Mustapa Rubbishes Claim Kelantan Will Be Surrendered To PAS
PASIR MAS, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Kelantan UMNO chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed has rubbished claims that there is a pact between UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to let PAS keep Kelantan when the 14th General Election is called.
Mustapa, who is also Kelantan Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said the claim was deliberately raised by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) supreme council member Datuk A Kadir Jasin as a political ploy.
"It is an attempt to drive a wedge between me and Najib and a strategy employed by the opposition in view of GE14 nearing.
"It is to make it appear as though Kelantan BN is not serious about wresting the state from PAS, " he told reporters after attending a community function in Banggol Kulim, Rantau Panjang here today.
The event saw cooking oil sourced directly from manufacturers sold at just RM4 for 10 kilogrammes.
A Kadir recently was reported as claiming that Najib had decided to "surrender " Kelantan to PAS as part of a "secret cooperation " between UMNO and PAS in facing GE14.
He further claimed that the Kelantan UMNO leadership was kept in the dark about this.
Mustapa, who is also Minister of International Trade and Industry, said he was confident that Kelantan BN would put an end PAS´ rule in Kelantan come GE14.
"On paper, if there are three-cornered fights, it will favour BN because votes will be split. Kelantan is ripe for the taking because of the people´s dissatisfaction with PAS, " he added.
PAS has been in power in Kelantan since 1990. GE14 must be called by August this year.
-- BERNAMA
