TUMPAT, Sept 24— Last week’s highly charged Muktamar has forced PAS to play catch up in the Pengkalan Kubor state seat by-election, after it was left trailing rivals Barisan Nasional (BN) by the absence of party heavyweights for much of the campaign period.
On polling eve, BN believes it has the lead, thanks to PAS’s lacklustre campaign which according to observers, consisted of uninspiring ceramah events held by mid-level leaders while the federal ruling coalition even brought in the deputy prime minister.
“It is helping us. Their campaign were made of the usual ceramah where some of the issues played out were weak and personal,” a BN campaign coordinator told Malay Mail Online.
PAS raised issues ranging from personal attacks against the BN candidate Mat Razi Mat Ail to the oil royalty. Local PAS workers said a bid for a bigger share of the proceeds from the state’s oil production may have helped bolster the party’s chances, but has not been exploited enough.
Oil royalty, which is the subject of a legal tussle between the Kelantan PAS government and Putrajaya, has become the main campaigning issue in the by-election.
“Much of the problem lies in our failure to start the ball rolling. We only reacted to whatever BN ministers are saying,” said a PAS worker on condition of anonymity.
The seemingly timid character of PAS candidate Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim, an engineer, also contributed to the poor reception of the party’s campaign, another worker noted.
Contrasting personalities
Local leaders with fiery oratory skills like PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa, treasurer and Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar were only seen making the rounds through the constituency after the Muktamar ended on Sunday.
By then, it was already nine days into the campaigning trail.
PAS had also suffered a tremendous setback when its spiritual leader and former mentri besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, a revered leader throughout Kelantan, prematurely ended his campaign for health reasons.
“Yes, I think that is definitely a setback for us,” said another local PAS campaign worker, who also asked not to be named.
BN on the other hand had virtually all of its Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers scouring the constituency from nomination day last Saturday.
Campaign workers said their presence helped strengthen “hope” that the BN candidate Mat Razi can follow the footsteps of the late incumbent Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar.
“Zahidi was popular. He helped us a lot. Gave us money when we needed,” said 57 year old Siti, a local voter who owns a food stall here.
Race to the end
But PAS leaders believe the party still has the chance to catch up now that most of its bigwigs are helping bolster its campaign.
“Now we are going all out. Everyone is being mobilised. From the top down and I believe we still have a chance,” PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali told Malay Mail Online.
PAS workers also seem more aggressive in their campaign.
The ceramah events, including smaller ones called “ceramah kelompok”, programmes concentrating on a much smaller audience discussing more local issues, have since doubled throughout the constituencies.
Even in areas where BN is strong, competing ceramahs can often be heard, lighting up the otherwise sleepy town and giving it the air of a festival.
Tonight and tomorrow PAS will feature most if its heavyweights in two grand ceramah events to cap its final push in a by-election that may appear insignificant but crucial for the Islamist party’s image.
Observers said the Pengkalan Kubor by-election would be the yardstick to measure PAS’s ability to regroup after a divisive Muktamar.
