KUALA LUMPUR, April 1, 2015:
Umno’s GE13 candidate, who is also a former Penang PAS Youth chief, would be the best candidate for Umno if the party wanted to seize Permatang Pauh from PKR’s grasp, a political analyst said.
Political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said Dr Mazlan Ismail would be able to garner the support from both Umno and PAS supporters.
“The conflict between PAS and DAP has made the Islamic party’s supporters uneasy and most probably could give votes to Umno.
“It is also the best way to again avoid putting an unsuitable candidate in the area,” he told The Rakyat Post.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer added that PAS would be walking side by side with Pakatan Rakyat in the by-election.
He said, however, if PAS decided to cut ties with PR during the by-election, it would have a big impact.
“PAS has the Permatang Pasir state seat, which it has won since 1999, and it is a stronghold for the party in Permatang Pauh.
“Therefore, if PAS wants to cut ties with PR during the by-election campaign period, something unexpected may happen.”
Mazlan was previously Umno’s candidate in the 13th General Election.
In the 2013 election, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim defeated Mazlan with a 11,721 majority. The former garnered 37,090 votes.
The seat was earlier today declared vacant after the Board of Pardon rejected an application for a royal pardon by Anwar’s family.
The former Deputy Prime Minister was found guilty of sodomising his former aide in 2008 and is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.