By Jeremy Au Yong, THE STRAITS TIMES

MR BAKAR Awang sighed as he asked for the time. It was five minutes past noon. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was supposed to arrive at the rural Penang village of Pengkalan Bongor more than an hour ago, but he was still nowhere in sight.

Asked to hazard a guess why the Prime Minister was late, the 68-year-old villager just shrugged. ‘Maybe he overslept,’ he said.

It seems that the much-circulated joke of Datuk Seri Abdullah falling asleep easily has spread even to his hardcore supporters like Mr Bakar, who has known the Prime Minister since he was young.

Indeed, the image of the Malaysian leader sleeping has been a staple on the Internet during the campaign and now the opposition parties are picking up on it.

Even if Mr Bakar may not visit websites posting pictures of the PM with his eyes closed, or attend opposition rallies where it is mentioned, he can hardly ignore the large banner put up in his village by Parti Islam SeMalaysia featuring prominently the image of Datuk Seri Abdullah yawning.

Part of the allure of such images for the opposition is that it somewhat humorously captures one of their main criticisms of the Malaysian leader: a sense of lethargy and weakness.

There is growing dissatisfaction with the government in some quarters, based on a perception that it has failed to fulfil the promises the Prime Minister made the last time round.

These include greater accountability and transparency, and less corruption and crime.

If anything, many now think it has gotten worse, putting the blame squarely on Datuk Seri Abdullah’s weak leadership.

It is something the Prime Minister seems acutely aware of.

On a visit to Penang three weeks ago, he said: ‘You can say I am not good enough. You can say whatever, but don’t say that I don’t work. I work very hard. I mean it and you know it.’

On the ground in the midst of an election, he is working harder than ever now.

He may have arrived well over an hour late for the start of his campaign engagement yesterday morning, but he wasted no time once he got there.

He ran through his home visits at a brisk pace, undeterred by the incessant rain as he visited some of the poorest people in the area throughout the day.

In two hours, he whisked through four villages, sheltered under umbrellas that minders held above him and his wife Jeanne.

The pace at which he was able to move from village to village was all the more impressive considering he does not travel lightly.

His convoy involved more than 30 cars, not counting two ambulances, a handful of motorcycles bearing party flags, and vehicles ferrying the 20 pressmen that follow him everywhere.

The sight of such an entourage tends to get everyone in the village out of their houses, especially in those like Pulau Mertajam, which has less than 600 homes.

In and around his hometown of Kepala Batas, he was greeted as a hero.

Party members had been out earlier in the morning to distribute BN merchandise, and the villagers were now bearing them proudly.

Nearly everyone was wearing a T-shirt with the PM’s face and the words ‘I love BN’. Others drank out of ‘Vote BN’-branded bottles of water.

Datuk Seri Abdullah took a break from the visits only when he had lunch – with some 800 teachers he had invited from around the area.

More evidence of the support he enjoys was present at lunch: Some of Malaysia’s top businessmen were in the small town of Kepala Batas, among them Air Asia chief Tony Fernandez.

Then, it was off to more home visits and a meeting with the Penang police chief before finishing up with evening prayers in his constituency. Today, the Premier is doing more of the same – and going up to Kelantan too.

But Datuk Seri Abdullah says this is just the beginning. Asked how he thought the campaign was going, he said: ‘The feeling is good. I’m comfortable. But I know there is a lot more work to be done.’