ALOR STAR – PAS has expressed optimism that it could govern up to five states in the general election on November 19.
Its elections director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said that besides the three states it currently governs – Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah – PAS may perform well enough to name menteri besars for Pahang and Perlis.
Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah will likely have their respective state elections next year while Pahang and Perlis have already disbanded their state assemblies in line with the dissolution of Parliament last month.
In Pahang, under the stewardship of party deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the party is contesting 24 out of the 42 state seats and – based on the present assessment – Sanusi said Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) campaign was gaining momentum.
Sanusi, who is also the caretaker Kedah menteri besar, said that a similar situation was happening in Perlis where PAS is contesting nine state seats.
Two names have emerged as potential candidates to be the menteri besar in Perlis should PN win the state.
They are the the Islamist party’s Guar Sanji candidate Mohd Ridzuan Hashim and state PAS information chief Muhammad Azmir Azizan who is contesting in Santan.
“The final decision will lie with the PAS leadership on who best to lead those states but if everything works out, PAS has a chance to control those states once the election is over.”
“If that happens, PAS through PN would be among the top winners when the election is completed as for the first time in its electoral history, the Islamist party can control up to five states in the peninsula,” he said.
Earlier, Sanusi launched an initiative with Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Paynet) to offer cashless transactions at all state government agencies.
All the state’s revenue collection streams would offer cashless payment from January 1.
Paynet director Firdaus Ghani said it will also offer up to RM1 million incentives to lure ratepayers here to switch to cashless payments for convenience and better transparency.
Currently only 6% of ratepayers in Kedah are utilising cashless transactions when dealing with the state, notably for land premium payments, said Sanusi.
This will change in due time, he said, as Kedah wants to emulate other states by migrating towards cashless transactions for dealings with authorities.
From January 1, all revenue stream units of the Kedah government will have cashless terminals, and ratepayers would be able to make payment through various platforms.
Firdaus said that they can utilise the relevant apps, QR codes, and the i-Bayar mechanism.
Sanusi also disclosed that the state through the Malaysian Investment Development Authority is close to sealing a deal with two American hi-tech firms to invest billions of foreign direct capital at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park, with an announcement on the matter to follow soon. – The Vibes, November 9, 2022
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