He said this would only weaken Bersatu as its representation in the state assembly will dwindle.
Che Ariffin said his decision to join Umno yesterday together with a sizeable number of Gua Musang Bersatu members was due to their disappointment with the party leadership for fielding Rizwadi Ismail, who recently joined the party from PAS to represent Perikatan Nasional.
He said the leadership should have chosen a qualified Bersatu candidate from Gua Musang rather than “importing” Rizwadi, who joined Bersatu just before his selection as the PN candidate on July 29.
“We have 1,000 leaders and members to choose from, so why select a PAS member willing to leave his party and join Bersatu?
“This is like handing a Bersatu seat to PAS. We should have defended it as the party does not have many representatives (in the Kelantan assembly),” he told FMT.
Excluding the Nenggiri seat, Bersatu has five assemblymen in the Kelantan assembly compared with PAS’s 37.
Previously held by Azizi Abu Naim from Bersatu, the Nenggiri seat was vacated after he declared support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This led to the party notifying the state assembly that he had ceased to be a member under its constitution.
The other Bersatu seats in the state are Kok Lanas, Gual Ipoh, Bukit Bunga, Ayer Lanas and Paloh.
Admitting that he was one of the potential candidates under consideration to be fielded, Che Ariffin claimed the leadership did not consult with the division and branch leaders, who only knew of Rizwadi’s selection during the announcement on July 29.
“Many disagree (with the move),” he said, adding that he will not return to Bersatu.
Kelantan’s menteri besar Nassuruddin Daud, who announced Rizwadi’s candidacy, said the former navy officer was allowed to join Bersatu given that PAS and the former are allies.
The Nenggiri by-election will see a straight fight between PN and BN, which will be represented by Kelantan Umno Youth chief Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani.
Just as it did in last year’s Kelantan state elections, PN will drop its own logo in favour of the PAS logo for the Nenggiri by-election.
Based on the electoral roll, as of June 18, 20,259 voters are eligible to vote, including 14 members of the police force.
In last year’s state election, Azizi defeated then incumbent Ab Aziz Yusoff from Umno in a head-to-head contest with a majority of 810 votes.