PAS is firm on its stand and will not negotiate with Pakatan Harapan, which wants to have Harapan candidates fielded in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar parliamentary by-elections next month.

Its president, Abdul Hadi Awang, said PAS would no longer collaborate with the parties in the opposition pact as PAS has many too much sacrifices to save their reputation.

"If they expect us (PAS) to continue working of them, we will not do that anymore because we have sacrificed a lot of constituencies for them before and it all went unappreciated.

"They come only when election is called. It happened in too many elections before, in which only PAS worked hard to ensure victory because PAS worked all the time," Hadi told reporters at the office of the International Union of Muslim Scholars in Marang, Terengganu, today.

He said PAS was confident that its candidates would be able to win the two seats without the support from the opposition pact as the party had quite a strong support in the two constituencies. 

'PAS candidates also increased their votes'

In fact, at the last general election, Hadi said, PAS candidates for the two parliamentary seats had also increased their vote majority, even though they lost to the BN candidates.

"We will not give any hope to Pakatan Harapan because we are confident with our own strength… they are new (in the two constituencies), while we already have strong foundation there," he said.

Asked on PAS candidates for the by-elections, Abdul Hadi said: "I will announce the name of PAS candidate for the by-election in Sungai Besar tonight, while my deputy Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man will announce the candidate for the other by-election in Kuala Kangsar."

The Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar seats fell vacant following the deaths of incumbents Noriah Kasnon and Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak, on May 5.

The by-elections will be held simultaneously on June 18, while the nomination day is set on June 5.
- Bernama