MARANG – PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has claimed that more Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders have expressed interest in becoming Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidates in the 15th general election (GE15).
Hadi said PN is still processing their applications and will announce them on nomination day this Saturday.
“Can’t say how many seats. Most importantly the seats are in the north, central, and south,” he said in a press conference after the Terengganu PAS candidate announcement ceremony in Rusila here last night.
When asked about incumbent Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim’s wish to defend the seat on a PN ticket, Hadi said Shahidan had been with PAS since he was in Parliament and was brave enough to criticise the Umno leadership.
Besides Shahidan, caretaker deputy housing and local government minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abdul Mutalib will defend the Maran parliamentary seat as a PN candidate.
Shahidan and Ismail are among the ministers and deputy ministers in the BN cabinet under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who were dropped from contesting in GE15.
Hadi said the PAS and PN leaderships had unanimously agreed to field candidates from BN on the PN ticket, adding that the PN candidates initially listed had also stepped back voluntarily to make way for the new candidates. – Bernama, November 4, 2022
