PAS names candidates

Reports by SA’ODAH ELIAS, MARTIN CARVALHO, R.S.N. MURALI, CHRISTINA TAN, ONG HAN SEAN, K. ASHRAF KAMMED and NIK NAIZI HUSIN JASIN: Malacca PAS deputy youth chief Yuhaizad Abdullah, 38, is the PAS candidate for the Merlimau by-election and the party’s candidate for the Kerdau seat is its Pahang information chief Hassanudin Salim. PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang announced Yuhaizad’s candidacy here last night at a gathering of 2,000 Pakatan Rakyat supporters at the party’s Solehin headquarters in Merlimau Pasir. The party’s spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat named Hassa­nudin as the candidate in Temerloh earlier yesterday. Yuhaizad, who is Jasin PAS division chief, will face Barisan Nasional’s Roslan Ahmad who heads Perbadanan Melaka Holdings, a state corporation. Yuhaizad, a local from Kampung Chihchin, has a diploma in Islamic Studies. The Merlimau seat fell vacant following the death of its former assemblyman Datuk Mohd Hidhir Abu Hasan on Jan 20. Nomination day in both Merlimau and Kerdau has been set for Saturday and polling is on March 6. The by-election for the Kerdau seat followed the death of its incumbent Datuk Zaharuddin Abu Kassim, 64, on Feb 12. Hassanudin had lost the Kerdau seat to Zaharuddin in the 2008 elections. He will face the Pahang mentri besar’s special religious officer Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad, 44, who has been picked as Barisan’s candidate.