Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad has refuted PAS’s claim that its professional candidate could bring more development to Kerdau than a religious teacher.
The Kuala Krau deputy division chief, who believes he was “fated by God” to contest the March 6 vote, said rival Hassanuddin Salim would not be able to do much even if elected as both state and federal governments were under BN.
“Even if he is an engineer... what can he do? He’s just one man without a voice,” Syed Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider in an interview.
“I may be a dumb ustad but our leaders are from Barisan Nasional,” he jokingly added.
Syed Ibrahim is an Arabic graduate from Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, and taught Arabic and religious studies at a secondary school in Kuala Krau, Temerloh before joining the Pahang mentri besar’s office as special officer for religious affairs.
PAS has been touting Hassanuddin, a trained land surveyor who has helped construct oil and gas infrastructure in Malaysia and Sudan, as the answer to the rural constituency’s development woes.
Syed Ibrahim, known as Syed Ibra to locals, also called allegations that he had bought his degree Pakatan Rakyat (PR) “lies” and rubbished PAS’s claims that the rumour was started by those in Umno unhappy with his candidacy.
PAS Kerdau election director Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man urged that an investigation should be conducted to uncover who first started the degree-buying rumour, which he suggested could have originated from within Umno itself.
“I ask that Tuan Ibrahim list down the names of those who are unhappy that I was picked as candidate,” Syed Ibrahim said.
He denied PAS’s allegations that Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob started the degree-buying rumour at a press conference in Teluk Sentang, pointing out that Adnan had merely been responding to a question from reporters.
Syed Ibrahim also said he was confident of securing the Chinese vote and dismissed the community’s major swing towards PR in Election 2008 as a one-off incident.
“The Chinese want to do business so they can get money. They just want ‘ong’ (prosperity) and they know Barisan Nasional will allow them space to do business,” he said.
He added that Chinese, Indian and Orang Asli voters were now more committed to BN and was confident he would improve on the ruling coalition’s 2008 performance here.
Syed Ibrahim faces Hassanuddin for the Kerdau state seat in the first by-election in the prime minister’s home state of Pahang.
The seat fell vacant after the death of Umno’s Datuk Zaharuddin Abu Kassim from a heart attack on January 12.
There are 8,999 registered voters and 15 postal voters here, 89 per cent of whom are Malay, 5 per cent Chinese, 3.3 per cent Indian and 2.8 per cent others.
BN currently controls all but three of the 42 state assembly seats in Pahang, with DAP in power in Triang and Tras and PAS, Kuala Semantan.
