Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan today challenged the opposition pact, which is harping on price hikes of consumer goods in the Tenang by-election campaign, to reduce such prices in the four states it administers.

He challenged the PKR-DAP-PAS pact to seek the funds and provide subsidies to bring down the prices of essential goods in Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan.

"These parties do not have to wait until after the next general election (as they claim to want to do it) as they are already administering the four states," he told reporters after joining the local people for breakfast at a stall in Kampung Tenang, Labis.

He said that for a start, the pact could reduce the price of RON95 petrol from the current RM1.90 to RM1.50 per litre by providing a subsidy to fuel station operators.

If these parties were unable to do that, then they should not deceive the constituents of Tenang for the sake of garnering their votes in the by-election on Jan 30, he said.

The by-election, necessitated by the death of assemblyman Sulaiman Taha on Dec 17, is a straight fight between Mohd Azahar Ibrahim, 39, of BN and Normala Sudirman, 38, of PAS.

Pakatan unable to fulfil promises

Ahmad said the BN government was sensitive to the needs of the people and strived to maintain low prices for goods with subsidies and imposed price control on essential goods during festive seasons.

On the opposition pledge to develop industrial sites in the Tenang state constituency to prevent the people from having to seek jobs elsewhere, he said the opposition would not be able to fulfil this promise.

In the four opposition-administered states, the existing medium- and large-scale industrial sites were established by the BN government to attract investment, he said.

He said the BN government had developed various facilities in the Tenang constituency, such as schools, health clinics and community halls, and the federal and Johor governments had the capability to continue to develop the area.

- Bernama