IT'S NOT exactly the best incident ahead of the state elections. In fact, the rude snub by a PAS leader to Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau was pathetic.
For Lau, it's more than just a bruise to the ego. He has just been reminded of his party's stature and respect in Perikatan Nasional or rather the lack of it.
Lau has understandably attempted to downplay the incident by denying he was asked to leave a PAS ceramah in Sungai Dua, Penang.
In the clip, PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad was ushered to the event while state PAS secretary Iszuree Ibrahim is clearly heard saying "tak boleh" (cannot) to Lau, who was seen smiling sheepishly.
Idris, who served as minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Religious Affairs from 2021 to 2022, earned notoriety when he tried to ban the Japanese cultural event, Bon Odori, in Selangor.
Idris, a national leader, did not attempt to help Lau, who was caught in the embarrassing spot.
As a face-saving gesture, Lau quickly issued a denial late Wednesday (Aug 2) evening, denying he was asked to leave the PAS ceramah.
Lau said while it was true that Gerakan was not invited to attend, he was not asked to leave.
"I was there to see PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, but as the event ran late, I could not speak to him and left.
"He (Abdul Hadi) asked to meet at 9pm, before the Sungai Dua ceramah started, but he ran late and was there around 10.30pm.
"As the ceramah had begun, I could not speak with him," he said when contacted on Wednesday.
"When we left the ceramah, it was almost 11pm," he said.
Lau said he did not have time to meet Abdul Hadi, but he has since spoken to him.
"It is untrue that I was at any point asked to leave," he said.
But he did not say that PAS isn't welcoming him in the constituency as Iszuree has been eyeing the Bayan Lepas seat.
The local PAS grassroots are upset that Lau has been allowed to contest in the Malay-majority area.
Lau is contesting in the Bayan Lepas state seat on a Perikatan Nasional ticket against incumbent assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz from Pakatan Harapan.
It has been reported that the PAS grassroots threatened to boycott the polls after Lau was named to contest the seat.
Local PAS leaders said the party had been doing the groundwork there for years and would not accept Lau, whom they claim was a "parachute" candidate.
Lau has put up a brave front by saying that the PAS protests were due to "miscommunications" and would be "resolved".
But Lau was seen backed by Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who turned up to show his support during Nomination Day on July 29.
Lau had previously contested the Batu federal seat in Kuala Lumpur in 2013 and 2018 but lost both times.
He hopes to end his losing streak by contesting in Bayan Lepas, which has 64.41% Malay votes, 29.81% Chinese, 5.29% Indians, and 0.19% Bornean state bumiputra.
Lau is banking on the Green Wave to pull him through, but a high turnout by non-Malay voters who support Pakatan would kill off his chances.
Gerakan has been heavily criticised by many as a "token" in Perikatan, and the latest incident only reinforced this perception.
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Wong Chun Wai
Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.
