GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia: PAS leaders in Penang are throwing tantrums in the run-up to the Penanti by-election and it does not bode well for the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.

Permatang Pauh PAS division leaders, in a meeting on Tuesday night, decided that they would not activate their election machinery if some of their demands are not fulfilled by PKR, which has announced its candidate for the seat.

The PAS leaders want PKR to make way for PAS to contest the seat.

Division head Omar Hassan said the party wanted to contest the seat because people in Permatang Pauh had no confidence in PKR.

"Our grassroots want a change. We will wait and see if our demands are met," he said when contacted here yesterday.

The Penanti seat is one of three in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency held by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The other seats are Permatang Pasir, which is held by PAS, and Seberang Jaya, held by Umno.

Penang PAS Youth chief Mohammed Hafiz Mohamed Noordin said he was aware of the decision made by the division.

"The grassroots are disappointed. This is evident since no PAS representative was present when Anwar announced Mansor Othman as the PKR candidate on Tuesday," he said.

Penang PAS secretary Fadzil Kemi said there would be hiccups if the demands of the party's grassroots were not met.

"If our demands are not met, there is a possibility of Mansor losing the seat. Even if he wins, it will only be by a slim majority," he said.

When contacted, PAS national elections director Datuk Mustafa Ali said the Permatang Pauh division's wish to contest the Penanti by-election was an internal matter which needed to be resolved. He added that there was no doubt that PKR would contest the state seat which it holds.

"We are together in Pakatan, so I think we have to respect the coalition we have and the understanding that the seat belongs to PKR," he added.