PAS sees no need to raise religious issues in Sarawak, says candidate

 

PAS’ sole candidate in the Sarawak elections Arifiriazul Paijo (left) says the party is no longer an outsider in the Beting Maro constituency. (Arif Paijo Facebook pic)

KUCHING: PAS is seeking to convince voters in Sarawak that it is more interested in improving livelihoods than spreading a religious message.

Arifiriazul Paijo, the party’s sole candidate in the coming state polls, told FMT there was no reason to raise religious or racial issues because of the already good cross-assimilation of the diverse communities in the state, unlike in Peninsular Malaysia.

He was commenting on expressions of concern from non-Muslims in the state over developments in PAS-led Kedah, where 4D outlets are effectively banned and curbs on the sale of alcohol have been imposed.

Arifiriazul, who is contesting in Beting Maro, said issues revolving around livelihood were more important to the people of the state.

He also said PAS was no longer an outsider in the Beting Maro constituency, having established a presence there 20 years ago.

“We see that the acceptance of, and support for, PAS has been growing over the years,” he said. “We are confident that we can do better this time around.”

In the last state elections, the party lost by 1,707 votes, when the popularity of the chief minister, the late Adenan Satem, saw Sarawak Barisan Nasional win 72 of the total 82 seats contested.

However, PAS has consistently increased its vote share in Beting Maro in every election since it first contested there in 2001. Malays make up 92% of the 11,000-odd voters in the constituency. The remaining voters are Iban and Chinese.

Arifiriazul said he believed the five-cornered fight this time around would benefit PAS as it could count on its core supporters. One of the party’s rivals in the contest is Gabungan Parti Sarawak, its partner at the federal level, but Arifiriazul said the residents in the area wanted PAS to contest.

“We received feedback from the people that voters want change. So we are offering ourselves as a viable alternative. There are many issues here affecting the people, including a lack of basic infrastructure in certain areas.”

This had resulted in drainage problems, frequent flooding and a lack of clean water supply.

He also said many of Beting Maro’s people were farmers and fishermen struggling to survive.

PAS has been running welfare programmes in the area, including establishing a food bank and distributing food packs. It has also carried out minor infrastructure projects such as replacing wooden walking paths with concrete ones.

“If we win, we will step up our efforts,” Arifiriazul said, adding that he would work closely with federal government ministries helmed by PAS members. - FMT