PAS vs PAS in the east coast

Two party defectors who ditched the ‘moon’ for the ‘dacing’ are in the limelight

“It will be interesting to see whether Che Lah can retain his seat given that he has angered PAS supporters.” dr mazlan ali

KUALA TERENGGANU: The fight between Barisan Nasional and PAS has taken a different turn in the Malay heartland of Kelantan and Terengganu.

It has become a PAS versus PAS fight, no thanks to two defectors – Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali and Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi – who have abandoned the “moon for Barisan’s dacing”.

The rivalry between PAS and Barisan could not get more intense than the fight for the Kuala Nerus and Tumpat parliamentary seats.

All of PAS’ machinery “guns” are trained at these two, who hardcore party supporters described as doing the unthinkable – ditching the party to contest under the banner of a long-time rival.

For Khairuddin, who is the incumbent for Kuala Nerus, the war began from the word go when PAS supporters jeered as his name was announced by the returning officer on nomination day.

They were not the only ones disappointed.

Talk is that Khairuddin being fielded had led to an internal crisis in the Kuala Nerus Umno division as its candidates of choice, former mentri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman and division chief Apli Yusoff, were sidelined.

Khairuddin, however, downplayed talk of his candidacy causing a rift, saying that both leaders had accepted the party’s decision.

He might have a point there because Ahmad Razif and Apli acted as Khairuddin’s proposer and seconder during nomination.

“In life, we should not be afraid, don’t worry, don’t be sad, just do your work,” he said when asked whether he was concerned over the possibility of being sabotaged.

Khairuddin, a former Plantation Industries and Commodities minister, resigned from PAS in March this year after a fallout with the Islamist party for dropping him from its central committee in January.

In Tumpat, incumbent Che Abdullah will have to up the ante in an already intense competition, especially since he is now contesting under the Barisan ticket.

Fondly known as Che Lah, Abdullah, who won the seat with a majority of 17,500 votes in GE14, was dropped by PAS who cited “failure in the Majlis Syura vetting process” as the reason.

Dejected, Che Abdullah opted to join forces with Barisan and become their direct candidate for the seat.

“It will be interesting to see whether Che Lah can retain his seat given that he has angered PAS supporters,” said Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali.

Further, fielding Che Abdullah had disappointed those in Barisan who had been preparing their own candidate to contest for the Kelantan parliamentary seat, he pointed out.

“It will not be a surprise if there is ‘Cah Keting’ (sabotage),” Mazlan added.

Back in Terengganu, Barisan is banking on Umno strongman and former mentri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said to win back the Kemaman seat.

The seat has traditionally been Barisan’s, but the coalition lost it in the 1999 and 2018 elections.

Despite contesting for a parliamentary seat for the first time,

65-year-old Ahmad is no stranger to elections, having held the Kijal state seat for six terms from 1990 to 1999 and from 2004 until now.

With his vast experience, strong grassroots support and a well-oiled machinery, Ahmad, who is well known for his firebrand politics, will likely succeed in recapturing the seat.

Kemaman is one of five seats that Barisan is aiming for in Terengganu.

The rest are Besut, Setiu, Kuala Nerus and Hulu Terengganu.

The Ketereh parliamentary seat in Kelantan has been at the centre of attention after Umno division chief and Cabinet minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa was dropped.

Party insiders said the move had initially disrupted the mood, especially among the grassroots, party workers and Annuar loyalists.

Annuar, 66, is a six-term MP, having served Ketereh for three terms.

Whether his successor Marzuani Ardila Ariffin will make the cut is still hard to say and party insiders believe that it will largely depend on whether voters see her as a worthy replacement for Annuar.

“Being the Umno loyalist that he is, Annuar is not about to let Barisan lose the seat.

“He is working as if he is the one running in the elections; he will go down to every big ceramah,” a party member said.

The clash in Machang between two-term incumbent and state Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub and Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal is another interesting match to watch.

Seeing himself as the underdog, 35-year-old Wan Fayhsal believes he has more to offer to the people in Machang.

Umno insiders, however, argued that Ahmad Jazlan would be able to retain his seat, claiming that about 40% of the grey areas were already in their bag.

In Bachok, newbie Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman has big shoes to fill following the departure of his best friend, former PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz.

Although his Barisan opponent Datuk Mohd Zain Yasim is a more familiar face in the area, the PAS candidate is said to have a better chance of winning, given that Bachok is a PAS stronghold area.

The soft-spoken and good-natured Syahir, 39, has impressive credentials – a Masters in economics from the International Islamic University, had worked with major corporations, and is an economic analyst for PAS. He is also the political secretary to party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

The battle lines have been drawn in Kelantan and Terengganu.