IPOH – Kuala Selangor incumbent MP Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad must set aside his personal preferences and defend his seat in the upcoming general election for the sake of the rakyat and the party.
Amanah communications director Khalid Abdul Samad said this following the party’s announcement earlier today, confirming Dzulkefly’s candidacy.
Dr Dzulkefly, who is a former health minister, had said in June that he has no intention of contesting in the coming polls to make way for younger leaders and that the matter has been related to the Amanah top leadership.
Speaking to The Vibes, Khalid said it is only right for his colleague to defend the Kuala Selangor seat, particularly with caretaker finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz highly expected to contest there on Umno’s ticket.
Having Dr Dzulkefly as Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate is crucial, he said, going by his popularity in the constituency and seeing that the coalition may need someone with influence to defeat Zafrul, if rumours of the latter’s candidacy are true.
“If we feel we (PH) want to win the election and that he (Dr Dzulkefly) is the one who can win the seat for us, then obviously he has to put his personal choices aside and give importance to the people and party.
“If the party feels that based on our analysis, data and feedback, that he can defeat Zafrul, then he must put his personal preference aside,” he said on the sidelines of the PH convention today.
Earlier today, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub confirmed in a statement that Dr Dzulkefly has been picked as the party’s candidate to defend the Kuala Selangor seat, which he has won twice.
“Since Umno wants to place Tengku Zafrul as its candidate in the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat, the Amanah and PH leadership want Dr Dzul to defend the seat once again.
“This is because the 15th general election (GE15) is critical and very serious. It is important that each seat is won by PH,” Salahuddin had said.
Amanah is banking on Dr Dzulkefly, given his track record among local constituents as well as his service in the Selangor Task Force on Covid-19, and his tenure as health minister when PH was in federal power.
Dzulkefly first won the Kuala Selangor seat in the 2008 general election, by an 862-vote margin, in a straight fight against an Umno candidate. At the time, he was with PAS, which was in alliance with DAP and PKR under the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat pact.
Meanwhile, Khalid also confirmed to The Vibes that he will most likely not defend his Shah Alam seat in the coming election and instead contest in a constituency in Kuala Lumpur.
There have been strong speculations that he will be taking on Titiwangsa, which will also likely feature Umno’s Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Khalid has been championing the plights of residents of Kg Sg Baru, which is under the Titiwangsa constituency, on the ongoing land grab issue.
“I have been Shah Alam MP for three terms. During this time, I have developed second liners, and I think now is a good time to surrender to the younger leaders and for me to leave.
“Most likely, I will be assigned to take another seat. There is a possibility it will be in Kuala Lumpur, but nothing is confirmed yet.
“It will only be confirmed once I receive the candidacy letter from my party and my nomination is announced,” he said. – The Vibes, October 20, 2022
