KUALA LUMPUR – PAS has taken a swipe at Barisan Nasional (BN) over claims of party-hopping amid the campaign season for the Pelangai by-election in Pahang, saying no one is buying claims made by BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Pahang PAS chief Rosli Abdul Jabar said there is no need to be jumpy or resort to getting the elected reps to make statutory declarations.
He also claimed that Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) assemblymen and the public do not buy Zahid’s explanation that none of BN’s assemblymen in Pahang will join PN if the latter wins the Pelangai state seat on Saturday.
Yesterday, Zahid said he had received information that several PN assemblymen in Pahang were expected to support the BN-Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government in the state.
“Allegations that four BN state assemblymen would support PN are just their propaganda. Actually, we have insider information that they (PN) will be together with us (BN-PH),” he told a press conference after chairing the Technical and Vocational Education and Training council meeting here.
Zahid, who is also Umno president, was commenting on PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent claim at a ceramah in Felda Chemomoi that some BN assemblymen might join PN if the opposition coalition wins the Pelangai seat.
Currently, BN has 16 assemblymen, eight from PH, while PN has 17.
Pahang is among the states that have not yet adopted the anti-party hopping law, which came into force at the federal level on October 5, 2022.
The Pelangai by-election was called after incumbent assemblyman Datuk Seri Johari Harun (BN) was killed in an air crash in Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam, Selangor, on August 17.
The by-election is a three-cornered fight involving BN’s Datuk Amizar Abu Adam, PN’s Kasim Samat, and independent candidate Haslihelmy DM Zulhasni. – October 6, 2023