With the nomination and election dates announced, PAS is prepared to once again contest and win the hearts of voters by showing that Umno and Barisan Nasional are poor choices for the people after 51 years of independence.

wan abdul mutallib embong Pas Terengganu deputy commissioner Wan Mutalib Embong, when contacted by Malaysiakini today, said the groundwork has been laid out to win over voters.

Riding the March 8 ‘tsunami', Pakatan Rakyat is hoping to make it 2-0 with the Kuala Terengganu by-election. PKR adviser, Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election on Aug 26.

Wan Mutalib, who will be leading the PAS campaign in Terengganu, got the ball rolling today, saying the glory days of Umno and BN are over.

"Umno is now littered with problems of corruption within the party, from the branches to the division level. This proves that over the years, it has become a party which the people can no longer depend on, as members are only interested in enriching themselves.

abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah angry barisan nasional bn "Even within BN there are already signs of problems, with infighting between MCA deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek and Umno," the former Batu Burok assemblyperson said.

"All this shows the weakness of Umno and BN, and PAS is going to utilise on this. After three generations since independence, we should be a close-knit society, but under BN and Umno, it seems that all the races have been drifting apart."

The Election Commission today announced that nomination day for the Kuala Terengganu by-election will be on Jan 6, with polling scheduled to take place on Jan 17. A total of 80,229 people are registered to vote, including 1,035 postal voters.

The seat fell vacant following the sudden death of deputy education minister Razali Ismail following a heart attack.

Razali had on March 8 won with a slim 628 majority, defeating PAS bigwig Mohammad Sabu and 89-year-old Maimun Yusuf.

Poverty still a problem

Although Terengganu is an oil-rich state, Wan Mutalib said its people have not benefitted from this because of unfair federal government policies.

"Terengganu is still the second poorest state in Malaysia despite its oil resources," he said, adding that when PAS ran Terengganu, it tried to change this but with BN wresting back the state, the party's hands were tied.

"People are beginning to question the rationale of mega projects like the Crystal Mosque and the Islamic Civilisation Park being built at very high cost on an island with little occupants. Similarly, the Monsoon Cup only benefits the state on a seasonal basis and is failing to pull in the expected tourists," he said.

Wan Mutalib added that the people in Kuala Terengganu were more interested in projects that would improve their livelihoods, instead of mega projects that only benefitted a select few.

Another major problem in the state is its infrastructure, in both urban and semi-urban areas, which is ill-equipped to handle heavy rains.

"Such failure resulted in the recent floods affecting the state capital," he said.

Candidate still a secret

Wan Mutalib also today refused to divulge details of PAS' candidate

for the by-election, although the party's spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat had named Mohammad Sabu as his choice.

nik aziz "This is Nik Aziz's personal opinion and we respect his choice," he said.

To a question about winning the hearts of the non-Malay voters who may play a big part in this by-election, Wan Mutalib said the party will conduct a house to house campaign to explain the party's policies.

"I am confident of a change of heart in the non-Malays as many non-Malays had voted for PAS in the last general election.

"The people are more open now compared to before. Hopefully this trend will continue here and this will translate into votes."