KLANG, 23 Apr: Defending the Kota Raja Parliamentary seat, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud is confident that the seat will remain with PAS despite the four-cornered clash in the 13th General Election (GE-13).
She said that PAS has the advantage to get the voting support of the people based on several factors.
“I have been here for five years and the people themselves know that I always go down to the ground and receive the public at the State Legislative Assembly Service Centre at any time.
“I think they (the people) know me. In these five years, we have not been like the people’s representatives prior to 2008.
“We have localised ourselves and we do not feel that the honourable position assumed is an honour (people honouring us), but we are the people’s ‘servants’,” she said when met at Kampung Jawa with personnel of the operations room.
Dr Mariah however did not want to underestimate her rival, seeing that the GE-13 is a tough battle.
“I know that am disadvantaged. People say that BN has a lot of flags, posters and stickers. But PAS does not have a lot of funds; it all comes from our own pockets.
“For state, we are only given posters and certain flags. If it is not enough, we have to look for funding. What we have is the attentiveness that we have provided for five years and the people know that,” she said.
Commenting on the issue of the closure of the BN Operations Room in Kota Raja, she described the issue as propaganda.
“Sometimes they (only) close (the operations room) for theatrics. The operations room is closed and then operates again after procuring funds,” she said.
Previously, there was an outcry when several BN operations rooms closed in protest against the candidates chosen by them.