IPOH - The dispute regarding nomination issues faced by Perikatan Nasional for the upcoming state election is only temporary.
PN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the matter can be resolved by the parties within PN and will not affect the campaigns.
He said the feeling of disappointment and dissatisfaction among members had subsided by the end of the nomination process on Saturday.
"Alhamdulillah, we coped very well, and we always emphasise to our members that our party is contesting in the state polls. Candidates only represent the party, and in the end, when we govern the state government, we all work as a team.
"I mean, all of us are party supporters and election candidates, but the nominated candidates are the face of the party to represent the party," he told reporters after the Perak Bersatu friendly meeting and induction of new members.
He said this in response to the issue of Nik Mohammad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz not being named as a candidate for the Kelantan polls and the boycott by Penang Pas members against Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai's nomination as Bayan Lepas candidate.
Also present were Bersatu wing leader Dr Chong Fat Full and Bersatu Perak Secretary Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin.
At the event, Ahmad Faizal, who is also the Perak Bersatu chairman, said the party has received more than 200 new memberships.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal said the more important focus at the moment is to win as many seats as possible to enable the PN to establish a government in Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan while defending the government in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
"This is the beauty of PN; we can place non-Malay candidates in Malay areas, and we are confident of the support from the Malays for the party.
"Don't worry; even though there was a dispute in the beginning, the situation has calmed down today after the nomination of the candidates," he added.
Sinar Harian reported on Saturday that the younger brother of the former Kelantan Menteri Besar, the late Tan Sri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, claimed that Pas Vice President Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah was the reason for Nik Mohammad Abduh's absence as a Kelantan state election candidate.
Nik Din Nik Mat also alleged that Pas President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang sent a letter asking Pas to include the name of Nik Mohammad Abduh.
Meanwhile, the media also reported that Pas Bayan Lepas machinery is said to have boycotted Dominic as a PN candidate in the state assembly to oppose Azrul Mahathir Aziz from Pakatan Harapan.
In fact, PAS Penang state commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff described the situation as a result of political parties naming different individuals from the original candidate list to be nominated for the contested seat.