From:
Date: 18 Nov 1999
Time: 23:52:29
PAS sticks to local line-up
By Shamsul Akmar and Nick Leong
KOTA BARU: PAS has stuck to an all local line-up in Kelantan for the elections, dropping "outsiders" Kubang Kerian MP Mohamed Sabu and Rantau Panjang MP Dr Sanusi Daeng Mariok.
The party has replaced Mohamed Sabu with the Mentri Besar's political secretary Husam Musa while Dr Sanusi's seat is allocated to state PAS information chief Fatah Harun respectively.
PAS also seems to be fielding a decidedly younger crop of candidates who are replacing some veteran leaders.
The youngest of them all is 26-year-old Ahmad Baihaqi Atiqullah, who has only recently graduated in Jordan. He will contest in the Pasir Tumboh state seat.
Among some PAS veteran leaders dropped are exco member and Bunut Payung assemblyman Datuk Halim Mohamed as well as Banggol Judah's Yahya Seman.
They are replaced by Kelantan PAS Youth chief Takiyuddin Hassan and Kelantan Islamic Foundation officer Zakaria Yaacob respectively.
Kelantan PAS commissioner and Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat will be defending his seat in Chempaka. So will Deputy Mentri Besar Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman in Kijang.
The Mentri Besar's press secretary, Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh, who was chosen to contest in the Melor state seat, said the line-up was good and should appeal to voters.
"We believe the people of Kelantan will return us to power," he added.
Former Umno Tumpat division chief Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar, who had joined PAS, was also named as a candidate. The former staunch ally of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, will be contesting in the Tumpat parliamentary seat.
PAS has also stuck to its principle of not fielding any female candidates.
However, the party will be fielding a Chinese candidate, Anuar Tan Abdullah, in the state seat of Kota Lama.
Parti Keadilan Nasional, PAS' ally in Barisan Alternatif, has been allocated three parliamentary and two state seats.
Spearheading Keadilan challenge in the state are the party treasury-general Ramli Ibrahim, who will be contesting the Kota Baru parliamentary seat, while its state Keadilan chief Mohamed Mustapha will contest in Peringat.
Other Keadilan candidates are Saufi Daud in the parliamentary seat of Tanah Merah and Nik Aziz Nik Hassan and Zulkifli Mohamed in state seats of Paloh and Galas respectively.
State Keadilan chief Mohamed said his party was comfortable with the small number of seats allocated to them and believed that they would be able to work closely with PAS.