~penarik beca (2)

BAGAN PINANG (Harakahdaily 8/10/09): Lebih enam orang petugas Dewan Pemuda PAS (DPP) dipukul dan ada yang ditetak dangan parang oleh sekumpulan lelaki ketika sedang bertugas di beberapa tempat termasuk di markas induk DPP di Bagan Pinang.

Dalam kejadian jam 3.30 pagi tadi, sekumpulan 20 lelaki bermotosikal dipercayai penyokong BN telah menyerbu dan menceroboh markas induk DPP dan menumbuk petugas yang berada di situ.

Selain ditumbuk, pemuda PAS terbabit juga dihalau keluar meninggalkan markas itu.

Turut difahamkan ramai lagi petugas PAS di pukul malah ada juga yang dikejar dengan parang hingga ke rumah.

Seorang Exco DPP, Suhaizan Kayat yang maklum berkenaan kejadian tersebut berkata, penyokong Umno BN terbabit tidak berpuas hati kerana mandakwa pemuda PAS telah menjatuhkan bendera dan kain rentang parti mereka.

"Mereka tuduh kita jatuhkan berndera dan poster Umno BN. Mereka semua datang ke markas induk, terus tumbuk petugas kita bertubi tubi. Bayangkan dari luar mereka tumbuk sampai la ke dalam markas," ujar Suhaizan yang juga Ketua Penerangan DPP.

Kejadian sama juga berlaku di beberapa lagi markas pemuda yang lain, namun semua bukti dan maklumat lengkap sedang dikumpulkan.

(Gambar: Salah seorang mangsa yang ditetak dengan parang)

Suhaizan juga kesal di atas kejadian itu menganggap penyokong Umno BN tersebut bertindak membelakangi undang-undang.

"Sepatutnya kalau ada bukti, buat lah laporan Polis, bukannya datang serang macam ni," katanya.

Ekoran kejadian tersebut, DDP telah mengarahkan semua pemuda di seluruh negeri datang ke Bagan Pinang hari ini bagi membantu gerak kerja kempen di sini.

Satu taklimat khas kepada pemuda yang hadir akan di adakan malam ini di markas induk mereka.

"Kita arahkan semua pemuda seluruh negeri datang bantu kita di sini, kita bukan nak buat kacau, tapi kita nak berkawal untuk keselamatan," ujar Suhaizan lagi.

Mereka juga yakin tindakan penyokong Umno tersebut sebgai terdesak dan cuba memerangkap pemuda PAS agar bertindak agresif bagi dijadikan modal kempen mereka.

"Kita yakin, ini satu provokasi dan perangkap mereka. Modus operandi sama sebelum ini diguna Abdul Azeez, tapi nampaknya tak berjaya. Jadi ini dia agenda mereka seterusnya," ujarnya lagi.

Dalam perkembangan lain, seorang saksi mendakwa dia melihat kumpulan samseng tersebut menggunakan senjata semasa melakukan serangan di beberapa tempat lain.

"Saya nampak mereka guna kayu, topi keledar, pedang dan senjata lain seperti besi semasa melakukan serangan," dakwa seorang saksi yang tidak mahu namanya didedahkan.

Selain mengoyakkan poster dan kain rentang PAS, samseng terbabit juga dikatakan turut memecahkan cermin dan merosakkan kereta milik penyokong Pakatan.

Harakaydaily bagaimanapun dalam usaha mancari kesahihan maklumat tersebut.

Berikutan itu DPP akan mengadakan satu sidang media tergempar dai Pejabat Agung PAS Jalan Raja Laut, jam 11 pagi ini.

Sidang media tersebut akan diketuai Ketua DPP Pusat, Ustaz Nasarudin Hassan dan Suhaizan sendiri.

Turut akan didedahkan dalam sidang media tersebut adalah berkaitan maklumat terbaru penyelewengan undi pos.

Sinar Harian: Pas berjaya mendapat undi popular daripada golongan muda sebanyak 2,614 undi dengan majoriti 3,584 undi, tanpa mengambil kira undi pos dalam pilihan raya kecil kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, Sabtu lalu.

Timbalan Ketua Dewan Pemuda Pas Terengganu, Ariffin Deraman berkata, jumlah itu adalah majoriti paling besar berbanding undi golongan dewasa iaitu sebanyak 970 undi berbanding Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Bebas.

Ariffin yang juga merangkap Setiausaha Operasi Pas dalam pilihan raya kecil berkenaan menjelaskan, daripada 61 saluran muda, 42 daripadanya berpihak kepada Pas manakala 19 saluran kepada BN.

“Pengiraan dibuat dengan mengambil kira saluran dua sebagai saluran muda sekiranya hanya terdapat saluran 1 dan 2 sahaja di pusat mengundi, saluran tiga dan empat akan dikira saluran muda sekiranya terdapat 1 hingga 4 saluran di pusat mengundi, begitu juga saluran empat dan lima dikira saluran muda sekiranya terdapat saluran satu hingga lima di kawasan terbabit.

“Undi tersebut sekiranya tidak mengambil kira undi pos, kita menang majoriti dengan 3,584, sebaliknya mendapat 2,631 majoriti sekiranya dicampur undi pos,” katanya kepada Sinar Harian, semalam.

Mengulas lanjut, beliau berkata, Pas mendapat undi paling banyak daripada golongan muda di Losong Masjid dengan 274 undi manakala undi paling merosot di Kampung Cina iaitu di saluran empat dengan kekurangan 95 undi.

Bagaimanapun katanya, Pas berjaya menawan golongan muda di pusat mengundi di Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Pusat Bukit Besar iaitu tempat calon BN, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh mengundi iaitu sebanyak 65 undi melebihi parti lain.

“Walaupun undi pos kita kalah besar, tetapi masih ada sokongan dengan 86 undi dan kita yakin mereka yang mengundi adalah petugas pilihan raya daripada 267 kertas undi yang diedarkan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya,” katanya.

Kenyataan Tun M tidak wajar

Sinar Harian: Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Bahagian Kuala Terengganu berasa bertanggungjawab terhadap kekalahan Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, Sabtu lalu.

Ketua pergerakan itu, Badrul Hisham Zaki berkata, beliau akur dengan perkara itu dan antara punca kekalahan BN adalah sokongan golongan muda semakin berkurangan dalam pilihan raya kecil kali ini berbanding pilihan raya umum, Mac tahun lalu.

Menurutnya, hanya 11 peti undi sahaja dimenangi BN antaranya, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Wakaf Memepelam, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Chung Hwa Wei Sin, SK Paya Bunga, SK Tengku Ampuan Mariam, SK Sultan Sulaiman I dan II, SK Gong Kapas, SMK Sultan Sulaiman, SMK Chendering SK Kubang Ikan dan Dewan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

“Kita akan mencari jalan dan penyelesaian selepas mengenal pasti kelemahan serta faktor kekalahan melalui ‘post-mortem’ yang akan diadakan dalam masa terdekat,” katanya kepada Sinar Harian ketika dihubungi, semalam.

Sementara itu, beliau turut menganggap kenyataan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad bahawa kekalahan BN disebabkan calon BN tidak disukai ramai, sebagai tidak wajar.

Dalam laporan Sinar Harian semalam, Mahathir berkata, calon yang mewakili BN pada pilihan raya kecil itu tidak sesuai meneruskan perjuangan BN dan UMNO.

Bagaimanapun, Badrul Hisham berkata, semua pemimpin UMNO perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap kekalahan tersebut tanpa menuding jari kepada sesiapa.

“Kita tidak harus tuding jari pada sesiapa kerana kita seia sekata mengambil keputusan memilih Ketua UMNO Bahagian Kuala Terengganu, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid sebagai calon dan tidak timbul soal siapa yang salah, siapa tidak betul.

“Kekalahan adalah tanggungjawab anggota dan semua pemimpin UMNO patut bertanggungjawab,” katanya.

Menurut Badrul Hisham, ia bukanlah penghujung bagi perjuangan BN di negeri dan negara ini memandangkan mereka masih mempunyai masa untuk membaiki kelemahan dan melaksanakan perubahan.

Dalam pilihan raya kecil Sabtu lalu, calon Pas Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut menang dengan majoriti 2,631 undi mengalahkan calon BN, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh dan calon Bebas, Azharudin Mamat@Adam.

Berita Harian (18/1/09): Mursyidul Am Pas, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, mengingatkan semua pemimpin dan penyokong Pakatan Rakyat (PR) khususnya ahli Pas tidak angkuh hingga mengeluarkan kenyataan yang menyinggung lawan berikutan kemenangan dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, kelmarin.

Nik Abdul Aziz berkata, kemenangan itu perlu dirai dengan usaha lebih gigih untuk menarik sokongan rakyat selepas berjaya merapatkan kaum Cina khususnya penyokong DAP yang sebelum ini dikenali sebagai golongan ekstrem kepada perjuangan Islam yang dibawa Pas.

"Perjuangan kita adalah untuk dakwah, jadi saya minta tidak ada yang mengeluarkan kenyataan yang boleh melukakan pihak lawan kerana tindakan seperti itu akan menyukarkan kita menarik sokongan kerana mereka akan terus melarikan diri kerana terluka dengan kata-kata itu," katanya kepada media semalam.

Menteri Besar Kelantan itu berkata pendirian pengundi bukan Islam khususnya generasi muda Cina dan penyokong DAP kini semakin lembut kepada perjuangan Islam yang dibawa Pas.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pemuda Pas, Salahuddin Ayub percaya kejayaan itu banyak dibantu faktor kelebihan calonnya, Mohd Abdul Wahid yang lebih berpengalaman memenangi hati rakyat.

Beliau berkata, Pas belajar daripada kesilapan lepas dan memilih Mohd Abdul Wahid yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Wakaf Mempelam yang dianggap bebas daripada segala isu.

"Ini mesej jelas rakyat yang mahukan perubahan dan Pas mempelajari daripada kesilapan lampau," katanya.

Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Dr Syed Husin Ali berkata isu yang dibawa dalam setiap ceramah PR adalah satu daripada faktor kejayaan calon Pas selain kehadiran Penasihat PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Sebenarnya, isu yang dibawa BN banyak membantu calon kita seperti isu ekonomi, royalti dan bahasa yang dilihat lebih kepada unsur memfitnah.

"Golongan muda juga semakin sedar arah tuju mereka kerana kita membawa isu yang lebih relevan seperti bahasa, pendidikan, jenayah serta nasib orang Melayu," katanya.

Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang pula berkata keputusan pilihan raya kecil itu adalah peringatan kepada pemimpin Umno akibatnya jika mereka enggan menyahut gesaan rakyat supaya melakukan perubahan.

"Ia mencerminkan aspirasi politik rakyat Malaysia," katanya dalam kenyataan.

Lim yang juga anggota Parlimen Ipoh Timur berkata, keputusan itu perlu kajian mendalam terutama mengenai impak isu hudud dalam pilihan raya kecil.

Singapore Straits Times (17/1/08): Malaysia's opposition on Saturday snatched a parliamentary seat from the beleaguered coalition government, in a by-election seen as a test of the nation's political mood.

The opposition alliance said the victory in northeastern Terengganu state was a huge boost to its campaign to seize power after it won a third of parliamentary seats and five states in landmark general elections last year.

'Yes we have won,' said Mr Husam Musa, vice-president of the conservative Islamic PAS party, which fielded the winning candidate on behalf of the three-party opposition alliance headed by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Husam said Umno, which leads the Barisan Nasional coalition and has run Malaysia for half a century, had lost the support of Muslim Malay voters as well as the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

'This shows a loss of confidence of majority (Malay) voters towards UMNO, and it also represents the national mood which is to reject Umno,' he told AFP.

The official tally showed that PAS had won with a majority of 2,631, claiming 32,883 votes against 30,252 for the government which last won the seat in the state capital Kuala Terengganu with a slim majority.

'I thank the voters for giving me their trust. I will do my best,' said the victorious PAS candidate, Mohammad Abdul Wahid Endut.

Ms Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at the US-based Johns Hopkins University, who observed the by-election, said the 'decisive' victory spelt trouble for the government as it prepares for a leadership transition.

Deputy premier Najib Razak is due this March to replace Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was a casualty of the March 2008 general elections that produced the worst results in Umno's history.

'This is going to call into question Mr Najib's rise to the prime minister's position. There will be those who will question whether he can deliver effectively,' she said.

Mr Najib personally headed the government's campaign in Kuala Terengganu, as well as another failed by-election last year which saw Anwar returned to parliament after a decade-long absence.

'Of course, this is a setback for us... We will not be disheartened by the result,' Mr Najib told a press conference, rejecting the suggestion that the outcome reflected badly on him.

'It's nothing to do with that,' he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition said its performance showed it is a working alliance despite being an unlikely partnership of PAS, Mr Anwar's multiracial Keadilan, and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party.

'The two factors that contributed to our success are the combined efforts of all alliance partners and the credibility of the PAS candidate,' said Mustapha Ali, head of PAS in Terengganu.

'The support by Malays for Umno is diminishing now.' An opinion poll by the Merdeka Centre research firm last week indicated that support among majority Muslim Malays was split and that the votes of the ethnic Chinese who make up 11.6 per cent of the electorate could be decisive.

But Ms Welsh said that figures showed the victory had come from a shift in the Malay vote away from the government - highly significant for Umno which has counted on the majority community as its bedrock. - AFP

Sinar Harian (16/1/09): Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang menegaskan bahawa hukum hudud dan qisas hanya untuk orang Islam sahaja dan perkara ini tiada kena-mengena langsung dengan DAP.

Menurutnya, isu hudud sepatutnya dijawab oleh UMNO yang menjadi sebuah parti Melayu Islam dan bukan dijawab oleh Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh.

“Saya ingin jelaskan di sini bahawa hukum hudud dan qisas hanya mempunyai kaitan dengan orang Islam dan ia tidak ada kena mengena dengan orang bukan Islam, khususnya DAP.

“Kenapa masih memperbesarkan isu ini, kita sudah menjelaskan pendirian kita dengan jelas dan terang,” katanya pada sidang media selepas melancarkan Majlis Memorandum bantahan PPSMI (Pengajaran/Pembelajaran Sains/Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris) di sini semalam.

Kelmarin, Karpal mengeluarkan kenyataan mengulangi pendirian DAP bahawa hukum hudud dan qisas bukan menjadi dasar parti serta tidak termasuk dalam manifesto Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pada pilihan raya umum Mac tahun lalu, malah mengancam untuk menarik diri daripada PR sekiranya Pas tetap mahu melaksanakan undang-undang tersebut.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pembangkang di Parlimen, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim turut mengulangi pendirian Abdul Hadi bahawa hukum ini hanya akan dilaksanakan ke atas orang Islam sahaja dan orang bukan Islam tidak harus berasa takut kepada undang-undang ini.

Selain itu, Anwar mempersoalkan kenapa UMNO terus senyap mengenai isu hudud dan sekiranya UMNO memperjuangkan Melayu Islam, mereka harus mengeluarkan pendirian mengenai cadangan Pas yang akan melaksanakan hudud dan qisas sekiranya menjadi Kerajaan Pusat.

“Apa erti hanya solat sahaja, tetapi mempersoal dan mempertikaikan hukum Allah. Dalam PR, semua suara boleh mengeluarkan pendapat masing-masing dan tugas kita adalah berbincang bersama-sama.

“Apa yang penting, kita perlu hormat pendirian Pas yang akan menjalankan hukum hudud sekiranya menjadi Kerajaan Pusat,” katanya.

mStar Online (6/1/09): Tindakan pembangkang memainkan isu wanita Mongolia, Altantuya Shariibu yang dibunuh dua tahun lalu ketika kempen pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu adalah tidak relevan sama sekali.

"Nampaknya perkara itu cuba dibangkitkan pembangkang... kalau mereka bawa isu seperti ini maknanya mereka sudah bankrap isu.

"Ia tiada kaitan sama sekali dengan pilihan raya kecil ini," kata beliau.

Awal pagi semalam enam anggota Angkatan Muda Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) termasuk Timbalan Pengerusinya ditahan polis ketika menampal poster wajah wanita Mongolia itu di laluan-laluan dilalui Najib ketika berada di sini menjelang hari penamaan calon hari ini.

Bagaimanapun mereka dibebaskan awal ini dan dipanggil semula untuk disoal siasat oleh polis petang ini.

Sehubungan itu, Najib yang juga Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, Barisan Nasional (BN) bersedia menjawab segala isu yang akan dibangkitkan oleh pembangkang ketika berkempen di sini.

Timbalan Pengerusi BN itu berkata, BN tidak menjangkakan banyak isu akan ditimbulkan pada pilihan raya kecil itu, yang menyaksikan pertandingan tiga penjuru melibatkan calon BN, PAS dan Bebas.

Beliau berkata pada masa ini, pembangkang semakin terdesak menggunakan isu-isu nasional dan keadaan itu menunjukkan bahawa mereka sudah ketandusan isu.

"Pada pilihan raya kecil ini, isu yang mungkin menjadi tumpuan ialah isu tempatan. Bagaimanapun, jika ada isu nasional, BN sedia jawab," jelas beliau.

Terdahulu beliau mengetuai rombongan BN yang mengiringi calon mereka Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh untuk mengemukakan borang penamaan calon di Stadium Negeri di sini hari ini.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, Najib berkata, BN akan menggunakan pendekatan "BN mesra rakyat" sebagai tema kempen pada pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu, dengan menjadikan rakyat sebagai fokus utama parti itu.

"Saya tekankan konsep mesra rakyat kerana ia menggambarkan apa yang dilaksanakan BN. Kumpulan sasar kita tidak lain tidak bukan adalah rakyat. Rakyatlah yang kita utamakan dalam semua bentuk program dan projek yang kita laksanakan," katanya.

Daripada segi jentera BN pula, Najib berkata, parti itu telah membahagikan tugas secara khusus termasuk kepada sayap-sayap dalam BN.

"Kita akan kerja kuat untuk memberitahu, semua polisi berkhidmat kepada rakyat BN adalah polisi terbaik. Sokongan ramai pada hari ini adalah permulaan positif untuk kita.

"(Bagaimanapun) kita tidak mahu terlalu yakin kerana kita tidak ada 'bola kristal'. Tetapi kita percaya, kita akan menang dengan lebih baik. Itu sasaran dan kita akan lakukan yang terbaik untuk mencapainya," kata beliau.

The Star (4/1/08): Tereng­ganu MCA has asked DAP to clearly state whether it opposes plans by its Pakatan Rakyat partner PAS to implement hudud laws should it ever come to power.

State MCA chairman Toh Chin Yaw said the presence of DAP deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw during the announcement of the PAS candidate for the Kuala Terengganu by-election at Stadium Negeri on Thurs- day reflected the former’s compromise over the implementation of the Islamic law.

“They (DAP) are not standing by their principles. The party leaders claim to strongly oppose the implementation of these laws but the next minute, their stalwarts are appearing to be affirming their coalition partners’ plan on hudud.

“This is a sheer hypocrisy as PAS will not waver from its long-term plan to implement these laws,” he said yesterday.

Toh said PAS had continued to insist on imposing such laws in all their previous election campaigns and would continue to do so.

“DAP, which claims to be a reputable and accountable party, should rebut PAS’ agenda on hudud by boycotting the by-election instead of pretending to disagree with PAS,” he said, adding that DAP should look after the interests of the voters, particularly the Chinese.

“I am sure the Chinese electorate here would be fazed to realise that DAP has not made an ultimate stand on the issue.

“What they should have done was to absolutely shun the event on Thursday in protest,” he said.

The other leader from the Pakatan Rakyat who attended the event was PKR’s vice-president Mustafa Kamal Ayob.

Meanwhile, Kuala Terengganu MIC division chief Dr Dayal Krishnan said Indian voters in the constituency should not forget the time when the community was denied their right to hold a Deepavali night in 2003 when the state was under PAS rule.

He said the PAS-led state government disallowed the event although the planned event was clean entertainment and part of Indian culture.

“This was how narrow-minded PAS was when it ruled the state,” he said.

Abdul Wahid calon pilihan semua

Malaysian Insider (3/1/09): Mengejutkan... Memang pengumuman calon Pas untuk pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu memang mengejutkan. Ini kerana, Muhamad Abdul Wahid Endut bukan termasuk dalam senarai calon Pas sebelum ini.

Saya sendiri secara peribadi, apabila menerima maklumat ini kira-kira jam 4.30 petang 1 Januari lalu, amat terkejut. Saya percaya perasaan yang sama juga dirasai oleh kebanyakan pemimpin Pas sendiri.

Menurut maklumat awalnya, saya difahamkan ada tiga nama yang disebut-sebut. Dr Syed Azman, Datuk Wan Mutalib Embong dan Datuk Mustafa Ali. Apabila diberitahu bahawa calon pilihan adalah Abdul Wahid, saya sendiri tidak terkata apa-apa.

Untuk itu saya mula menyiasat apakah sebenarnya yang berlaku.

Ia bermula dengan mesyuarat Lajnah Politik Pas Terengganu. Mesyuarat ini memilih sekurang-kurangnya dua nama penting iaitu Datuk Wan Mutalib dan Datuk Mustafa.

Apabila nama-nama calon ini dibentangkan ke mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pas Pusat pada 21 Disember lalu, dua nama penting lagi ditambah iaitu Haji Mohamad Sabu (bekas calon) dan Dr Syed Azman.

Setelah bermesyuarat, sekurang-kurangnya lima nama inilah yang disenaraipendekkan dan diberikan mandat kepada Presiden Pas untuk membuat keputusan terakhir.

Menurut ceritanya, pilihan Presiden Pas adalah Datuk Mustafa Ali manakala Datuk Wan Mutalib lebih cenderung agar Dr Syed Azman diberikan peluang sebagai calon. Ini kerana, berdasarkan kajiselidik yang dibuat kepada pengundi, nama Adun Batu Burok (Dr Syed Azman) inilah yang paling popular.

Nama Mohamad Sabu pula dianggap tidak sesuai kerana dimomokkan sebagai orang luar dan dikatakan punca Pas kalah dalam pilihan raya umum lalu di kerusi itu. Sentimen ini sudah sepakat di kalangan aktivis Pas di Kuala Terengganu.

Lalu yang tinggal hanya Mustafa dan Syed Azman. Namun beberapa hari sebelum 1 Januari, Mustafa dikatakan telah membuat keputusan menolak dari dicalonkan. Ini kerana beliau bimbang dilanda fitnah kerana hubungan rapat beliau dengan Presiden Pas.

Lalu yang tinggal adalah Syed Azman seorang sahaja. Ekoran itu beberapa media telah membuat berita kononnya beliau sudah terpilih sebagai calon di Kuala Terengganu.

Namun, pertemuan antara Presiden Pas dengan empat lagi pemimpin kanan Pas di Terengganu pada petang 1 Januari telah mengungkaikan segala-galanya. Dari situlah kemudiannya tersebar berita bahawa pilihan Pas adalah Abdul Wahid Endut, Yang Dipertua Pas Kawasan Kuala Terengganu.

Ketika itu, saya masih berandaian bahawa lima pemimpin utama Pas Terengganu inilah yang membuat keputusan bersama iaitu memilih Abdul Wahid dan menolak Syed Azman. Namun selepas itu, baru saya tahu bahawa, keputusan yang mereka buat adalah atas keputusan dan istikharah yang dibuat oleh Presiden Pas sendiri.

Saya diberitahu, sejak diberikan amanah oleh JK Pas Pusat pada 21 Disember, Abdul Hadi terus mengadakan sembahyang istikharah agar beliau diberikan petunjuk untuk mendapatkan pilihan yang terbaik untuk Pas sesuai dengan namanya adalah parti Islam.

Seorang rakan saya memberitahu perkara ini. Betul atau tidak saya tidak bercadang untuk mengesahkannya dengan Abdul Hadi sendiri. Tetapi secara peribadi, saya percaya cerita ini.

Suatu malam, Abdul Hadi dikatakan bermimpi, beliau susah benar untuk mengambil air sembahyang. Setelah sekian lama baru dapat. Kemudian, apabila mahu sembahyang, beliau dikatakan sembahyang mengadap arah matahari naik. Sedangkan kiblat sembahyang adalah ke arah matahari jatuh.

Keesokan harinya, Abdul Hadi telah merujuk mimpi pelik ini kepada seorang rakannya dalam Majlis Syura Ulamak. Lalu mereka berdua mencapai keputusan bahawa mimpi itu ada kaitannya dengan pemilihan calon yang beliau isytikharahkan itu.

Lalu mereka berpendapat ini adalah petanda bahawa, calon yang ada di dalam senarai mereka itu tidak berapa sesuai dan perlukan calon lain. Lalu dari sinilah datangnya nama Abdul Wahid Endut yang tidak pernah ada dalam senarai calon-calon Pas sebelum ini.

Terbukti selepas diumumkan pada kira-kira jam 11 malam 1 Januari lepas, Abdul Wahid mendapat sokongan ramai. Sebaik sahaja nama beliau diumumkan, takbir bergema di Stadium Negeri Batu Burok itu.

Walaupun saya sendiri amat bimbang dengan pemilihan ini, namun selepas mendapat penerimaan baik masyarakat terutama di kalangan penyokong sendiri, terbukti pilihan ini tepat.

Siapa Abdul Wahid ini?

Abdul Wahid memang berbeza sekali dengan calon BN, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid. Jika benar apa yang dituliskan oleh rakan saya Zubaidah Abu Bakar dalam NST 21 Disember lalu, Abdul Wahid bakal mendapat sokongan ramai dalam pilihan raya kecil ini.

Abdul Wahid seorang yang rendah diri ataupun tidak ada riak, bongkak atau hidung tinggi. Saya mempunyai pengalaman peribadi dengan beliau dalam hal ini.

Pada 6 Disember lalu, kakak ipar saya mengadakan kenduri kahwin anaknya di kampung Sungai Rengas, dalam kawasan Dun Wakaf Mempelam. Oleh kerana kesibukan, nama Abdul Wahid tertinggal dari senarai jemputan. Mereka hanya sedar perkara ini pada 5 Disember iaitu sehari sebelum kenduri.

Dengan tergopoh gapah, mereka berdua suami isteri ke rumah Abdul Wahid menghantar kad jemputan. Padahal orang lain sudah menerima kad jemputan ini sebulan lalu. Abdul Wahid, selaku wakil rakyat hanya menerima sehari sebelum kenduri.

Namun, atas sifatnya yang hebat, pada hari kenduri itu Abdul Wahid sampai ke majlis itu. Bayangkan kalau orang lain yang mendapat layanan sebegitu. Inilah kelebihan Abdul Wahid.

Mungkin ini yang dikatakan X-factor yang ada pada beliau. Mungkin kerana itulah juga beliau tidak pernah kalah di Dun Wakaf Mempelam yang ditandinginya sejak tahun 1990 lagi.

Ramai pihak yang cuba mengaitkan pertembungan dalaman Pas sebagai faktor pemilihan Abdul Wahid dan penolakan terhadap Syed Azman dan ramai juga yang berkata, Abdul Wahid adalah calon kompromi Pas.

Bagi saya, Abdul Wahid bukan calon kompromi atau penolakan Dr Syed Azman kerana faktor kumpulan dalam Pas tetapi Abdul Wahid adalah calon pilihan semua pihak dalam Pas. Cuma yang menyusahkan petugas Pas adalah pemilihan ini lambat dibuat iaitu selepas 10 hari calon BN berkempen di Kuala Terengganu.

Calon Pas terkejut, akui belum sedia

Abdul Wahid rancang guna jentera pilihan raya DUN

Berita Harian (3/1/09): Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Wakaf Mempelam, Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut yang dipilih sebagai calon Pas untuk bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, mengaku masih terkejut dan belum membuat persediaan termasuk melantik jentera pilihan raya di setiap Dewan Undangan Negeri.

Bagaimanapun, Adun sejak lima penggal itu berkata, langkah pertama yang dilakukan selepas lebih 12 jam diumumkan ialah menyertai beberapa program termasuk mengancau bubur asyura dianjurkan penduduk dan mengadakan ramah mesra dengan pengundi.

"Kita sebenarnya tidak menyangka dipilih sebagai calon dan tiada persiapan rapi dilakukan termasuk melantik jentera pilihan raya untuk Parlimen Kuala Terengganu.

"Walaupun jawatankuasa jentera pilihan raya Pas sudah dilantik di peringkat Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), tetapi kita belum berkesempatan bertemu mereka untuk mendapatkan maklumat mengenai pengundi terutama di DUN Batu Burok, Ladang dan Bandar," katanya kepada Berita Harian, ketika dihubungi, semalam.

Katanya, dia mungkin mengekalkan jentera pilihan raya yang dilantik di peringkat DUN dan berharap tiada sebarang masalah untuk mendapatkan kerjasama mereka.

Ditanya siapa sebenarnya calon pilihan awal Pas, Abdul Wahid enggan mengulas lanjut, tetapi berkata, dia masih terkejut dan tidak menyangka namanya diumumkan Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Sebelum ini, calon Pas yang disebut-sebut untuk bertanding bagi merampas kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu ialah Adun Batu Burok, Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi dan Pesuruhjaya Pas negeri, Datuk Mustafa Ali.

Ditanya sokongan daripada Syed Azman dan Mustafa, Abdul Wahid yang juga Ketua Pas bahagian Kuala Terengganu berkata, semua pemimpin Pas termasuk di peringkat pusat dan negeri akan memberi kerjasama bagi memastikan kemenangan.

"Itulah kelebihan Pas, kehendak dan perjuangan parti lebih diutamakan jika dibandingkan dengan kepentingan peribadi...prinsip yang menjadi tunjang dan kekuatan Pas sejak lama dulu masih diamalkan bukan saja oleh pemimpin, malah penyokong," katanya.

BN tak pandang ringan calon Pas

Wan Farid harap kempen secara berhemah

Berita Harian (3/1/09): Barisan Nasional (BN) tidak memandang ringan atau memperkecilkan kemampuan calon pembangkang pada pilihan raya kecil kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu pada 17 Januari ini.

Calon BN Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, berkata amat penting pertandingan secara berhemah dan tidak sekali-kali melakukan serangan peribadi antara satu sama lain dilakukan ketika berkempen.

"Kita tidak memperkecilkan kemampuan Abdul Wahid Endut yang juga Ketua Pas Bahagian Kuala Terengganu kerana ketokohannya mempertahankan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Wakaf Mempelam sejak lima penggal lalu, sedangkan kita baru saja dicalonkan untuk bertanding.

"Abdul Wahid yang juga Adun Wakaf Mempelam dan Bendahari Pas negeri memiliki rekod cemerlang sejak dipilih sebagai wakil rakyat, berbanding kita yang tidak mempunyai sebarang rekod sebagai calon," katanya selepas menyertai program gotong-royong bersama penduduk dan melawat pesakit di rumah pangsa Batas Baru di sini, semalam.

Turut hadir Ahli Parlimen dan Adun angkat peti undi Batas Baru, Mohd Nor Othman serta Datuk Rosol Wahid.

Kelmarin, Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang mengumumkan Abdul Wahid, 52, sebagai calon parti itu untuk bertanding menentang Wan Farid pada pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu yang diadakan berikutan kematian Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran, Datuk Razali Ismail, 28 November lalu.

Wan Ahmad Farid yang juga Timbalan Menteri Dalam Negeri berkata, siapa pun calon Pas yang dinamakan untuk menentang BN tidak akan mengubah pendekatan serta falsafah Umno untuk mendekati dan membawa mesej pembangunan kepada penduduk di Parlimen Kuala Terengganu.

Katanya, BN tidak gentar dengan isu dibawa Pas ketika berkempen kerana isu yang akan dibangkitkan parti itu sama pada pilihan raya umum, 8 Mac lalu.

"Walaupun Abdul Wahid dianggap Pas sebagai calon pilihan untuk memenangi kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, rekod majoriti kemenangan beliau di DUN Wakaf Mempelam juga tidak konsisten.

"Kita akan memastikan BN menang dengan memperoleh majoriti lebih besar di DUN Wakaf Mempelam yang mempunyai 20,629 pemilih berdaftar," katanya.

Berdasarkan keputusan pilihan raya umum pada 1990, Abdul Wahid menang dengan majoriti 1,163 undi pada tahun itu, 1995 (1,119 undi); 1999 (5,760 undi); 2004 (1,888 undi) dan menang dengan majoriti 2,193 pada pilihan raya umum Mac lalu.

Wan Ahmad Farid berkata, semua pengundi termasuk generasi muda dan usia emas amat mustahak bagi memastikan kemenangan BN, justeru kaedah berkempen perlu dilakukan secara menyeluruh dan bukannya hanya ditumpukan kepada golongan tertentu.

Mengulas kenyataan Abdul Wahid yang memberi tumpuan kepada pengundi muda, Wan Ahmad Farid meminta pengundi di Parlimen Kuala Terengganu memberi peluang untuk beliau meneruskan agenda pembangunan.

Wahid's selection exposes rifts

NST (3/1/09): If this was a football match, the ulama faction in Pas would be leading "the Erdogans" by a goal.

But this is a game of democracy where the Islamist party is battling to wrest control of a parliamentary seat in the oil-rich Terengganu from the ruling Barisan Nasional. And this alone makes it a different ball game.

Two weeks after intense speculation within and outside the party, Pas named controversy-free Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Abdul Wahid Endut, 52, as the man who is to take on BN's Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh, 46, in the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Wahid, since 1990 when he was elected the wakil rakyat for Wakaf Mempelam, has never been booted out by voters even when almost all Pas leaders -- MPs and state assemblymen -- stumbled in 2004. He had established himself in Kuala Terengganu, where Wakaf Mempelam is one of the four state seats under the constituency. Two other seats -- Batu Buruk and Ladang -- are also under Pas while Bandar is being held by BN through the MCA.

Wahid, known to be Terengganu Pas commissioner Mustaffa Ali's protege, is a surprise candidate indeed, including to those in the Pas circle. Thay had anticipated that party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who had been given the mandate by the party's central committee to select the candidate, would select from only among those who had been shortlisted during the party's central committee meeting on Dec 21.

It is a surprise since the state Pas treasurer's name was not in the list -- not even proposed by the Terengganu faction which had so much wanted a local to stand. The faction's choice was between Mustaffa Ali and his deputy Datuk Wan Abdul Mutalib Embong.

Umno, too, was caught by surprise as they had anticipated either Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi, the Batu Buruk assemblyman and former Kuala Terengganu MP, who represents the Erdogan group or Wan Mutalib from the other faction.

Several Pakatan Rakyat leaders who have been on the scene since the Kuala Terengganu seat fell vacant have not had the slightest inclination that Wahid was being considered. They had had their eyes set on Syed Azman, being the most popular candidate of three opinion polls, including one conducted on 130 voters over two days from Dec 29.

The last poll showed that 72 per cent of respondents had wanted Syed Azman, who is also linked to the Erdogan group.

Many were puzzled when news that Wahid was to be named as candidate leaked out soon after Hadi held a meeting with Terengganu Pas warlords -- Mustaffa, Wan Mutalib, Datuk Harun Taib and Datuk Abu Bakar Chik, at his house in Rusila less than 10 hours before the official announcement was made at a large gathering at Stadium Negeri. By doing what he did and not sticking to the shortlist, was Hadi showing he was still very much in control of the party amid rifts between the conservatives and progressives?

There are such whispers. Outside the party, observers think the front runners were ditched in the shadow fight of the pro-Anwar Erdogan group and the ulama-backed Terengganu faction.

Yet, there is an interesting story related by a reliable source as to how Hadi had decided on Wahid even before his meeting with the state leaders.

Hadi reportedly had a long discussion over a strange dream he had after performing the Istigharah (special prayers) several times to seek God's guidance that Muslims would resort to when faced with a conflict to make a decision (on an important matter) with a senior member of the party's Majlis Syura Ulama.

It was told that in his dream, Hadi faced difficulty in performing ablution and later performed his prayer against the Qiblat.

"Then Wahid is God's choice," a colleague chuckles.

Jokes aside, Hadi did fulfil the criteria he had set for the selection of candidate, which he related to the New Straits Times recently.

Wahid fits the bill.

The candidate according to Hadi has to be:

- one who people are comfortable with, someone who is not only capable but also not a stranger to them; and

- has the least number of issues that can be capitalised on by the enemy and adversely affect voters.

Hadi had also had a four-eyed meeting with party spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who backs the Erdogan faction led by his protege, party vice-president Datuk Husam Musa, at the latter's office in Kota Baru on Wednesday over the candidacy.

Amid all these chaos, BN should not think the conflict over Pas' candidacy will keep supporters of the "warring factions" away from campaigning in the by-election to ensure a win for the party's candidate. (Zubaidah Abu Bakar)

'Do not let rifts wreck Pakatan's chances'

NST (3/1/08): The DAP has asked Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Pas to keep internal rivalry at state-level to the minimum or risk the Pakatan Rakyat's chances in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election.

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said there were "one or two leaders whom we should be concerned about.

"I am certain PKR's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will ensure that there is greater discipline among leaders and members," he told a press conference here yesterday.

He was responding to questions from reporters pertaining to a misunderstanding between some PKR and Pas leaders in Perak which could affect the opposition front's chances in the by-election.

Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, said the DAP would lend its full support to Pas' Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut who is also the party's Wakaf Mempelam state assemblyman.

Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was reported as saying that the party's choice was the best as Wahid was a highly-respected leader and well-known among constituents.

The by-election on Jan 17 is being held following the death of its MP Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28 last year.

Both pledge a clean fight

NST (3/1/09): The Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional candidates for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election have pledged to be gentlemen during the campaign, with no mud-slinging or character assassinations.

Umno's Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and Pas' Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut said they would only talk to the 80,229 voters about their party's ideology.

Wan Farid, who is also deputy home minister, said he would not draw comparisons between him and Wahid.

"This is not a contest between personalities. We are friends. His late father and my late mother were friends as they were religious teachers."

Acknowledging the gap in experience between him and Wahid, he said his opponent was a seasoned assemblyman.

"I am asking the voters of Kuala Terengganu to give me a chance to represent them in Parliament," said the Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief.

Countering the perception in some circles that he was aloof, he said he had been an Umno leader since 1988 "and you do not get to this position if you are arrogant and an elitist".

Meanwhile, Wahid rebutted the contention that his chances would be hampered by the fact that he was not a nationally-renowned figure.

"Many national leaders like Samy Vellu (MIC president and former Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu) lost in the last general election. Being on the national scene does not guarantee victory.

"I know my hometown very well and I believe I have an advantage."

Wahid said he had nothing personal against Umno leaders and that he would not hit them below the belt.

"But if anyone starts attacking me, then I will retaliate. I want a gentlemanly fight and voters do not like personal attacks," he added.

The 52-year-old, undefeated in Wakaf Mempelam since he first stood for election 18 years ago, is going into the contest as the favourite.

This is partly based on his victories in the 1995 and 2004 general elections when many Pas candidates were purged from state assemblies nationwide.

NST (1/1/09): Pas has named its Wakaf Mempelam state assemblyman Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut as the candidate for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election.

Abdul Wahid, 52, who has been the Wakaf Mempelam state assemblyman for the past five terms had the experience which would enable him to get the votes needed to win the by-election.

"We have gone through a rigorous selection process and we are confident that our candidate met all the qualities that the people wanted," Abdul Hadi told a large crowd at the State Stadium tonight.

Abdul Wahid's nomination came as a surprise to many as it was widely speculated that the Pas candidate would be a toss between the party's state commissioner Datuk Mustafa Ali, Wan Abdul Mutalib and Batu Buruk state assemblyman Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi .
The announcement also signaled the desire of the president to choose a candidate from among its second echelon leaders and a preference for experience and people friendly.

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said it does not matter who he was up against in the by-election.

"The BN is serious about winning. The party has an excellent track record and this will help win the people's confidence. Moreover, the BN has a head start in the campaign and we have managed to overcome problems.

"This week we will be getting more support from the BN machinery from other states. We will further strengthen our position," he added.

The number of voters in the con stituency is 80,229. Out of the num ber 79,194 are ordinary voters while 1,035 are postal voters.

The Election Commission is setting up 36 polling centres with 143 polling streams. The process will in volve 877 workers. (Photo courtesy of Utusan Malaysia - bakaq a.k.a. ~penarik beca)

Pas names surprise candidate after last minute change

Malaysian Insider (2/1/09): Four-term Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Abdul Wahid Endut, who was once challenged to a fist fight by current Terengganu mentri besar Ahmad Said, has been named Pas's candidate for the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu by-election in an eleventh hour decision that took many by surprise.

His selection is seen as a compromise decision as rival factions in the party could not agree on either Batu Buruk assemblyman Dr Syed Azman Nawawi or state party chief Datuk Mustafa Ali.

The announcement of Abdul Wahid as the Pas candidate is seen as an attempt to appease both the party’s “Erdogan” faction who are strong supporters of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the “Ulama” group who are close to the party president.

Pas will be hoping that Abdul Wahid’s candidacy will put to rest the uncertainty which has gripped the Islamist party amid factional disputes and the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) surprise early naming of heavyweight Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as their candidate, in a move which clearly put Pas on the defensive.

Announcing his party’s candidacy last night, Pas president Hadi acknowledged it was a last minute change.

He also admitted it had been a difficult decision for him to make because all of the candidates the party had in mind were capable.

Mohd Abdul Wahid, 52, is a four-term assemblyman, Kuala Terengganu PAS chief and state PAS treasurer.

A Fisheries and Marine Science graduate from Universiti Putra Malaysia, he has never been defeated in the four elections he has contested.

It is learnt that Abdul Wahid was not on the initial list of candidates.

But he was chosen by Hadi after state party chief Mustafa declined to be nominated, and Batu Burok assemblyman Dr Syed Azman, who had been tipped to be the candidate as late as yesterday was not chosen due to his differences with state party leaders.

Nationally unknown, the 52 year old, who used to serve as a Terengganu state executive councillor, from 1999 to 2004 when Pas held the state government, is a popular party leader in the east coast state.

After BN wrested the state in 2004, he remained a vocal assemblyman and once accused the BN government of allegedly being “worst than the Jews” for tearing down some a settlement.

This had resulted in Ahmad, the current mentri besar who was then a state executive councillor, challenging him to a fist fight outside the state assembly.

Abdul Wahid Endut calon PAS untuk PRK Kuala Terengganu

Harakah (1/1/09): Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Wakaf Mempelam Abdul Wahid Endut diumumkan sebagai calon PAS dalam pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu pada 17 Januari nanti.

Pengumuman itu dibuat oleh Presiden PAS Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang sebentar tadi di Stadium Negeri yang dihadiri lebih 10,000 penyokong.

Turut hadir sama dalam majlis penting itu Timbalan Presiden PAS Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa, Naib Presiden PAS Mohammad Sabu, Setiausaha Agung PAS Dato' Kamaruddin Jaffar, Ketua Pemuda PAS Salahuddin Ayub dan beberapa pimpinan PAS Pusat yang lain.

Manakala di peringkat negeri dihadiri oleh Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Dato' Mustafa Ali, Timbalan Pengarah Pilihan Raya Dato' Wan Mutalib Embong, Adun Batu Buruk Dr Syed Azman Syed Nawawi dan saf kepimpinan negeri.

Abdul Wahid, 52 tahun adalah ADUN sejak lima penggal, lulusan Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) dalam bidang perikanan dan sains marin. Beliau memiliki rekod yang cemerlang sebagai Adun atau Exco selama sepenggal dan sebagai Adun pembangkang.

Wahid dianggap sebagai anak didik Pesuruhjaya PAS Terengganu, Dato' Mustafa Ali kerana kerusi Wakaf Mempelam yang beliau wakili kini adalah kerusi yang dimenangi oleh Mustafa ketika PAS melakukan 'comeback' di Terengganu pada tahun 1982.

Parlimen Kuala Terengganu mempunyai 4 Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) yang mana 3 daripadanya dimenangi oleh PAS manakala 1 DUN dimenangni BN (MCA)

DUN-DUN yang dimenangi oleh PAS ialah Wakaf Mempelam (Abdul Wahid Endut), Ladang (Tengku Hassan Tnegku Omar), dan Batu Buruk (Dr. Syed Azman Ahmad Nawawi)

Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Terengganu diadakan bagi mengisi kekosongan kerusi Parlimen P036 berikutan kematian mengejut penyandangnya, Dato Razali Ismail yang juga Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran Malaysia pada 27 Oktober lalu.

Pada PRU ke-12, 8 Mac 2008 lalu Dato' Razali calon BN menang tipis dengan majoriti 628 undi menewaskan calon PAS, Mohamad Sabu dan calon Bebas, Maimun Yusuf hanya mendapat 685 undi. Jumlah pengundi berdaftar di Parlimen Kuala Terengganu ialah 80,229 orang termasuk 1,035 pengundi pos.

PAS fields surprise candidate

Malaysiakini (1/1/09): Abdul Wahid is a surprise candidate as there were strong speculations that the party would be fielding one of their big guns - popular Batu Burok state assemblyperson Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi or either one of the two PAS veterans, Mustafa Ali and Wan Abdul Mutalib Embong.

The chosen PAS candidate however is not quite a greenhorn as he has been a politician for 16 years and is currently the Terengganu PAS treasurer. (More)

Mohd Abdul Wahid Endot is PAS candidate for the KT by-election

The Star (1/1/09): Four term Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman and state PAS treasurer Mohd Abdul Wahid Endot has been chosen by the party take on Barisan Nasional heavyweight Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on Jan 17.

The much-awaited announcement, made last night by Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, took many by surprise as even the PAS president said there was a “last-minute change”.

Abdul Hadi, who made the announcement at the packed Stadium Negeri in Batu Burok here, said it had been difficult to choose the PAS candidate, saying: “All of the ones we had in mind were highly capable people.”

In the end, he said, he made up his mind after adhering to the “Islamic methods”.

Thousands of PAS supporters, gathered at the stadium, broke into thunderous cheers when the announcement was made.

Party stalwarts, and leaders from DAP and PKR also attended the event.

Mohd Abdul Wahid, 52, is a four-term assemblyman, Kuala Terengganu PAS chief and state PAS treasurer. He is a Fisheries and Marine Science graduate from the Universiti Putra Malaysia.

His name had not even been on political observers’ list speculating about who would be the PAS candidate to face Wan Ahmad in the by-election.

Several names had come up including Batu Burok state assemblyman Dr Syed Azman Ahmad Nawawi, who is also the former Kuala Terengganu MP. Others were state PAS commissioner Datuk Mustafa Ali and his deputy Datuk Wan Muttalib Wan Embong.

It is learnt that some 72 PAS members had been tasked with obtaining feedback from the grassroots on whom they felt was the most appropriate candidate.

Views had also been sought from non-Malay voters.

The death of incumbent Datuk Razali Ismail of Barisan triggered the by-election.

ADUN Wakaf Mempelam pilihan PAS tanding di Kuala Terengganu

mStar Online (1/1/09): Dilihat sebagai pengumuman mengejutkan, Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) kerusi Wakaf Mempelam lima penggal, Mohd. Abdul Wahid Endot akan mewakili Pakatan Rakyat bertanding pilihan raya kecil kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu bulan ini.

Mohd. Abdul Wahid, 52, merupakan Ketua PAS Bahagian Kuala Terengganu dan juga Bendahari PAS Terengganu.

Pemilihan calon PAS itu, yang dilihat sebagai keputusan mengejut oleh banyak pihak, diumumkan di Kuala Terengganu pada pukul 10.55 malam tadi oleh Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Abdul Hadi yang membuat pengumuman itu di Stadium Negeri di Batu Burok berkata, memilih calon PAS memang sukar tetapi "satu-satunya yang berada dalam fikiran kami merupakan calon yang berkebolehan."

Abdul Hadi berkata, beliau sendiri yang memilih Mohd. Wahid yang menjadi ADUN Wakaf Mempelam sejak 1990, dan ia mendapat restu Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Menurutnya dalam pemilihan calon itu, beliau mendapat pandangan daripada pelbagai pihak termasuk mengadakan isytisyarah (pandangan daripada orang ramai) dan istiqarah (sembahyang dan minta petunjuk).

"Sangat susah pilih calon Pas kerana caloncalon yang diketengahkan semuanya baikbaik... tiada rasuah, tiada politk wang dan tiada penyelewengan politik," katanya.

Antara nama yang disebut mempunyai peluang cerah unutk menjadi calon PAS sebelum ini ialah Pesuruhjaya PAS Terengganu, Datuk Mustafa Ali dan ADUN Batu Buruk, Dr. Syed Azman Syed Ahmad yang juga bekas Ahli Parlimen Kuala Terengganu.

Mohd. Abdul Wahid, 52, merupakan bekas graduan jurusan sains perikanan dan marin dari Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Dengan itu, Ketua PAS Bahagian Kuala Terengganu itu dijangka menghadapi saingan calon Barisan Nasional (BN), Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

BN mengumumkan calonnya dua minggu lalu dan persaingan kali ini dijangka empat penjuru termasuk dua calon Bebas.

Wakaf Mempelam merupakan salah satu bahagian DUN dalam kawasan Parlimen Kuala Terengganu.

Tiga DUN yang lain ialah Bandar, Ladang dan Batu Burok.

Hari penamaan calon bagi pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu adalah pada 6 Januari ini dengan 11 hari berkempen.

Pilihan raya kecil itu diadakan berikutan kematian Datuk Razali Ismail, Aahli Parlimen bahagian itu yang juga Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran ketika bermain badminton di Institut Aminuddin Baki, Genting Highlands pada 28 November lalu.

Jumlah keseluruhan pemilih berdaftar sehingga 4 Disember lalu dan layak mengundi ialah seramai 80,229 termasuk 1,035 pengundi pos.

Sebanyak 36 pusat mengundi disediakan di Parlimen Kuala Terengganu.

Pas calonkan Adun Wakaf Mempelam

Berita Harian (2/1/09): Pas malam tadi mengumumkan, Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Wakaf Mempelam, Abdul Wahid Endut, 52, sebagai calon bagi merampas kembali kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu yang disifatkan sebagai antara kubu kuat parti itu, pada pilihan raya kecil 17 Januari ini.

Pengumuman calon Pas yang akan bertanding untuk merampas kerusi Parlimen Kuala Terengganu yang sudah ditawan BN sejak dua penggal itu dibuat Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang di Stadium Negeri.

Abdul Hadi berkata, beliau memilih Abdul Wahid berdasarkan kriteria pemilihan yang disarankan Rasulullah dengan cara istikharah dan berisytisyarah, iaitu memohon pertolongan dan tawakal kepada Allah selain mendengar pandangan kawan dan rakan yang hampir.

Pengumuman calon Pas itu disambut dengan laungan takbir di hadapan 3,000 penyokong yang sudah berkumpul sejak jam lapan malam bagi menunaikan solat Isyak dan hajat.

Hadir sama pada majlis itu, Timbalan Presiden Pas, Nasharuddin Mat Isa; Timbalan Pengerusi DAP, Dr Tan Seng Giaw; Naib Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Mustafa Kamil Ayub; Setiausaha Agung Pas, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar; Pesuruhjaya Pas Terengganu, Datuk Mustafa Ali dan Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Pas Terengganu merangkap Pengarah Operasi Pilihan raya Kecil Kuala Terengganu bagi Pas, Wan Mutalib Embong.

Abdul Wahid adalah Adun Wakaf Mempelam sejak 1990. Beliau juga adalah Yang Dipertua Pas (YDP) Bahagian Kuala Terengganu dan Bendahari Pas Terengganu.

Bapa kepada tujuh orang anak itu berkelulusan Ijazah Pertanian dari Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Hadi dalam ucapannya berkata, beliau memilih Abdul Wahid kerana beliau adalah YDP Pas Bahagian Kuala Terengganu bersesuaian dengan calon Barisan Nasional iaitu Ketua Umno Bahagian Kuala Terengganu.

“Beliau tidak pernah meminta dicalonkan sebaliknya dipilih bagi menggalas cabaran Pas,” katanya.

Pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu diadakan berikutan kematian bekas Ahli Parlimen Kuala Terengganu, Datuk Razali Ismail pada 28 November lalu dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) menetapkan pengundian pada 17 Januari ini, manakala penamaan calon pada 6 Januari ini.

Abdul Wahid Endut is the Pakatan candidate for KT (Suara Keadilan)
Pas names Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman for KT by-election (Bernama)
Adun Wakaf Mempelam jadi calon PAS (Bernama)
Wahid Endut calon Pas Kuala Terengganu (Utusan Malaysia)
Kuala Terengganu : Dua ketua bahagian berentap (Agendadaily)

Artikel asal di sini

Semakan undang-undang pilihan raya sepatutnya sudah lama dilakukan (Bernama 17/5/08)
EC chief: Cabinet rejected indelible ink (Malaysiakini 17/5/08)
SPR: Kabinet batalkan dakwat kekal (Malaysiakini 17/5/08)
Keputusan batal guna dakwat khas satu pandangan, bukan arahan, kata Abdullah (Bernama 17/5/08)
PM: Batal dakwat budi bicara SPR (Malaysiakini 18/5/08)

SPR hanya disyor kaji batal guna dakwat

Berita Harian (18/5/08): Kabinet tidak mengarahkan sebaliknya mencadangkan kepada Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) untuk mempertimbangkan supaya membatalkan penggunaan dakwat pada pilihan raya umum lalu, kata Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Perdana Menteri berkata, keputusan itu dicapai jemaah menteri selepas menerima beberapa maklumat berkaitan tindakan pihak tertentu yang dikatakan membeli dakwat berkenaan walaupun tidak mempunyai kuasa berbuat demikian.

“Kabinet curiga, mungkin dakwat yang dibeli itu untuk mengelirukan dan menimbulkan masalah sepanjang proses pengundian pada pilihan raya umum lalu.

“Bagaimanapun, keputusan itu hanya cadangan serta beberapa alasan yang disampaikan kepada Pengerusi SPR dan terserahlah kepada beliau memikirkan sama ada hendak melaksanakan pandangan kerajaan atau tetap berpendirian mahu menggunakan dakwat itu,” katanya selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Panel Penasihat Antarabangsa (IAP) Malaysia ke-11, di sini, semalam.

Beliau mengulas kenyataan Pengerusi SPR, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, bahawa Kabinet memutuskan untuk tidak menggunakan dakwat pada pilihan raya lalu walaupun SPR bersetuju menggunakannya bagi menjamin ketelusan.

Abdullah berkata, antara alasan Kabinet adalah SPR perlu menimbangkan pelbagai kemungkinan yang berlaku jika mahu meneruskan penggunaan dakwat itu, atau menerima cadangan kerajaan untuk membatalkan penggunaan bahan itu bagi menjamin tidak timbul masalah ketika rakyat mengundi.

“Alhamdulillah, tanpa penggunaan dakwat pengundian berjalan dengan baik dan elok, malah keputusan sudah diumumkan. Semua pihak pun sudah menerimanya dan apa pula kita nak jadikan isu mengenai perkara ini.

“Keputusan pilihan raya pun kita semua tahu dan menerimanya. Kenapa pula hendak pertikaikan lagi,” katanya yang mengakui mendapat maklumat mengenai ada pihak membeli dakwat itu seminggu sebelum pilihan raya.

Sementara itu, Abdul Rashid pada sidang media selepas melancarkan `Seminar Kebangsaan Pilihan Raya 2008: Amalan Demokrasi’ di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia di Gombak berkata, Kabinet tidak meluluskan pengguna dakwat tetapi tidak juga menolaknya berikutan masalah perundangan dan keselamatan.

“Kabinet tak tolak tapi tak meluluskannya, mereka tak luluskan atas alasan kukuh dan saya setuju dengan alasan yang dikemukakan kerana ia membabitkan aspek keselamatan dan perundangan. Tetapi kita tetap setuju jika kerajaan mahu melaksanakannya bagi memastikan ada ketelusan dalam pilihan raya.

“Mengikut Fasal 119 iaitu hak asasi bagi seseorang untuk mengundi, malahan jika pengundi itu enggan jari mereka dicalit dengan dakwat itu, kertas undi masih perlu diberikan kepada mereka. Ia termaktub dalam undang-undang,” katanya.

It was only a suggestion, says PM

The Star (18/5/08): The Cabinet had merely suggested to the Election Commission (EC) to not use the indelible ink for the general election. It was not a directive, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Prime Minister disclosed that a week before Parliament was dissolved, the Cabinet had made the suggestion, giving its reasons why it did not want the ink to be used.

“We had received information that some quarters had bought the ink although they had no authority to do so and we were suspicious that it could be used to cause confusion and complications during the voting process,” he told reporters yesterday after delivering his closing remarks at the end of the 11th MSC Malaysia International Advisory Panel Meeting.

Abdullah said the Cabinet believed that the election process would go on smoothly and all eligible voters could cast their votes if the indelible ink was not used.

“It was only a suggestion we made to the EC chairman. It was up to him to think it over and agree or to proceed with the original decision to use the ink,” he said.

When the decision to scrap the ink was announced at the eleventh hour of the general election, Barisan Nasional leaders, including Abdullah, had said that they wanted an explanation from the EC on why it was doing away with the indelible ink.

On why the Government did not come clean on the indelible ink in the first place, Abdullah said that if anything tainted the voting process it would be the Government that would be blamed.

Earlier, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the Cabinet decided not to approve the proposal to use indelible ink “on the day of Parliament dissolution, on Feb 13”.

“They did not approve because of two very strong reasons, and I agreed with them over those reasons.

“One was security and the other was law, relating to Article 119 of the Federal Constitution, which states that it is the fundamental right of a person to vote,” he told the press after opening the National Seminar on Elections 2008: Democracy at Work here yesterday.

Asked if he tried to convince the Cabinet otherwise, Abdul Rashid said “he could not” , adding: “But I took responsibility for it.”

“I was told that the Cabinet had been briefed about an attempt by PAS, that they had bought some ink from Thailand, and were going around to mark old voters. And when Umno came to know, they also went and bought the ink. This was given to me in black and white by the police,” he said.

On May 6, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said in a Parliament reply to DAP’s Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan that police did not find evidence of smuggled indelible ink and statements made by complainants and witnesses were rumours.

Meanwhile, the Opposition said the revelation that it was the Cabinet that did not approve the use of the indelible ink was the “best proof” that the EC was not independent or neutral.

DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang said it was unacceptable for the Cabinet to have made such a decision and that it went against the spirit of the Constitution of having an independent EC.

PAS research centre director Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad, said: “This is shocking. With this revelation, we come to realise the reasons and rationale why the indelible ink was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. His remark vindicates our claim all along that this is the underpinning reasons. The jigsaw puzzle is now complete.”

Transparency International Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said he was not only surprised but confused by the conflicting statements.

Cabinet only 'suggested' scrapping use of ink in polls

NST (18/5/08): The decision to scrap the use of indelible ink during the March 8 general election was only a suggestion and not a directive from the cabinet.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that while the matter was discussed by the cabinet, no order was given to the Election Commission to drop an earlier plan to use the ink.

"It was not a directive. The cabinet only gave its views to the EC, and the EC was the one which made the final decision," Abdullah said after chairing the 11th Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor International Advisory Panel meeting here.

He was responding to reports quoting EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman as saying that the cabinet had rejected the use of indelible ink on the day Parliament was dissolved.

Bernama quoted Abdul Rashid as saying: "If there is anything that we can do to assure the people that the electoral process is transparent, then we should do it.
"We had agreed on the indelible ink."

Rashid said this at a press conference after launching the national seminar on "Election 2008: Democracy at Work" at the International Islamic University Malaysia yesterday.

He added: "The cabinet did not approve (nor) reject. They did not approve because of two strong reasons and I agreed with them over those reasons.

"The first, because of security, the other is the law.

"Article 119, which is the fundamental right of a person to vote, states that even if voters refused to be stamped with indelible ink on their finger, the ballot paper must still be given to them."

The EC had agreed to use the ink last year but the plan was cancelled four days before election day.

Abdullah said the authorities had received information a week before the polls that certain parties had bought the same type of ink.

This was despite them not having the authority to do so, he added.

He said the cabinet had suspicions that the ink could have been used to confuse voters.

"If it was true they had bought the ink, what did they need it for?

"Maybe they wanted to use it, and if true, how?

"The cabinet was left with a tough decision on whether to make these possibilities known to the EC."

Abdullah, who said everything went well (in the election) and that everyone had accepted the results, questioned why the matter was being turned into an issue.

"It's not as if by not using the ink, the whole (election) process would have been nullified."

He said he hoped the media would drop the issue as the elections were over.

Bukti kecekapan dan kehebatan polis

Deputy IGP takes up issue

Malay Mail (18/5/08): “I am not happy about it and I will bring it up.”

Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Ismail Omar, said this after Weekend Mail told him about a woman and her children’s experience in an open identifi cation parade at the Sungai Buloh police station.

“By right, most police stations should have one-way mirrors, but due to time and logistic problems, there may be some stations without one.” Ismail, however, could not provide details on how many stations have yet to be equipped with such a facility.

He said even though the Sungai Buloh police station does not have a one-way mirror, the offi cers could have arranged for the identifi cation parade to be done at another station equipped with it.

“We understand how the victims feel and they must be protected.” In the incident, legal adviser Devi (not her real name) was made to identify — face-to-face — three car repossessors who allegedly threatened her and her family after their attempts to take her car failed.

It took place in an open room at the Sungai Buloh police station on March 4.

“I felt like I had been thrown into the lion’s den.” She said there were 17 people lined up for the identifi cation parade — and they were talking as if they knew each other.

Among them were the three men who had earlier threatened and hurled abuses at her and her children.

“The only thing that kept us apart was the big long table in between. What if they come after us?” Devi, 44, said the ID parade was held after they lodged a police report on March 3.

“We felt threatened by their behaviour and they threatened to kill my son.” Devi said it started when she sent her husband to a bank in Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh at 2.40pm to cash a cheque and pay for her car payment, which was two months overdue. She was accompanied by her daughter, son and a friend, an Indian national.

While driving around to wait for her husband, a car overtook them and blocked her car. Devi said the men came out and told her to alight as they were going to repossess the car.

When she refused, the men hurled abuses at her.

“The men were big and aggressive. Frightened, I drove home as it was not far from town.” She said the men followed her, even driving past the security guard stationed at her residential area.

Meanwhile, another car joined the ‘convoy’.

Devi called her husband who then contacted the police for help. Both cars left after being chased by the guard.

“My son went to the security booth and told me the two cars were still there.

When they saw him, they threatened to beat and kill him. He was so frightened he didn’t walk home but jumped over the fence to get in.” She said a patrol car came and the policemen advised her to lodge a report.

“That’s what we did after I picked up my husband from the bank.” While her daughter and 16-year-old son fi led a report on the incident at the Sungai Buloh police station, her husband lodged one against the bank for leaking their personal information to the other party as they suspect the three men were not authorised repossessors.

“If the repossession order was out, the account would be blocked, but it was still active when my husband banked in the car loan payment.” Devi said when she took a breather outside the police station, she bumped into the same men who entered the premises. She claimed that one of them indirectly threatened her by telling someone over the cell phone to “carry” in Tamil after giving her car registration number.

She informed the investigating offi cer of the men’s presence. The inspector took their identifi cation cards and other documents from them.

“It seemed that they also lodged a police report.” Devi said they were told to come for the ID parade the next day. The family waited in a hallway and Devi was called in fi rst.

“When I entered the room, I was shocked to see about 17 men, including the suspects, lined up in front of me. I was asked to point my fi nger at the suspects.

“When I was done, one of the men made a call and told the other person on the line that I’ve identifi ed them.” She said she was asked to leave the room through a door close to the suspects.

“One of them said to me, ‘You are going home after this, right?’” Devi claimed that her daughter and son got similar remarks from the suspects.

When she complained to the IO, she said the offi cer told her that it was the procedure, and raised his voice.

She said they encountered the three suspects again outside the station.

“They hurled abuses at us.

No one at the station came out to check the commotion although they could see it clearly through the glass entrance.” Devi said she and her family now live in fear.

“I went to the right channel and thought that I would be protected, but I didn’t feel that at all.”

Operasi Silap Suspek

Harian Metro (10/5/08): Seorang pengurus bank mendakwa dibelasah sekumpulan anggota polis daripada Bahagian Jenayah Berat (D9) Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen (IPK) negeri hingga mengalami keretakan tulang pinggul dan bengkak paru-paru, dipercayai akibat tersilap identiti suspek kes jenayah.

Kira-kira jam 4 petang Isnin lalu, sekumpulan 10 hingga 15 anggota polis didakwa memecah masuk ke rumah mangsa di Taman Pasifik Selatan, di sini, kerana mengesyaki mangsa terbabit dalam kes jenayah.

Abd Razak Abd Samad, 34, mendakwa ketika kejadian, dia sedang memasang serta menala set televisyen dan radio yang baru dibeli di sebuah pusat beli-belah di bandar ini sebelum terdengar ketukan kuat pintu rumah.

“Saya ketika itu di tingkat atas turun untuk menyiasat bunyi itu tetapi tiba-tiba beberapa orang bersenjatakan pistol menyerbu masuk selepas memecahkan pintu kedua rumah itu.

“Sambil mengacukan pistol, mereka mengarahkan saya meniarap di lantai, sebelum digari. Ketika itu saya berasa bahagian tertentu badan ditendang serta dipijak beberapa kali,” katanya.

Abd Razak berkata, dia kemudian dibawa naik dan beberapa anggota polis terbabit bertanyakan mengenai kandungan kotak di atas rumah itu.

Menurutnya, seorang daripada anggota polis itu membuka kotak berisi radio, manakala yang lain terus menggeledah di tingkat atas.

Katanya, dia dibawa turun dan diminta menyerahkan kad pengenalan, telefon bimbit serta kunci kereta.

“Mereka membawa saya keluar untuk memeriksa serta melihat apa yang terdapat dalam but kereta tetapi tidak menemui apa-apa. Selepas berbincang sesama sendiri, seorang pegawai dipercayai berpangkat Cif Inspektor memaklumkan mereka tersilap suspek satu kes culik dan memiliki senjata api.

“Saya kesal kerana mereka tidak menjalankan siasatan lebih tepat sehingga menyebabkan orang seperti saya menjadi mangsa keadaan.

“Kejadian itu menyebabkan saya trauma dan tidak dapat bayangkan jika isteri yang sarat mengandung serta anak berusia setahun lebih ada bersama dan melihat peristiwa itu,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Johor, Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Shariff, berkata polis akan menubuhkan jawatankuasa bagi menyiasat dakwaan itu.

Katanya, jawatankuasa siasatan itu bakal diketuai Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah negeri, Senior Asisten Komisioner II Amer Awal.

“Polis mengesahkan ada menerima laporan daripada pengurus bank terbabit mengenai insiden dia diserang sekumpulan anggota polis di rumahnya, Isnin lalu.

“Kita beri jaminan siasatan akan dilakukan secara telus dan polis tidak berkompromi dengan anggotanya yang terbabit dalam insiden itu,” katanya.