KUALA TERENGGANU, July 11 — Looks like Barisan Nasional (BN) is in for a tough fight to defend its Kuala Besut state seat after challenger PAS picked vice-president Datuk Husam Musa to drive its by-election machinery.

An intellectual, talked about as replacing Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat as Kelantan mentri besar but “robbed” of the post, Husam is known as a “fighter”.

An admirer of PKR’s de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Husam is expected to give BN a tough fight as he is known to shoot from the hips and a strategist where he managed to strengthen the Kelantan PAS government in the 2008 general election.

His attempt to grab the Putrajaya parliamentary seat in the 13th general election, his first, was considered a “success” for polling some 4,000 votes against incumbent Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor’s 9,900, given most of the constituents in the nation’s administrative capital were civil servants.

In short, Husam’s maiden try got him about a third of the total votes despite losing the seat.

Giving the position to Husam is PAS’s latest strategy to win Kuala Besut with the view that a new approach with a new team is needed as veterans, such as party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, Datuk Wan Mutalib Embong and several others, are considered “spent force”.

Kuala Besut, being an Umno bastion for the last three terms, probably needs a fresh injection of young leaders and new approach as PAS sees an opportunity to deprive BN of a state government.

Not wanting to lose the opportunity, the party hands over the “ring” to its “best manager”.

Candidates aside, PAS now sees the way to win Kuala Besut is through a good strategy, knowing well the ruling party will most likely throw in all the government machinery to defend its position, plus a good candidate acceptable by the 17,800-odd voters.

And Husam, minutes after being announced election director, fired his first salvo at BN’s Kuala Besut deputy election chief Datuk Seri Idris Jusuh, saying it was an insult to PAS for asking the party not to contest the seat.

More fireworks are expected during the campaign period which officially begins tomorrow after nominations.

BN is expected to play the defensive role with Husam leading the charge for PAS and national issues are expected to replace religious issue as the main focus.

All eyes will be on Husam, who will be raising issues that not only interest voters but Malaysians at large.

After all, the Kelantanese and the state’s Salor assemblyman had already trained his gun at Putrajaya and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.