Permatang Pauh:Day 12

There will be triple threat match in Permatang Pauh by election this August 26.PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Dr Anwar Ibrahim will facing BN Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah,and independent candidate Hanafi Mamat.As far as this report has written(10.20 pm Mountain Standard time),the process of registration has already proceed.Anwar Ibrahim,with 10,000 strong crowd,registered at registration center in Permatang Pauh,at 9.11 am Malaysian time(7.11 pm MST),while Arif Shah arrived one minute earlier.The third candidate,Hanafi Mamat registered at 9.40 am(7.40 pm MST).

4,000 BN supporters including Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak accompanied Arif Shah,which is a State Assemblyman of Seberang Jaya,Penang.

Today,is a pivotal day for all Malaysians,as Permatang Pauh will consider how much people desire for change.A pivotal day for all Anwar's supporter.

pic:courtesy of http://www.permatangpauh.com/

10.40am BN submits three protest forms to the returning officer.

10.25am Permatang Pauh PKR election director Mustapha Kamal Yusuf confirms that Dr Mansor is a ’spare tyre’ and will withdraw once Anwar’s nomination is accepted. Under current election laws, a candidate can pull out three days after nomination. His name will not appear in the ballot paper but the RM10,000 deposit will be forfeited.

10.23am PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat is said to be unwell and is sitting outside the centre near an ambulance. Anwar approaches the Kelantan Menteri Besar to have a word with him.

10.20am PKR veep Azmin Ali confirms that Dr Mansor is still a PKR member. According to Azmin, Mansor is the PKR election bureau deputy chief. Sources indicate that Mansor may withdraw his candidacy at the last minute.

10.10am Lim Guan Eng tells reporters outside nomination centre, “we have our candidate Anwar; whether we will complete this process of transformation will be determined by Permatang Pauh voters. They not only decide for themselves but for 27 million Malaysians.”

10am NOMINATION PERIOD ENDS. An hour-long protest period follows now.

9.55am Hanafi completes his nomination. Five more minutes for the end of nomination process

9.45am Hanafi submits papers as a Akim candidate.

9.40am Mansor’s submission ends. He is on an independent ticket. Hanafi awaits his turn.

9.30am Independent candidate, former Penang PKR leader Dr Mansor Othman , enters nomination centre and readies to submit his papers

9.23am Potential Akim (Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia) candidate Hanafi Hamat, 61, arrives at nomination centre. Still uncertain whether he will submit his nomination paper. Akim is a PAS splinter group.

9.20am Outside, PKR suporters chant Saiful penipu, tangkap boleh boleh (Saiful is a liar, catch him). One group start calling, “Najib”, another respond with “Altantuya”.

9.15am Anwar submits nomination paper.

9.08am Anwar enters nomination centre with proposer and seconder after hugging Azizah, daughter and other PKR leaders.

9.05am ‘I feel good’, Anwar replies when asked by Malaysiakini how he felt about contesting again after 10 years in hiatus.

9.03am Arif Shah Omar Shah submits his nomination paper.

9.00am Nomination is from 9am to 10am, followed by a one-hour objection period. If everything is in order, the returning officer will announce the names of candidates and declare that the by-election is on after the objection period.

8.50pm BN crowd start jeering liwat, tetap liwat (sodomise, still sodomise) while the bigger Pakatan group respond with loud cries of Reformasi.

8.40am Anwar Ibrahim arrives, accompanied by Dr Wan Azizah, Nurul Izzah and other key leaders, to the chants of Reformasi. Anwar was in light blue baju melayu. He is seen happily waving and chatting with supporters.

8.30am BN candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah, in yellow baju melayu, arrives. BN marchers were led by Najib, Mohd Ali Rustam, Hishamuddin Hussein, Samy Vellu, Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Liow Tiong Lai and others.

8.25am Pakatan supporters swell to 10,000. They virtually fill up the field allocated for them near the nomination centre.

8.15am Lim Guan Eng and DAP leaders arrive. There are multi-cultural performances at PKR’s side, including traditional Chinese lion dance and Indian orami melum to greet supporters.

8.12am 60 FRU men stand guard at the entrance and inside the gates of nomination centre. The teachers training college (Maktab Penguruan Tuanku Bainun) looks like a fortress.

7.55am A BN car convoy, including DPM Najib’s car, booed by Pakatan supporters when they enter through the Jalan Kubang Semang-Mengkuang designated for the opposition.

7.54am Supporters from the two camps enter via different routes. Nomination centre is located just outside the Butterworth-Kulim expressway. Orderly entrance seen at this stage, crowd seem well behaved.

7.45am BN and Pakatan supporters, estimated at 5,000, present. Pakatan crowd outnumber BN’s. Some PKR people spotted with Anwar’s masks. ‘Harapan Baru untuk Malaysia’ placards seen all over the Pakatan group.

7.37am Police helicopter hovering above. Road blocks, traffic jam. Supporters from both camps, carrying banners and flags, start to swell.

7.25am People start arriving at Maktab Penguruan Tuanku Bainun, the nomination centre. Heavy police presence sighted in and around the centre.