Sunday April 21, 2013

GE13: Negri state chiefs ready to slug it out

Keeping the peace: Police officers escorting Barisan supporters outside the nomination centre at the Seremban 2 Land and District office in Negri Sembilan.

SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan MCA and DAP state chiefs will be squaring off against each other for the Seremban parliamentary seat amid a crowded field in a five-cornered fight that also involves an incumbent MP who has been dropped by his party.

MCA's Datuk Seri Dr Yeow Chai Tiam and his DAP counterpart Anthony Loke, who had faced each other in the Rasah parliamentary seat in the 2008 general election, also have to face incumbent Seremban MP John Fernandez.

The other two in the fray are Abdul Halim Abdullah, who will contest as a candidate of Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Semalaysia (Berjasa) and retiree Bujang Abu, who will contest as an independent.

Fernandez, 74, who had won the seat on a DAP ticket at the last polls, will also be going in as an independent after the party dropped him as a candidate.

The five candidates filed their nomination papers at the Wisma Negri building here, accompanied by their respective supporters.

At their last encounter in Rasah, Loke emerged victorious over Dr Yeow.

With their shift to Seremban, Rasah will see a “battle of the Teos” with the Barisan's Teo Eng Kian and incumbent Bahau assemblyman Teo Kok Seong facing one another.

Apart from Seremban and Rasah, the other parliamentary seats at stake in Negri Sembilan are Teluk Kemang, Rembau, Kuala Pilah, Jelebu, Jempol and Tampin. A total of 14 independents have joined in the fray.

A closely-watched seat is Rembau, where Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar will be defending the seat against the PKR's Radzali A. Ghani and independent Abdul Aziz Hasan.

There is also a three-way tussle in Teluk Kemang, where state PKR chief Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abbas, the incumbent, will be facing Barisan candidate Datuk V.S. Mogan and former state Makkal Sakthi Party chief Datuk Seri Kamarudin Kumaravel Abdullah.

The Barisan's Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor is seeking a third term in Tampin, where he will be challenged by PAS candidate Abdul Razakek Abdul Rahim.

PAS is also fielding singer Aishah, or Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin, against former Umno vice-president Tan Sri Isa Samad in Jempol while PAS Muslimat information chief Aiman Athirah Al-Jundi will face Barisan's Zainuddin Ismail in Jelebu.

The Barisan's Datuk Hassan Malek, who is defending Kuala Pilah, will be challenged by state PKR Youth chief Mohd Nazree Mohd Yunos.

Of the 36 state seats, 28 will see straight fights between the Barisan and the Pakatan parties, while the rest will also see independent players in the fray.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, defending the Rantau state seat, will again have state PKR vice-chief Aisah Lamsah as his challenger.

Four-cornered fights will also be seen in the Nilai state seat, which is being defended by the DAP, and Jeram Padang, now held by the Barisan.

For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site

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