Pas thinks it can win Bukit Gantang, but undecided over Nizar standing

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani,The Malaysian Insider

Pas Terengganu Commissioner Datuk Mustafa Ali said today he was confident Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would retain the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in what has been touted as a referendum of sorts on the political impasse in Perak.

But he warned his PR colleagues against overconfidence.

“Just because we have won in the past does not mean that we should take it easy, we have to work hard. But if we look at the current sentiments, Insya’Allah (we will win),” he said here today.

He said Pas will have a meeting in Perak soon to organise the election machinery for the parliamentary by-election.

The Bukit Gantang seat fell vacant after the death of Pas’s Roslan Shaharum. Roslan won by a majority of 1,566 votes when he defeated Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Azim Zabidi in 2008.

Perak DAP recently proposed Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin as a possible candidate for the Bukit Gantang by-election.

When Mustapha was asked about DAP’s proposal, he replied: “Pas has asked the state to name the nominated candidates but we have not yet received the names from Perak.

“That is DAP’s opinion and we will have to wait for the list from Perak. Whether or not Nizar’s name is on it, we see the list in which Perak has given us and then we will decide.”

Pas vice president Ahmad Awang was also hesitant about confirming Nizar’s candidacy.

“It is true that there will by many candidates for the Perak by-election.

“We do not want to make a rash decision regarding the candidate but we want to have feedback from Bukit Gantang itself. “

Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said recently he did not agree to the suggestion by Perak DAP.

Nik Aziz said he believed Nizar should not be contesting in the by-election as long as PR regards him as the mentri besar.