BN will not hand out goodies during by-election, says MB

CAMERON POLLS | There is no need for the Pahang state government to hand out goodies during the Cameron Highlands by-election, state Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said today.

"We are not going to come out with (goodies and announcement) for the sake of fishing for votes in any election because we are consistent in serving the people," he said.

"We will never wait until the by-election to do something (for the people)," Wan Rosdy, who is also the BN's Cameron Highlands by-election director, said.

The BN state government would emphasise its good service given to the people in Cameron Highlands, he added.

"It has been always our intention to provide assistance to the community, not just to the people in Cameron Highlands, but also in all other areas," he said.

Wan Rosdy said this when asked whether the state government, which oversees land matters and local authorities, would hand out election goodies.

He is reportedly being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for alleged vote-buying during the campaign for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat in the 14th general election.

It is believed that the MACC has questioned him over allegations that he paid voters during the election campaign.

Recently, electoral watchdog Bersih raised concerns over the actions of several ministers and an MP holding events in Cameron Highlands ahead of the Jan 26 by-election voting date as an abuse of government resources.

The Cameron Highlands by-election was triggered when the Election Court declared the seat vacant after determining that vote-buying during GE14 had led to MIC vice-president C Sivarraajh's win in GE14.

Aside from confirmed contestants M Manogaran of Pakatan Harapan and disputed MyPPP president M Kayveas, the BN today named former senior police officer Ramli Mohd Nor, an Orang Asli, as the coalition's direct candidate.

In the last general election, MIC won the seat with 10,307 votes to DAP's 9,710 votes. PAS garnered 3,587 votes, PSM received 680 votes while Berjasa got 81 votes.

Wan Rosdy also said that the Pahang government would discuss its water tariff rates.

"We will discuss it at the state executive council and arrive at a consensus decision," he said in response to a question on whether the state government would increase its water tariff.

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar had said on Tuesday that water tariffs nationwide may be increased in stages this year, in line with the government's efforts to restructure the water supply industry in the country.

The state governments of Johor and Sabah said they are not likely to increase their water tariffs, while Penang may increase its water price. - Mkini