Upcoming Machap By-Elections; Zam Fires First Salvo Against PAS.

Pas has made a wise decision if it does not contest in the upcoming Machap state by-election in Melaka as the Islamist party is not relevant to the country's plural society, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said today.

Zainuddin said he was confident Pas would boycott the by-election as it did in the Batu Talam state by-election in Pahang last year but he did not rule out the possibility of the party cooperating with DAP in Machap.

"Actually, Pas leaders do not understand the meaning of democracy and they cannot be lying to the people forever," he told reporters after presenting prizes for a swimming competition among children of servicemen from the Sixth Brigade camp and orphans from the Che Bema orphanage here today.

The Machap seat fell vacant following the death of Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblyman Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam, 55, who is also Melaka MCA chief, on Thursday. In the 2004 general election, Poh defeated DAP's Liou Chen Kuang by a 4,562-vote majority.

Stressing that Pas was relevant only to people who could be deceived, Zainuddin said he believed the party would stay out of the by-election as it cannot win in Melaka.

"In Kelantan, Pas leaders can still dream of being in power and we cannot stop them from continuing to dream to wrest Terengganu after the state was wrested by BN (Barisan Nasional) in the last general election," he said.

"They can fantasise. That's the only thing they can do as they cannot adapt themselves with the mainstream," he added.

The full Bernama report HERE

***** If I'm not mistaken the body of the late YB Poh Ah Tiam is to be interred coming Wednesday, but already the by-elections politics has started. However it must be noted that Machap is not Batu Talam and the BN can expect a strong show by the opposition. It wouldn't surprise me much if BN were to lose the by-election, for such is the disenchantment of the people at the moment.We'll wait and see.
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