PAS refuses to back down from Sungai Besar contest
(MMO) – PAS said today it will not abandon its bid to contest the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat, and that its decision should not be questioned by anyone.
PAS vice-president Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad added that the Islamist party is focused on winning the seat and that it has started mobilising its party machinery there.
“Sungai Besar is traditionally a PAS seat and PAS’s decision to contest there should not be questioned by anyone.
“We are confident PAS has a bright chance in this by-election because there are many local and national issues from the problems caused by the Umno-Barisan Nasional administration,” he said in a statement.
Iskandar, who is also Selangor PAS commissioner and state executive councillor confirmed that state mentri besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had met him and two other PAS excos earlier this week.
“The contents of the meeting is not important but what is important was his announcement yesterday that PAS remains with the state government,” Iskandar said.
The PAS leader’s latest remarks will likely complicate Azmin’s attempts at finding a solution to the current dilemma over the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections.
Malay Mail Online understands that Azmin is confident that he will be able to persuade PAS to abandon its bid to stand in Sungai Besar, a federal seat in Selangor, and had on Thursday evening shopped the idea to Selangor Amanah representatives in a meeting.
It is believed that the PKR deputy president’s main priority is to keep the fight in Sungai Besar a one-on-one battle between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional (BN), and is determined to make this happen.
On Thursday, Azmin denied a report that alleged he had Selangor told state executive councillors from PAS to resign if their party insisted on contesting the Sungai Besar by-election.
New Straits Times Online reported Azmin as calling the article on The Star Online “slanderous.”
Azmin, however, reportedly declined to confirm if PAS would remain in the state government should it remain set on contesting Sungai Besar.
Although PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said recently that the Islamist party would contest both the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections, PKR leaders told Malay Mail Online the party was still negotiating with PAS.
Amanah vice-president Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa said Tuesday convention dictates that his party should contest in both by-elections on June 18 as they would gun for any seat previously considered the reserve of PAS.
