Move Is Set To Cause Trouble Between Party And PKR

(NST) – Only a PAS candidate has ever won the seat against Umno

Days after the Pengkalan Kubor state seat fell vacant following the death of its assemblyman, PAS is moving to stake its claim over it.

The move is set to cause trouble between PAS and PKR, whose candidate lost to Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar in the last general election.

In a Harakah Daily report uploaded on Sunday, state Dewan Muslimat chief Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof suggested that a PAS candidate be fielded for the seat.

In the report, Siti Zailah, who is also Rantau Panjang MP, ran down PKR’s chances of winning the seat.

She said based on past election records, Pakatan Rakyat had a better chance of winning if a PAS candidate was fielded for the seat, which has belonged to Umno for three terms.

“Only a PAS candidate has ever won the seat against Umno,” said Siti Zailah.

Her statements are a prelude to more acrimony after the general election candidate Saharun Ibrahim lamented during the recent PKR annual congress that internal sabotage had led to his loss.

Noor Zahidi defeated Saharun by a 1,736-vote majority while independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary garnered 65 votes.

Siti Zailah said based on the election’s post-mortem report, voters seemed to favour PAS over PKR.

She also appealed to Pakatan leaders to consider her suggestion.

In a text message, state PKR chief Abdul Aziz Kadir said he would leave it to Pakatan leaders to decide on the candidate for the seat.