By DERRICK VINESH and TAN SIN CHOW
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The new Permatang Pasir assemblyman Mohd Salleh Man said he will focus on ba-sic infrastructure, welfare and socio-economic development in his constituency.
Mohd Salleh said he would raise the need for aid at the state assembly, state Pakatan Rakyat Council and via the state executive councillors.
“During my campaign rounds, I took note of some of the constituents’ woes. I will do my best to at-tend to them,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Mohd Salleh, 52, who is state PAS commissioner, defeated Barisan Na-sional candidate Rohaizat Othman, 38, by a 4,551 majority in the Perma-tang Pasir state by-election on Tues-day.
Mohd Salleh will also occupy the service centre of former assemblyman, the late Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman, in Jalan Permatang Pasir. Mohd Hamdan died on July 31.
Mohd Salleh said he would also start a mobile service centre to reach out to constituents living in remote areas.
In another development, the state exco meeting yesterday endorsed the proposal for Mohd Salleh to be appointed to head the Penang Is-lamic Religious Council.
During the by-election campaign, both Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had pledged that Mohd Salleh would be proposed as the council president if he won.
Lim told a press conference that state Religious Affairs committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim was tasked with seeking the royal consent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Governor, over Mohd Salleh’s proposed appointment.
The post is now held by Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shahbudin Yahya from Umno. His term ends in December.
Lim said claims by some Umno leaders that the majority in the by-election was reduced by 900 votes were baseless as Mohd Salleh ob-tained 65% of the votes, equal to the percentage secured by Mohd Hamdan in last year’s general election.
Lim added that PAS secured victories with increased votes in two Chinese majority polling areas – Permatang Pauh and Kampung Cross Street.-The Star Online
