SEBERANG PERAI, May 2 — PPBM’s Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq insists PKR’s election machinery was cooperating well with his campaign for the Bertam state seat here, following claims of discontent within the latter party’s grassroots.

The 42-year-old said most of his campaigners are from PKR including the Bertam constituency’s general election director, Zurairi Zain.

Yesterday, former state PKR Youth chief Asrol Sani Abdul Razak alleged that PKR members were upset with party leaders for allowing Khaliq to contest the seat he said belonged to PKR, before announcing his resignation.

Today, Khaliq says that he has been touring Bertam with PKR supporters in the last three months or since he was identified as the likely candidate for the seat.

“We are all working together as Pakatan Harapan and we present ourselves as Pakatan Harapan instead of our respective parties, PKR, PPBM, Amanah or DAP,” he said.

The criminal lawyer, who joined PPBM in 2016 to support Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said the priority now was to ensure a PH victory.

Going up against Barisan Nasional (BN) incumbent Bertam assemblyman Shariful Azhar Othman and PAS candidate Mokhtar Ramly, Khaliq admitted that he is the underdog of the race.

Bertam is under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency and a BN stronghold as it is the hometown of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Bertam would enjoy many changes if it decides to pick him, he said.

“If the state remains under PH, I will be part of the state government if (I’m) elected, and it will be easier for me to apply for allocations and implement projects in the town,” he said.

One of the main issues that he plans to focus on is restoring the rows of tired-looking heritage shophouses in the town.

He said these were comparable to the heritage shophouses in George Town and only needed restoration to take advantage of their potential.

The father-of-three recently impressed crowds, especially the ethnic Chinese, at rallies with his ability to speak fluent Penang Hokkien, which they took as a sign that he was authentically a Penang resident.

Khaliq’s mother is an ethnic Chinese from Penang and he grew up speaking the dialect as his second language at home.

The constituency of 18,378 voters is 68 per cent Malays, 23 per cent ethnic Chinese, eight per cent Indians and one per cent other races.

He is also a familiar figure in Bertam, having lived in the area for over 20 years.

In his walkabout around the town, Khaliq was greeted warmly by acquaintances, some of whom loudly shouted their support for him.

“These are my friends who knew me from my work or from my legal firm,” he said, adding that he was actually friends with his rival, Shariful.

“We’ve known each other for a long time and we have agreed to campaign in a professional manner without making any personal attacks,” he said.