Pakatan: PAS to contest Merlimau, no walkover for BN

UPDATED Pakatan Rakyat leaders have confirmed that PAS will be contesting the Merlimau by-election, rubbishing speculation that they would consider giving arch enemy Barisan Nasional a walkover.

“We have discussed and agreed to support a PAS candidate as the Merlimau representative to represent Pakatan,” Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told a press conference after a Pakatan leadership council meeting on Monday.

PAS president Hadi Awang, who was also present, the Islamist party will meet on February 13 to decide on the candidate.

Disappointed

Pakatan leaders also expressed disappointment at speculative news reports that suggested their coalition was willing to give BN a walkover.

"For what reason? Why are they saying such things? I can tell you now, Pakatan would never, never give any walkover to BN. If PAS doesn't want to contest, PKR will take over," PKR vice president Fuziah Salleh had toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Fuziah was responding to an online news report that quoted an unnamed PAS member as saying it was becoming too costly for the Islamist party to contest and it might be better to focus on the general election.

Merlimau will be the 15th by-election since the 2008 general election. The chain of contests have been especially wearying for the Pakatan, which has much lesser funds than the ruling BN coalition.

This has resulted in dismal machinery and weak campaigning as the Pakatan parties tried hard to find ways to cut corners. All three - PKR, PAS and DAP - are trying to save their best efforts and financial resources for the general elections, which are widely expected to be called within the next few months.

Merlimau is a Malacca state seat, which fell vacant after Umno's Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hasan died last month after suffering a heart attack. It is an Umno stronghold and in 1999, BN won with a majority of 2,252 votes. In 2004 the majority was 5,087 votes and 2008 it was 2,154 votes.

There are 10,679 registered voters, of which 65 per cent are Malay, 21 per cent Chinese, 14 per cent Indian and other races forming the balance.