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Sunday, April 26, 2015

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...: Azizah woos PAS with her simplicity

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...: Azizah woos PAS with her simplicity
Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is no stranger to the PAS Muslimat (women’s wing) in Permatang Pauh, as she met them again as PKR’s candidate for the May 7 parliamentary polls.
Many remember her as the soft-spoken spouse of Anwar Ibrahim, a firebrand youth activist turned Umno politician when he first won the Permatang Pauh seat in 1982.
So when Azizah - known simply as Kak Wan - walked into the Dewan Yusof Ar Rawa in Sama Gagah last night as part of her campaign trail, a group of Muslimat reached out their hands eagerly to greet hers.
Wearing a bright red baju kurung and white tudong, Azizah was in good spirits, shaking hands with journalists, who sat on the floor of the rustic old dewan, and jokingly said “vote for me ya”.
A muslimat next to a journalist whispered “Poor Kak Wan, how many times must she endure this?”
She was referring to Anwar languishing behind the Sungai Buloh prison walls yet again for a second sodomy charge, propelling Azizah into the eye of the storm.
Anwar was sacked from his deputy prime minister’s post in 1998, and jailed for the first time from 2001 to 2006 for abuse of power related to his sodomy charge.
He is in prison again, serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy, and lost his MP seat when Azizah failed to obtain a pardon from the Agong for his release.
In Anwar’s place, Azizah has contested and won the Permatang Pauh seat twice, in 1999 and 2004, albeit with a slim majority of 590 votes.
Rocky start
She is now going into battle for the third time with allegations of nepotism hurled at her candidacy by her opponents, while her biggest challenge is BN’s candidate Suhaimi Sabudin, who at 44, is 19 years younger.
She has been challenged to explain how would she handle two seats - the other is a state seat in Kajang - when it is about six hours drive away from Penang.
And until yesterday, her party was at odds with the Permatang Pauh PAS division which threatened to boycott her campaign as PKR does not support their president Abdul Hadi Awang’s private members bill on hudud in Parliament.
But last night the division chief Omar Hassan said the matter has been settled as PKR has clarified its stand on hudud in a closed meeting in Seberang Jaya on Friday.
“We agree to disagree,” he said, urging the 200 PAS members to activate the party’s machinery in all branches to help Azizah’s team.
Her gratitude was obvious as she took the microphone to explain her candidacy to the group of men wearing sarong and kopiah, while the women sat separately on the right.
“Anwar is being tested again, he has been sent to prison and once again we have to go for a by-election,” she said.
“And once again, I am forced to contest this seat,” Azizah said, as she appealed for support from PAS members.
Simple manner endears
The muslimat does not mind Azizah contesting the seat again. She does not think the distance is a problem especially when there are cheap flights and highways these days.
“We have known her for a long time ago. She remains the same, just look at her dressing, she has not changed her style since we knew her as Anwar’s wife,” the woman said.
“She is truly very simple, she would rather mingle with us or cook with us instead of sitting at the VIP table we prepared for her,” the woman recalled.
PAS deputy chief Mohamed Sabu said one always found Azizah “amicable and agreeable”.
“We can disagree with Anwar but with Kak Wan, there is nothing to disagree,” he said.
“She is the most loyal wife, she appears soft but her heart is strong. As a man, I may look like a hero, but sometimes there is fear in my heart,” Mohamed, better known as Mat Sabu said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“Indeed, she has sacrificed much to restore her family’s dignity, such woman deserves our support,” he asserted.
Mat Sabu’s most memorable memory of Azizah was when she was a health volunteer, serving the community while working as an optician.
He was in the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) then and often brought patients from the NGO to see her.
“At the time, she had just married Anwar . She often told me about Abim members planning to join Umno, she disliked that very much,” he said.
“But little did she know that her husband was also planning to join Umno,” he said, to much laughter.
Mat Sabu said the situation is different now as Azizah has to step into the frontline again as candidate.
“Don’t say she lobbied for the seat, she would rather enjoy her retirement and spend time with her family, but duty calls,” he said.
“Besides, it is her party which has chosen her, it not she who lobbied for the seat,” he stressed. - M'kini

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