KUALA LUMPUR July 27 — PAS has no candidate in the Sungai Kandis by-election but its supporters will be voting for Umno, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid asserted.

The Umno vice-president said that while his party and PAS had different approaches, both shared the same goal, the preservation of Malay Muslim rights.

“I don't see PAS, that stands on the name of Malays and Islam, would want to see the race and religion to be disunited and have others taking advantage of the split.

“Based on the statement made by PAS leader, I foresee that its supporters would give some room and open up their heart to vote for Barisan Nasional, our candidate Lokman Noor Adam,” Mahdzir said in a talk titled “Diskusi N49: Betapa Ruginya Perpecahan” that was streamed over Facebook last night.

Selangor Umno information chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, who also participated in the same talk, played down the outcome of the Sungai Kandis race, saying there would be no change to the political power play in the Selangor government.

However, he said the Sungai Kandis by-election on August 4 and the upcoming by-election for the Balakong state seat could serve as a “wake-up” call to the PKR-led Selangor government.

He said some PKR supporters were unhappy with recent administrative decisions by the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

“If BN wins this bye-election, it will only lessen one PH state seat, but the power remains the same. The only implication it has is that it is a wake-up.

“Before May 9, many had voted for PH because they had the assumption that it would be a better government, and they wanted to topple BN to ensure Datuk Seri Najib Razak is no longer the prime minister.

“But many did not foresee what happened after the general elections would have taken place today,” he said, citing the appointment of Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Richard Malanjum as examples.

Megat said the Sungai Kandis by-election is the time the people to deliver their message across to the PH administration through the ballot papers.

“I call on voters to weigh it out carefully as they had done on May 9.

“We had accepted our defeat in GE14. That is why we did not take it to the streets and allowed a smooth transition of the government. But I hope to see the Sungai Kandis voters to send out their message clearly on August 4,” he said.

The Sungai Kandis by-election will be held on August, after it was vacant following the death of the former assemblyman, Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei from lymphatic cancer on July 2.

This will be the first by-election since the historic May 2018 general election that saw the first-ever change of the Federal government.

Another by-election is expected to take place in the Balakong state seat, following the death of Eddie Ng Tien Chee on July 20, who died in a traffic accident.