The PAS central leadership is to meet on Sunday to decide on the party's candidate for next month's Merlimau state by-election in Malacca, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said today.

NONE He said, however, that the central committee would not announce the name of the candidate immediately after the meeting.

The announcement would be made sometime before nomination, which is on Feb 26. Polling is on March 6.

"So far, we have not received the list (of potential candidates) yet. We are still waiting for the list from Malacca PAS, which we expect to get soon," he told Bernama when contacted.  

It is believed that the Malacca PAS leadership has shortlisted several people, including a woman.

Among them are Malacca PAS women's wing secretary Kintan Man, state party information chief Kamaruddin Sidek, Jasin PAS division chief and former candidate for the Merlimau seat, Jasme Tompang, and Jasin PAS deputy chief Yuhaizan Abdullah.

Another woman candidate?

azlan Asked whether the party would consider nominating a woman candidate as it did in the recent Tenang state by-election, Mustafa said the matter would be deliberated on at the Sunday meeting.

"We will look into this. Maybe there will be a woman candidate or maybe not, as we have to look at the list of potential candidates first," he said.

In the Tenang by-election, PAS fielded ex-teacher Normala Sudirman, who lost to former assistant district officer Mohd Azahar Ibrahim of the BN by a majority of 3,707 votes.  

The Merlimau seat fell vacant following the death of the state assemblyman Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hassan, 54, of a heart attack on Jan 20.

In the general election in 2008, Mohamad Hidhir defeated Jasme by a majority of 2,154 votes.

- Bernama