JOHOR BARU, Aug 28 — Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) propaganda claiming that the federal government will collapse if PN wins in the Pulai parliamentary by-election, is ludicrous to say the least, Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Pulai by-election, Suhaizan Kaiat said.

He criticised the claim and described the opposing side’s arguments as an effort to mislead the people.

On the contrary, he said PH is confident of retaining the Parliamentary seat by a convincing majority, including in the Simpang Jeram State Assembly.

"If we do the math, subtracting one from 148 (if PN wins Pulai) doesn’t threaten the federal government. They (PN) can use whatever they want to convince voters, but mathematically, it’s incorrect and unreasonable.”

"In Johor, the people are unique; they tend to be more modest in many aspects and think rationally about whether they can accept the propaganda or not,” he told reporters during a by-election campaign walk-about session at the night market near Taman Sentosa, Johor Baru today.

Suhaizan was commenting on the statement made by PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who mentioned that if PN wins the by-election, it would signify a significant change at the federal government level.

Currently, the unity government comprising PH, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, holds 148 seats in Dewan Rakyat, while PN has 73 seats.

In the Pulai parliamentary by-election, Suhaizan will face a three-cornered fight that features Zulkifli Jaafar of PN and Independent candidate Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi.

The Pulai parliamentary by-election and Simpang Jeram state by-election are being held following the death of its incumbent, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was also the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, on July 23.

The Election Commission (EC) set the polling date for both the by-elections as September 9, with early voting on September 5. — Bernama