TAPAH – MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has urged DAP to review its candidates’ list amid speculation that some of its more reputable leaders will be dropped in the coming election, saying it will be a great loss for Parliament and Malaysia.
He specifically expressed hope that Charles Santiago and Kasthuri Patto, respectively the incumbent lawmakers for Klang and Batu Kawan, will be retained.
DAP is said to be seriously considering dropping Santiago, a three-term MP, for a fresh face, while Kasthuri announced on Thursday that she is stepping down of her own accord to make way for future leaders after winning her seat twice.
Speaking to The Vibes in an interview, Saravanan said political rivalry aside, he is saddened to hear reports of the two leaders, whom he highly respects, not contesting in the upcoming polls.
He said he remembers both Santiago and Kasthuri since he joined frontline politics in the early 2000s as being professional MPs who “raise valid and crucial arguments in the august House”.
“They are very professional in the way they present (their arguments) in Parliament and raise issues, especially relating to my ministries,” he said at the Tapah MIC headquarters here yesterday.
“Before this, I was deputy minister for the Federal Territory Ministry and Youth and Sports Ministry, and now the minister of human resources. These are two leaders I always respect as competent MPs.
MIC deputy president @DatukSaravanan has urged @dapmalaysia to review its candidate list amid speculation that some of its more reputable MPs will be dropped in GE15.
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) October 22, 2022
Specifically, he expressed hope that @mpklang and @PattoKasthuri will be retained. pic.twitter.com/wBSZGmkBsK
“I am extremely saddened that they won’t get the opportunity (to contest),” he said, adding that he still harbours hope that DAP will reconsider this decision.
“We need professional MPs whose presentations can bring changes to the country and rakyat. I believe they (DAP) will review this.”
Umno’s Cameron Highlands MP influential, MIC agrees to replacement seat
On the contentious Cameron Highlands federal seat, which traditionally belonged to MIC before Umno contested there in the 2019 re-election, Saravanan said his party had agreed to maintain the status quo, seeing that the incumbent Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor is still influential there.
He also dismissed suggestions that the decision to give up the seat to Umno for the upcoming polls is due to the Barisan Nasional (BN) linchpin’s insistence and pressure.
“Although there were some disagreements on certain seats, in the end, we solved them civilly.
“And yes, although in the earlier phases we agreed that the Cameron Highlands seat will only be lent to Umno, we realise that the incumbent MP still has influence in the constituency.
“So we decided to stick to this, and MIC will be given another seat,” he said.
Separately, Saravanan said 78% of seat negotiations among the BN components have been finalised, with the remaining seats to be sorted within the next few days.
Ramli won Cameron Highlands in a by-election in January 2019 after MIC’s candidate Datuk C. Sivarraajh’s 2018 victory in the constituency was nullified by the Election Court on grounds of electoral corruption.
Ramli, who is the first Orang Asli MP, initially contested as a direct member of BN before later officially joining Umno. – The Vibes, October 22, 2022
Additional reporting by Lancelot Theseira
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