PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden has taken a pot shot at Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for abusing his position to promise development to Nenggiri folks ahead of the state by-election slated for Aug 17.

Instead of having to hand out election candy, the Alor Setar MP wondered why the UMNO president has to wait till polling is round the corner to kickstart a development process especially when he is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister.”

“Isn’t DS the head of the rural development as well as the Orang Asli development agencies?” teased Afnan in a Facebook post.

“By right, DS doesn’t need need to wait for the outcome of the by-election. DS could have tried to change the face of Nenggiri in the aftermath of the six states election in August last year.

“It seems that DS has never gotten bored of promising. This is the kind of promise that DS made in the run-up to the Sungai Bakap by-election recently. But it backfired as the electorate voted for PN instead.”

For context, Zahid announced yesterday (July 29) that Nenggiri will undergo a significant transformation within a year if Barisan Nasional (BN) win the state seat in the upcoming poll.

He further stressed that the Nenggiri state seat which lies in the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency should be returned to BN to ensure its development is well-taken care of.

“Therefore, I urge the chairman of every agency to play their roles by ensuring a victory for BN,” Zahid who is also the BN chairman said during the launching of the BN machinery at the UMNO Gua Musang division office.

“Various efforts have been made by all agencies, especially KESEDAR (South Kelantan Development Authority) and FELDA which have significantly contributed to Kelantan’s development.”

Recall that Zahid’s election sweetener in the run-up to the Sungai Bakap by-election on July 6 had prompted election watchdog BERSIH (Coalition for Clean and Fair Election) to lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The two projects that Zahid mentioned were the establishment of senior citizens activity centre and the construction of a Tamil school in Sungai Bakap.

“Apparently, DS wants the Sungai Bakap ‘wave’ to extend to Nenggiri. If that is true, thank you DS for helping PN. Keep promising,” teased Afnan.

As an update, Perikatan Nasional (PN) has named former navy officer Rizwadi Ismail as its candidate for the Nenggiri state seat which was declared vacant following revocation of the Bersatu membership of its incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim on June 13.

According to Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nassuruddin Daud, the 41-year-old ‘local boy’ was a former Gua Musang PAS deputy youth chief but was given permission to join Bersatu since the Nenggiri seat belongs to the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin-led party.

Meanwhile, BN which is representing the unity government has named Kelantan UMNO Youth chief Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani as its candidate for the by-election. Nominations are slated for this Saturday (Aug 3). - July 30, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/dpm-zahid-resorting-to-old-trick-yet-again-by-promising-dev-ahead-of-nenggiri-by-election/