Peja to sit out state polls, confident Perikatan has enough leaders

KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu has confirmed that he will be sitting out the state elections slated for later this year.

The former Perak menteri besar told The Vibes that his focus lies in Tambun, the parliamentary seat that he lost to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the 15th general election (GE15).

“We have enough leaders in Perikatan Nasional (PN). Right now, we are going to groom more leaders in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Penang.

I truly believe that we can take over Selangor and Negri Sembilan, but for Penang, we will need a miracle.

“For me, I will focus on Tambun and continue my service there,” he said during a podcast session with The Vibes.

Of the six states that did not dissolve their respective assemblies along with Parliament for GE15, Penang, Selangor, and Negri Sembilan are governed by Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu are administered by PAS, which is part of the PN coalition and the federal opposition.

According to Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, the menteris besar and chief ministers of the six states have agreed to consider dissolving their assemblies in the last two weeks of June.

Popularly known as “Peja”, Faizal said he backed Bersatu chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s claim that his party was the victim of political prosecution after two of its members were dragged to court on allegations of soliciting and receiving bribes.

“This comes at a price for PN as Bersatu’s (financial) accounts have been frozen. It is going to be difficult to go into an election without money.

I think the liberal Malays and non-Malays in urban cities have started to realise that the real stable and clean government was with PN.

“Now other parties are trying to taint our image with these charges. Before this there were allegations that RM600 billion had been misappropriated,” said Faizal, who is former youth and sports minister.

At the same time, Faizal reminded party leaders to be wary about making statements, especially involving religion and race.

“Maybe some of our leaders, doesn’t matter whether it is coming from PAS, Bersatu, Umno, or PKR, they need to be careful with their statements.

We need to be wary of the sensitivities of race and religion. Same goes with other parties and non-Muslims who give statements about Islam being backwards.”

He added that non-Muslims should refrain from commenting on Islamic religious issues while pointing out that other political parties have made insensitive remarks in the past. 

Former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad are the first two people charged with corruption in relation to the Jana Wibawa scheme introduced by Muhyiddin when he was prime minister. – The Vibes, February 25, 2023

Tune in to the full episode of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Ep 26 with Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu on Monday