Sacked ex-rep was offered better seats to contest, says PAS

 

Johor PAS chief Abdullah Husin said Najib Lep had problems communicating with the Bukit Pasir election machinery, which could have affected his chances of winning the seat.

JOHOR BAHRU: Former Bukit Pasir assemblyman Najib Lep was offered other seats to contest where he had a better chance of winning but he turned them down, says Johor PAS chief Abdullah Husin.

Abdullah said Najib, who won the seat for the first time in 2018, needed to contest a different seat as the state chapter was concerned he could not defend Bukit Pasir, maintaining that Najib was never sidelined by the party.

“In fact, we tried to offer him better options. Johor PAS suggested for him to be fielded as a candidate in other constituencies where he had a higher potential of winning, based on our studies.

“This also followed reports that Najib had problems communicating with the Bukit Pasir election machinery, which could have affected his chances of winning the seat,” Abdullah said at a press conference today.

The party’s Syura Council had agreed that he contest in other areas, but Najib turned this down, as he felt “more comfortable” in Bukit Pasir.

“Najib said he had already done a lot of work in Bukit Pasir. He felt that he was strong there, that people in Bukit Pasir knew him and supported him,” Abdullah said.

He added that a report on the issue had been submitted to party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and that Johor PAS would leave it to the central leadership to probe the matter.

Earlier today, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told FMT that Najib had been sacked from the party for standing as an independent against a fellow party member, Nur Iqbal Abd Razak, for the Bukit Pasir seat. - FMT