PAS trailing in a campaign dominated by local issues

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

PORT DICKSON, Oct 7 — With only four more days left before polling in the Bagan Pinang by-election, PAS appears to have fallen into the trap laid by Umno's campaign message, resulting in the Islamist party's failing to make any headway in the Umno stronghold.

Instead of bringing national issues to this coastal town, PAS has been spending a lot of resources in this campaign responding to development offers made by Barisan Nasional (BN) through its candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.

PAS's daily media briefings now sound like a town hall dialogue, where the election strategists speak of abandoned construction projects near the beach, inefficient sewerage system and traffic congestion — a far cry from the Kuala Terengganu campaign led by Datuk Mustafa Ali when the Election Commission, the police force and Petronas became his main targets.

“I think the national issue is clear, it is about the integrity of the candidates, but we are also focusing on local issues because BN has been highlighting the fact that Isa is local boy and was a mentri besar, so he is able to serve the constituency well. That is why we have to respond to that message by showing his failure,” said the Bagan Pinang PAS election chief Salahuddin Ayub.

An abandoned building in Jalan Pantai,Port Dickson. BN has pledged to bring development to Bagan Pinang if it wins. — Picture by Choo Choy May

But at the public rallies held in the evening, many PAS leaders prefer to speak on national issues.

“The game is played on a national stage, this is not just about Bagan Pinang,” said a PAS insider, who was unhappy with the progress made by the party.

Since campaigning began on Saturday, PAS is still trailing far behind Umno, said party workers familiar with the campaign machinery.

“I think because they are trapped with the local issues, honestly I too feel trapped in this game,” said PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was responsible for the banners highlighting BN's alleged failure to keep its promises made in the neighbouring Rembau parliamentary constituency.

“But we are hoping to turn this into a national battle in the final lap, hopefully when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrives,” he told The Malaysian Insider. The opposition leader will only hit the campaign trail tomorrow.

PAS too has been unable to capitalise on the cow head demonstration in Shah Alam last August to win over the support of the Indians, who form some 20 per cent of the more than 13,000 voters.

At every campaign stop in Indian-dominated areas, Isa will remind the voters of the campaign message of former PKR founding leader Roslan Kassim, who contested against Datuk S. Sothinathan in Teluk Kemang in 1999.

“PKR is very bad; you remember in 1999 Roslan Kassim asked the voters here, do you want a mosque or temple?” said Isa.