KOTA BARU: Voters in Sungai Bakap will not lose anything if they choose Perikatan Nasional's candidate in the upcoming by-election.
Pas vice president Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah criticised yesterday's remarks by Pakatan Harapan's Sungai Bakap by-election director Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid as unacceptable. He also found Mohamad's excuse unreasonable.
"The government can withhold allocations from opposition members of parliament, but it cannot halt development in the area, as it is their responsibility.
"Development in the area will not be stopped if an opposition candidate becomes the representative there.
"Therefore, Pakatan Harapan's claim that voters in Sungai Bakap will lose a lot if they choose Perikatan Nasional's candidate is untrue," he said.
The Panchor assemblyman said that the duty of the elected assemblyman is to convey people's voices to the government and protect their well-being. Mohamad, who is also Penang's deputy chief minister, stated yesterday that voters in Sungai Bakap have much to lose if they opt for the opposition in the by-election.
Mohamad expressed his confidence that voters in Sungai Bakap are wise enough to return the seat to PH. He noted that historically, the state seat had been Barisan Nasional's and later PH's stronghold, except for the last state elections when it fell to Perikatan Nasional's Nor Zamri Latiff, whose death on May 24 triggered the by-election.
He highlighted that one of the potential losses for voters is allocation.
"Opposition assemblymen receive RM60,000 annually for infrastructure purposes, while government backbenchers get RM300,000 and state executive council members RM400,000. With the allocation we receive, we can use it for our people. Therefore, voters in Sungai Bakap should vote for us to enjoy this benefit," he said.
Mohamad said that a PH-elected representative would also act as a bridge between the people of Sungai Bakap and the state and federal governments and agencies.
He also criticised the 10 opposition elected representatives in the state for not raising questions on rural development and entrepreneurship during the last state legislative assembly sitting.
The Sungai Bakap by-election, scheduled for July 6, will feature a straight fight between PH's Dr. Joohari Ariffin and Perikatan Nasional's Abidin Ismail.