“There is no way I can win if PAS members do not help me. Impossible,” BN candidate Lokman Noor Adam, who is contesting against a religious teacher representing PKR in this Malay-majority state seat, told FMT.

Lokman said while PAS had increased BN’s chances by staying out of the race, a victory in the by-election – seen as the first litmus test of Malay support for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government – could only come if supporters from the Islamist party vote for BN.

Lokman, a former PKR leader who led the reformasi protests of the late 1990s, is confident of that support in the run-up to polling day on Aug 4.

“There is a good chance but I need to get that added support from our PAS friends, as well as old comrades from the reformasi era,” said the Umno Supreme Council member, who is among the more vocal leaders from the party in the aftermath of its defeat in the 14th general election.

Sungai Kandis is seen as a PKR stronghold, with the party having won the seat in the past three general elections. The seat fell vacant after the death of PKR assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafie on July 2

PKR is represented by religious teacher Zawawi Mughni, while a third candidate, Murthy Krishnasamy is not expected to dent support for either BN or PKR.

Some 72% of the 50,800 voters here are Malays, while Chinese and Indians make up the rest.

Sungai Kandis, formerly known as Seri Andalas, is part of Kota Raja, the federal constituency won by Amanah president and Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu.

PAS has said it is staying away from the by-election to avoid splitting opposition votes, although it stopped short of urging its members to vote for BN.

But in an indirect message to party members on how to vote, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said they should choose the party which represents “Islam and Malays”.

“Islam and Malays” has been the battlecry of both Umno and PAS, who frequently accuse the PH government of undermining the position of Islam and Malay special privileges.

For Lokman, the same slogan was central to the Sungai Kandis by-election.

He plans to raise issues such as the status of Islam, the Malay language and the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

“Many are not aware that 50% of the present government is made up of non-Muslims. So this is not a Muslim-majority government, unlike the previous BN administration,” he said.

“The reality is that this by-election is a referendum on the current government.”

PAS’ rule of thumb on how to vote in Sungai Kandis: Islam/Malay