Malik: Umno moving voters to Permatang Pauh

Penang PKR election director questions Umno's confidence in by-election

GEORGE TOWN: Penang PKR elections director Abdul Malik Kassim has alleged that Umno had been moving voters into Anwar Ibrahim’s parliamentary constituency, Permatang Pauh.

He said yesterday that this was behind Umno’s confidence about the coming by-election, as stated by its state leader Zainal Abidin Osman earlier this week.

Malik said Umno has been confident and prepared for a by-election since 2013 “because its leaders seem to know the results of Anwar’s court verdict”, he was quoted as saying. “It seems they were sure that Anwar would be pronounced guilty,” Malik said, according to Malaysiakini.

He alleged that about 10,000 were moved into his state assembly constituency of Batu Maung before the 2013 general election. “When I won, Umno congratulated me as a giant killer,” he was quoted as saying.

Malik denied a Bernama report published earlier today that said the party had not been prepared for a by-election in Permatang Pauh. The report, quoting Malik, said PKR had been caught off-guard as it had been confident the judiciary would acquit Anwar.

However, Malik said he had only stated that PKR were preparing for the 14th general election but we are always prepared to defend Anwar’s seat to obtain a respectable majority. “I said that while Penang Umno was confident of Permatang Pauh, PKR is confident of the judicial system and looked forward to Anwar’s not guilty verdict. Sadly, it was not to be,” the report said.

Anwar has begun serving a five-year jail sentence, which automatically disqualifies him from Parliament. A by-election must be held within 60 days of the seat being declared vacant.