ANWAR FRENZY at Malay heartland rally: Unveils star-studded lineup to DEFEND SELANGOR

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim announced the PKR candidates for Selangor on Sunday night, fielding more high-profile big names in academician Aziz Bari, investment whizz Wong Chen and audit specialist Rafizi Ramli for the parliamentary seats in Sabak Bernam, Kelana Jaya and Pandan.

Medical specialist Dr Idris Ahmad was also confirmed for the Ijok seat, while caretaker Selangor chief minister Khalid Ibrahim accepted the Port Klang state seat in addition to the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat in the Federal Territories.

But more than the 'star-studded' list, which also included PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, Women's chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, Nik Nazmi and Elizabeth Wong, was the huge crowd of at least 30,000 that packed the Padang AU2 in the Datuk Keramat area in Ampang - one of the key urban Malay heartlands in the country.

Their response is a harbinger for the coming general election and a real warning for Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno-BN coalition.

Anwar frenzy: A clear shift in Malay sentiment

Anwar, who is also the PKR adviser, had arrived at almost 11pm while Khalid was in the middle of his speech. Though the popular Selangor MB had drawn loud cheers when he offered to serve another 5 years, it was clear the audience had no eyes for anyone but Anwar.

Screaming and waving flags, they jostled to catch a glimpse of the 64-year-old leader. It was a frenzy. And judging from the response, the anticipation and the sheer numbers than jammed up the entire area, it does look like Selangor will remain a PKR and Pakatan Rakyat stronghold with the help of coalition partners DAP and PAS.

The shift in heart and mind of the Malay electorate, the king makers, cannot be better epitomized by this euphoria. The BN service centers around the area kept their lights on but the silence was eerie and the downcast mood was apparent.

Even many of the seasoned 'pak ciks' or political fans who attended the ceramah said, "for sure" Pakatan will topple the BN federal government and effect Malaysia's first-ever regime change at the May 5 general elections.

"Yes, this is 'luar biasa' or extraordinary," Anwar said when he took the mike. "Of course, Utusan (an Umno-controlled newspaper) will report only 200 people came. But we who are here know."

Star-studded PKR lineup for Selangor

PKR will contest 11 parliamentary and 21 state seats in Selangor. In the Selangor state legislative assembly, there are a total of 56 seats, of which 36 are held by the Pakatan.

Anwar named 3 newcomers to the state lineup - Mohd Yahya Saari in Permatang, Ramachandran Kandasamy in Batang Kali and Lee Chin Cheh in Kajang.

He took a swipe at Prime Minister Najib Razak for tardiness and delay in bringing out the Barisan Nasional's list. Anwar also condemned Umno-BN for its latest "sex sex sex" gutter politicking against PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali.

Azmin Ali, who was named again to defend his Gombak parliamentary and Bukit Antarabangsa state seats, had the crowd on their feet when he asked, 'are you ready for BN'. The answer was a thundering "NO". There was no dissension.

And when he asked, 'are you ready for Pakatan', the crowd - of which at least 95% were Malays - shouted "YES". It was unanimous.

Clamor for change burning in the Malay heartland

Certainly, the Datuk Keramat crowd is unhappy with the status quo. Despite the frenzy over Anwar, the majority of time, they were quiet and followed the speeches of the leaders attentively.

The mood was just like another major ceramah in Penang hosted by DAP secretary-general Lim Guang Eng on March 8, 2013, the 5th anniversary of the watershed 12th general election where the Opposition swept to sudden and unprecedented prominence. In Penang, the crowd was mixed, but they too were disciplined and just as absorbed in the issues raised by Anwar, who had delivered the keynote address there.

To seasoned observers, these are all sure signs that the ordinary folk have reached a 'breakthrough' level. They say the people are concerned about the direction the country is heading towards. High debt and even higher costs of living have jerked the man on the street from apathy into awareness. And thanks to the BERSIH rallies for free and fair polls, the people know they possess the power to change their lives with the vote in their hand.

Judging from the Keramat response, it looks like the Malays too will vote for Pakatan on May 5. They made it very clear last night that they too want change.

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Parliamentary seats: 
Ampang: Zuraida Kamaruddin
Gombak: Azmin Ali
Hulu selangor: Khalid Jaafar
Kapar: G Manivannan
Kelana Jaya: Wong Chen
Kuala Langat: Abdullah Sani
Pandan: Rafizi Ramli
Petaling Jaya Selatan: Hee Loy Sian
Sabak Bernam: Aziz Bari
Selayang: William Leong
Subang: R Sivarasa

State seats:
Batang Kali: Ramachandran Kandasamy.
Batu Caves: Amirudin Shaari.
Batu Tiga:  Rodziah Ismail
Bukit Antarabangsa: Azmin Ali
Bukit Lanjan: Elizabeth Wong
Bukit Melawati: S Manikavasgam
Dengkil: Aman Shah
Ijok: Idris Ahmad
Kajang: Lee Chin Cheh
Kota Anggerik: Yaakob Sapari
Kuang: Tengku Maraziah Tengku Sulaiman.
Permatang: Yahya Mat Saari
Port Klang: Khalid Ibrahim
Rawang: Gan Pei Nei
Sementa: Daroyah Alwi
Semenyih: Hamidi Haasan
Seri Andalas: Xavier Jeyakumar
Seri Muda: Shuhaimi Shafie
Seri Setia: Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
Taman Medan: Haniza Talha