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Najib: Holiday not necessary as it only involved a parliamentary by-election and not the whole of Penang (The Straits Times) - DEPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak on Sunday said Penang's declaration of a state public holiday on the day of the Permatang Pauh by-election was done based solely on political considerations.
'This is actually a political consideration and never in our history was a public holiday declared for a by-election,' he told reporters after visiting the Mengkuang Titi Barisan Nasional (BN) operations centre here. Mr Najib said the action of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was not necessary as it only involved a parliamentary by-election and not the whole of Penang. 'I don't see why a public holiday has to be declared on Tuesday as the by-election is for Permatang Pauh only and does not involved all of Penang,' he said. Earlier, the state government in Penang, run by Anwar Ibrahim's opposition, accused the ruling coalition of rigging his critical by-election and declared a public holiday to boost turnout. Both the opposition alliance and the Barisan National coalition, which rules nationally, have pulled out all the stops for Tuesday's hotly contested poll that is expected to return Mr Anwar to parliament after a decade-long absence. Penang's chief minister Lim Guan Eng said on Sunday he had declared the holiday to give voters in the Permatang Pauh electorate a chance to cast their ballot after the government made the unusual decision to hold the poll on a weekday. Mr Lim issued a statement said the special holiday was to enable all 58,459 voters registered in Permatang Pauh to go and vote. The move is likely to boost Anwar's fortunes in the election, and help him win with a bigger majority in what will be seen as a vote of confidence after new sodomy allegations levelled by a former male aide. 'To ensure a level playing field and fairness to all candidates, the Penang state government has decided to declare Aug 26, 2008, as a state public holiday,' Mr Lim said in a statement. Mr Lim accused the coalition of rigging the vote by distributing money in the electorate, and holding the ballot on a weekday but giving government teachers a day off. Their actions show 'that the Permatang Pauh by-election is no ordinary by-election but has crucial national significance,' he said in a statement. 'This is due to the participation of ... Anwar Ibrahim and his attempt to return to parliament and make a bid for federal power as the alternative prime minister.' The 10-day election campaign has been marred by accusations that the government is buying votes and stoking racial tension between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who Mr Anwar has said he will oust with the help of defectors, caused controversy last week by announcing a 5.6 per cent cut in petrol prices which was seen as an attempt to drum up support. 'I don't care what the opposition says. I will do it. That's me,' Mr Abdullah was quoted as saying by New Straits Times newspaper Sunday. Opposition campaigners welcomed the move to declare a public holiday, but said they were still concerned that fraud and 'money politics' could skew the result. Mr Anwar held the Permatang Pauh seat from 1982 to 1999 when he was sacked as deputy premier and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges. The sex conviction was later overturned. He has said that the new sodomy allegations have been concocted by the government to sideline him after March elections that handed the opposition unprecedented gains, including five states and a third of parliamentary seats.
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