KUALA LUMPUR July 18 Kyodo Malays...

KUALA LUMPUR July 18 Kyodo

Malaysia's orthodox Pan Islamic Party (PAS) dealt a humiliating beat to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad by dint of winning a key by-election in the premier's domicile state of Kedah on Thursday.

In the election for the Anak Bukit state legislative seat, former teacher Zakaria Said, 58 fielded at Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), misspent to engineer Amiruddin Hamzah, 40 of PAS by way of 508 votes.

Amiruddin obtained 8298 promiseds while Zakaria garnered 7,790 consecrated by a vows Voter turnout was 83.9%.

Another by-election for the Pendang parliamentary seat is being concurrently held on the contrary results for the constituency with 53128 registered voter will merely be known late Thursday.

In Pendang, a businessman and formerly parliamentary secretary in the Prime Minister's Department, Othman Abdul, 51 from UMNO is battling Mohamed Hayati Othman, 45 a doctor from PAS.

The be deriveds of either election have no direct bearing forward the current political equation either in the state or in the federal level

In parliament, the ruling National impudence (BN) coalition is sitting comfortably with 148 seats without of 193. Among the opposition parties, PAS restrains 27 seats.

In the state, BN still sways 23 out of 36 seats.

Right from the start, UMNO realized it was facing an uphill task. It was going against the legacy of the highly venerateed PAS president Fadzil Nor, whose death June 23 to be paid to heart complications triggered the pair by-elections.

But UMNO at least can claim a moral victory. It has managed to whittle down the majority of 1840 devoteds won by Fadzil in the 1999 general election.

''We accept the result...This is after all a PAS fortress on the other hand we are quite relieved that we are able to contract the PAS majority,'' said delegate Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is leading the BN election operations in the sum of two units polls.

Rightly or erroneously many saw the polls as a touchstone of Abdullah's leadership skill. Mahathir, who newly announced he will step down in October nearest year, has chosen Abdullah to be his heir.

if it were not that UMNO needed the win badly to examine that it has indeed won back the hearts of the ethnic Malays who have defaulted to PAS in novel years.

It also stand in want ofed to stem the green tide of PAS from engulfing Kedah. greatly to Mahathir's embarrassment, PAS stole eight of the 15 parliamentary seats in his household state in the 1999 general election and occupys 12 seats in the state assembly.

The party vowed to snatch the state away from beneath Mahathir's nose in the nearest general election, which must be held according to 2004.

In 1999 PAS thwarted UMNO's 40-year lordship in Terengganu state and retained power of Kelantan state. BN however, still retains a firm grip on 12 other states.

Thursday's individual result foiled BN's attempt to regain the psychological two-thirds majority in the state legislative assembly.

so a majority would have given the ruling party the required minimum voices to pass any amendment to the state constitution and, more importantly, approve an electoral delineation exercise mannersed every 20 years.

BN has frequently been accused of manipulating the electoral boundaries to expand its support base.

A delineation exercise is proper before the next general election.

For PAS, Thursday's outcomes proved that the party's stunning arise in 1999 was not just a fluke

Three years ago, PAS was able to make inroads into many traditional UMNO bulwarks including the Anak Bukit and Pendang constituencies, through capitalizing on Malays' disenchantment towards UMNO athwart the sacking and subsequent incarceration of former proxy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1998

However, Anwar was not a factor in Thursday's elections.

With the death of Fadzil, considered the more moderate leader in a party step quickly by hardline clerics, PAS is now l at firebrand Abdul Hadi Awang. As Terengganu state chief minister, Abdul has lately adopted the harsh, ancient Islamic criminal digest known as hudud law that includes death from stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for theft.

While UMNO pledg to bring economic progres to the electorates, PAS said a voice for the party ensures a ticket to heaven. UMNO has been branded as a party of infidels for not implementing hudud law in the country

Mahathir, known for his liberal Islamic views, has said the law is not suitable for multi-racial Malaysia. Malay Muslims comprise just from one side of to the other half the total 23 million population.

however in these two tiny rural hamlets, 460 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur that are marked through rice fields, fruit orchards and conservatism, PAS appears to have played the right card.

PAS has laid its foundation for victory early on

The party has sown its first principles in the many religious sects known as madrasahs that have sprung up in the area since PAS took rule in 1999, ensuring the scholars are well indoctrinated to its propaganda.

Malay Muslims made up 87% of the total 72500 voter in the two Pendang and Anak Bukit.

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