8/14/2019 TheSun 2008-12-09 Page10 Battle of KT Vital Yardstick to Guage Political Support

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news without borders10 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 2008

By-election focus of BNSupreme Council meetingPUTRAJAYA: The Barisan Nasional (BN) SupremeCouncil meeting today will focus on the strate-gies and preparations for the Kuala Terengganuparliamentary by-election on Jan 17, BN secre-tary-general Tengku Datuk Seri Adnan TengkuMansor said yesterday.

“One of the strategies is to increase the628-majority the BN candidate achieved in thegeneral election this year,” he told reportersafter witnessing an Aidiladha sacricial slaughterceremony here.

“We will also have a strategy to ensure thatthe election workers focus on the by-electionand do not take advantage of the opportunityto garner support for themselves at the Umnoelections (set for March next year),” he said.

He also said BN chairman, Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will an-nounce the name of its candidate for the by-election soon. – Bernama

Wanita will unite to ensurebig win: ShahrizatKUALA LUMPUR: Despite a contest for thetop post in Wanita Umno, it will be able tomove as a team to make sure of a huge vic-tory for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the KualaTerengganu parliamentary by-election on

Jan 17.Wanita Umno vice-chief Datuk Seri

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said yesterday themovement’s ability to work as a team wasnot affected by the contest.

She said that although she was challeng-ing Tan Sri Radah Aziz for the top post, shewould respect and carry out the directivesissued by Radah.

“Let me put it on record that there are nosquabbles in Wanita Umno. Yes, there is acontest but it will only take place in March.The focus now is to ensure a huge win forthe BN,” she said.

Shahrizat spoke to reporters after distrib-uting sacricial meat to nearly 500 Muslimconverts in conjunction with Aidiladha or-ganised by the Islamic Welfare Associationof Malaysia (Perkim) here. – Bernama

‘Battle of KT’vital yardstick

to gauge political supportKUALA LUMPUR: A burning question hasemerged on both sides of the political divide,revolving around Kuala Terengganu.

Will the unrealised dream of PakatanRakyat (PR) to take over the federalgovernment last Sept 16 cause the party tolose support and credibility and will BarisanNasional (BN) begin to make a comeback towin the hearts and minds of voters this timearound in Kuala Terengganu?

This question has come to the fore asboth sides are set to square off again onJan 17 – this time in the Kuala Terengganuparliamentary by-election, now popularlyknown as “The Battle of KT”. Nomination ison Jan 6.

Many political observers and analysts view this by-election as crucial indetermining the current and future support for the BN and PR.

The Kuala Terengganu seat fell vacant when incumbent Datuk Razali Ismail died of a heart attack on Nov 28.

In 2004, he had defeated PAS executivecouncil member Syed Azman Syed Ahmadby 1,933 votes.

In the general election on March 8, Razali,who was the deputy education ministerbefore his death, won by a slim 628 majoritywhen he knocked out PAS strongmanMohammad Sabu and 89-year-old MaimunYusuf in a three-way ght.

The KualaTerengganuparliamentaryseat has alwaysbeen a traditionalbattleground forBN (Umno) andPAS, and it will beinteresting to seehow both sideswill woo the votersin the comingby-election, barelyeight months afterthe general election,to prove their

popularity.PKR informationchief Tian Chuasaid the oppositionfront would adopt “asophisticated way of campaigning” based ona multiracial platform. PKR is a component party of the PR alliance, the others being PASand DAP.

“As a mixed (or multiracial) party, wewould have a s lightly different campaignstrategy as the needs of the urban voters aredifferent (from the rural voters),” he said.

“It is the socio-economic background that will determine their decisions on who will bethe winner, not their ethnicity.”

Tian Chuafelt the “internaltussle withinTerengganuUmno” could dent BN’s prospects.

Umno’s internalconict wasout in open onthe selection of election candidateseven beforeMarch 8 and thissparked anothercontroversy afterthe elections, on

the selection of the Terengganumentri besar.

However, someTerengganu Umno

members deny the notion that internalbickering will put a spanner in the worksas the so-called internal problems withinTerengganu Umno have been reducedsignicantly after the general election.

“The Kuala Terengganu Umno divisionis united and this was seen in the recent divisional elections,” a Kuala TerengganuUmno division committee member, whodid not wish to be identied, told Bernama.

For now, the name of Datuk Wan Farid

Wan Salleh, who is also the deputy homeaffairs minister, is being bandied about asthe front-runner to represent BN.

Some political observers say internalbickering is a normal phenomenon in anypolitical party as PAS also experiencedsimilar problems in the past – between themoderates and conservatives.

For example, in the coming by-election,the moderates are said to be favouringeither Mat Sabu or Datuk MustaphaAli to contest while the conservativesprefer locals such as Wan MutalibEmbong, the Terengganu PAS deputycommissioner.

PAS secretary-general DatukKamaruddin Jaafar said: “I would be lyingif I said there is no struggle between themoderates and conservatives. But what ismore important is that when the candidatehas been decided on, all factions will abideby that decision and the party machinerywill come out in full force.”

This time around, PAS has sent clearsignals that it is targeting the Bandar stateseat, the only state seat under the KualaTerengganu parliamentary constituencythat was won by the BN in the generalelection.

Kamaruddin said PAS would increase itsfocus on Bandar, which comprised mainlynon-Malay voters, while maintaining its

edge in the Batu Burok, Wakaf Mempelamand Ladang state constituencies, which it won in March.

Terengganu MCA chairman Toh ChinYaw is unperturbed by PAS’s ambitionsas he is quietly optimistic that support from the non-Malays, particularly the 11%Chinese voters, would remain in BN’shands.

“I think the balance of support will tilt to BN,” said Toh, who is the only Chineseexecutive council member in the stategovernment.

He defended his Bandar seat in thegeneral election while the other three seatsfell to PAS. – Bernama

Overhaul bus licensingsystem, says Guan EngSEBERANG PERAI: Penang Chief Minister LimGuan Eng has called for an overhaul in thesystem of awarding licences to bus companiesto ensure safety and service standards are notcompromised.

He said companies that cannot cope with theirlosses should have their licences withdrawn.

“These companies resort to cutting cornersby compromising on safety standards and hiringunder-qualied drivers,” he said at an Aidiladhaceremony at Kampung Gajah here yesterday.

In what was seen as a reference to the ac-cident involving an express bus that killed 10people at the North-South Expressway nearTangkak on Sunday, Lim expressed concern thatsuch laxity in operations would increase the riskof highway accidents and d eaths.

He also proposed that a new organisationtake over the functions of the Commercial VehicleLicensing Board (CVLB).

“There is a lot of hanky panky going on in theissuance of licences,” he said.

“If the CVLB is sleeping and people are alive,then it is all right. But if CVLB sleeps and peopledie, then there is a problem.”

Miros says North-SouthExpressway safe

JOHOR BARU: The 145km to 150km stretch of the North-South Expressway between Tang-kak and Pagoh in Muar district is straight andsafe for all vehicles, says Malaysia Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).

Its Vehicle Safety and Biomechanics Re-search Centre director, Associate Prof WongShaw Voon, said yesterday there is a slightlycurved slope at 146.5km – the site of a fatalaccident involving an express bus on Sundaymorning.

In the crash, 10 people were killed and 14others injured.

Wong said there is no guardrail at thatstretch but hardwood trees.

The stretch is generally safe for all vehiclesunless an accident occurs and vehicles riskramming into the hardwood trees, he toldreporters at Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hos-pital in Muar on Sunday night.

The local residents have the describedthe stretch as an accident-prone area. – Ber-nama