KUALA LUMPUR – Questions over whether Muda will place candidates in PKR-contested seats after negotiations between the two fell through were answered today when the youth-led party announced its candidate for Larkin.
Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said in a press conference today that the party’s state information chief Rasid Abu Bakar will be vying for the constituency.
So far, PKR and Umno have already announced their candidates for the seat, with Zamil Najwah Arbain representing the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component and Mohd Hairi Mad Shah fighting under the Barisan Nasional logo.
The seat currently belongs to Bersatu’s Mohammad Izhar Ahmad, who won the constituency in the last general election.
It is unclear if Izhar will be defending his seat, with Perikatan Nasional set to announce its candidates for the Johor election this evening.
Muda and PKR have been involved in lengthy negotiations ahead of the Johor polls prior to announcing the candidates, with both parties refusing to budge from their positions.
Muda is understood to have requested seats previously won by Bersatu in the last general election, including Larkin and Kempas, while PKR had offered three other constituencies.
If speculation is to be believed, Muda will make more announcements in the coming days that will see the party clash in further seats with PKR.
Among those tipped for candidacy are Datin Dian Lee – the daughter of Country Heights founder and tycoon Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew – and Syed Saddiq himself.
PH components Amanah and DAP, meanwhile, have already agreed to offer Muda six seats, namely Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Puteri Wangsa, Bukit Permai, Parit Raja, and Machap, with candidates for the latter two seats also announced today.
According to Syed Saddiq, Johor Muda deputy chief Sangaran Rawisandiran will vie for the Machap seat, while state party secretary Fikri Musa will contest in Parit Raja.
Both these seats are Umno strongholds.
Machap, a seat under the Simpang Renggam parliamentary constituency held by PKR’s Maszlee Malik, was previously won by Umno’s Abd Taib Abu Bakar.
However, the BN linchpin has decided to place Onn Hafiz Ghazi, previously a Layang-Layang assemblyman, for the coming election. He was also a state executive councillor prior to the dissolution of the Johor assembly.
Umno’s Nor Rashidah Ramli will be defending her Parit Raja seat.
Muda’s announcement today means the fledgling party has named seven candidates for Johor so far.
Besides Rasid, Sangaran, and Fikri, the other candidates are Lim Wei Jiet (Tenang), Amira Aisya (Puteri Wangsa), Afiqah Zulkifli (Bukit Kepong), and Azrol Rahani (Bukit Permai). - The Vibes, February 24, 2022
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