KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — A reduced Pakatan Rakyat (PR) majority in winning the Permatang Pauh by-election will signal Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s declining appeal until the opposition leader’s relevance disappears entirely in the next general election, a former minister said today.

Former Information Minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin from Umno noted that although the by-election in the Penang parliamentary seat is being contested by Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the real candidate is the PKR de facto leader who has written a letter to voters from prison and whose pictures are displayed throughout the campaign.

“If BN (Barisan Nasional) has a significant increase in votes in this constituency, it signals the continued decrease of Anwar Ibrahim’s value as a vote-getter in PR’s political market. In fact, it won’t happen at all in the next general election,” Zainuddin wrote on his blog today.

“With this reduced majority, it will also chip away at Chinese voters’ confidence in PR, especially the DAP’s ties with PAS in winning Putrajaya because of their fear of an Islamic state,” he added.

The ex-minister claimed that the DAP had lost the Teluk Intan by-election last May because ethnic Chinese voters were angry at the secular party, which is predominantly Chinese, for fielding a Malay candidate in a constituency that could have been won with Chinese votes.

“Reduced votes for the opposition in Permatang Pauh will show that the Chinese are disappointed with PAS’ hidden agenda in forming an Islamic state, as opposed to their declaration of a welfare state that the DAP is comfortable with,” said Zainuddin.

He also said a reduced PR majority in Permatang Pauh will reinvigorate Umno and BN supporters throughout the country amid Umno’s shaky political leadership following former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s continued attacks.

“Won’t Mahathir be happy with increased votes for BN in Permatang Pauh that will raise Umno’s morale and not just Najib’s? If Mahathir continues his campaign in taking Najib down, won’t it weaken Umno that will see a new hope (that is if PKR’s votes drop in Permatang Pauh)?” said Zainuddin, referring to Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Dr Mahathir has been pushing openly for Najib’s resignation, saying the latter’s refusal to address allegations such as those surrounding 1 Malaysia Development Berhad and the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu put BN’s rule at risk.

Permatang Pauh has been a PKR stronghold since Dr Wan Azizah first led PKR to take the seat back in the 1999 general election.

Anwar first won the Permatang Pauh seat back in 1982 under BN before he was sacked in 1998 and jailed in his Sodomy I trial.