PAS supporters in Terengganu are such die-hard party loyalists that even though they may like former PAS politician Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, they are unlikely to vote for him if he attempts to defend his Kuala Nerus parliamentary seat as an independent candidate in the next general election, party members and voters in the area said.

Khairuddin is seen as a hardworking member of Parliament who frequently meets his constituents, but voter psyche here is such that people will not support any candidate other than the one fielded by PAS, they said.

A PAS member who declined to be named told The Malaysian Insight that hardcore party supporters will reject anyone who is not endorsed by the party.

“Terengganu is like Kelantan, where people are loyal to the party.

“Even though people in Kelantan may be drinking ‘teh tarik’, they will say that they are not oppressed,” the party member said in reference to clean water supply problems in Kelantan, which until today has not been resolved by the PAS administration, three decades after taking over the state leadership from Barisan Nasional (BN).

The PAS member gave another example of loyalty to PAS, this time in the recent Johor state elections, where former Bukit Pasir assemblyman Najib Lep contested as an independent candidate.

Najib was not chosen by PAS to defend the seat and decided to stand as an independent. He was immediately dismissed from the party.

Najib came in last in a six-cornered fight for the seat with 196 votes, and lost his deposit.

The PAS candidate, Iqbal Razak, contested on the Perikatan Nasional (PN) ticket but came in second, defeated by the BN candidate who won the seat by a majority of 198 votes.

“Khairuddin will likely have the same fate if he stands as an independent candidate because PAS supporters are loyal to the party and not the individual,” he said.

“Furthermore, in Kuala Nerus, 70% are PAS supporters, so we expect that if Khairuddin wants to contest as an independent, it will be difficult for him.”

Khairuddin quit PAS on March 14, about a month after he was dropped from the Islamist party’s central committee. He was appointed to the committee after failing to get elected at the PAS Muktamar last November.

The reason for his removal from the PAS central committee was never officially stated, although it was known that Khairuddin went against the grain in PAS by openly supporting the PAS-Umno Muafakat Nasional pact while the party’s leaders opted to work with Bersatu in the PN coalition.

Khairuddin was also removed from his post as secretary of the PAS Syura Ulama Council.

The former plantation and commodities minister, who drew public scorn for his breach of quarantine orders and Covid-19 standard operating procedure in the early days of the epidemic, first won the Kuala Nerus seat on the PAS ticket in 2013.

From a small winning margin of 610 votes then, he increased his margin of victory to 8,447 votes, retaining the seat in the 2018 general election.

Kuala Nerus voter Mohd Hitam, 63, said he is not angry with Khairuddin because he is a good MP who looks out for constituents.

“As an elected representative, he is good. He gave a lot of help such as free oil and free rice,” he said.

“If he leaves (PAS), it is up to him. That is his right as an individual.”

But asked if he would vote for Khairuddin if he contests in Kuala Nerus again, Mohd Hitam replied: “Probably not.”

A younger constituent, 41-year-old Mohamad Alias said Khairuddin may win the support of young voters whose loyalties are not tied to a party the way older voters are.

“Young people tend to look at the candidates,” he said.

Terengganu PAS, meanwhile, is confident of retaining the Kuala Nerus seat, although its candidate will not be Khairuddin.

State PAS liaison assistant secretary Hanafiah Mat said Khairuddin won in Kuala Nerus not because of his own name but on the PAS ticket.

“The voters will not run away. As far as we know, voters are still with PAS. An MP is just to fulfil the wishes of the voters,” he said.

“With or without Khairuddin, PAS will have no problem maintaining Kuala Nerus.”

Hanafiah, who is also the Terengganu executive councillor in charge of welfare, women and family development and national unity, said the state party leadership has discussed plans to ensure that PAS continues to look after the welfare of Kuala Nerus constituents.

She said Khairuddin’s leaving the party has little impact and has not caused other party members or leaders to follow suit.

“We will ensure that the activities in Kuala Nerus continue and this task will be taken over by PAS with the help of some of our other elected representatives,” she added. – April 1, 2022.