NIBONG TEBAL, June 22 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Joohari Ariffin, representing the unity government, will centre his approach around ‘Padu’ to engage with voters during the Sungai Bakap state by-election campaign, which kicks off today.
The 60-year-old former director of the Aminuddin Baki Institute’s northern branch believes that the aspirational Padu approach is well-suited for this campaign in the area.
“Padu, derived from the word ‘perpaduan’ or unity, emphasises key issues. P stands for ‘prasarana’ or infrastructure, addressing critical community concerns such as water supply, floods and road conditions.
“The letter A underscores ‘akhlak’ (moral conduct), ‘akademik’ (education) and ‘anak muda’ (youth). For D, it focuses on promoting peace (‘damai’). Therefore, our goal at this stage is to conduct an ethical political campaign that promotes peace,” he said after the nomination process concluded at Jawi Multipurpose Hall, Taman Desa Jawi, earlier today.
The former teacher, holding a doctoral degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), emphasised that if elected, he would prioritise equitable treatment for all constituents, guided by the principle of inclusivity represented by the letter ‘U’ (‘untuk semua’ or for all).
“When elected, we will serve all voters regardless of their political affiliations because as representatives of the people, our duty is to ensure fairness in service delivery,” he said.
Joohari is determined to reclaim the Sungai Bakap seat for Pakatan Harapan (PH), which had been held by PKR since 2008 but was lost to PAS in the last state election in August.
Earlier, returning officer for the Sungai Bakap state by-election, Khairulnizam Hashim, announced a straight fight between Joohari and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate, Abidin Ismail, who is also Nibong Tebal PAS vice-chairman.
Meanwhile, when met, Abidin, aged 56, promised to continue the work of the late Nor Zamri Latiff, known for his approachable nature and community involvement.
Through community programmes throughout the campaign, my goal is to gain support from as many voters as possible,” said Abidin, who had worked as Nor Zamri’s assistant.
The Sungai Bakap by-election is being held following the death of its incumbent Nor Zamri on May 24 due to stomach inflammation.
The Election Commission (EC) has set July 6 for polling, with early voting on July 2. — Bernama
