PAS giving Umno stronger support in Semenyih than in Cameron - Annuar
SEMENYIH POLLS | Five days into the Semenyih by-election campaign, Annuar Musa believes that PAS’ commitment towards canvassing for BN is indeed different from what was seen in the Cameron Highlands polls.
The Umno secretary-general claims that PAS' commitment is now stronger than before.
“It is stronger here. The PAS machinery in Semenyih is working harder than they did in Cameron Highlands.
SEMENYIH POLLS | Five days into the Semenyih by-election campaign, Annuar Musa believes that PAS’ commitment towards canvassing for BN is indeed different from what was seen in the Cameron Highlands polls.
The Umno secretary-general claims that PAS' commitment is now stronger than before.
“It is stronger here. The PAS machinery in Semenyih is working harder than they did in Cameron Highlands.
“I was in Cameron Highlands the whole time, and they did not work openly with us, though it was better than previous elections," he told Malaysiakini when contacted today.
“In Semenyih, we are more organised and are working better with each other... even before nomination day, we had a joint committee and we planned the campaign together.
“When they said that their support for Umno will ‘not be the same’, maybe what they meant is that it would be stronger,” he quipped.
Annuar’s observations appear to contradict what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang purportedly told Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad about his party not backing Umno in Semenyih.
PAS previously said that it would give BN a different level of “commitment and involvement” compared to what it offered in Cameron Highlands last month.
The party campaigned aggressively for the former ruling coalition in its bid to retain the Pahang seat, even holding a mega-ceramah featuring Hadi alongside acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan.
This proved successful, with BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor won the seat with a majority of 3,238 votes.
Changing strategy
This time around, Annuar said he did not know if Hadi would be holding speaking engagements or any ceramah in Semenyih.
However, he explained that BN had opted to employ a more “personal” method of campaigning in the semi-urban seat, saying many of their supporters are civil servants.
“Many of our supporters are civil servants and government staff. So even if we hold a big ceramah, they won’t be able to come as they are afraid of being pressured and threatened.
“So we are not focusing on big ceramah by party leaders, by Tuan Guru (Hadi) or by the Umno president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi).
“We are having more face-to-face sessions. We have changed our strategy,” he said.
BN is fielding Zakaria Hanafi against Harapan’s Bersatu candidate Muhammad Aiman Zainali in the March 2 Semenyih by-election.
PSM’s Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul and independent Kuan Chee Heng will also be contesting.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the incumbent and Aiman’s father-in-law, Bakhtiar Mohd Nor, from a heart attack on Jan 11.
In the 14th general election, the late Bakhtiar managed a 8,964-vote majority in a four-cornered fight against Umno (14,464), PAS (6,966) and PSM (1,293).
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