The opposition made its first inroad into Barisan Nasional's (BN) southern fortress Johor after the ruling front handed PAS a state seat on a silver platter today.

PAS candidate Dr Mohd Ramli Mohd Kari ( second from left ) won the new state seat of Senggarang after the returning officer (RO) disqualified his opponent on the grounds of technicality.

In the 1999 general election, the opposition failed to win a single seat out of the 56 state and 36 parliamentary constituencies in Johor.

According to PAS Johor information chief Zulkifli Ahmad, the RO rejected BN/Umno candidate Shamsiah Rashidah Ibrahim's nomination as the seconder who inked her form was not listed on the electoral list.

"We painstakingly checked the electoral list and the seconder's name was not on the list. It was a fact, plain and simple and the law is clear... the RO accepted our objection and disqualified our opponent," he said when contacted.

He described the unexpected victory as a "moral booster" for the party leaders and supporters who had worked hard to create an impact in the state.

'Bankrupt' politician

Meanwhile, a 'bankrupt' PAS politician paved the way for the ruling front to clinch a parliamentary seat and state seat unopposed.

Puteri Umno chief Azalina Othman Said won the new parliamentary seat of Pengerang after her opponent Fikri Sudari was disqualified over his alleged bankrupt status.

Fikri was also supposed to have contested the Penawar state seat, which now falls to Umno's Dr Mohd Azam Razuan.

However, PAS has cried foul over the matter.

"We have referred the matter to Fikri who is puzzled with the development as he has never committed himself to any financial loan nor was he a guarantor to any party.

"We intend to file a petition at the election court," said the PAS Johor information chief.

Apart from the three seats, Zulkifli said there were no other 'surprises' in the 12 parliamentary and 37 state seats which the party is contesting in the state.

Objections dismissed

He also reveled that the party's objection towards the nomination of BN/Umno candidates Ayub Ismail and Mohd Ismail Shah - who are contesting the Rengit and Maharani state seats respectively - were dismissed.

He said PAS wanted Ayub to be disqualified as he was being probed by the Anti-Corruption Agency, but the RO held that the Umno politician's role in the case was unclear.

Regarding Mohd Ismail, he said the party raised an objection as his company had been declared bankrupt.

However, the RO decided that his status was not affected since the company was privately-owned.

In 1999, the Rengit seat was won by Umno Zainal Abidin Mohd Zin who obtained 11,163 votes while PAS Hasananudin Mohd Yunus only managed to garner 5,816 votes.

Whereas in Maharani, incumbent Mohd Shah won the seat with a 2,820 vote majority against a PAS candidate.