Permatang Pauh by-election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A by-election was held for the Dewan Rakyat
parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh
on August 26, 2008 with nomination day on August 16, 2008. The seat of Permatang Pauh
in the Dewan Rakyat, fell vacant after the resignation of the incumbent, Datuk Seri
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
, on 31 July 2008. Wan Azizah was the Leader of the Opposition as well as the President of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(PKR), a component party of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
(PR) coalition. The by-election
was contested by the PR candidate former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
. This election has been dubbed "the mother of all by-elections" by the media due to the potentially significant implication of the election as well as the high profile of Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar won the election and was sworn in to Parliament on August 28, 2008, vowing to topple the government with the help of defectors from Barisan Nasional
.
in Penang. Anwar Ibrahim on July 31, 2008 said he would contest a by-election for the parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh
vacated by his wife in order to expedite his return to political office. His wife Wan Azizah said she handed her letter of resignation to the parliament speaker on Thursday 31 July. Party officials said the by-election must be held within 60 days. The Election Commission (EC) had fixed the nomination day for the Permatang Pauh by-election on Aug 16, with polling to be held ten days later on Aug 26. Some 58,459 voters in the Permatang Pauh constituency would be eligible to vote on Aug 26, a working Tuesday, adding that the figure also include 490 postal voters.
Anwar Ibrahim was charged on August 7, 2008 for sodomy
under Section 377B of the Penal Code, fueling speculations over a possible conspiracy
on the part of the Malaysian government to derail his election campaign.
lies in the federal state of Penang
. In the 2008 election
, Datuk Seri
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(a component party of the Pakatan Rakyat
coalition), garnered 30,338 votes, defeating Firdaus Ismail of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) (a component party of the Barisan Nasional
coalition) (16,950 votes) .
is clearly overwhelmed. It's no longer a by-election. It's more than that" Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak admitted the ruling party was the underdog: "It is going to be an uphill task but nothing is impossible in politics."
: "We won already. We are far ahead."
Malaysia's government and ruling coalition declared defeat in a landslide victory in by-election by Anwar Ibrahim. Muhammad Muhammad Taib
, information chief of the United Malays National Organisation
which leads the Barisan Nasional
coalition stated: “Yes of course we have lost . . . we were the underdogs going into this race.“ Malaysia's Election Commission officials announced Anwar won by an astounding majority against Arif Shah Omar Shah of United Malays National Organisation
and over Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
Final results announced by the Election Commission reveals Anwar Ibrahim
won 31,195 of the estimated 47,000 votes cast in the district in the northern state of Penang
, while rival Arif Shah Omar Shah got only 15,524 votes and a third candidate had 92 votes.
1Lost his deposit because of failing to obtain 1/8 of the votes.
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Seberang Perai, the hinterland portion of the island-state of Penang, Malaysia. Permatang Pauh is now led by Anwar Ibrahim who is the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh....
on August 26, 2008 with nomination day on August 16, 2008. The seat of Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Seberang Perai, the hinterland portion of the island-state of Penang, Malaysia. Permatang Pauh is now led by Anwar Ibrahim who is the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh....
in the Dewan Rakyat, fell vacant after the resignation of the incumbent, Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Yang Berbahagia Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is a Malaysian politician. She is currently the president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and she was the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh from 1999 to 2008. She was also the Leader of Opposition in Dewan Rakyat from March 2008 until 31 July 2008...
, on 31 July 2008. Wan Azizah was the Leader of the Opposition as well as the President of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(PKR), a component party of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
(PR) coalition. The by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was contested by the PR candidate former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
. This election has been dubbed "the mother of all by-elections" by the media due to the potentially significant implication of the election as well as the high profile of Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar won the election and was sworn in to Parliament on August 28, 2008, vowing to topple the government with the help of defectors from Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
.
Background of the by-election
On July 27, 2008 Anwar said that he aimed to return to parliament for the first time in a decade later this year if a court ordered a by-election near his home town. The seat mentioned would probably be Kulim-Bandar Baharu constituency next to his hometown of Permatang PauhPermatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Seberang Perai, the hinterland portion of the island-state of Penang, Malaysia. Permatang Pauh is now led by Anwar Ibrahim who is the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh....
in Penang. Anwar Ibrahim on July 31, 2008 said he would contest a by-election for the parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Seberang Perai, the hinterland portion of the island-state of Penang, Malaysia. Permatang Pauh is now led by Anwar Ibrahim who is the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh....
vacated by his wife in order to expedite his return to political office. His wife Wan Azizah said she handed her letter of resignation to the parliament speaker on Thursday 31 July. Party officials said the by-election must be held within 60 days. The Election Commission (EC) had fixed the nomination day for the Permatang Pauh by-election on Aug 16, with polling to be held ten days later on Aug 26. Some 58,459 voters in the Permatang Pauh constituency would be eligible to vote on Aug 26, a working Tuesday, adding that the figure also include 490 postal voters.
Anwar Ibrahim was charged on August 7, 2008 for sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
under Section 377B of the Penal Code, fueling speculations over a possible conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
on the part of the Malaysian government to derail his election campaign.
Background of Permatang Pauh
Parliamentary seat P.44 Permatang PauhPermatang Pauh
Permatang Pauh is a town in Seberang Perai, the hinterland portion of the island-state of Penang, Malaysia. Permatang Pauh is now led by Anwar Ibrahim who is the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh....
lies in the federal state of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
. In the 2008 election
Malaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
, Datuk Seri
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(a component party of the Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
coalition), garnered 30,338 votes, defeating Firdaus Ismail of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) (a component party of the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
coalition) (16,950 votes) .
Nominations
Ibraham said: "Barisan NasionalBarisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
is clearly overwhelmed. It's no longer a by-election. It's more than that" Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak admitted the ruling party was the underdog: "It is going to be an uphill task but nothing is impossible in politics."
By-election results
Early results indicated a landslide victory for Anwar. Reuters reported "Anwar Ibrahim has won with a majority of 16,210 votes. According to news website Malaysiakini: Anwar won 26,646 votes, while the government's Arif Omar won 10,436 votes. Anwar's People's Justice Party spokeswoman Ginie Lim told BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
: "We won already. We are far ahead."
Malaysia's government and ruling coalition declared defeat in a landslide victory in by-election by Anwar Ibrahim. Muhammad Muhammad Taib
Muhammad Muhammad Taib
Tan Sri Muhammad bin Haji Muhammad Taib is the former Rural and Regional Development Minister. He is also the United Malays National Organisation information chief and former Menteri Besar of Selangor...
, information chief of the United Malays National Organisation
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
which leads the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
coalition stated: “Yes of course we have lost . . . we were the underdogs going into this race.“ Malaysia's Election Commission officials announced Anwar won by an astounding majority against Arif Shah Omar Shah of United Malays National Organisation
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
and over Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
Final results announced by the Election Commission reveals Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
won 31,195 of the estimated 47,000 votes cast in the district in the northern state of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, while rival Arif Shah Omar Shah got only 15,524 votes and a third candidate had 92 votes.
1Lost his deposit because of failing to obtain 1/8 of the votes.