KULIM – Although he has a tough battle on his hands, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate for the Padang Serai parliamentary by-election said he is motivated by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s rise to the prime minister post, even if it is through the national unity concept.
Mohamad Sofee Razak, 47, a lawyer by profession, said he will continue with his agenda for reform despite stiff challenges from Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Datuk Azman Nasrudin, who was a former party colleague, adding that the best way forward in any country is through moderation and tolerance.
“There should not be any tolerance towards corruption and power abuse. PH will battle until we get rid of such forms of misgovernance,” said Sofee.
Azman defected to PN from PKR after the 2018 general election, and the Lunas assemblyman is no stranger to the Padang Serai constituency here.
He is also a state executive councillor.
Azman’s confidence stems from the remarks of Kedah PN chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who expressed confidence that PN can seize the seat through PAS after winning a majority of seats in Kedah.
Azman also said he wants the by-election here to become a referendum of the people in Kedah, who objected to the proposed “illegal marriage” between PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) in forming the national unity-based federal government.
He claimed that many voters felt they were cheated by PH and BN, which had earlier denied a secret pact before the conclusion of the 15th general election.
“The people, in particular a majority of the Malays, can’t accept Anwar as the prime minister, although we accept the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision.”
Kedah PH chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar sees the battle of Padang Serai as symbolic, as it allows the coalition to redeem themselves after the stunning losses in Kedah.
“Sofee is our last line of defence against the onslaught of the green wave, where the preaching of hatred and aggressive politics is unsettling in a multi-racial nation.”
Padang Serai has 133,767 eligible voters, with 81,230 of the voters in the Lunas state constituency, while the remaining 52,546 are voters in the Merbau Pulas state constituency.
In terms of ethnicity, 70.11% are Bumiputera. 15.11% are Indians, while 14.16% are Chinese. Others account for 0.52% in the largely blue-collar working-class area.
Sofee and Azman are facing a five-cornered fight to wrest Padang Serai.
Besides the two, they are also challenged by Datuk C. Sivaraajh (BN), Hamzah Abdul Rahman (Pejuang), and Sreanandha Rao (independent).
It remains to be seen if Sivaraajh wants to continue fighting, as BN is now locked in a national unity government with PH. – The Vibes, November 28, 2022
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