PAS warns of provocation by ‘fake’ PAS members
By Chua Sue-Ann, The Edge
PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub today warned there could be provocation by groups masquerading as PAS supporters or members as the clock ticks closer to polling for the Bagan Pinang contest on Sunday.
Salahuddin said at an emergency press conference today these rogue members are believed to be planning to move around in motorcycle groups, carrying the party’s flags and donning PAS T-shirts.
“(They) intend to provoke and will use PAS symbols with the intention of tarnishing the image of PAS.
“We now state that these are not from PAS,” said Salahuddin, who heads the party’s election machinery here.
The Kubang Kerian member of parliament was expecting the group to reveal itself from tonight ahead of voting on Sunday.
According to Salahuddin, from experience, these provocateurs could either stir up trouble by gathering in Chinese-majority areas, shouting “Allah Huakhbar” and revving their vehicle engines.
Salahuddin said they received the information from “a very trusted source” and has since lodged a police report at the Port Dickson district police station, in a bid to rope in the police to prevent possible tensions.
When pressed, another PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar claimed PAS obtained the information from groups within the Umno election machinery.
On PAS election machinery’s strategy in dealing with such groups, Salahuddin said “our campaign staff will be busy with election duties”.
Meanwhile, PAS Youth Chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi pre-empted an anticipated distribution of a flier, believed to bear the PAS Youth wing’s letterhead and Nasruddin’s alleged forged signature.
Nasruddin said the flier will purportedly state his apology for “incidents of provocation and violence” that took place in the last two to three days and will mention that he was under pressure from DAP and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to apologise.
“This is tactics by desperate people and those who want to tarnish the image of PAS,” Nasruddin said.
Bagan Pinang voters will cast their ballots on Sunday, choosing between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad and PAS candidate Zulkefly Mohamad Omar.
The state constituency has 13,664 voters, of which 8,577 or 62.77% are Malays, 1,498 (10.96%) Chinese, 2,834 (20.74%) Indians and others, 755 (5.54%).
The figure includes 4,604 postal voters, who had cast their ballots on Oct 8 and 9.
