PAS, if the sentiments expressed at its muktamar (general assembly) in Ipoh last week are anything to go by, party members will want its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be the prime minister if Pakatan Rakyat comes to power.
Some members say they find it difficult to accept Anwar as the prime minister and urged PAS not to hero-worship Anwar to the extent of denying the capability of its own leaders.
As such, Permatang Pauh is unlikely to lead Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya.

tunku : this moron is just playing with the words, nothing else.he thinks that its easy for him to be prime minister.he first need the mandate from the malaysian and that will be in the general election not by-election.may be he's in hurry because he knows that he might end up being the prime minister of sungai buloh prison by then.melodrama queen.