KUANTAN: DAP's intention to contest the Pulau Manis assembly seat in the upcoming 14th General Election is nothing less than a cheap gimmick.
Pulau Manis assemblyman Datuk Khairuddin Mahmud said he was shocked by DAP's sudden interest and intention to contest at Pulau Manis because the party does not have that many members in the constituency, which is under Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Pekan parliamentary seat.
He said never in history has DAP fielded a candidate for the Pulau Manis assembly seat, since the majority of the voters are staunch Umno and Najib supports.
"It’s strange that DAP would want to contest here. I don't know on what basis they are planning to contest the Pulau Manis seat but most like it's just one of their cheap political gimmicks.
"Or maybe they just want to show that they have intentions to win the Malay voters hearts by contesting in a Malay populated area," he said, when contacted.
Earlier Pahang opposition coalition's chairman Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman when contacted, has confirmed that DAP had volunteered to field one of its candidate for the Pulau Manis seat claiming that they have a suitable candidate in mind.
Following that, the coalition which consist of DAP, PKR, Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) has agreed to allow DAP to field its candidate, who is said to be a Malay.
In the 13th General Election, Khairuddin won over Pas candidate Othman Bakar with a majority 5,596 votes at Pulau Manis.
Khairuddin added that, UMNO and BN will not underestimate the opponent's challenge, even though in reality it is a huge task for DAP to win over Pulau Manis.
"We have always worked hard to help the constituents as instructed by the PM. For that reason alone we are confident that the Pulau Manis voters will continue to support us, when the time comes. It doesn't matter how DAP prepares for the seat but we have already started moving our election machineries on the ground level," Khairuddin said.
Translated from Berita Harian