More Non-Muslims Contest Under PAS Banner in GE14

The PAS Supporters Club has proposed that non-Muslim members be allowed to contest in three parliamentary and 10 state seats in the 14th general election.

Its president, N Balasubramaniam, however, declined to reveal the seats that had been identified.

“Let the PAS central leadership and the Shura Council endorse our request first,” he told.

Balasubramaniam said this in response to a news report that Pahang PAS plans to contest at least 38 state and 13 parliamentary seats in the state in the coming polls.

Pahang PAS commissioner Rosli Abdul Jabar said three days ago that the party was aiming high and hoped to win 25 state seats and seven parliamentary seats.

Rosli said PAS would also field non-Muslim candidates from its Supporters Club.

Balasubramaniam, who said he may contest a state seat, said in the last election several non-Muslims had contested under the party’s banner in Johor.

Hu Pang Chaw contested against BN incumbent Wee Ka Siong for the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat and lost by a 7,310-vote majority.

Similarly, its women candidate, Kumutha Rahman, contested the Tiram state seat but lost to Maulizan Bujang of BN by a 7,443-vote majority.

PAS central working committee member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, in June this year, admitted to facing difficulty in winning support from non-Muslims, especially the Chinese, after ending its “tahaluf siyasi”, or political cooperation, with DAP in the opposition pact.

Nik Abduh, however, said this difficult challenge would only be temporary although the discord between the two parties has reached a point of no return.-FMT