2 theSun | FRIDAY JANUARY 9 2009

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Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election

Race relations more sincere under BN: Shabery

KUALA TERENGGANU: Race rela-
tions under the Barisan Nasional
government is more sincere than in
the opposition-led administration,
Information Minister Datuk Ahmad
Shabery Cheek says.
In fact, he said, the opposition
parties had not been honest and
sincere in their own pact as seen in
Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states.
For example, PAS had never
fielded a Chinese candidate in
Terengganu to look after the in-
terests of the Chinese community,
Shabery said.
“When PAS was in power (in
Terengganu), they promised to
amend the party constitution to
enable a few (Chinese) state assem-
blymen to be elected, but they have
never done so. When they were in
power, they forgot about the inter-
ests of the Chinese in the state,” he
said here yesterday.
“And in Penang, PAS was helpless
when after the last general election,
its assemblyman was not given the
opportunity by the DAP to be a state
executive councillor.
“So it appears that relations
among them (the three PR parties)
is not sincere but full of doubt and
suspicion about each other. But it is
different in BN where the govern-
ment stresses on consensus and
considers the interests of all races
when making decisions.”
Shabery said this could be seen in
the case of the Bandar state seat in
the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary
constituency. A Chinese was picked
to contest the seat although the
community made up only 40-45% of
constituents.
“Each time the Chinese candi-
date wins, he will be appointed to
the state executive council so that
the voice of the community can be
heard. The exco system is like the
cabinet system where the members
make decisions on consensus.”
He said Malay and Chinese
voters in Kuala Terengganu must
learn from the past when the
state was under opposition rule. –
Bernama

Bandar assemblyman Toh Chin Yew and

election worker Cheah Chin Chin put up
posters at the Kampung Cina BN operations
room yesterday.

tioned posters of Altantuya Shaariibuu found in

some parts of the city before they were torn down
were meant to discredit Najib, to undermine his
efforts to revive the BN, and to force him to call an
early general election.
Anwar was on the defensive when it came to
the issues of the PR breaking up and hudud which
PAS wants implemented. He blamed the media
which he described as belonging to the BN for the
impression of disunity within the new coalition.
Among other issues popular with most PKR and
PAS campaigners are the teaching of Mathematics
and Science in English and the rescheduling of the
Mandarin news to a prime time slot on RTM.
Debating the issues raised were Najib, the mentri
besar, ministers, deputy ministers, exco members
and a host of BN MPs and assemblymen and mem-
bers of Pemuda Umno, Wanita and Puteri.
Many of them made much of Anwar’s Sept 16
bluff. Najib told voters it was best they concentrate
on deciding who they want as their representative

The issues argued out

Analysis by Zainon Ahmad
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA TERENGGANU: What is being debated in
this by-election? What do the thousands of cam-
paigners say to voters to convince them to vote
for either Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Wan Ahmad
Farid Wan Salleh or PAS’s Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut
on Jan 17?
For Independent Azharuddin Mamat, it is the
least of his worries. The traditional healer is going
door-to-door to persuade the poor that if he wins
he will help them out with the allowances that he
is paid.
But what are deputy BN chairman Datuk Seri
Najib Razak, who is spearheading the coalition’s
campaign, state chief Datuk Ahmad Said and other
local and national leaders saying?
And what are the leaders of the loose
Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PKR, DAP and PAS
– Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Datuk
Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PAS president Datuk Abdul
Hadi – saying? If the way to influence voters is
through a poster war – one of the local strategies
in the past – there doesn’t seem to be much of a
banner jungle or poster thicket around.
Or maybe not yet. Because of the monsoon,
most of the posters are probably being saved for
the last few days of campaigning. Also, the city
council has placed some limitations on where
posters can be put up. Certainly not on the fa-
voured spots of the parties – bridges.
Some BN and PR campaigners – hundreds of
locals backed by thousands from other states
– say there are no local issues as the constituency
is well looked after, being the state capital. Others
say there are. And that is why even the Israeli mas-
sacre of Palestinians is mentioned in many PAS
and PKR ceramah, including those by Anwar and
the Islamic party vice-president Ahmad Sabu and
its state commissioner, Datuk Mustapha Ali, where
Umno or the BN has been compared to Israel.
And they say that is probably why Anwar
continues to raise national issues, including the
Eurocopter deal, closed tenders and corruption in
high places at the federal level.
They also say these issues plus the uncap-
instead of being swayed by arguments that this
by-election is a referendum on him and Mentri
Besar Datuk Ahmad Said.
Even the late deputy education minister
Datuk Razali Ismail, who captured Kuala
Terengganu in 2004 and successfully def-ended
it in the March 8 general election, was praised by
both sides to tap into his bank of supporters.
Of course there are local issues, said Hadi, who
was mentri besar from 1999 to 2004. He pointed
to the petroleum royalty issue and the abuse of
funds on lavish projects like the Monsoon Cup and
the quarter billion ringgit Taman Tamadun Islam or
Islamic Civilisation Park. “These are projects that
do not benefit the people,” he said.
Not true, counter Terengganu BN leaders, say-
ing that the projects were to draw tourists to the
state capital, part of an effort to make tourism
the number one money earner after the oil wells
have dried up.
Wan Farid, a first-time candidate, said he has
been resolving many small local problems, includ-
ing one where a morning jogger complained he
could not go on his run till the sun came up as
street lights were switched off at 6am.
He was also trying, he said, to get the
authorities to act on the complaints of the people
of Wakaf Mempelam, the state constituency of
his challenger Wahid, about poor drainage and
sanitation.
Wahid told voters to elect him as he had a lot
of reporting to do to the national legislature about
corruption in high places in Terengganu. “We can-
not depend on BN MPs to do it,” he said.
Much of the wooing is in Kampung Cina for
the 8,000 or so Chinese voters. It probably makes
sense as in a constituency where most of the
Malays are equally divided into Umno and PAS
supporters, the Chinese hold the balance.

PM convinced provide explanation to them, to do this, you can come to see

of Chinese
support for BN
KUALA TERENGGANU: Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi said yester-
day he was convinced the
Chinese voters in the Kuala
Terengganu parliamentary
constituency would support
the Barisan Nasional (BN) in
the by-election.
The BN chairman and Umno
president said, however,
that the BN party machinery
should continue to provide
explanation on various issues
to the non-Malay voters.
"As far as I know, the sup-
port is there but we have to
give answers to clear their
doubts. We will leave this to
the party machinery under-
taking the campaign," he told
reporters after a closed-door
meeting with the BN machin-
ery for the by-election.
You may spit in my
face: Anwar
KUALA TERENGGANU: Spit in
my face if Pakatan Rakyat fails
to bring change, given a man-
date to rule the country, said
parliamentary opposition leader
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“I dare not make an oath or
a promise, but I pledge that I will
look after the people’s lot. If I fail
me and spit in my face,” he told
a crowd at a talk organised by
the party last night.
The talk, in support of
Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut, the
PAS candidate for the Kuala
Terengganu by-election in the
run-up to polling on Jan 17, was
attended by about 100 people
and held within the compound
of the Jalan Bukit Kecil flats.
In his talk, Anwar raised the
issues of police arrest, land
acquisition by Umno and cor-
ruption.
Wahid faces Barisan Nasion-
al’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid
Wan Salleh and Independent
Azharudin Mamat in the by-elec-
tion. – Bernama