KUALA LUMPUR – Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is as good as confirmed as PKR’s candidate for Bandar Tun Razak as she begins her campaign today at the federal constituency ahead of the party’s official announcement tomorrow.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is the chairman of PKR’s advisory board, conducted a brief walkabout at a food court here this morning to meet with constituents before paying a visit to several residents at the Desa Tun Razak apartment.
However, when asked for confirmation on her candidacy, she said any official announcement can only come from the party’s top leadership.
“All these questions should be directed at the leadership, not me,” she said.
“The names that have been announced by the party president (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), that is public knowledge. For the rest, there are some considerations.
“We need to look at several factors to ensure we pick the best candidates, including their winnability, acceptance by the public and the division, among other things.”
Dr Wan Azizah also expressed confidence that Bandar Tun Razak constituents will still back PKR despite the last two incumbents who contested under the party’s ticket having since defected.
“God willing, the chances are high. But if it is me, I don’t think I will be jumping parties. Where do you want me to jump to?” she asked in jest.
In the last election, PKR had fielded Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, who won the seat with a 19,930-vote majority before he defected as part of a band of lawmakers who quit the party together with Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to join Bersatu.
Before Kamarudin, former Selangor menteri besar, the late Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, had held Bandar Tun Razak for two terms. He quit PKR in 2014 before joining PAS in 2018.
Dr Wan Azizah, who has been rumoured in recent days to be PKR’s pick for Bandar Tun Razak, is currently the incumbent MP for Pandan, a seat which is all but set to be returned to PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli in the coming polls.
On a separate issue, Dr Wan Azizah said it is usual for certain incumbent candidates to be replaced with fresh faces in elections, amid speculations some of the PKR’s women incumbents will be dropped in the coming polls.
However, she expressed hope that even if this is the case, PKR will nominate at least 30% women candidates, in line with the party’s objective.
“This (incumbents being dropped) is not unusual, they come and go. But we hope the 30% women quota will be maintained. We want our voices to be heard in Parliament.
“(Even if some get dropped), there will be replacements elsewhere. We’ll see later. But like I said, there are several criteria that we look out for in a candidate to ensure winnability,” she said.
Previously, The Vibes had reported that several incumbent women MPs in PKR could be sacrificed in favour of male candidates for the upcoming election, triggering concern among the party’s female members.
Among those said to be dropped include Wangsa Maju’s Datin Tan Yee Kew, Hulu Selangor’s June Leow Hsiad Hui, and Petaling Jaya’s Maria Chin Abdullah. – The Vibes, October 27, 2022
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