Three months ago, voters in Terengganu were caught off guard by a court decision to annul PAS' victory in the Kuala Terengganu seat, following a petition brought by Barisan Nasional (BN) claiming elements of bribery during the campaign for the general election last November.

Last month, they were surprised again by an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of allocations for youth associations in the state, if voters throw their support behind BN at the upcoming polls.

Voters who spoke to MalaysiaNow said Zahid's act was a clear form of bribery, and questioned the difference between that and what had happened in Kuala Terengganu.

Trader Shukri Razak said the matter was unfair and confusing for the people.

"Our question is, what's the difference between Zahid's case and PAS' annulment of victory in Kuala Terengganu? This is what we are asking," he said.

"Why was it not bribery when Zahid announced allocations on condition of support for BN, but bribery in Kuala Terengganu when that was an aid programme by the state government?"

Shukri said the apparent inconsistency had angered many who were eager to show BN the door at the Aug 12 election.

"The way I see it, BN has not changed. It's still caught up in its old ways of giving bribes and legitimising it when it happens. But if someone else does it, it is quick to point the finger."

Shukri said this was one of the reasons the people had rejected BN at the 2018 general election.

"The whole time BN was in charge, how many problematic and white elephant projects were there?

"Look at the Taman Ilmu project, and the Tasik Kenyir duty-free island. All of this happened because there were so many irregularities and corrupt practices by BN that made the people fed up."

'Clear bribery'

Another trader, Hazimah Manan, said the issue was one of morals and double standards in treatment between the government and the opposition.

"Is it because Zahid is from the government and PAS was the opposition?" she asked, referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) statement that there was nothing wrong with the Umno president's act.

"We, the people, see obvious injustice here. They can say that it's not bribery because the offer was made before nomination day, but where are their morals?

"Zahid was clearly asking for support. If that's not bribery, I don't know what is."

Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, announced the allocations a day before the nomination of candidates for the elections in Selangor, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan.

He announced RM100,000 for a youth organisation, to be channelled through the Central Terengganu Development Authority, or Ketengah.

He also announced RM250,000 for the Terengganu Youth Council and RM200,000 to motor riders associations, adding that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would later "top up" the amounts.

Zahid also said that the allocations were on condition that Terengganu youths support the "blue and red wave", a reference to the BH-PH coalition which is aiming to wrest the state at the upcoming polls.

His announcement was criticised by a number of parties, including electoral watchdog Bersih which said Zahid had violated two of its 3C guidelines – No Conditions, No Campaign and No Candidates – for government campaigning.

MACC however said that it viewed the grants as a federal allocation.

"This is a ruling government that can implement initiatives that are considered appropriate for the people.

"In my opinion, there is no problem with the giving of these grants as it is a government initiative. If it is an allocation for an initiative that has been approved by the government, there are no elements of corruption," MACC chief Azam Baki was reported as saying.

'Fair to all'

PAS' candidate for the Kuala Terengganu seat, where a by-election will be held alongside the state election on Aug 12, said the prime minister should be seen as fair towards all parties.

Ahmad Amzad Hashim also compared the court's decision to annul his victory with the response to Zahid's move.

"What's the difference? Why the double standards? In Anwar's government, everyone can do it but not the opposition.

"When it comes to offering money on the condition of support, that is corruption. Lawyers have responded but the government's answer is that there is no corruption."

He also said that the court's ruling had caused him difficulty in campaigning for the fear of the same thing happening again.

He said he had also been forced to explain the petition case to voters in every campaign speech.

"They are all confused about the court case. They were surprised that I could be renominated.

"It wasn't me who was convicted, but I was affected by the decision. Even though I have been renominated, I face many challenges and need to be more careful.

"This is why I say that this is most unfair to me."

Amzad nevertheless expressed confidence that the voters could tell for themselves who was right.

"They are only confused about the judgment of the petition, not about their choice. I am confident that PAS can pull off a victory even bigger than it did at GE15."