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Umno will hope that the current secretary-general, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, will run a tighter ship than his hapless predecessor Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. The Malaysian Insider
If hyperbole is to be believed, the entire country is converging on Permatang Pauh and will remain there until Aug 26. The reason, of course, is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s imminent comeback into active politics, made possible when Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail sacrificed her political career in favour of her husband. The contest for the sleepy constituency in mainland Penang is being billed as many things, among others, the fight to determine the future of democracy in Malaysia and a tussle between the two men who want to inherit the mantle of Malaysia’s leadership from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: Anwar and Abdullah’s deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak. To be clear, the outcome of the by-election will not determine the leadership of the country. It is still unclear how Anwar will be able to convince a minimum of 30 Barisan Members of Parliament to cross over, despite his increasingly insistent claims. However, a victory for him would formally re-establish him as a political force and will galvanise Pakatan Rakyat. Many commentators are painting the by-election as a study in contrasts, a clash between the charisma of the individual and the relentlessness of a well-oiled machinery. Hogwash. This romanticised simplification does a gross disservice to the organisational might and tactical nous that Pakatan Rakyat has successfully developed. If anything, the Barisan Nasional's half-hearted efforts to paint themselves as underdogs ring closer to the truth.  The Opposition has clearly demonstrated its ability to mobilise thousands of driven and dedicated idealists, spurred on by Anwar's battle cry for change.
Consider this — reports from the ground indicate that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Hindraf supporters and sympathisers are expected to station themselves in Permatang Pauh for the duration of the campaign to canvas and cajole the Indian vote. Lack of funds, for so long a major hindrance to the Opposition, is no longer an issue. If anything, the quality and sheer quantity of PR election paraphernalia that blanketed the country during the recent general election is an indication that the Opposition may have access to more cash than the government. In contrast, the Barisan Nasional has a number of operational challenges to surmount if it hopes of conducting a cohesive campaign. In fact, the much vaunted Barisan Nasional machinery has in recent times been more of a myth than a reality. During the general election, stories were rife of organisational bottlenecks and logistical problems. More damagingly, infighting and internecine rivalry probably hurt the ruling coalition as much as the Opposition's efforts. Umno will hope that the current secretary-general, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, will run a tighter ship than his hapless predecessor Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. And the Permatang Pauh Umno division, which has been notoriously fractious in the past, has settled into an uneasy calm, but there is no guarantee that the local warlords will not lapse into the kind of sabotage that has scuttled previous election hopes. The subdued appearance of division chief Abdul Jalil Abdul Malik, who had harboured hopes of being selected as the candidate, could be a gloomy harbinger of things to come. A further complicating factor is the fact that the by-election comes just ahead of Umno’s party assembly in December. As such, many of the candidates running for office will doubtlessly use this opportunity to gain a higher national profile. This means that there will be a significant heavyweight presence in the constituency. This also means that the people can expect the kind of grandstanding and posturing that frequently alienates much of the electorate. Simply put, it will be difficult to run a coordinated campaign with so many big hitters running around. The one thing that Barisan seems to have done right is select Arif Shah Omar Shah as its David against the Goliath that is Anwar. By all accounts a popular, hard-working and effective assemblyman, the Barisan Nasional would do well to concentrate its campaign efforts around him, rather than rely on a bevy of ministers and senior party personalities to carry the fight to Anwar. Notwithstanding their brave front, Barisan leaders must surely realise that they are in a fight that they most likely will not win. They are in hostile territory and are up against a well funded, well-manned and well motivated organisation, led by a man who is perhaps the most talented political animal of his generation.
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