The party’s state chief, Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, said Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani had been lobbying for an ATM to be provided for the people of Nenggiri way before a by-election was announced.

“The call for ATM services to be provided has nothing to do with the by-election.

“Azmawi is merely speaking on behalf of the people as a local of Nenggiri, not as an assemblyman,” Jazlan told FMT.

He was responding to Bersatu’s Radzi Jidin, who yesterday mocked the government’s announcement that an ATM would be provided for the people of Nenggiri, saying such an announcement was never made before in any previous by-election.

Radzi also questioned why Azmawi was suddenly pushing for such services in Nenggiri when he failed to resolve the issue when he was an officer to former Nenggiri assemblyman, Ab Aziz Yusof.

On Saturday, the finance ministry said it has taken steps to address the issue of residents in Nenggiri lacking access to ATM services, adding that it had held discussions with several local banks and that the response has been positive.

The ministry’s announcement came days after FMT reported that for some residents in Nenggiri, an act as simple as withdrawing money from a bank or ATM is an expensive affair.

Azmawi subsequently expressed his commitment to engage with banks to resolve the issue.

Jazlan told Radzi not to harp on the issue, saying there were other matters the Putrajaya MP could raise, including the logging of forests in Kelantan and the allocation of land to foreign companies by the PAS-led state government.

“Radzi should just take care of Putrajaya. He doesn’t know the problems faced by the people of Nenggiri so there’s no need to play hero here,” he said.

Azmawi will face off against Perikatan Nasional’s Rizwadi Ismail in the Aug 17 by-election.