ROMPIN If Rompin voters choose Hasan Arifin as their parlimentarian, the BN candidate will be able to clear their misconceptions on GST as BN is the ruling government, Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob told reporters today in Rompin, Pahang. 

The Rompin by-election is on Tuesday and sees Hasan, the BN candidate, fighting against Nazri Ahmad of PAS. 

Many voters have misunderstood the newly-implemented tax, he said, but with sufficient explanation, they will understand it.

"GST will be an issue (in the by-election) and have some impact, however, God willing, the voters will choose BN."

Earlier in his speech, Adnan ( right ) said Hasan's track record shows he is the choice for Rompin voters. 

"As a veteran who was once assemblyperson, state exco member, deputy MB, Hasan's experience is seen by all people. He will be at home in Parliament.

"If Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak reshuffles the cabinet, maybe Hasan will be a minister. This is something we need to think about also," he said, to applause from the audience. 

'Angry at GST'

Hasan, 62, first joined politics in 1976 in Pekan, Najib's constituency and became a division committee member two years later. During 1995 to 1999, he assumed the office of Pahang deputy MB. 

Adnan also told the voters that even he himself "felt the pain" of the six percent GST, citing the prepaid card as an example. 

 

"I am angry at GST, too. When I purchase it for RM10, 60sen is needed. It’s painful. Although the amount is small, it comes out from my pocket.

 

"But when we buy something with RM500,000, we say okay, this is our problem, " he said to laughter from the audience.  

 

Adnan then defended the one-month-old GST, saying that only users will be charged.

 

"If the factory use the fabric to make clothes or trousers, they will be charged; the shops (which sells the goods) will be charged; we the consumers will be charged too, that is what GST is all about," he added.

 

However, some deceitful traders have given GST a bad name as they tended to make excess profit, he said. 

 

And to make it worse, some quarters also like to blame the government on everything, even when sometimes it has nothing to do with the government, he lamented. 

 

"Don't listen to lies or slander. We in Malaysia like to listen to fabricated stories. They are the interesting. In movies, people jump from sky to land and do not die, we love seeing it. We will look, despite it’s all fake," he said.

 

On a related note, Adnan denied that the criticism from former premier Mahathir Mohamad against Najib ( left ) would affect the election result. 

 

"In Rompin, we have two issues (that will affect the election) namely GST and Felda."

 

"People who always support BN, the criticism will not have impact. But for those non-BN supporters, it will," he said.