SG KANDIS POLLS | Two central PAS leaders have urged the party's members and supporters in Sungai Kandis to vote for BN candidate Lokman Noor Adam in the Aug 4 by-election.

The two leaders – PAS central committee member Khairuddin Aman Razali and information chief Nasrudin Hassan – spoke at a ceramah held to campaign for Lokman at the party's Kota Raja operation centre last night.

Khairuddin said PAS is left with no other option but to urge Sungai Kandis voters to reject Pakatan Harapan candidate Mohd Zawawi Abdul Mughni to signal their unhappiness towards the government's policies.

"For the Sungai Kandis by-election, we must take a stand that benefits Islam... It (Islam) teaches us that we must reject what is damaging.

"Damages have been caused by Harapan in just two months of its administration, be it to the religion, economy, twisted historical facts, attacks on the royal institution, Malay language being sidelined... these are damages to the country," he said.

Read more: Zawawi upbeat 3,000 PAS supporters will vote for him

Nasrudin, meanwhile, said that PAS members should vote for Lokman if they wanted to defeat Harapan.

The Temerloh MP said that PAS' stand is to reject the Harapan federal administration, and therefore Zawawi as its candidate should be taught a "political lesson."

"Do you agree with me that Harapan must lose?

"If you disagree and Harapan wins, are you not thinking about the LGBT problem and (its impact on) Islam? The answer is, they must lose.

"To defeat them, who do you have to vote for? He is right there," Nasrudin said as he pointed to Lokman, who was also present during the ceramah attended by several hundred PAS supporters.

'Don't stay home on polling day'

Nasrudin also reminded the crowd that Harapan would still win the by-election if voters chose to boycott the polls or stayed home on polling day.

He pointed out that PAS received over 7,000 votes in the state seat for the 14th general election, and added that new support for the party at present could more than double the figure to nearly 15,000 votes.

Before to his ceramah last night, Nasrudin said yesterday during a public rally that he would be campaigning against Harapan in Sungai Kandis, but was reluctant to express open support for Lokman.

In response, Lokman said he was overwhelmed by the support shown by PAS central leaders as he would require votes from their supporters, on top of securing more Indian votes and even from among PKR supporters.

"In GE14, I saw that BN had succeeded in gaining about 25 percent of the Indian votes, and this time I hope that around 40 to 50 percent of Indian voters will support us," said the Umno supreme council member.

Umno-PAS solidarity

Meanwhile, Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad said PAS' efforts to help BN in Sungai Kandis was proof of the solidarity between the two parties in voicing out concerns on bumiputera rights, Islam, and the royal institution.

She said Nasruddin calling for Harapan to be defeated at the polls was a "sign" that the rakyat were becoming more worried with the current state of affairs.

"At the same time, BN candidate's win in the by-election is important, not just to the residents of Sungai Kandis, but also the people of Selangor in ensuring the (state) government does not become too powerful in formulating policies, including those that would burden the rakyat," she said in a statement today.