DEPUTY Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident voters in Pulai will not be influenced by the “political fatwa” (edict) about it being “haram” or sinful to vote for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Suhaizan Kaiat in the parliamentary by-election on September 9.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) chief said Johor voters will not be easily fooled by the fatwa issued by Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin during a talk at Dataran Utama Kempas in Johor Bahru last night.

“I want to ask that person which Quranic verse, hadith, qiyas or ijma (consensus of scholars) he was referring to. When he was part of the PH 1.0 government, everything was halal, but when the government isn’t aligned with him, he issues a fatwa.

“In my opinion, Bangsa Johor are different from voters in the three states where (PN) is in power. The people of Johor need stability and want representatives who can fight for them,” he told a press conference after attending a programme at PPR Kempas Permai, Johor Bahru, today.

Zahid expressed confidence the PH-BN alliance would be able to win the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections.

“Each contesting party or candidate must be confident of victory, but we must strive to resolve all the problems faced by the people no matter how small they are. I am sure Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was here today because he wanted to convey a certain message.

“I’m confident Johor will remain a fixed deposit for the unity government,” he said.

The Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections were called after the death of incumbent Salahuddin Ayub, who was also domestic trade and cost of living minister on July 23.

Early voting is on September 5, while polling day is September 9. – Bernama, September 3, 2023.