Mat Sabu faces battle with 'full confidence'
Although deemed the underdog in the heated contest for PAS deputy presidency, grassroots leader Mohamad Sabu is confident of succeeding.
MUKTAMAR
UPDATED 5.40PM
He shrugs off the 'underdog' tag, saying he will win the three-way fight.
[VIDEO INSIDE]
Although deemed the underdog in the heated contest for PAS deputy presidency, grassroots leader Mohamad Sabu is confident of succeeding.
"I'm still confident that I will come up (tops) on Friday," said Mohamad (left), who is also a central committee member.
Assured by the feedback he has received from the ground and through his close ties with leaders of other Pakatan Rakyat components - PKR and DAP - Mohamad said his chances are brighter than ever.
"I can feel from the heart of the people and from meeting with them ... I can feel that I'm still the favourite of the muktamar (general assembly)," he reiterated at a press conference today.
"I think I have an edge in assisting the president to expand the party's influence and leverage its struggles by reaching out to the NGOs and the public."
He was responding to comments by some political observers that his chances of winning are bleak and that the contest may turn out to be a straight fight between incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa and disciplinary committee chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
Tuan Ibrahim (right), who made a last-minute decision to contest, is seen as the favourite as he can bridge the gap between the ulama and the Erdogan factions.
He is a religious scholar and has direct family ties with PAS' spiritual head Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
PAS' 57th muktamar began today and ends on Sunday.
Immediate aims
Mohamad said he also intends to disseminate information on the rights of the people, knowledge that is lacking in the Malay community.
"Good governance is also part of the struggle I aim to bring forth, one that is transparent and honest.
"It is not that the PAS governance in Kelantan and Terengganu is not good, but there is room for improvement because for a government aiming to be clean of corruption, we must heighten standards from time to time," he said.
With the future goal of winning Putrajaya in mind, Mohamad said PAS must ensure that "good governance is upheld" and that the party must not be seen as "replacing Umno but continuing its corrupt habits".
He added that he ready to take on greater responsibility in the party, after closely observing its progress over the last two years.
