Victory In Permatang Pauh Will Not Get Opposition Anywhere

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- Voters in Permatang Pauh should not place too much hope in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becoming the country's next prime minister if he wins the by-election Tuesday.
This is because it will not change the position in Parliament, with Pakatan Rakyat still having 81 seats, Barisan Nasional (BN) 140 and an independent having the other seat.
It would not get the opposition pact anywhere and would also not be a threat to the ruling government, according to some political observers.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had even regarded Anwar's "sweet offerings" that with victory tomorrow, he would not only be able to return to mainstream politics but also pave the way for the opposition to take control of Putrajaya, as desperate and unrealistic.
"By winning Permatang Pauh, will he be able to form the next government as he needs 31 more MPs to cross over to the opposition?" he asked.
Najib said that as the BN Whip in Parliament, he knew the BN members well and was confident that they would not trade their honour just to fulfil Anwar's political dream.
In fact, several Sarawak and Sabah elected representatives, including BN Backbencher Club chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, had been campaigning in Permatang Pauh, while Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had assured that no political leaders from both states would cross over to Anwar's side.
Meanwhile, Prof Amir Hussin Baharuddin from Universiti Sains Malaysia regarded claims that Anwar's victory tomorrow would be a good chance for Pakatan Rakyat to head for Putrajaya as an attempt to fish for sympathy votes.
"It is not as easy as envisaged by the Pakatan Rakyat leaders, that if Anwar wins, he can enter Parliament and after that some BN MPs would join the opposition to form the next government," said the political observer.
According to him, an elected representative who really believed in democracy would contest the seat again to obtain a new mandate if he crossed over to another party.
"The people had chosen the candidate concerned based on the party he represented then and they would have to wait another five years to choose a new candidate.
"Elected representatives who simply hop to another party have reneged on the people's trust in them," he said.
Former PKR vice-president Datin Saidatul Badru Tun Said Keruak regarded Anwar's attempts to get BN MPs to cross over to the opposition to realise his ambition of becoming prime minister after Sept 16 as a form of bribery.
To the voters of Permatang Pauh, she had this to say: "There's no need to pity Anwar. There's nothing to pity him about for he is already free (from prison). Don't be fooled because of pity to the extent of selling out your race and religion."

tunku : i am sure anwar is going to win tomorrow unless the permatang pauh voters really open their eyes and can't be fooled easily by this moron. for him to be pm is quite impossible. he is just dreaming. first of all he won't be able to get 31 mps from bn. they won't be moron like anwar to jump into the ship that has no future as the captain might end up in jail next year. anwar as pm will be a disaster to our country. the country will never rest in peace.if anwar gets majority below 10k, it is actually an achievement to BN as anwar had never get less than 10k majority in permatang pauh. waiting 16th september........will this moron change the date again ?