Today is no different from the past 11 days – the media awash with news about the August 26 Permatang Pauh by-election battle royale since Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s resignation as Member of Parliament on July 31 to pave the way for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s return to Parliament after the lapse of a decade.
There were three intriguing snippets today.
1. UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s statement that it will be a moral victory for UMNO if the Umno candidate in the Permatang Pauh by-election can keep the deposit! He was commenting on a Parti Keadilan Rakyat boast to make the Umno candidate lose his deposit in the by-election, when attending the Spell-It-Right National Challenge in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. (Sin Chew) 2. Report that Hishammuddin and his Deputy UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin may be declared “persona non grata” and banned from campaigning in the Permatang Pauh by-election so as not to drive away Chinese votes – the former because of his previous three “keris-wielding” episodes and the latter for his previous allegation that “Malays in Penang have been marginalized”. (Kwong Wah Yit Poh) 3. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir said in a forum on current challenges faced by the Malay community in Kuala Terengganu that he would rather migrate if Anwar topples the Barisan Nasional and becomes Prime Minister. Mahathir was confident that Anwar will not become Prime Minister by September 16 although he was sure the Pakatan Rakyat leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser would be victorious in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election this Aug 26. (Mingguan Malaysia)
These three snippets appear to bear out the validity of the forecast of a Yijing scholar, Dr. Chuah Chong Cheng that the rare phenomenon of the solar and lunar eclipse occurring twice in the same month this year – the first time with a solar eclipse on the first day of Chinese New Year in February and the lunar one on Chap Goh Meh and the second one falling during the Hungry Ghost Festival with a solar eclipse on August 1 and lunar eclipse on August 15 – portend turbulent times for the Barisan Nasional. (The Star 2.8.08)
Dr. Chuah said “This can be reflected in the general election in March when Barisan Nasional suffered great losses” and that “It would be a turbulent time leading up to National Day on August 31”.
The Election Commission should have consulted the Yijing before fixing the August 26 polling date for the Permatang Pauh by-election!