SHAH ALAM: From the scattering of analyses written on the ongoing campaign for the Sungai Kandis by-election, none has touched on the tug-of-war for Pas's votes.
This despite the main candidates running for the state seat – PKR's Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni and Barisan Nasional's (BN) Datuk Lokman Noor Adam – claiming that each of them has the Islamic party's backing.
But at a ceramah last night, Pas’s top leaders made their pick – party members were told to cast votes in favour of BN, in a move that could dent PKR's majority in the by-election.
In the 14th general election (GE14), Pas candidate Mohd Yusof Abdullah polled 7,573 votes, while BN candidate Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari garnered 11,518, PKR's Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei (23,998) and independent candidate Hanafiah Husin (76).
Shuhaimi won with a whopping 12,480 vote majority.
If all Pas members are to vote for Lokman, PKR's majority could be considerably shaved even if it wins the by-election – an outcome which could shake the party’s morale.
But a question already loomed ahead of Pas’s leadership's decision last night – would Pas members adhere faithfully to the instruction?
Earlier in the day, several influential local Pas leaders appeared to be indecisive over the encouragement of at least two Pas figureheads – vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah and central committee member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz – to pool their votes for BN.
The local Pas leaders were former village heads in the state, whose appointment came to an abrupt end after the formation of the new state government under the Pakatan Harapan banner.
It was reported that one of them, who declined to be named, said that such an instruction or encouragement need not be heeded, as voting is a personal right.
Another said he would have to make a decision based on the party leadership's take on the matter.
In the first week of the campaign, Selangor Pas leaders, too, stated that the extension of the olive branch to BN was only limited to its non-involvement in the contest.
At that time, Pas's aim was clear – that it would vote for BN to increase the number of opposition seats in the Selangor state legislative assembly.
No more, no less.
However, Lokman's presence at last night's ceramah lent a symbolic weight to the instruction – that Umno and Pas are attempting to forge a brand new political cooperation.
But the leadership’s sentiments may not be congruent with those of the Pas grassroots here.
The race for Sungai Kandis has finally become intense, and no longer as lukewarm as the puddles of water lining the roadsides of Jalan Kebun here.