PAS and PKR ‘battle’ to contest in Pengkalan Kubor
To add salt to the wound, the PKR former Pengkalan Kubor candidate, Saharun Ibrahim, had charged that his defeat in the 13th General Election (GE13) was due to internal sabotage by PKR’s ally.
Zubaidah Abu Bakar, The Rakyat Post
AN electoral duel is what Pakatan Rakyat does not need at this point of time.
Not when two of its partners — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PAS — are still suspicious of each other in resolving the complex Selangor Menteri Besar saga.
While the frayed relations between the two Umno splinter parties is not about to be over any time soon due to PAS’ reluctance to endorse PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor Menteri Besar candidate in black and white, Pakatan Rakyat is already having issues over who should contest in the imminent Pengkalan Kubor by-election in Kelantan.
Voices from both sides are claiming the right for their respective party to field a candidate in the by-election even before the Election Commission officially declares the seat vacant and sets the polling date following the death of Umno’s Noor Zahidi Omar last Wednesday.
To add salt to the wound, as the saying goes, the PKR former Pengkalan Kubor candidate, Saharun Ibrahim, had charged that his defeat in the 13th General Election (GE13) was due to internal sabotage by PKR’s ally.
Saharun may not have named the ally that he was referring to when he made the allegation at the just concluded PKR national congress, but it was obvious who he was pointing his finger at.
It is common knowledge that the election machinery in Kelantan during GE13 was almost exclusively PAS’ due to the Islamist party’s strong network on the ground.
PAS has also been in control of the state legislative assembly since 1990.
PKR’s membership in Cabang Tumpat, it was learned, is just over 2,000 and pales against PAS’ strength.
Still, Saharun had claimed at his party’s congress that the 8,000 votes he had garnered in the last general election was an indication that PKR had the support of the locals.
In GE13, Noor Zahidi defeated Saharun with a 1,736-vote majority, polling 10,174 votes against Saharun’s 8,438, while independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary obtained 65 votes.
Pengkalan Kubor is one of the three state seats under the Tumpat parliamentary constituency, a PAS stronghold.
The other seats are Kelaboran, Pasir Pekan and Wakaf Baru. All three state seats and the Tumpat parliamentary seat are controlled by PAS.
Noor Zahidi held Pengkalan Kubor since 2004 general election, defeating candidates both from PAS and PKR.
PAS had contested the seat in 1999 and 2004. Prior to that, Hamim contested under Semangat 46.
The seat was contested by PKR in 2008 and 2013 and the party failed in both attempts.
Kelantan PAS leaders, like its state youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari and national Muslimat (women) leader Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof, who is also the Rantau Panjang Member of Parliament, think it is time for PAS to contest the seat.
Ahmad Fadhli argued that PKR’s double defeat was not only the reason why PKR should cede the seat to PAS.
PKR’s inability to capture the seat despite PAS’ Tumpat parliamentary candidate Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar obtaining more votes than his challenger from Umno in the state constituency, he said, also spoke volumes for PKR’s strength there.
Although the Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given an assurance to resolve the issue through discussion, it is unlikely that would be smooth.
BN, although confident of retaining the seat, is not taking the by-election for granted.
PKR and PAS should know better that they both need to resolve their issues fast since the Kelantan BN and Umno will be getting all the help they needed from everywhere to keep the seat safe in BN’s stable.
