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Monday, July 22, 2013

‘Don’t fall in PAS trap’

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said that 170 prisoners, who are on parole, will vote for the first time in the Kuala Besut by-election.
KUALA BESUT: Voters have been urged not to be hoodwinked by PAS’ ploy that it would not fight for the menteri besar’s post if it managed to wrest Kuala Besut from the Barisan Nasional (BN) and force a hung state assembly in a by-election on Wednesday.
“I hope the voters are not easily fooled by the 16:16 slogan touted by PAS as it is just another trap to ensnare them into voting them,” Home Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters after attending a security briefing at the Police Tactical Headquarters here yesterday.
He was commenting on PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s statement that the party just wanted to be the balancing power in the 32-seat state assembly.
The BN can have the menteri besar’s post and PAS just wants the mandate in Kuala Besut so that “the BN will not be free to do as they like,” he was quoted as saying on Friday.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno vice-president, said a hung state assembly would cause political instability and administrative limbo in Terengganu.
“Kuala Besut voters have an important role to play in determining the state’s future as a hung state assembly will put the state in a mess in ascertaining who should form the state government as both parties have equal number of seats,” he added.
Brushing aside PAS’ claim that the BN was prompted to develop Kuala Besut due to pressure from the opposition, he said it was a simplistic view as the BN’s track record in championing the people’s well-being was beyond question.
BN’s Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman, 37, a civil engineer with the Drainage and Irrigation Department who hails from Kuala Besut, is pitted against PAS’ Endot alias Azlan Yusof, 48, a contractor, in the by-election.
The by-election is on July 24.
Prisoners to vote
Meanwhile in a separate function also in Kuala Besut,  Zahid also said that the Home Ministry was trying to find a suitable mechanism that can enable prisoners to be voters in future elections.
He said talks would be held with the authorities involved like the Royal Malaysia Police, Prisons Department and the Election Commission to allow prisoners to exercise their democratic right.
Among the aspects that needed to be studied were legal provisions for prisoners to be allowed to vote, he said.
“If the prisoner has been in jail three years or sentenced to more than three years imprisonment, a suitable mechanism might be needed to enable them to vote where they are serving their sentences.
“Alternatively, they can also be early voters where they have registered as voters. Prisoners also have rights to register as first time voters,” he said told reporters after attending a function organised by the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) in Kampung Gertak Seratus here.
According to him, there were now some 35,000 prisoners in the country with 48 per cent of them serving time for drug offences.
He also said 170 prisoners on parole were eligible to vote in the Kuala Besut by-election on July 24.
He drew attention to the fact that this was first time prisoners on parole would be voting and thanked AADK’s Squad 1Malaysia for making it possible.
-Bernama

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