KUALA BESUT, July 22 — Former PKR Bukit Besi candidate Mohd Shamsul Mat Amin and two others today plan to sue PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (picture) for allegedly defaming them in a rally speech before Election 2013.

Mohd Shamsul made the announcement here just two days before the Kuala Besut by-election on July 24, together with two other former PKR candidates, Narawi Embong (Telemong) and Mohamed Abdul Ghani Ibrahim (Kota Putera).

“My image was tarnished by his allegations ... As a result of his speech, I have been ostracised and ridiculed by other villagers,” the teary-eyed Mohd Shamsul told reporters.

“It has not only damaged my reputation, but also my family ... My business has also been indirectly affected.”

In April, Abdul Hadi had railed about several PKR candidates in a rally at Kampung Tembakang, Bukit Payong, referring to them as drug dealers selling “pil kuda” (methamphetamines) and being communist worshippers.

He however did not name any of the PKR candidates, but he was commenting on the reason why the Islamist party pitted its own candidates against ally PKR in seven seats in the May polls.

“PAS acted to preserve our sanctity not only during elections, but so that these ‘devils’ cannot penetrate Pakatan Rakyat, if God-willing we were given a victory,” Abdul Hadi was reported as saying.

Mohd Shamsul admitted that he was making the announcement just days before the by-election to take advantage of the large media presence, but denied the influence of a third party.

Despite that, Terengganu PKR campaign director Yahya Zakaria, who also accompanied the trio today, expressed his disappointment with its ally PAS after Hadi’s remarks, calling his move a “back stab”.

He also claimed that the relationship between the Islamist party and PKR has been strained since the May polls after the latter was not given the chance to contest all 10 seats it had requested.

Yahya also claimed that PAS had sidestepped the party in Terengganu, and did not even request its help to campaign for the by-election.

“We were not even informed of Datuk Seri Anwar’s presence last night. I had to call Anwar’s personal assistant to get his schedule for the night,” he added.

PAS’s uphill battle for Kuala Besut received a much-needed boost last night when opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim finally went on the stump here, sounding a plea to voters not to be enslaved by Barisan Nasional’s (BN) financial carrots.

“It seems that they are greedy and fearful of the locals’ growing support for PKR,” Yahya said, when asked about PAS’s motive for excluding the party.

In Election 2013, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) won 15 seats in Terengganu to BN’s 16. PKR won just one seat out of the 15, where Azan Ismail won the Bandar seat.

BN’s Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman is up against a local boy from PAS, Azlan Yusof, for the Terengganu state seat in the July 24 by-election which was called following the death of Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar on June 26 from lung cancer.