Tuesday, 30 April 2013

GE13: Credibility of Pakatan candidates questioned

SAMARAHAN: PBB deputy presi-dent Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg has chided Pakatan Rakyat for “simply fielding can-didates” to contest in this 13th general election to ensure that Barisan Nasional will not win uncontested.

He cited PAS candidate for Kota Samarahan, Abang Ahmad Kerdee Abang Masagus, as an example of such action.

“It’s fine that they want to contest but at least make sure your candidates are of quality and know well the area where they are contesting.

“Don’t blindly field candidates who are not even familiar with their turf,” he told reporters after performing the earth-breaking ceremony for the PPR Taman Sri Tuang Phase II housing project here yesterday.

Ahmad is pitted against PBB-nominated Rubiah Wang, who is contesting on Barisan’s ticket, in a straight fight.

Rubiah, 44, who formerly served as Asajaya District Officer, has been named to replace Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib in the seat. She is the only new woman candidate from the state Barisan.

Earlier, Assistant Housing Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who also Asajaya assemblyman, said Ahmad was no match for Rubiah, a local in Samarahan, who knew every nook and corner of the constituency.

He said making things worse was that Ahmad hails from Spaoh but lived in Kuala Lumpur.

“The PAS candidate only comes back to Sarawak occasionally. He does not know Samarahan well and could easily get lost if it wasn’t for local supporters who have been bringing him around the villages,” he said.

Karim said he had been asking the people around if they knew Ahmad but nobody did and that they had never met him before.

“I even surfed PAS’ website but could not find anything about him. So who is he?” he asked.

“All I know is that he contested in Beting Maro in the last state election but lost to Barisan and now he wants to try his luck in Kota Samarahan,” he said.

He urged voters to be more discerning on who should be their elected representative — a local who knows the place and understand the people’s needs better or a non-local who is hardly in the state.-thestar online

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