PERIKATAN Nasional’s (PN) claim that the federal government will collapse if PN wins the Pulai parliamentary by-election is ludicrous to say the least, Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the by-election, Suhaizan Kaiat, said.

He criticised the claim and described the opposing side’s arguments as an effort to mislead the people.

On the contrary, he said, PH was confident of retaining the seat and the Simpang Jeram state seat by a convincing majority.

“If we do the maths, subtracting one from 148 (if PN wins Pulai) doesn’t threaten the federal government. They (PN) can use whatever they want to convince voters, but mathematically, it’s incorrect and unreasonable.

“In Johor, the people are unique. They tend to be more modest in many aspects and think rationally about whether they can accept the propaganda or not,” he told reporters during a by-election campaign walk-about session at the night market near Taman Sentosa, Johor Baru today.

Suhaizan was commenting on the statement made by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who mentioned that if PN wins the by-election, it would signify a significant change at the federal level.

Currently, the unity government, comprising PH, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, holds 148 seats in parliament, while PN has 73 seats.

In the Pulai by-election, Suhaizan is facing Zulkifli Jaafar of PN and Independent candidate Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi.

The Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections are being held following the death of Salahuddin Ayub on July 23.

Polling for the by-elections is on September 9 and early voting is on September 5. – Bernama, August 28, 2023.