The Kelantan Amanah Chairman, Datuk Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah tells me that the annual budget for the Kelantan state is about RM500 million a year.
This would mean that the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal is equivalent to 100 years of Kelantan’s annual state budget – an indication of the enormity and magnitude of the nation’s first global financial scandal and why it is imperative that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is also the Finance Minister should accept immediate and full responsibility and accountability for the worst case of public governance in almost six decades of the nation’s history.
The 1MDB global scandal would be a leading issue in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar parliamentary by-elections, with the nomination date fixed for June 5 and polling on June 18.
PAS contested on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat in both constituencies in the 13th GE in May 2013, with the PAS candidate losing by 399 votes in Sungai Besasr and 1,082 votes in Kuala Kangsar.
PAS candidates in the by-election in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar will not get more votes in either constituency in the 2013 general elections, as their votes can only be lower, as PAS has alienated considerable segment of voters in both constituencies and is no more a Pakatan Rakyat component party.
The 2013 General Elections results would not be a reliable indicator of the voting trends for the PAS candidates in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar, as the 2004 General Elections would be a more correct reflection.
In the 2004 General Election, the PAS candidate in the Sungai Besar constituency lost by a majority of 7,349 votes, securing 33.1% of the votes cast.
In Kuala Kangsar in the 2004 general election, the PAS candidate lost by a majority of 5,557 votes securing 32.9% of the votes cast.
These 2004 election statistics would be more relevant than either the 2008 or 2013 figures, which have to be taken into consideration if the primary objective is to consider how best to win the two by-elections to deliver a major setback for Najib with the 1MDB scandal as the major theme in the two by-elections.
As the Pakatan Harapan Presidents’ Council has to take a final decision on the two by-elections, let us wait for its decision.
(Speech at the Parti Amanah dinner at Tok Bali, Pasir Puteh on Friday, 13th May 2016 at 9.30 pm)