BN’s withdrawn Padang Serai candidate to be considered for govt role: Saifuddin

KULIM – Datuk C. Sivaraj, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Padang Serai parliament constituency, will be considered for a suitable role in the unity government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Sivaraj previously agreed to give way and unconditionally support the PH candidate in the election on December 7.

“Sivaraj’s withdrawal was made unconditionally. But I’m convinced as a young leader, Sivaraj deserves a spot.

“In a new government like ours, surely there are places that these young leaders deserve and we will consider it,” he told reporters after attending a PH mega-political talk here tonight, along with fellow attendees Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Sivaraj and PH candidate Mohamad Sofee Razak.

On Sivaraj’s withdrawal from the election, Saifuddin Nasution said it was done following discussions between PH, MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran and BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said one of the reasons posed by PH justifying BN’s withdrawal was PH’s agreement to give way to BN’s candidate in the Tioman state seat election in Pahang.

“So, in the spirit of the existing coalition government consisting of both these blocks in Tioman, PH withdrew, while in Padang Serai, Sivaraj gave way and I have stressed repeatedly he did so unconditionally, just like the withdrawal in Tioman was done without any conditions,” he added.

On Anwar’s self-appointment as finance minister being the subject of debate by many parties, Saifuddin Nasution, who is also home minister, said the names proposed and presented to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had been done according to due process and took all matters into consideration.

“One decision, of course, has its pros and cons, and we went along with it as we are confident that with his experience, he is able to lead this important ministry,” he said. – Bernama, December 5, 2022