PAS will work with anybody to prevent Anwar walkover

SEPANG: PAS is ready to cooperate with anyone at all including Umno who will contest Port Dickson’s by- election ( PRK) to ensure Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s ( PKR) chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not have an easy win.

PAS Central General Election director Dr Ahmad Shamsuri Mokhtar, who is also Terengganu Menteri Besar, said PAS was ready to field its candidate to prevent a walkover for Anwar but it depended on Umno’s decision.

“I believe there will be efforts to avoid a multi- cornered contest in the Port Dickson by- election.

“Regardless, before the nomination date, we can still discuss.

“I believe we can settle it in a good way.

“PAS is willing to cooperate regardless of whom will be the candidate, (whether) Umno or PAS or a third party who will be fielding a candidate.

The opposition should be given space to work together for this by- election,” he told said after attending the flagging off of the Lombok Humanitarian Mission 2.0 at the KL International Airport here yesterday.

He said this when asked to comment on whether PAS would cooperate if Umno placed its candidate in the Port Dickson PRK.

The Port Dickson parliamentary seat was vacated by incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, to allow Anwar, who is also the PKR president- elect, to contest and return to the Dewan Rakyat.

The Election Commission fixed the Port Dickson’s PRK on Oct 13, the nomination day was set on Sept 29 and the polling day would be on Oct 9.

The Malaysian People’s Party and independent candidates announced that they would be contesting in the Port Dickson PRK against Anwar.

Ahmad Shamsuri, meanwhile, described the Port Dickson PRK as wasteful and only played with the feelings of the people as it was deliberately held to fulfil the aspiration of one person to become prime minister.

“It is a forced election ... I see what happened in the Kajang PRK which was purportedly to place the candidate for the post of Menteri Besar ( Selangor) in the early stages, in the end who became the menteri besar? Someone else became the menteri besar ... This is a waste which does not achieve the objective.

“I do not know the situation in the Port Dickson PRK which was said to be for the prime minister’s post.

“We do not know how it can be realised,” he said. — Bernama