PMTG PAUH Umno has rapped Penang PAS Youth for making a ‘U-turn’ by cancelling their boycott of PKR current campaigning for the Permatang Pauh by-election.

State Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Reezal Merican Naina Merican ( pix below ) said the people have now lost respect for PAS Youth with their latest move.

“Please bear in mind that they (PAS) have been insulted badly and their president Abdul Hadi Awang had been dragged to court by PKR before,” Reezal said at a press conference at BN operations center in Perda today.

“It is disgraceful and embarrassing to do so (the U-turn).

“People are now convinced that Pakatan is not a coalition based on sincerity but is fragile in nature,” added the Kepala Batas MP.

Penang PAS Youth chief Mohd Yusni Mat Piah said the decision to cancel their boycott was reached after a meeting with national PAS Youth deputy chief  Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi last night

Khalil is son to PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang. The boycott had arisen due to Penang PAS Youth wanting Penang PKR Youth to apologise to Hadi for claiming he wanted to form a unity government with Umno, especially in Kelantan.

 

BN the underdog

Reezal said the disagreement within the Pakatan fold was not a prime factor for BN in arranging its campaign strategy for the parliamentary constituency which goes to polls on May 7.

“I am not saying it is not a factor but it is not a primary one […] it is more important for us to meet the voters on the ground,” he said.

Reezal said BN was still the underdog for the by-election contest, as PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had held the seat since 1982.

Anwar lost the seat after failing to obtain a pardon for his five-year jail term Sodomy II conviction. He is currently in the Sungai Buloh prison.

“So we behave as the underdog and will face the election in a humble manner. To win people’s hearts, it takes effort,” said Reezal.

Defamation suit

The court case Reezel was referring to relates to a RM2 million defamation suit filed by former Bukit Besi PKR candidate Shamsul Mat Amin against Hadi.

Hadi had allegedly remarked that there was a drug dealer among PKR’s general election candidates in 2013, which was why he said PAS nominated its own candidates for the seats allocated to PKR resulting in a three-cornered fight in Bukit Besi.

On Feb 23, the Kuala Terengganu High Court ordered Hadi to pay RM2 million in damages to Mohd Shamsul.