Applications for agricultural funds and projects in Permatang Pauh will not be approved if Pakatan Rakyat wins the by-election again, an Umno minister warned voters.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industries minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic, right) said this in his speech this evening in the Kuala Mengkuang polling district while rallying support for Barisan Nasional’s candidate in the by-election, Suhaimi Sabudin.
Ismail said only Suhaimi would be able to bring issues to Parliament.
“This is an agricultural area. I will surely approve if it is Suhaimi who is making the applications.
“If it is (PKR’s president and candidate Datuk Seri Dr) Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail), she will not even get past my office lobby.
“There is no reason for me to see her. She is from the opposition,” he told over 100 villagers during a session with voters in the district, which is a BN stronghold in Permatang Pauh.
Ismail told the people that they should not think of the candidates who are running in the election, but of themselves.
He said the people must think of what they could get from voting for a particular candidate.
“Look at a candidate who will be in two places at the same time. Usually when people contest for two (Parliament and state) seats, the constituencies are in the same area, or at least the same state.
“But in this case, one seat is in Kajang. The candidate (Wan Azizah) can’t even settle the local issues in Kajang now, but she is here asking for sympathy.
“If she wins, Permatang Pauh will be left behind. She cannot do anything because development is mainly under the federal government,” he said.
Ismail also said Dr Wan Azizah would not do much in the Dewan Rakyat if she won the seat.
“I have seen how she was as an MP since 2004. She would come in and leave without saying anything,” he said.
He then cited examples from his home state of Pahang where seats were held by the opposition.
He said BN representatives often had to go to the opposition-held seats to look into local issues and solve problems affecting the people because the elected reps from PR could not do much.
Dr Wan Azizah previously contested three times in Permatang Pauh. She won the seat in the 1999 by-election after her husband, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was sacked as deputy prime minister and jailed. She won the seat again in the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
She quit as MP a few months after the 2008 polls to make way for Anwar’s return to politics, reportedly saying that she wanted to retire and care for her grandchildren.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was also present, said the PR struggle was inconsistent.
He said the opposition coalition had been full of promises, but Permatang Pauh had not seen much development.
“That’s why PKR is afraid to present an election manifesto,” he said.
Hishammuddin also said PR’s objections against the goods and services tax (GST) was the “flavour” of this by-election campaign, but it too would be forgotten after the election was over.
“How long are we going to be duped? No more. This time we work and delivery victory for BN in Permatang Pauh.
“If not, we want to at least lessen PR’s majority. If our stronghold in Kuala Mengkuang can’t do it, which other polling district can do it?”
Suhaimi, the BN candidate, said he found voters warming up to BN based on his visit across the constituency so far.
“We can see that we have more support coming back to BN this time.” – May 1, 2015.
– See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-approval-for-funds-projects-if-wan-azizah-wins-ismail-sabri-tells-voters#sthash.Xh66w3fY.dpuf