CONCERNED over the presumption that Anwar Ibrahim’s win in the Port Dickson by-election is a foregone conclusion and that he needs no further votes, Pakatan Harapan has urged outstation voters to go home to cast their ballots for the future prime minister.

Polling day for the by-election – Anwar’s ticket to return to the Dewan Rakyat – is October 13.

Former MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, who resigned to make way for Anwar, said there was a worry that people believe Anwar will win, even without their votes.

“In the 14th general election, everyone wanted to go home to vote for change.

“This time, we are worried that people are already satisfied and think we will win for sure,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Danyal said the message he was getting from locals in his door-to-door visits throughout the constituency were that voters working outside Port Dickson had no intention of going home for polling day.

“One voter told me his child wouldn’t be coming home to vote because he believed PH would win anyway.”

Danyal, who is campaigning for PKR’s president-elect, said people were not taking the by-election seriously as Barisan Nasional was not contesting.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said outstation voters made up an estimated 30% of Port Dickson’s 75,200 voters.

“Because we won on May 9, many voters think we will win again.

“But our message to them is this – if you are in Malaysia, then go home to vote because this is your chance to vote for a prime minister,” he said.

The Negri Sembilan constituency has 75,212 voters comprising Malays (42%), Chinese (33%) and Indians (22%) across five state seats – Chuah, Lukut, Bagan Pinang, Sri Tanjung and Linggi.

Of the lot, 6,690 are military personnel and 578 police officers. The other 68,486 are regular voters.

Anwar is up against six other candidates – independents Isa Samad, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Lau Seck Yan, Stevie Chan and Kan Chee Yuen, as well as PAS’ Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, a retired army veteran.

Isa was formerly Negri Sembilan menteri besar. He resigned from Umno recently to contest as an independent in the by-election. He was also Umno’s Teluk Kemang division leader.

Saiful was formerly Anwar’s aide. He accused the PKR leader of sodomising him in 2008 when Anwar was contesting for the Permatang Pauh seat for his return to Parliament.

The allegation 10 years ago did not stop Anwar from winning his old stronghold and returning to Parliament as opposition leader. But he was later convicted and thrown back into jail until his release in May with a royal pardon after PH took Putrajaya in GE14.

In the May 9 polls, Danyal won the seat with 36,225 votes, beating BN’s MIC candidate V. Mogan, who got 18,515 votes, and PAS’ Mahfuz Roslan, who received 6,594 votes. – October 3, 2018.