Hadi: Tioman victory might shake up Pahang govt

 

A Perikatan Nasional (PN) victory during the Tioman election might result in a change of state government, said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Speaking to reporters in Rompin, Pahang last night, Hadi said the current state government was a “minority” government and a win in Tioman will bolster PN’s case to argue that they are the “majority”.

Reporter: Will the formation of the BN and Pakatan Harapan government affect PN’s chances?

Hadi: We will wait and see. They are a minority government. We take it that they are the minority. We hope people respect the majority. We can add to our majority by winning in Tioman.

Reporter: Will a PN victory in Tioman change the state government?

Hadi: It depends. It is uncertain. If we follow the proper democratic process, there should be a reshuffle. Currently, democracy is not being respected. If we (practice rule by) majority then definitely the party with the majority (will be made government). Even if we must have a minority government, it must be chosen among the party (with the most seats). The party chosen was the smallest one. This is not correct based on the concept of democracy.

Currently, PN has the largest number of seats in the Pahang legislative assembly at 17 - still five short of a simple majority.

PN tried to strike a deal with BN (16 seats) but was unsuccessful. In the end, BN and Harapan, with their combined 24 seats, formed the new state government.

The composition of the Pahang legislative assembly is still subject to change as all three coalitions are participating in the Tioman election, which will take place on Dec 7.

Hadi said he was confident that PN will wrest the Tioman seat from BN.

“There are good signs. (During the Nov 19) for the Rompin parliamentary seat, PN won in the Tioman area. We hope that doesn’t change. (We hope) more will vote for us,” he said. - Mkini