PENANG - Permatang Pauh PAS is against PKR fielding Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or her daughter as the candidate in the by-election here next month.
Its information chief, Jamsari Samad, also warned speakers to stay clear of hudud in their campaigning.
“This is based on grassroots sentiment. We know that choosing the candidate is PKR’s prerogative, but generally the people here do not want Dr Wan Azizah or any of Anwar Ibrahim’s family members to contest.
“If PKR does not want to create an upset here, it should also tell speakers at their ceramah never to discuss hudud, as it is a sacred matter for the folks here,” The Star Online quoted Jamsari as saying yesterday.
Anwar is now serving a five-year jail term for sodomy. The parliamentary seat fell vacant after his application for a royal pardon was rejected recently.
Anwar had served as the Permatang Pauh MP from 1982 to 1999 under Barisan Nasional and from 2008 until he was disqualified under PKR.
Wan Azizah contested and won the Permatang Pauh seat in 1999 after the seat fell vacant when Anwar was jailed for abuse of power. She vacated the seat in 2008 to make way for Anwar, but cited personal reasons instead.
“In 2008, when Wan Azizah resigned months after winning the seat for a third term, she said she was retiring to take care of her grandchildren.
“It is going to be tough to justify Wan Azizah’s return if PKR fields her here again,” said Jamsari.
In a related development, PKR deputy Youth chief Afif Bahardin said the result of the by-election would determine the future of Pakatan Rakyat.
“This is the most important seat for Pakatan and we will defend it. The rise and fall of Pakatan will be decided from the result of the by-election,” he said. - FMT
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