Cheap sugar and rice at BN carnivals in Sungai Limau a big worry to PAS

Carnival-like programmes the Barisan Nasional organised in the final hours of the Sungai Limau by-election campaign have got PAS worrying over its chances to defend the seat.

The huge turnout at the carnivals particularly in Bukit Besar, a PAS stronghold, has caused concern among the Islamist party’s leadership.

"For sure out numbers show an increase in voter response but the response the BN programmes are getting is worrying," said PAS Research Centre chief executive Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who has been in Sungai Limau since nomination day.

BN organised a shopping-like carnival in Bukit Besar, located 19km from Alor Setar. It was packed as word spread that household essentials were sold well below market price.

And while the BN government removed a subsidy, causing the price of sugar to go up, a 1kg bag of sugar was only sold for RM1.00 at the carnival.

A 5kg bag of rice was sold for RM5, causing a massive congestion as people in this constituency scrambled to get the items until 11.45pm yesterday.

The price of a 5kg bag of rice is between RM18 to RM20.

Crowd jostle for cheap essential food stuff being sold at a BN carnival in Sungai Limau, yesterday. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Zulkifli Sulong, November 4, 2013.And while this was going on, BN leaders were busy canvassing them to vote for their candidate, Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, who is up against PAS's Mohd Azam Abdul Samat.

Dzulkefly, as a PAS strategist, is responsible in the Bukit Besar area, which is a PAS bastion in Sungai Limau.

The party's Bukit Besar operations centre projected that PAS will receive 1,200 votes from the 2,200 voters who will vote in the polling streams in Bukit Besar.

Perhaps it is due to the carnival response that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Umno deputy president, expressed confidence that the BN candidate can win in the by-election.

However, despite the carnival, Dzulkefly said a tipping factor whether PAS can secure a victory would hinge on its machinery, namely its ability to transport voters to polling stations smoothly.

In the May general election, the late Tan Sri Azizan Razak retained the Sungai Limau state seat for the fifth time with a 2,774-vote majority, after a four-cornered fight which included his cousin Mohd Fazillah Mohd Ali as the BN candidate.

Polling is currently in progress in 17 schools and will end at 5pm. Results are expected by 9pm tonight.