The Absentees In Slim

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I'VE been following BN chairman Zahid Hamidi's tour of Slim. Encouraging enough. Three days to polling on August 29 and the BN camp is looking forward to another big victory.
The Umno president attended a gathering with the Indian Progressive Party (IPF) and Makkal Sakthi on Sunday before joining Pas president Hadi Awang at a Muafakat Nasional 'ceramah' later that evening. The response at each and every place he went was encouraging.
However, sorry to say I didnt notice any MIC and MCA machinery camps in Slim. Correct me if I'm wrong but in the previous by-elections, notably in Tanjung Piai, Semenyih, Rantau and Cameron Highlands, their presence was easy to note.
Today is the early voting for 267 police personnel, and I believe all will cast their vote to chose either one of the three candidates running for the poll.They are Tanjung Malim Umno deputy chief Mohd Zaidi Aziz, 43, for Barisan Nasional, while the Independent candidates are S. Santharasekaran, 44, and lawyer Amir Khusyairi, 38, who is representing the yet-to-be registered Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).
About 74 per cent are Malay voters, Indians (12 per cent), Chinese (10 per cent), and Orang Asli (1.4 per cent).
Zahid is usually invited to BN events organised by the component parties but there has been no sign yet during this campaigning period. Maybe there were (because I could be wrong) or maybe they were already satisfied with Umno doings thus far.
As MIC is now a component of Perikatan Nasional (and at the same time with Barisan Nasional), I think they are busy with PN.
However, BN must win this by-election as it will reflect more on Zahid, a Perakian. Najib Razak has his nose high after the thumping victory in Chini which is also in his Pekan parliamentary constituent.
This by-election will has some bearings on Sabah state election too and the coming national general election.
Umno which represents BN, MN and PN has only one option in Slim - to make Pejuang's candidate loses his deposit. Should he garnered two or three thousand votes, Dr Mahathir will ride on the points that 'even though Pejuang is yet to be officially registered, we already have the support'!
Can they do it?

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