Saiful Bukhari Azlan had sworn in a mosque that he had been sodomised by Anwar, while he was working as an aide to him.

But on Sunday night, the Muslim cleric at the Federal Territory mosque who witnessed Saiful’s oath, Ramlang Porigi, said it had not been done properly.

The imam also hinted that the oath-taking ceremony was a political conspiracy, and that he did not believe Saiful.

Ramlang is not alone in his views. A survey of 544 Malay voters in Permatang Pauh, done a day before the cleric made his statement, showed that even then, only 31 per cent believed Saiful's oath.

The survey by the Merdeka Centre also showed that 49 per cent saw Anwar as a visionary leader. Yet 37 per cent believed that he would sell out the Malays for his own personal ambition.

Most factors point to a victory for Anwar but observers say that he must win by more than the 13,400-vote majority that propelled his wife into Parliament in the March elections. It is an unspoken target that will show his support among the Malays, they say.

Permatang Pauh's 58,400 voters are 70 per cent Malay and 25 per cent Chinese. The rest are Indian.

Before the campaign ended at midnight yesterday, both sides made their final rounds to woo fence-sitters.

AFP news agency reported that Anwar, in a last-ditch effort to garner votes, held a huge gathering that drew more than 20,000 people by late evening despite a drizzle.

The opposition also held 28 mini rallies in all 28 polling districts.

The Umno campaign is led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who held back-to-back meetings with voters, ending with a night time rally.

A third candidate, Hanafi Hamat from the little-known Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia party, has hardly been spotted, save for a few posters and banners.

Najib, regarded as Anwar's main rival for the premiership, is also fighting allegations of involvement in the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

One of his former top aides is now on trial for her murder. Najib has repeatedly denied that he had an affair with the woman, whose body was blown up with explosives.

Najib took an oath in a mosque last Friday, too, swearing that he did not have anything to do with Altantuya or her death.

The Permatang Pauh battle has been painted by Anwar as his first step towards becoming Malaysia's prime minister.

That has turned the by-election into much more than a sideshow — in spite of the sodomy and murder charges being tossed around — in a semi-rural constituency on mainland Penang.

The campaign issues were far from the usual drain and squatter problems.

According to the Merdeka Centre survey, inflation topped concerns although the sodomy allegation dominated coffee shop conversation.

The survey also revealed that the opposition's multiracial agenda could be a factor. Anwar campaigned on a platform of justice for all, and is against the pro-Malay economic policies.

There was a whispering campaign that Anwar was anti-Malay, and would sell out his community's interests if it would boost his political ambitions.

Surveys have repeatedly shown that that Anwar has been unable to shake off his image as a political chameleon who cannot be trusted.

Today is a working day, and bad weather has been forecast, which could affect voter turnout.

The Penang government has declared a state public holiday to boost turnout but a large number of outstation voters may not return home to vote.

Police have mounted a show of force in the area. Home Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar told reporters yesterday that 5,000 personnel had been deployed for the by-election. — Straits Times Singapore