Faced with criticism that PAS hudud agenda cost its partner DAP the Teluk Intan by-election, a PAS Youth leader instead laid the blame on Perak DAP factionalism.

According to Federal Territories PAS Youth deputy chief Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff ( right ), this is because BN candidate Mah Siew Keong's votes did not go up compared to the 2013 general election.

And yet, Mah, who is also Gerakan president, won the seat which DAP had won with a majority of more than 7,000 votes in the last polls.

“So there was no significant swing from DAP to BN. Was there a silent boycott from factions who disagreed with the fielding of (DAP candidate) Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud?

“Or were there voters who disagreed with Dyana's candidacy after knowing that her mother is a member of (NGO) Perkasa , which is heavily criticised by the Chinese community?” he asked in a statement.

Nurul Islam was responding to DAP's Selangor deputy chief Gobind Singh Deo's remark that non-Muslim voters in Teluk Intan turned away from the DAP due to its partner PAS' fervent campaigning for the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.

Refuting Gobind ( left ) further, Nurul Islam pointed out that UCSI University Poll Research Centre's study too found that only 12 percent of Chinese voters in Teluk Intan were concerned about PAS' hudud plans.

“This shows that DAP never faced any problems from the hudud issue. This is why its Bukit Gelugor candidate Ramkarpal Singh Deo retained the seat with a majority of 37,659 despite a turnout of only 56.27 percent.

“The incumbent, the late Karpal Singh, won with a majority of 44,778 even though the turnout was 86.03 percent. This shows the hudud had no impact on the Bukit Gelugor by-election.

“So how is it that the Teluk Intan by-election can suddenly be affected by hudud even though the DAP candidate had early on said she would not back hudud if she won?” he asked.

BN's Mah won with a razor thin majority of 238 votes in last Saturday's polls.

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