Kelantan Umno chief Mustapa Mohamed said the party and Barisan Nasional is still not within the 'comfort zone' to wrest the Manek Urai state seat which is a PAS stronghold.

"We have to double and triple our efforts in the coming four days to ensure we win the hearts of the people of he,” the International Trade and Industries Minister told a press conference today.

NONE "We will continue our 'people centric' approach in attracting the voters in Manek Urai to switch their votes to Umno and BN.

"We will be rakyat-friendly to prove to the residents here that we can bring development," he added.

Mustapa, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said the position of the fence-sitters may well determine the July 14 by-election.

"I estimate 15 percent of the total electorate are fence sitters. I hope this will diminish to 10 percent and five percent in the coming days, with their votes siding towards Umno and BN," he

said.

There are 12, 292 voters within the Manek Urai constituency. The seat fell vacant following the sudden death of PAS' five-term assemblyperson Ismail Yaacob on May 22.

Umno has placed former Southern Kelantan Development Authority manager Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, as its candidate. Tuan Aziz is also the Kuala Krai Umno Youth chief.

Meanwhile, PAS has entrusted fish whole seller Mohd Fauzi Abdullah to defend the seat. He is the Kuala Krai PAS treasurer.

Language-switch reversal will help

Mustapa said the Umno and BN candidate is special, who is willing to go the extra mile to serve the people.

manek urai state seat 220509 "Hence, I feel the rakyat should give Tuan Aziz a chance. His father is a headmaster and he is a local boy," he said.

The minister said the feedback that he has obtained from his rounds was that support for Umno and BN is increasing.

Mustapa also believes that the cabinet's decision yesterday to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English would help pull in the votes for Umno and BN.

He also revealed that Umno and BN party workers had covered all the houses within the Manek Urai constituency in a bid to turn the tide of support in favour of Tuan Aziz.

"We will be visiting (these houses) two to three times to make sure they will vote for BN," he said.

At a separate function, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob in a separate function reiterated that Umno and BN would not resort to using smear tactics like PAS.

"We will continue with our clean and honest campaign without attacking PAS personalities or its leaders," he said.

Ismail also announced an allocation of RM9 million nationwide this year to ensure that the prices of basic items like sugar, bread, milk and others in the rural areas would not be increased.