JOHOR BARU: Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, a member of UMNO’s supreme council, stated that Bersatu is relying heavily on PAS, its partner in Perikatan Nasional, in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections. He pointed out that this is evident from the presence of PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor during the campaign for Perikatan’s candidates. Nur Jazlan also mentioned that Bersatu President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the chairman of Perikatan, has lost his appeal in Johor as the people rejected Bersatu and Perikatan in the state election last year. He revealed this in a Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 31).
In addition, Nur Jazlan stated that even if the Opposition coalition relied on Johor Bersatu leaders, it would not benefit Perikatan as they do not seem capable of leading the campaign for the by-elections. He further elaborated that Muhyiddin is leveraging on the popularity of Hadi and Muhammad Sanusi, which explains why Perikatan refers to their wave as “green” despite their flag being dark blue. Nur Jazlan also criticized Bersatu for their lack of machinery and celebrity leaders like Muhammad Sanusi.
The Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state seats became vacant after the passing of their elected representative, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub of Amanah, on July 23. The polling for both seats is scheduled on Sept 9. The elections will feature a three-way fight involving candidates from Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan, and an Independent candidate. Both Pakatan candidates are from Amanah, while Perikatan’s candidate in Pulai is from Bersatu, and its candidate in Simpang Jeram is from PAS.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
