SHAH ALAM: It is only day three of campaigning in the Sungai Kandis state constituency election, but Barisan Nasional (BN) appears to already be facing a major setback with Pas’s refusal to lend any support.
Yesterday, Selangor Pas election director Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir stressed that the party will not help BN’s candidate, Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, in his campaign to wrest the seat from PKR.
Roslan said the decision was made despite Pas having given way to BN to contest in the by-election, which was called following the death of three-term assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei from lymphoma on July 2.
He also emphasised that Selangor Pas will not budge on its move to sit out the by-election, which was made based on a mutual agreement with BN – but which does not constitute a “cooperation” with the opposition bloc.
Lokman’s pleas for assistance from Pas have fallen on deaf ears, but he is still adamant about meeting the party’s leader from the Sungai Kandis division.
Lokman, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, had reportedly said that he wants to convince Pas’ division leadership to jump on board BN’s campaign machinery.
Selangor Pas’s move seems to suggest that the initial olive branch it extended does not go beyond allowing BN to contest in the by-election – and it has since sent a strong message that it wants nothing more to do with the coalition.
Pas’s actions come as no surprise to geo-strategist Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, who described the party’s move as a strategic, tactical decision made by its leaders.
“Pas seems to be confident that BN will lose this by-election.
“I presume that Pas wants to eliminate any notion that it is supporting BN in the campaign. I would also presume that after this by-election, Pas can safely say that they were not directly involved, and that the results do not translate to eroding support of voters towards (Pas),” he told NSTP.
In the 14th general election, the Sungai Kandis seat saw a four-cornered fight, with Shuhaimi defending his seat against BN’s Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari, Pas’s Mohd Yusof Abdullah and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hanafiah Husin.
Shuhaimi won with 23,998 votes with a majority of 12,480, defeating Kamaruzzaman who obtained 11,518 votes. Mohd Yusof received 7,573 votes, while Hanafiah got 76 votes.
In the by-election, a three-cornered fight is taking place between PKR’s Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, BN’s Lokman and independent candidate K. Murthy.