PERMATANG PAUH, MALAYSIA  - Mr Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the former aide who accused opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy, is nowhere in Permatang Pauh but his shadow looms large in the by-election campaign.

Since Mr Saiful swore on the Quran on Friday that he was sodomised by Anwar, it has been the talk of many in this constituency on mainland Penang.

Anwar is sparing no effort, short of taking the same oath, to scotch the possibility of this move influencing the conservative Malay-Muslim population in this semi-rural area.

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