KUALA LUMPUR: PAS may choose to abstain from fielding a candidate for the Balakong by-election, said its deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pic).

He said this was a possibility, considering “past factors and current situations”.

“PAS has not discussed this officially, but we may not contest.

“Firstly, we look at the majority achieved by the winning party in the 14th General Election, and it was a big majority.

“We will not waste our time on this, unless we feel there is something of importance to us,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby on Monday.

If PAS abstains, it will be the second by-election it chooses to do so.

It had previously kept away from the Sg Kandis by-election, saying it wanted to pave the way for a straight fight, so that Pakatan Harapan could lose the seat.

The Election Commission had announced that the Balakong by-election will take place on Sept 8.

Nomination Day will be on Aug 18 and the campaign period will last for 21 days.

The Balakong seat in the Selangor Legislative Assembly fell vacant after its representative Eddie Ng died in an accident on July 20.

Ng, 40, was killed at the scene of the accident on the Grand Saga Expressway.