PAS confident of success…in one or two seats
Party tops up posters of ‘young and pretty’ Beting Maro candidate, Hamidah Mokhtar, after running out from popular demand.
KUCHING: Sarawak PAS has expressed confidence in winning at least one or two seats out of the 11 it is contesting in next Saturday’s elections to the state assembly.
The party’s Sarawak secretary, Mukhtar Suhaili, said his confidence was based on the responses received on visits to almost all 11 seats. He felt there were a couple which were more likely to swing their way.
These seats are Sebuyau and Beting Maro where the majority of the population is Malay.
“I went to Beting Maro yesterday and the posters of the candidate (Hamidah Mokhtar) were so popular that we ran out of them and had to top them up.
“It appears that out of the 11 candidates we have, Beting Maro is the most popular. Maybe it’s because she’s still young and also pretty,” he told a press conference here today.
Mukhtar said the Islamist party was ready to face the election, with its machinery all prepared and excited.
The only two bumps in its way are the entry restriction placed on some of its members from the Peninsula, and the absence of a “level playing field.”
“We have prepared much earlier than other parties and we were the first to announce our list of seats and candidates. This is also our fourth time contesting, but it is the first time where we see our machinery really excited.
“However, some of our men have either been banned, or allowed entry into Sarawak only until May 5. So we urge the caretaker government to be more open and allow the current democratic system to be upheld.”
He said among those who were granted a temporary visit was a member of the Kelantan state executive council.
Adenan has used Sarawak’s autonomous powers over immigration to restrict unfavorable individuals from entering the state, including several federal opposition politicians and social activists.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
Some were allowed entry only up to two days prior to the state election. This, Adenan said, was to ensure the election process can go on in a controlled and peaceful manner.