PAKATAN Harapan’s (PH) Zarawi Sulong is banking on the coalition’s experience and its manifesto as it takes on two political giants for the Marang parliamentary seat.

Zarawi believes that PH’s manifesto, which promises to abolish the unpopular goods and services tax (GST), will endear it to voters critical towards BN.

The 56-year-old also said the opposition pact has leaders experienced in federal governance as it has a former prime minister and two former deputy prime ministers unlike PAS.

PH’s senior leaders include Malaysia’ fourth prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and former deputy prime ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar Ibrahim.

PH has pledged to install Dr Mahathir as the prime minister if it wins Putrajaya, after which a royal pardon will be obtained for Anwar so he can assume Malaysia’s top post.

Zarawi said PH was the underdog in the three-cornered fight for Marang, which has more than 91,000 voters in GE14. In GE13, PAS’ Abdul Hadi Awang won by 5,124 votes.

But that was in 2013, when PAS was still part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition that included PKR and DAP. PAS is now going at it alone, while PKR and DAP are part of PH.

“Only between 10% to 20% of Marang voters are actually PAS or BN members. That leaves us with the rest of the 70% to 80%,” Zarawi said after filling in his nomination papers.

“We believe we have the better policy proposals as compared to BN and better leadership as compared to PAS.”

Zarawi said he will bring up issues concerning Marang’s lack of development, jobs and business opportunities to Parliament if he is elected.

“The people’s economy is in dire straits because of rising inflation due to the GST,” said the businessman who is also contesting for the Rhu Redang state seat.

“We also want to exempt graduates from repaying their PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) loans until they earn more than RM4,000 per month,” he said of the country’s two most pressing problems. – April 28, 2018.