Sanusi Shrugs Off Provocative Poser On Pn Candidate Academic List

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SUNGAI BAKAP BY-ELECTION | Bombarded with questions on the academic qualifications of Perikatan Nasional’s candidate, PN’s election director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said he viewed it as a form of provocation.
However, the Kedah menteri besar also said PN’s Abidin Ismail is the people’s candidate suitable for Sungai Bakap - as former special officer to the late Nor Zamri Latiff, the former Sungai Bakap assemblyperson from PAS.
“This is the people’s candidate, he sat down to work with the previous assemblyperson, Abang Zam,” Sanusi told reporters after the nomination process at the Jawi Multipurpose Hall, Nibong Tebal today.
Earlier the Election Commission confirmed a straight fight between Abidin and Pakatan Harapan-BN candidate Joohari Ariffin.
Asked about his view on the disparity in academic qualifications between Abidin and Joohari, Sanusi insisted that many highly educated people failed in politics.
“Many highly educated people - doctors, professors - fail in politics.
“Politics is not sitting in an office like how we work with departments, we have to get down to the bottom of various issues, we have to understand socio-politics, socioeconomics and so on.
“(Questions on) academics, it doesn’t help. Many political leaders do not have any qualifications, but are intellectuals because of what is in here (mind),” he said.
For the record, Joohari has a PhD and was previously the director of the Aminuddin Baki Institute's northern branch before resigning last year.
Abidin, on the other hand, is said to be a logistics executive and is claimed to possess an ISO 14001 certificate for Environmental Management Systems.
This was announced by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man on the evening of June 15.
‘Your own conclusion’
Pressed whether he meant that a politician does not require a high level of education, Sanusi said, “No, that’s your own conclusion.”
“Academic qualifications must go with other aspects. Academic qualifications alone do not guarantee political excellence.
PN candidate Abidin Ismail (left) and Pakatan Harapan-BN candidate Joohari Ariffin“But you have to have an academic qualification, you have to know how to read and write as well,” he said.
Asked about PN’s strategy of not highlighting the academic qualifications of their candidate, Sanusi said it suited the situation in the seat involved.
“Provocative question, please answer yourself. Please end the question, it’s all provocation,” he said when asked if those with a primary level education can also be considered as a candidate.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said he is confident that current issues will help the PN candidate win.
“Our candidate was an assistant to the people’s representative before. He has the people’s support.
“There are a lot of national issues now that affect the people, and that will help us,” he said. - Mkini

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