Pribumi man disqualified due to bankruptcy

KEPALA BATAS: Candidate Yaakob Osman (pic) from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia was not allowed to contest the Penaga state seat in Kepala Batas as there was a record of him being declared bankrupt.

The  younger brother of Penang Umno chief Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman was visibly distraught and upset over the last minute issue that led to him being disallowed from contesting.

Refuting the claims that he was bankrupt, Yaakob, 53, who was called to the candidates registration counter about 10 minutes before the scheduled announcement of candidates, said he would be looking into the issue.

"The election commission has said that there is data that I am bankrupt.

"We did a check last week and yesterday as well.

"There were no issues and I have not been summoned by anyone or declared bankrupt.

"The election commission has decided, nothing can be done," he said outside the nomination centre at the Kepala Batas Industrial Training Institute here on Saturday (April 28).

Election commission returning officer Hakmal Effendi Ishak announced after more than an hour wait that there were only two candidates contesting in the Penaga state seat.

Earlier Hakmal announced the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat candidate line up and the line up for Pinang Tunggal and Bertam state seats but said the Penaga state seat would be announced later.

Yaakob, who is Penang Pribumi information chief had said he joined Pribumi when the party was founded in September 2016, as he was unhappy over issues concerning 1MDB and Jho Low.

Zainal Abidin had earlier announced that he would not contest in GE14.

The two candidates who have been confirmed are incumbent Penaga assemblyman Datuk Mohd Zain Ahmad and PAS candidate Mohd Yusni Mat Piah