Comment by JOCELINE TAN

DATUK Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein left Permatang Pauh on Friday in a better mood than when he arrived.

He had been up till 2am the night before, going on his rounds in this controversial constituency.

Small concession: Dr Wan Azizah wears a glove on her right hand, which she says is due to an allergy.

Permatang Pauh has been a PKR seat since 1999 and Umno is quite desperate to get it back. Permatang Pauh has been the black dot in what is otherwise an Umno-controlled Seberang Prai.

Hishammuddin, according to Penang Umno Youth chief Datuk Salim Bari, is convinced that the mood this time around is different.

“The response has been different from the 2004 elections. People have been more open to us, from the way they came out for our events to the way they greeted us when we went on our rounds. Our machinery on the ground is also in better working order,” said Salim.

The Malay ground in Penang has been in sharp contrast to the Chinese mood. There are no divisive matters this time around and some issues like the keris and Hindraf protests that had upset other communities have actually brought the Malays closer.

Umno’s main concern at this point in time is less the Malays, who make up 70% of voters than the Chinese who comprise about 24%.

The Chinese vote in Permatang Pauh has been quite impossible to read. They know they are the kingmakers in this high-stakes fight and they have been keeping their lips sealed and their faces inscrutable.

It is no secret that in 2004, the Chinese were less than comfortable with Barisan Nasional’s Pirdaus Ismail who was then riding on his credentials as the former Chief Imam of Masjid Negara. But they have grown a little more used to him after four years.

The PKR side has its own worry, namely, the increase in new voters from 44,000 in 2004 to 58,449.

In fact, this group of over 14,000 new voters may be the X-factor in the Permatang Pauh contest. The sheer number and the fact that they are an unknown entity make them a force to watch.

And as Ramli Bulat, the PKR candidate in Seberang Jaya, pointed out, there are also some 6,000 postal voters among them and postal votes almost always favour the ruling coalition.

Is Permatang Pauh, long classified a black area for the Barisan, turning grey?

It looks that way on paper but on the ground, the womenfolk especially, are still sympathetic to two-term incumbent Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Although she began as a party figurehead for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, she has since grown into a cult figure in her own right even though many freely admit that an Umno MP in Permatang Pauh would be able to deliver more than her in terms of development and amenities.

She has hardly changed over the years, still reticent in her speech, her complexion flawless and her expression serene no matter how great the stress and pressure around her.

Her only concession is the silk glove she wears on her right hand. She tells people she has an allergy but it is probably also to deflect criticism from conservative Malays because her political routine includes shaking hands with both women and men.

Umno campaigners have no qualms about attacking Anwar but they know better than to criticise her.

When she declared she was willing to force a by-election if she won, Umno accused Anwar of imposing his will on his wife and the people of Permatang Pauh.

Dr Wan Azizah came quite close to being swept away by the goodwill wind that had carried Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi into the most astounding mandate ever for the Barisan. She had a 10,000-vote majority in 1999 but held on by only 590 votes in 2004.

This time, the wind is being whipped up by a determined Barisan machinery.

Wanita Umno ladies have been appealing to women voters to give Pirdaus a chance to do things for the constituency during door-to-door rounds.

They argue that Anwar has been freed, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has retired and the question of injustice is not there any more.

Permatang Pauh is but one of the 66 parliamentary and 126 state seats that PKR is contesting, the most number of seats among the opposition parties.

And despite the looming X-factor, it remains the seat PKR is most confident about.

But said Salim: “We are very keen to win it back. We have never felt better about Permatang Pauh.”

PKR has to win this symbolic seat to keep the flame alive while Umno wants a win to douse the flame.