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KUALA LUMPUR – New PKR member and former federal minister Maszlee Malik will be running for the Layang-Layang seat in the Johor election – one of the two constituencies under his parliamentary seat of Simpang Renggam.
Party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement at an event in Johor this evening that was initially held to announce PKR’s central zone candidates.
“Even though he is a new addition to the party, he is an icon in his own right, and has been championing the same causes as us.
“I am confident he will do well and excel in Layang-Layang.”
Anwar said he will be announcing the party’s central and eastern zone candidates in the coming days.
“There are still some matters that need to be solved before we can announce the candidates.”
The other state constituency in Simpang Renggam is Machap.
When speaking to reporters following the announcement, Maszlee expressed his appreciation towards the party for entrusting him with the Layang-Layang seat, saying he will do his best to win back the seat.
He said his appreciation also stemmed from how the party had gone against its usual practice of avoiding fielding parliamentarians at state seats when they decided on his Layang-Layang candidacy.
“However, we decided to contest in Layang-Layang that we previously lost, while ensuring we also assist the other state legislative areas.
“I will try and do the very best together with the election machinery at hand and those under the Simpang Renggam constituency, as our objective is to win Johor for Pakatan Harapan (PH).”
He added that should PH win the polls, the coalition plans to turn Johor into a regional economic hub, with the cooperation of neighbours Singapore and Indonesia.
“Johor has a lot of potential that has not been tapped into yet, where if we win, we will transform the state into an economic hub, not only for Malaysia but for the region as well.
“It will become the regional hub for economic, educational, sociocultural and humanitarian work.”
The Vibes recently reported how Maszlee is also set to become PKR’s choice for Johor menteri besar in the upcoming state election should he secure victory.
Multiple sources from the party told The Vibes that the former education minister is the opposition’s frontrunner for the top post.
The source had said that a final decision on the matter would depend on upcoming discussions between the PH component parties, as approval must be obtained from DAP and Amanah who might have their own candidates in mind.
Johor PKR chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh had also confirmed that his party had finalised a name for the menteri besar position, but stopped short of naming Maszlee.
Maszlee won the Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat on a Bersatu ticket and saw his party membership cancelled following the fall of the PH federal government. He briefly joined Pejuang before turning independent.
He joined PKR last November. – The Vibes, February 14, 2022
