PMTG PAUH Pakatan Rakyat’s election machinery has been slightly fractured by the drama of PAS’ boycott and U-turns in Permatang Pauh.

The possibility of some 3,000 PAS members not casting their votes on May 7 has prompted Pakatan to carry out some damage control, especially in areas where PAS has some influence - Permatang Pasir being an example.

At a ceramah in Seberang Jaya last night, DAP’s Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer praised the state PAS Youth wing for withdrawing its boycott of the by-election and pledging support for PKR candidate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Rayer ( right ) said the Pakatan allies needed to work together to chart their pathway to Putrajaya, the coalition’s desired aim, for which it garnered 52 percent of the popular vote in the 2013 general election.

To prove his point that the allies were still very much in love with one another, Rayer introduced his two “bodyguards” who accompanied him to the ceramah.

“They are PAS members from Taman Tun Sardon,” he said, referring to the rather famous Malay-dominated residential area in Seri Delima in Green Lane in Penang Island, which is parked under the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat.

'Never before painted in green'

Rayer said never before were the low-cost flats in Taman Tun Sardon painted in green, like the PAS flag, although it was not meant to represent the party, as MIC’s symbol was also in green.

“But if I am given the permission, I would proceed to paint a picture of the late PAS spiritual adviser and former Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat on one of the walls,” he added to cheers from the crowd.

The Penang PAS Youth wing had earlier called for its election machinery to “rest”, unless state PKR Youth deputy chief Mohd Yusni Mat Piah ( right ) apologise for insulting PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Yesterday, the wing made a U-turn , and decided to support Wan Azizah after a meeting with Hadi’s son and national PAS Youth deputy chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi.

Penang PKR Youth deputy chief Khairil Anuar Kamarudin had demanded that Hadi makes a stand on whether he was planning to form a unity government in Kelantan, with Umno’s support for PAS’ implementation of hudud.

Wan Azizah faces a four-corner fight for the seat with BN’s Suhaimi Sabudin, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Azman Shah Othman, and independent candidate Salleh Isahak.

At a dinner in Kampung Paya (formerly known as Cross Street), where voters come from Permatang Pasir, a state seat held by Penang PAS commissioner Salleh Man, Wan Azizah tried to explain her party’s differences with the Islamic party.

“Pakatan allows different views. In Islam, of course we need to comply to our aqidah (faith) but there is room for discussion regarding the approaches for doing things,” Azizah explained.

She then placed the blame on BN for trying to play up on hudud to try and split Pakatan.

“They keep doing this so that we would not focus on other issues which are more important,” she added.

PKR deputy chief Azmin Ali said Pakatan has always been working together to push for the people’s agenda to become a reality.

“It is normal to have different views but BN is trying very hard to break us apart,” said Azmin, who is Selangor menteri besar.

PAS Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar turned the tables instead on Umno, highlighting the intense internal feud between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“I do not see it as purely an Umno crisis, it is rather a national crisis,” Mahfuz said at the event attended by some 100 people.