7,000 PAS members will vote for me, claims PKR candidate

SG KANDIS POLLS | PKR's Sungai Kandis by-election candidate Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni has claimed that PAS supporters will vote for him, citing PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan’s call on the Islamist party’s
members to choose based on the interests of Islam and Malays.

“I’m confident that the 7,000 PAS voters will vote for me.

“This is because they want a leader who thinks in terms of Islam and is of good character to be their leader,” he told a press conference in Bukit Kemuning today.

Zawawi comes from a religious background and is a religious teacher.

Among other positions, he was also the former Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) Selangor chief and previously served as secretary of the Integrated Muslim Association Network (Iman).

He also worked in several committees in the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) until 2012.

Yesterday, Takiyuddin urged PAS members to choose in the interest of Malay and Islam in the by-election, in view of the fact that PAS is not contesting in the election. 

However, he did not mean to endorse the PKR candidate.

“PAS members in Sungai Kandis are instructed to choose based on the interest of Islam/Malays as well as the country's future, by considering PAS attitude towards the new Pakatan Harapan government that remains the same as it was prior to the 14th general election,” he said in yesterday’s statement.

Meanwhile, Selangor PAS committee member Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani said members need to abide by the party’s instructions to reject Pakatan Harapan in the election.

This is in line with the party information chief Nasrudin Hassan’s call to reject the ruling coalition, he said. 

“We ordered PAS members to go out and vote, but we also said they would also have to listen and follow the party and its leaders' instructions.

“So far, the party’s orders are to reject Harapan as said by the information chief,” Dusuki told reporters today.

The Sungai Kandis seat fell vacant after its incumbent assemblyperson Shuhaimi Shafiei died of cancer on July 2.

During the 14th general election, he garnered 23,998 votes, defeating Umno’s Kamaruzzaman Johari (11,518), PAS’ Mohd Yusof Abdullah (7,573), and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hanafiah Husin (76).

Zawawi is in the running against Umno candidate Lokman Adam and independent candidate K Murthy. - Mkini