PONTIAN: A Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia division chief in Penang has urged Pakatan Harapan Tanjung Piai candidate Karmaine Sardini to make a campaign pledge to ensure his victory in the by-election.
Kepala Batas division chief Azlina Mehtab Mohd Ishaq said Karmaine should at least promise to voters that he would continue former Tanjung Piai Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik’s plans for the constituency.
“Karmaine has a good chance at winning if he spends more time with the voters and makes a pledge that he will continue what Dr Farid had promised.
“The candidate should carry on Dr Farid’s legacy because this will help him (with his victory),” she told reporters at Serkat, here, when inviting the media to a tahlil ceremony for Dr Farid.
The tahlil ceremony will be held on Saturday at 10am at Pekan Nanas here where Dr Farid’s mother, Norma Mohamed, 67, is expected to attend.
Further, Azlina said despite allegations made by the opposition that there was friction within PH, the sentiment on the ground was different.
“The voters asked us about this friction and when we explained to them that it was only a political ploy employed by the opposition, the vibes came off better from the voters,” she said.
While admitting that Karmaine is facing a “tough job”, Azlina said she was confident that the Tanjung Piai Bersatu chief would be able to ensure PH’s victory and retain the Parliamentary seat.
The Tanjung Piai by-election is being held following Dr Farid’s death on Sept 21 due to heart complications.
In the 14th general election, Dr Farid won the parliamentary seat with a 524-vote majority, triumphing over Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng (Barisan Nasional) and Nordin Othman (Pas).
The Tanjung Piai by-election will be held on Nov 16 while early voting is on Nov 12 where it will see a six-cornered fight.
Those contesting for the seat aside from Karmaine and Wee are Wendy Subramaniam (Gerakan), Datuk Dr Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz (Berjasa) and two independent candidates, Dr Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghani.