KUALA LUMPUR July 17 Kyodo Malays...

KUALA LUMPUR July 17 Kyodo

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party forward Thursday hopes to verify it has won back the hearts of Malays, its core supporters, in brace key by-elections in Mahathir's domicile state of Kedah.

The Pendang parliamentary and Anak Bukit state by-elections pit Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) against archrival the Pan Islamic Party (PAS).

They flow at a time when the pair sides are experiencing political turning points.

The brace seats fell vacant following the death of PAS President Fadzil Nor in succession June 23. He was a well-respected figure and considered a relatively moderate leader in a party rul on hardline Muslim clerics.

Now PAS is in the hands of Fadzil's firebrand delegate Abdul Hadi Awang, who, as Teregganu state chief minister, just lately adopted the harsh Islamic penal digest known as hudud law, which includes death on stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for theft.

Meanwhile, UMNO has tend hitherward to terms with Mahathir's desire to stair down, although only after 15 months' time to make secure a smooth handover of power to his proxy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

one as well as the other parties are cashing in upon these two events to court voters. PAS is playing to sympathy for Fadzil while UMNO wants voter to give Mahathir, their favorite native son who has rul the geographical division for 21 years, a symbolic parting gift.

For Mahathir, losing the couple seats would be a slap in the face as PAS has made no bone about its intention to put a violent construction on the state from under his nose in the nearest general election.

PAS stamped its grip upon Terengganu state in the last elections besides maintaining a firm possess on Kelantan state.

In the 1999 general elections, PAS was able to make inroads into many traditional UMNO fastnesss including the Anak Bukit and Pendang constituencies, at capitalizing on Malays' disenchantment towards UMNO athwart the sacking and subsequent incarceration of former agent Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1998

on the contrary that was three years ago.

Anwar is no longer a factor in the by-elections. The economy has proven resilient in the face of a global sink and Mahathir is riding a wave of newfound popularity aided by the agency of his liberal Muslim outlook.

''We have regained a certain ground compared to the last three years,'' an UMNO official said.

The ruling National forehead (BN) coalition has won five of six by-elections strive to carryed so far since 1999 and BN also recorded a landslide victory in the Sarawak state election in September last year.

yet observers see Thursday's by-elections as the conformable to fact test of UMNO whether has really won back the support as claimed, since this is the first time UMNO is revealed to wrest a seat from PAS. Previous by-elections saw either UMNO or BN defending their seats.

Ethnic Malays make up 87% of the electorates in the sum of two units areas.

The non-Malays' suffrages are safely in UMNO's hands thanks to the negative publicity from one side of to the other PAS' hudud law.

''Hudud law is a real question here. The Chinese are all against it,'' admitted leeward Seng, vice president of the opposition People's Party.

in such a manner the battle is all abroad for the hearts and minds of the Malays.

In the past sum of two units weeks, throngs of political heavyweights from the two parties have descended into the couple tiny hamlets, including Mahathir himself, who toured the area upon Monday.

''The visit here (by Mahathir) point out tos that the UMNO election machinery lacks more fuel to deliver the goods'' Hadi remarked.

Analysts believe Thursday's be deriveds will serve as a barometer for the nearest general election, as well as its timing.

Mahathir may fix upon to call an early catalogue of heads if results favor UMNO. A just discovered national poll need not be held until 2004

''We have a beneficial chance to win this time,'' said Abdullah, who is leading the BN election operations there.

In Anak Bukit, UMNO candidate Zakaria Said, 58 is up against Amiruddin Hamzah, 40 of PAS while in Pendang, Othman Abdul, 51 from UMNO battles Mohamed Hayati Othman, 45 of PAS.

Mahathir forward Wednesday reminded voters that solitary UMNO can bring evolution to the area.

''I expectancy voters will choose wisely to make secure a safe future by voting for the candidate from the ruling party that is able to bring progression in a continuously ascending gradation to Pendang and Anak Bukit,'' he was quot as saying through official news agency Bernama.

For PAS, voter have been told that a promised to the party is a ticket to heaven.

catalogue of heads results are expected to be known by dint of Thursday evening.

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