PKR candidate unperturbed over BN-PAS cooperation

SHAH ALAM: PKR candidate Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni is not worried or shaken about Barisan Nasional (BN) working with PAS in the Sungai Kandis state by-election.

On the contrary, he is confident that the more than 7,000 voters who supported PAS in the 14th General Election (GE14) will back PKR in the by-election on Aug 4.

“BN is inviting PAS to campaign together, that is their right, but I am confident that the over 7,000 PAS voters will vote for me because they want an Islamic-minded leader who has a good personality,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

The principal of Maahad Tahfiz Al Fateh in Jalan Kebun said this when asked to comment on BN candidate, Datuk Lokman Noor Adam’s plan to invite PAS to campaign together with the BN for the by-election.

On PAS’s statement that Pakatan Harapan (PH) should be beaten following the PH administration’s attitude which paved the way for many issues to ridicule Islam, Mohd Zawawi said that the coalition’s approach to religious issues was different from that of the Islamist party.

“I happen to be the PKR Development and Religious Empowerment Bureau secretary and we always hold discussions on how to portray moderation in Islam so that it will be more easily accepted by all communities in Malaysia. Mohd Zawawi, in the meantime, was optimistic that his party would be able to retain the Sungai Kandis state constituency in the byelection, but with a bigger majority.

Apart from Lokman, Mohd Zawawi’s other challenger is Independent candidate, K. Murthy in the byelection which is being held following the death of PKR incumbent Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei from lymphoma cancer on July 2.

In the 14th General Election, Mat Suhaimi retained the seat (formerly known as Sri Muda) for the third term with a majority of 12,480 votes, beating candidates from the BN, PAS and Parti Rakyat Malaysia.