Parachute candidates are not fully prepared

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) action in fielding a parachute candidate in Kemayan without being backed by an election machinery shows that the party has not made a thorough preparation for the polls.

Self-employed Manolan Mohamad, 43, who is the party's candidate in the state constituency, hailed from Lipis and has just joined the party as an ordinary member.

As he lives and works in Bukit Rok, 30km from Krayong near here, he is facing an uphill battle to unseat incumbent Mohd Fadil Osman of the Barisan Nasional who won the seat with a 3,678-vote majority in the 2008 general election.

"Although I do not have an election machinery to back me, I still go about meeting the people on the ground, especially Orang Asli to canvass for their votes," Manolan told Bernama while campaigning on his motorcycle in the state constituency.

Manolan said he was chosen by Pahang PKR chairman Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman to contest in the constituency and given RM5,000 in pocket money to conduct his campaign.