PAS may name woman candidate for Tenang tonight: Slams BN for 'azan' row

Amid an intensifying religious row over the loudness of an azan that many have accused the BN of stage-managing ahead of the Tenang by-election, PAS will announce its candidate and there is a 50 percent chance the Islamist party may field a lady - Normala Sudirman, the women's chief of Labis.
“Two people are on the shortlist, and yes, the lady is one of them. But whether she is really the final choice, you have to wait till tonight,” PAS vice Salahuddin Ayub (pic right) told Malaysia Chronicle.
Top Pakatan Rakyat leaders including Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang will also be attending the ceramah or political lecture at Labis, where PAS president Hadi Awang is due to unveil the coalition’s choice.
BN stronghold
Tenang is an urban state constituency in Johor, with 14,753 registered voters. Nearly 48 percent are Malay, 39 per cent Chinese, 12 percent Indian and 1 per cent other races. It fell vacant following the death of Umno assemblyman Sulaiman Taha from diabetes complications.
The seat is an Umno stronghold and expectations are high that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s party will win comfortably. It is unclear if Umno will field a woman candidate, but Wanita chief Shahrizat Jalil has lobbied for one. The party will announce its candidate on Wednesday.
In the 2008 election, the late Sulaiman won with 6,367 votes for a 2,492 majority over his PAS rival. The pressure is now on Umno to maintain this margin or accept that its grip is loosening due to its Malay supremacy policies.
It would also be a slap on Najib's face and a warning that he can no longer hide behind his inclusive-sounding 1Malaysia slogan, and yet say different things to different races in a bid to avoid being pinned down on what his real stand actually is.
“Our chances are good. We are confident the PAS candidate will enhance the Pakatan’s chances. But having said this, Tenang is a BN stronghold. We are entering the lion’s den so to speak. So look at the majority – it will be very revealing and a strong signal to Najib if Umno cannot retain Tenang with same or better margin,” PKR vice president Tian Chua (pic below) told Malaysia Chronicle.
BN cranks up racial and religious differences

Tian and his colleagues from PKR, DAP and PAS have been traveling almost daily throughout the constituency in a bid to increase their rapport with the voters there. So far, their dinner lectures and fund-raising events have been sell-outs.
In particular, Najib has ordered the police to crack down on Anwar, who is famed for his ability to light up crowds wherever he goes with his oratorical charisma. The authorities have canceled permits at the last minute, installed road blocks to create traffic congestion and put off people from going to hear him speak. But that has not stopped the Opposition Leader or his team.
“Winning and losing is part of the game. But PAS is very serious and we are very committed to Malaysia and Pakatan Rakyat. We hope the Tenang voters will give us a chance and not be derailed by the racial politicking of the BN," said Salahuddin.
"Don’t let Umno and MCA and MIC divide us into 3 Malaysias when we are actually one country. Mind you - not Najib’s 1Malaysia that is driven by Perkasa and Utusan but the real one Malaysia that is united for all Malaysians."
Stage-managing the 'azan' row
Indeed, MCA president Chua Soi Lek has already begun the onslaught of racial and religious bigotry favored by the BN. Chua is trying to convince the Chinese there not to trust PAS because the Islamist party will introduce hudud laws and turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.
Although Umno leaders including former premiers Mahathir Mohamad and Abduallah Badawi have claimed Malaysia was already an Islamic state, the party has no choice but to close any eye to Chua's rhetoric given the high Chinese population in Tenang.
But to reassure the Malay community, the party is believed to have engineered the latest Muslim protest in a bid to show the Malays that only it can defend the community.
At a mosque in Kampung Kerinchi within the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency of PKR MP Nurul Izzah, Umno-aligned groups burned effigies of an MCA member, who asked the authorities to reduce the volume of its azan or call-to-prayer loudspeakers.
Pakatan leaders have warned Malaysians to remain calm and not to allow the latest "stage-managed drama" frighten them into their respective communal shells.
"If Umno and MCA were to stop politicizing our cultural and religious differences, no one would bother at all. There are rules to protect all communities and where there are none, why not sit down and talk pleasantly to each other?" said Salahuddin.
"But racial harmony and respect is not what Umno and MCA want. If Malaysia is at peace, how can they retain control. They have to keep disturbing the races, creating hate, then only the people will remember - I'm Malay and you're Chinese, we are enemies. For PAS, we are fully committed to Islam but we are also committed to mutual respect."
Nomination day for Tenang is Jan 22 and polling on Jan 30.