Thesun 2009-08-26 Page07 Pas Wins With Reduced Majority

theSun

7

| WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 2009

news without borders Banned book: Court ‘yes’ to judicial review

Smooth voting and sporting supporters SEBERANG PERAI: Voting for the Permatang Pasir state by-election ran smoothly without any major incidents yesterday as sunny weather throughout the day allowed people to come out and cast their ballots in unexpectedly high numbers. The streets of Permatang Pasir were clogged with traffic around the eight polling stations, as supporters of the two candidates came out in full force. The restriction against the setting up of “pondok panas” or electoral booths by political parties appeared to bring about a fanfare of sloganeering and political carnival far less intense than that seen in previous by-elections this year in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Manek Urai. The supporters who faced each

other at various points were generally sporting and non-confrontational. The one notable disturbance occurred at about 9.15am near the SM Sri Penanti polling centre when a shouting match erupted between supporters of PAS and Barisan Nasional (BN). The incident forced the police to deploy its Light Strike Force to disperse the crowd, who dispersed when ordered to leave. Similar incidents, which were kept under control, were reported near the SK Permatang Pasir and SKJ(C) Lay Keow polling stations a few kilometres away. PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, arrived at SM Sri Penanti to cast their votes at

about 8.30am. They were accompanied by PAS candidate Salleh Man. Neither Salleh nor his opponent, BN’s Rohaizat Othman, were voters in the constituency. Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin visited several polling stations, accompanied by Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, and other BN leaders. The voter turnout was encouraging – at 73.1% – significantly higher than that recorded in the July by-election in neighbouring Penanti state constituency, where only 46% of the voters showed up (the BN did not contest and PKR won against three independent candidates).

Permatang Pasir has 20,290 registered voters, with the Malays making up the majority at 72.34%, followed by the Chinese at 25.86%. The by-election was caused by the death of PAS’s Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman of heart failure on July 31. Hamdan had won the seat for the third consecutive time during the general election of March 8, 2008, by 5,433 votes, garnering 11,004 votes against the 5,571 received by BN’s Ahmad Sahar Shuib. Yesterday’s by-election will also be remembered for the controversy over the disbarment of Rohaizat by the Malaysian Bar Council last year in connection with the handling of client’s money by his law firm.

PAS wins with reduced majority by Himanshu Bhatt and Bernard Cheah [email protected]

SEBERANG PERAI: PAS won the Permatang Pasir state by-election yesterday by a reduced majority of 4,551 votes to wrest back the sole seat occupied by the party in Penang. Penang PAS commissioner Salleh Man received 9,618 votes against 5,067 collected by Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Rohaizat Othman, thereby maintaining the Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 29-seat dominant grip in the state assembly. In the March 8, 2008 general election, PAS had won the seat by a majority of 5,433 votes. It was a case of seventh time lucky for Salleh, a 55-year old religious teacher, who had lost in six previous election attempts before this. He walked triumphantly into the counting centre at the National Youth Skills Institute hall in Bukit Mertajam at about 7.10pm, even before the result was announced, waving to press photogaphers who were already calling him “YB” (Yang Berhormat). Salleh was accompanied by PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Penang Deputy Chief Minister

(I) Mansor Othman, and PKR’s Penanti assemblyman Mansor Othman. The annoucement was made by the Election Commission’s returning officer, Roslan Yahaya, at 7.30pm, just in time for the breaking of fast. The event was marked by Health Department officials walking around, requiring everyone who entered the hall to wear face masks, which were distributed free, in view of the A(H1N1) outbreak. The voter turnout was 73.1%. The by-election was caused by the death of PAS’s Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman of heart failure on July 31. Hamdan had won the seat for the third consecutive time during last year’s general election. He polled 11,004 votes against 5,571 obtained by BN’s Ahmad Sahar Shuib. Salleh is now expected to be appointed the Penang Islamic Affairs Council president at the end of the year, when the term of the current president, Shahbudin Yahaya, of Umno, expires. Mahfuz said the result showed that the trend of voters wanting political change had not abated. He said the victory was a boost for PAS after it won by only 65 votes against BN in the Manek Urai by-

MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

RELIGIOUS TEACHER HELPS PARTY TO RETAIN SOLE SEAT IN PENANG

Salleh acknowledges the cheers after he was declared the winner of the Permatang Pasir by-election last night.

election last month. “This victory is also a testament to the close cooperation of (Pakatan Rakyat members) PAS, PKR and DAP, who had campaigned hard,” he said. Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng,

who arrived later, lauded the victory as evidence that the new PR “peoplecentric” state government was being accepted by the people. Salleh thanked his voters, and party volunteers who had come from the other states to lend their support.

BN will study causes of defeat, says Najib

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling centre in Permatang Pasir yesterday.

Enforce ‘no campaigning’ rule: Muhyiddin h iddi BUKIT MERTAJAM: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is satisfied with the enforcement of the Election Commission’s (EC) rule prohibiting campaigning on polling day in the Permatang Pasir state by-election. He also called on the EC to enforce the regulation in future elections to prevent untoward incidents on polling day. Muhyiddin said the enforcement of the rule was effective in easing tension among the sup-

porters of the contesting parties. “The EC should consider enforcing this rule in other elections or by-elections to create a more orderly atmosphere at the polling centres,” he said after visiting several polling centres. He said he found the atmosphere in yesterday’s by-election more orderly compared to the situation in the Manek Urai state by-election in Kelantan last month. – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said Barisan Nasional (BN) will study the causes of its defeat in the Permatang Pasir state by-election. He said the BN lost despite having tried its best because of certain factors. Najib, who is the Umno president, said he knew what the factors were but declined to elaborate. He said the BN would take stock of the situation and ensure that the party would do better the next time around. “We should look into the factors which we can improve on,” he said Najib also took note of the fact that the BN managed to reduce PAS’s majority. In Bukit Mertajam, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he was disappointed the constituents of Permatang Pasir did not vote for change. Muhyiddin, who is the Umno deputy president, said they could have become too comfortable so as not to want development.

He said the BN respected the decision of the people, and extended his congratulations to the PAS candidate, Mohd Salleh Man. Muhyiddin cited several factors for the BN’s defeat, including the character assassination of Rohaizat by the Opposition. He also said Permatang Pasir was located within the parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh, which was a stronghold of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said there was a slight reduction in the support for the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, and added that the BN would analyse the reasons for its defeat in terms of the support from the Malay, Chinese and Indian voters to improve its performance in the next general election. Muhyiddin expressed confidence that the BN would regain the support of the people gradually under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak. – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court (Appellate and Special Powers Division) here yesterday allowed an application by Sisters in Islam (SIS) for a judicial review of an order to ban a book. Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof made the order after listening to arguments by senior federal counsel Noor Hishamuddin Ismail, who was representing then home minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, and counsel K. Shanmuga, representing SIS. He fixed Oct 28 for the hearing of the application. SIS Forum (Malaysia) had on Dec 15 last year applied for a judicial review of an order by the home minister banning a book titled “Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism”, published in 2005. SIS, which wanted the ban lifted, named Syed Hamid as the respondent. The book, a collection of essays by activists and international intellectuals, was edited by sociologist Prof Norani Othman, of the Malaysian and International Studies Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. SIS claimed the ban on Nov 5 last year was outside the ambit of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and contravened Article 8(2), 10(1)(a) and 11(4) of the Federal Constitution. Noor Hishamuddin had opposed the application saying it was late since the ban was gazetted in July last year. However, Shanmuga argued that the application was made within the stipulated period. – Bernama

Three Malaysians die in Kashmir crash NEW DELHI: Three Malaysian tourists died in Ladakh, Kashmir, when the vehicle they were travelling in skidded and plunged into the Indus River yesterday. The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that Angee Lee, 52, Lee Ah Yem, 59, and Tang Guat Gnoh, 54, died on the spot. Another passenger, Lin Bee Wong, 47, was injured and admitted to a nearby hospital. Police were searching for another Malaysian, Cheon Swee Chuan, 42, who is missing. The local driver of the vehicle was injured. – Bernama

Ex-Tabung Haji GMs start jail terms KUALA LUMPUR: Former Tabung Haji general managers Datuk Mohd Amin Sidek and Datuk Mohammad Shafie have been ordered to start their 10-year jail sentence starting yesterday. Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz made the order after rejecting arguments and reasons for a stay of execution by defence counsel Mohd Firuz Jaffril and V. Rajadevan. Mohd Amin and Mohammad Shafie were sentenced to 10 years jail each for committing criminal breach of trust (CBT) and cheating involving RM200 million eight years ago. – Bernama