ALOR SETAR (April 25): The Barisan Nasional aspirant for the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat, who came under criticism after a video showing her dishing out money to people went viral, has denied any wrongdoing.

Senator Datuk Shahanim Mohamad Yusoff, 45, said she was merely sharing her allocation with the less fortunate.

"I have been a senator for more than three years and I get RM15,000 allocation every month. It is not wrong for a people's representative to share her allocation or salary with people. I had some remainder money, so I gave it to the underprivileged during an event. I didn't do anything wrong because I did not give out cash aid after I was named a candidate for the general election," she said.

Shahanim, who is serving her second term as a senator, said helping people by giving them RM30 cash, or buying things for them, is part of her personality.

"This is who I am. You will see on my Facebook that I give handouts directly. I have done this since my first term as a senator. I don't like people returning empty-handed.

"This is the problem with the opposition. They accuse me of money politicking by hashtagging SPRM (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) but I have replied and also hashtagged SPRM. I am not scared of the police or people," she added.

The video, which went viral on the social media including Whatsapp, showed Shahanim giving packets of money to people seated at an event, resulting in heavy criticism by netizens on her Facebook.

"When I don't give anything people say I am selfish but when people are suffering, no one says anything on my Facebook to help them. I got more criticism for helping people instead of not helping," said the first-time election candidate.

Shahanim will face two-term PKR parliamentarian Datuk Johari Abdul, 63, who retained the semi-urban seat in 2013 with a 9,548 majority after polling 44,194 votes versus 34,646 by BN's Shamsul Anuar Che Mey, Parti Kita's Suhaimi Hashim (772 votes), and independent Ong Wei Sin (200).

According to the Election Commission's second quarter 2017 electorate data, the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat has the largest number of registered voters in Kedah with 110,158 voters.

When asked about her campaign in the PKR stronghold, Shahanim said: "I am worried and scared of competing in Sungai Petani but am looking at it positively and thank the Umno leadership for fielding me here.

"I will do my best to return Sungai Petani to BN. We have lost a lot by being under the opposition coalition for the past 10 years," she said.

Shahanim claimed that Johari was not present in Sunga Petani when he was most needed such as during the thunderstorm and flooding last year.

"I was sad because people were calling me to ask for help but during the election they give their votes to PKR. I have asked them not to waste another five years.

"In BN parliamentary constituencies, the federal government allocated RM80 million to RM100 million for infrastructure, but for Sungai Petani it is zero. I hope the people would vote me so I can help develop the place," she added.