Malaysia, THE SLEEPY one-street town centre of Permatang Pauh has come to life since the start of campaigning for the by-election.

The lights at the Umno Youth campaign centre in the town have been blazing through the night.

Just a stone's throw away is the old family home of Datuk Rahim Ghouse - a local big name and Anwar loyalist - which has been turned into a PKR campaign stop. The colonial-style mansion, normally dark and gloomy, has come alive with lights and people.

But the Umno camp has grabbed attention along the street with the nightly appearance of Saiful Bukhari Azlan, or rather, the nightly screening of Saiful Bukhari Azlan swearing on the Quran that he was sodomised by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The video has been played over and over again on the screen through the night.

By now, most people in the vicinity would probably have memorised the actual words recited by Saiful, including the highly-explicit phrase of how Anwar had put his **** into Saiful's ****.

Some found the explicit part in bad taste, others thought it was plain vulgar. A few thought the 23-year-old boy was trying to further sensationalise the issue.

Still, Saiful looked earnest and even more handsome on the big screen. The camera, as they say, loves him.

The swearing-on-the-Quran episode has been a topic of discussion among the local folk, especially the Malays, given that the holy book was used and that it took place inside a mosque.

In fact, the act of swearing has become an issue of its own, almost overshadowing the reason Saiful had resorted to the act.

Some of the locals seemed less concerned about whether Saiful was telling the truth than if he had done the right thing as a Muslim.

Both political camps have more or less ceded the matter to the ulama. So far, the ulama opinion is that such acts should be a last resort after Islamic legal avenues have been exhausted.

But religious arguments aside, another much-discussed aspect of Saiful?s action is the timing of his testimony.

The Anwar camp says it was timed to shame and undermine their candidate on the day of nomination.

The Barisan Nasional camp insists they have nothing to do with it. In fact, they are accusing the Anwar side of having a hand in the resignation of former Penang Gerakan leader Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon from Gerakan on Monday. The timing, they said was aimed at embarrassing the Barisan.

Saiful's action affects mainly Malay voters, especially now that it has taken on a religious connotation.

Those who already believe that Anwar is not guilty will continue to believe it regardless of the swearing episode. But it is bound to have cast the seed of doubt in those who were unsure or who had kept an open mind on the issue.

"We are aware that what Saiful has done will play on their mind. I have challenged Saiful to bring the matter to the Syariah court. Let's see if he does it," said PKR Youth chief and Syariah lawyer Shamsul Iskandar.

The non-Malay voters who make up about 30% voters are apparently less bothered. To them it is just another incident, albeit a sensational one.

The common refrain in this by-election is that the voters have made up their minds. This is very likely the case for the Chinese and Indians.

The Chinese sentiment at this point in time is that they want choices and alternatives. The days when they felt beholden to only one party or coalition have passed and they have really bought into the idea of a two-party democracy.

Nevertheless, the Chinese PKR campaigners are putting a lot of effort into Seberang Jaya, the state constituency held by Barisan's Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah and where most of the Chinese voters of Permatang Pauh reside. Arif Shah is a popular assemblyman and his state seat is the PKR's Achilles Heel.

The Malay vote is harder to read. Both sides have their core support, but there are still fence-sitters waiting to be persuaded.

Among the Malays, the older generation, mainly those in their 50s and above, are still very loyal to Umno. The party has provided well for them and their children and grandchildren and they see no reason to turn away.

But many of those in their 20s to early 40s are restless or dissatisfied with what they see happening around them. They have high expectations of their leaders and have no qualms about taking their votes elsewhere.

The Malay voting pattern in Permatang Pasir is likely to reflect these sentiments.

In the meantime, Saiful will continue to make his ?nightly appearance? on the big screen in Permatang Pauh.