Takiyuddin: Nenggiri win will show govt doesn't have people's support

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has called on the people of Nenggiri to reject the ruling coalition government by giving victory to the Perikatan Nasional candidate in the upcoming by-election on Aug 17.

According to Sinar Harian, Takiyuddin claimed that a victory for PN would serve as a warning that people at the grassroots level were not backing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government.

"The decision will represent the majority who want the unity government to step down immediately.

"It will come down not within a week… but 24 hours after the Nenggiri by-election," Takiyuddin (above) said while delivering a speech at the Save Malaysia Wave talk during the coalition's election machinery launch at the Limau Kasturi PAS office in Gua Musang last night.

It should be noted that all major by-elections since the formation of the government have been won by the incumbent party, but Nenggiri represents the first instance of a by-election called as a result of the incumbent being sacked from his party.

PAS leaders have in the past claimed that a by-election win would trigger a chain reaction leading to the collapse of the federal government but that has not materialised.

Kelantan assembly speaker Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the state assembly seat vacant effective from June 19 following the incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim’s loss of Bersatu membership when he expressed support for Anwar.

The Election Commission has set the Nenggiri state by-election polling day on Aug 17, while the nomination and early voting have been set for Aug 3 and 13 respectively.

Kelantan Umno Youth chief Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani has been selected as the BN candidate for the Nenggiri polls.

Azizi’s betrayal

According to Takiyuddin, if the people reject PN in the polls, it will give the impression that they agree with Azizi’s actions.

He said Azizi betrayed the party and the people's mandate after being allowed to contest.

"He was the 'luckiest' when he became the only candidate from Bersatu in Kelantan who was allowed to run for Parliament and state assembly seats.

"He betrayed the party and the mandate given by the people by supporting Anwar," said the PAS leader.

At the same function, Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin gave an assurance that the same thing would not happen again as his party would ensure that the individuals chosen as candidates do not betray the party.

According to him, the people of Nenggiri will stay with PN.

Kelantan Bersatu chairperson Kamarudin Md Nor also called on voters to deliver a much larger majority of 3,200 votes at the polls.

He said he wanted the momentum of the victory in the recent Sungai Bakap by-election to be maintained.

"In the 15th state election, we won Nenggiri with a majority of 810 votes.

"This time, PN wants more than three times the majority as it was in the Sungai Bakap by-election," he said, reminding voters that Azizi's actions clearly violated party rules, causing the seat to be vacant.

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