2 theSun | TUESDAY AUGUST 18 2009

news without borders

BN
supporters

Straight fight in Permatang Pasir

walk to the
nomination
centre
yesterday.

by Himanshu Bhatt and Bernard Cheah

newsdesk@thesundaily.com
N11 PERMATANG PASIR
Permatang STATE SEAT
SEBERANG PERAI: The Permatang Pasir Pasir
by-election on Aug 25 is a straight fight be-
tween Barisan Nasional’s Umno candidate Total voters: 20,290
Rohaizat Othman and PAS’s Mohd Salleh Others
Man Mat Aji. 0.16%
Rohaizat , 38, is Permatang Pauh Umno Malay
secretary while Mohd Salleh, 52, is the state 72.36%
PAS commissioner who had stood in six state
and parliamentary elections in Penang but
had never won. Chinese
Mired in controversy even before nomi- 25.85%
Indians
nation day yesterday because Rohaizat had
his civil lawyer’s licence revoked by the Ma-
Penang 1.63%
laysian Bar Council last year, Umno deputy
president and Deputy Prime Minister Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin maintained that there
was nothing controversial about Rohaizat’s POLLING: Aug 25
candidacy.
“We have done our homework. We have
checked through the facts. He can contest as
far as the law is concerned,” Muhyiddin told Mohd
reporters at the nomination centre. Rohaizat
Othman Salleh Man
“The Opposition (PR) can do character Mat Aji
assassination against him … We have ways
Age: 38 Age: 52
to clarify this matter during the campaign … I
believe the voters will understand.”
Penang Umno chairman Datuk Seri Zahid 2008
Hamidi had on late Sunday afternoon ex- Votes Majority
plained that the disbarment came about after 5,433
Rahman (PAS) 11,004
Rohaizat’s law firm was said to have used Mohd Hamdan Abdul
money belonging to a client, a cooperative of no) 5,571
Ahmad Sahar Shuib (Um
small-scale farmers in Penang.
Zahid stressed the issue came about due to

the actions of Rohaizat’s former partner in the
firm. The money was reimbursed in 2003.
When contacted, Bar Council chairman
Ragunath Kesavan said all offences under the
Legal Profession Act, under which Rohaizat
was found guilty, hold personal liability.
Stressing that the charge was tantamount
to criminal misconduct, he said Rohaizat, not
his partner, was named by the complainant
over a sum of about RM140,000.
“If you are an innocent party, you would
not be found guilty by the (Bar Council’s)
disciplinary board. Rohaizat’s appeal against
the Bar Council decision was dismissed by the
High Court on Aug 12,” said Ragunath.
Meanwhile, PAS vice-president and infor-
mation chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said the
party would raise the issue during campaign-
ing.
He said although Rohaizat could legally
contest, it was morally inappropriate.
“If this is what BN considers to be an
eligible candidate, it would not suit the ex-
pectations of the people because they want
someone clean,” he added.
Some 4,000 supporters from BN and PR con-
verged outside the centre, with police keeping
the two sides apart along the main road.
Also present were PKR adviser and Parlia-
mentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general and Penang
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, MCA deputy
president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, MIC
president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and PPP
president Datuk M. Kayveas.
MCA vice-president and Health Minister
Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai downplayed queries
from reporters about a racially sensitive ban-
ner carrying caricatures of pigs seen in the BN
crowd outside the nomination centre.
He said it only reflected a certain group
and not BN’s policy and cautioned the people
responsible not to incite racial problems.
The Permatang Pasir by-election is forced
by the death of PAS’s Datuk Mohd Hamdan
Abdul Rahman due to cardiac complications
on Aug 31. Hamdan was into his third term as
assemblyman in the constituency.
Gobala arrested in scuffle with cops
SEBERANG PERAI: Padang Serai MP N. Go-
balakrishnan was involved in a scuffle with
the police outside the nomination centre for
the Permatang Pasir by-election here yes-
terday when he was allegedly pinned to the
ground and handcuffed after shaking hands
and shouting slogans with supporters.
Penang CPO Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob
said Gobalakrishnan was arrested as he
did not adhere to instructions of police
officers present at the scene not to use a
loudhailer while the Election Commission
was announcing the two candidates for the
by-election.
Ayub said the police had to take action
to stop him in order to control the situation,
BERNAMAPIX
resulting in a small fracas near a crowd of
PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters
outside Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara.
It is understood that Gobalakrishnan,
who was bleeding, and a police officer who
was also injured in the scuffle, were taken to
the Bukit Mertajam Hospital for treatment.
Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu,
who witnessed the incident, said he and
Gobalakrishnan were only shaking hands
with supporters when he heard someone
shout “tangkap dia” (arrest him).
He claimed the police kicked Go-
balakrishnan, who had earlier been shouting
slogans like “Reformasi!”, and pinned him to
the ground while handcuffing him.

‘Umno members will won’t lie. We’ll give explanations

not go to heaven’
BUKIT MERTAJAM: PAS spiritual
leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat claims
Umno has brought Islamic teachings
from Palestine which is false Islam.
The Kelantan mentri besar said
Islam as practised by Umno members
would not take Muslims to heaven.
“The Islam preached by PAS is
different from the Islam practised by
Umno members as the latter will not
get Muslims anywhere and definitely
not to heaven.
“Based on this, I believe the people
of Permatang Pasir will vote in the PAS
candidate Mohd Salleh Man to represent
them,” he said after accompanying the
opposition candidate to the nomination
centre yesterday. – Bernama
BN to explain issues
based on facts
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Barisan
Nasional (BN) will explain based
on facts the issues raised by the
Oppposition in the campaigning for
the Permatang Pasir state by-elec-
tion. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin said BN would not
lie to the voters just to get votes.
“It is important for BN that we
give correct explanations and we
based on correct facts because we
want to give the voters a chance
to make an accurate assessment,”
he said after accompanying the BN
candidate to file his nomination
yesterday.
He believed the voters of Per-
matang Pasir would make a wise
choice in view of the reforms car-
ried out for the people since Datuk
Seri Najib Abdul Razak became
prime minister, Bernama reports.
“I feel that in the aftermath of
the Manek Urai state by-election
and the steps taken to reform and
change the country, the wind is
beginning to blow and I think it has
reached Permatang Pasir,” he said.
PAS confident of
retaining seat
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The PAS candidate
in the by-election for the Permatang
Pasir state seat, Mohd Salleh Man, is
confident of retaining the seat on Aug
25.
He said the confidence was based
on PAS’s strength in the area, which
was the party’s only stronghold in the
state.
He hoped the success of the former
Permatang Pasir assemblyman, the
late Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rah-
man in defending the seat for three
terms, would be repeated. – Bernama
TI-M hails MACC task
force on PKFZ fiasco
KUALA LUMPUR: Transparency
International-Malaysia (TI-M) has
welcomed the formation of a 30-
member task force by the Malay-
sian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) to investigate alleged cor-
ruption relating to the Port Klang
Free Zone (PKFZ) fiasco.
“This is indeed an overdue and
essential addition to other positive
steps taken thus far,” TI-M said in a
statement yesterday.
“TI-M therefore urges the MACC
not to leave any stone unturned in
its investigations not only into the
PKFZ fiasco but also several others
that are ongoing.
“This is to show the public that
MACC is committed to integrity,
transparency and justice,” added
the organisation.
TI-M said this was also a good
opportunity for MACC to rebuild its
reputation.
It reminded the MACC to act
vigorously, thoroughly and impartially
without fear or favour, including
investigating the assets of individu-
als involved in the fiasco. – Bernama