Berjaya president Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz is one of six candidates contesting the by-election . PAS, which entered into an alliance with Umno in September, has declared support for the Barisan Nasional candidate, Wee Jeck Seng of MCA.

“We do not agree with him (Badrulhisham) contesting,” he said when met by reporters outside Parliament House. “It is up to him. And we do not agree that he is contesting.”

He said PAS will study a possible revamp of Gagasan Sejahtera, which was set up in 2016 as a third opposition bloc, comprising PAS, Berjasa and Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan).

“That (collaboration between PAS and Berjasa) we will study from time to time,” he said.

The other candidates in Tanjung Piai are Karmaine Sardini, of Pakatan Harapan, Wendy Subramaniam of Gerakan, formerly a BN component party; and independent candidates Ang Chuan Lock, founder of a tuition centre, and Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar, representing the All-Malaysia Taxi Coalition (GTSM).

Hadi denied that the party’s grassroots members would boycott the MCA candidate. He said he had urged party members to support the Barisan Nasional and would go to Tanjung Piai on Wednesday to support the BN campaign.

The PAS support for Wee was criticised by former PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar who pointed out that in January, Hadi had shown preference for a Muslim candidate fielded by BN in the Cameron Highlands by-election.