The forthcoming by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar can serve as a platform to introduce Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to the people, Amanah's communications director Khalid Samad said today.

The Shah Alam lawmaker said this was because many people were still unaware of Amanah’s existence or that its president Mohamad Sabu had quit PAS.

“We want the people to know Amanah exists and it (by contesting the by-elections) will help prepare the party to face the next general election.

“When we carried out a survey, many did not know about Amamah, or that PAS had split. There are those who think Mat Sabu is still with PAS,” Khalid told reporters in Shah Alam.

Mohamad Sabu, who is widely known as Mat Sabu, is one of those short-listed by Amanah to contest in Sungai Besar.

Apart from the former PAS deputy president, two other names in the race are Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub and former Perak menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin.

Pakatan Harapan has said it would announce its candidates for the June 18 by-elections next Wednesday.

Both seats are expected to witness three-cornered fights, with PAS having insisted on contesting as well.

At the same press conference, Khalid also said that he was going to sue Malay daily Berita Harian for allegedly misreporting Amanah's stand on the Hudud Bill tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in Parliament yesterday.

Khalid alleged that the newspaper misreported that Amanah questioned and protested against the Bill seeking to amend federal laws to remove restrictions on the sentences that the Syariah Courts can mete out, and will indirectly allow PAS-led Kelantan to hudud.

"I have contacted my attorney and have ordered that a letter of demand be sent to Berita Harian.

"We will ask for its apology to me and Amanah on the frontpage, where it carried the previous news, or we will sue the paper," he said, adding that the letter of demand would be sent next Tuesday at the latest.

Berita Harian today ran a frontpage story headlined 'Kerajaan beri PAS laluan; DAP, Amanah bantah' (Government gives way to PAS; DAP and Amanah object).

Khalid clarified that Amanah never objected to the bill but was questioning why the government deferred its other business to allow the bill to be fast-tracked.

"I just want to know why the government fast-tracked the Private Member's Bill over its other business in the order paper," he said.