If the Permatang Pauh by-election is decided by the Nomination Day turnout this morning, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Anwar Ibrahim would win hands down.

Never before in any by-election nomination in Malaysian electoral history has the Barisan Nasional been so-outnumbered and overwhelmed, whether in terms of supporters; publicity materials whether flags, buntings or banners; or sheer enthusiasm, morale and spirit of the supporters.

In the sea of humanity at the Nomination Centre this morning, Anwar’s supporters from the three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, DAP and PAS simply drowned out the Barisan Nasional supporters from Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC, led by a very subdued Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself, Umno Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin.

There are those who estimate that the crowd was as big as 100,000 or more, with the Pakatan Rakyat supporters exceeding the Barisan Nasional supporters by a ratio of from 1:7 to 1:10.

UMNO Youth Hishammuddin yesterday played the sympathy card when he “begged” Permatang Pauh voters to support the Barisan Nasional candidate “because we are the underdog”.

The role of an “underdog” does not sit well with Hishammuddin as memories among Malaysians are still fresh that he was far from being an underdog when he wielded the Malay keris at the Umno Youth general assembly for three consecutive years, utterly insensitive of the sensitivities of a multi-racial Malaysia. Nor is the Prime Minister’s son-in-law best cast in the role of an “underdog”!

The impression the outnumbered and demoralized BN team gave at the Nomination Centre this morning was certainly not one of an “underdog” but of a Chinese description of the “rat running across the street”!

Anwar is right however in his caution to all workers and supporters not to be complacent and take the BN mechanism lightly, as the BN is fully capable of turning the table on polling day by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with its tested “bag of dirty tricks”.

It is a sad commentary on Anwar’s total lack of confidence in the independence and integrity of the electoral system that Dr Mansor Othman, former Penang PKR leader, had to be nominated as an independent candidate as a “strategic contingency” move in case Anwar was unreasonably and unjustly disqualified – with Mansor announcing his withdrawal when Anwar sailed through the nomination process, forfeiting RM15,000 in the process!

Anwar had very good reason to take such a precautionary measure as the decision by the Election Commission to fix a Tuesday – August 26 – as the polling day for the by-election was clearly unfair and undemocratic, designed to discourage a high voter turn-out being a working day particularly for the high percentage of factory workers in the constituency and therefore unfavourable to Anwar’s candidature.

The battle royale of the Permatang Pauh by-election for the next ten days is on – with far reaching consequences not just for Anwar and the constituency, but for the nation and 27 million Malaysians.