SG LIMAU As he enters the final lap of the 12-day campaign in the Sg Limau by-election, PAS candidate Mohd Azam Samat warns voters against receiving money in return for votes, which are deemed ‘haram' in the eyes of Allah.

Azam said that since the campaign kicked off on Oct 23, government ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, have been announcing allocations amounting to RM15 million for schools (both religious and Chinese schools), padi farmers, Felda settlers and fisherfolks.

NONEAzam, 37, told Sg Limau voters that they have the right to choose their own representative, but that choice must come from the heart.

"It must not come from money that is given so that the giver can achieve his goals," he said, when met at a PKR event in Kg Selengkoh yesterday.

"As Muslims, there are three kinds of offerings - gifts (for those who already have), charity (for those in need), and bribes where the giver is hoping for something in return," said the Al-Azhar University graduate, who is Jerai PAS Youth chief.

"We hope that Sg Limau constituents know the difference between the offerings which are ‘approved' (halalkan) by Allah - these are in the category of gifts and charity - and those that are condemned by Allah, which is bribery," he said.

On his ability to take over the role of Sg Limau's assemblyperson and former Kedah menteri besar Azizan Abdul Razak who died on Sept 26, Azam said his experience as an educator, religious teacher and political administrator will serve as an advantage.

At Kg Selengkoh yesterday, Azam met with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim who was in Sg Limau to help PAS in its electoral campaign that would end on Monday, polling day.

Azam said it was the first time he shared the same stage with Anwar, describing it as an "honour".

Better infrastructure needed

Earlier in an interview with KiniTV, Azam said that he, too, promotes "peaceful politics" like BN candidate Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, 53, a university lecturer.

"This is because our families and friends are from both parties. Such politics have been practised by all previous state representatives, whether they are from BN or PAS," said Azam.

He expressed hope that BN, since they had recaptured Kedah from PAS in the May 5 general elections, would fulfil their promises to repair the roads in Sg Limau and provide the necessary infrastructure.

"Many roads are not in good condition. BN has already taken over (the state) for five months but it is only now that they have started to repair the roads when the by-election came around," he noticed.

"Sometimes they say they have no money but when a by-election comes around, they have the money or special allocation. So we hope all allocations will be hastened," he added.

Azam also wants young people in Sg Limau to have better access to the Internet so that they have information that is "fair" since most of the mainstream media "are not on the same wavelength (tak sama haluan) with us".

"We live in the rural areas... we need WiFi access to be upgraded not just to get information but also for our youths to obtain knowledge," he added.

Sg Limau which is located between Alor Setar and Sg Petani has 27,222 voters, of which 93 percent are Malays (25,323), while there are smaller communities of Chinese (1,842), Indians (five) and the rest comprising other ethnic groups.