SEREMBAN: Federal ministers Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Anthony Loke are among the 27 candidates representing the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional coalition who will be involved in straight fights in the Aug 12 state polls.
Mohamad, who is Umno deputy president and Defence Minister and has held the Rantau seat since 2004, will be challenged by Rozmal Malakan. He was accompanied by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong when he arrived at the nomination centre.
Loke, who is DAP secretary-general and Transport Minister, is vying for his third term in Chennah where his rival is Rosmaidi Arif.
Both Rozmal and Rosmaidi are from Perikatan Nasional. There will be three-cornered fights in seven constituencies and four-cornered battles in two other seats.
The three-cornered fights will take place in Klawang, Lenggeng, Temiang, Ampangan, Bukit Kepayang, Mambau and Paroi while the four-cornered ones are in Nilai and Sikamat.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who first won Sikamat in 2008, will be challenged by Perikatan’s Ahmad Raihan Muhamad Hilal and Independent candidates Bujang Abu and Mohammed Hafiz Baharuddin. In Nilai, its incumbent J. Arul Kumar will be challenged by Perikatan’s Gan Chee Biow and Independents Omar Mohd Isa and Yessu Samuel.
State Umno chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias who is also Jelebu MP, will be up against Perikatan’s Amirudin Hasan or popularly known as Cikgu Amir for the Pertang seat.
Rozmal and Mohamad after the nomination process at Sekolah Bandar Sri Sendayan. – Bernama
Mohd Najib, the son of former mentri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, will be making his political debut in Bagan Pinang where he will be challenged by Perikatan’s Abdul Fatah Zakaria, also known as Ustaz Fatah.
In Klawang, Danni Rais, who is the son of former Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim and contesting under the Perikatan banner, will challenge Pakatan’s incumbent Datuk Bakri Sawir.
Ampangan will also be closely watched as its incumbent Datuk Dr Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek, who won the seat on a PKR ticket in 2018, will now be vying for a second term as an Independent candidate.
The former state exco, who was not picked by PKR to defend the seat, will be up against Pakatan’s Tengku Zamrah Tengku Sulaiman and Perikatan’s Muhammad Ghazali Zainal Abidin.
Muda’s sole representative Qusyairy Ahmad will try his luck in Temiang, where he will be up against Pakatan’s incumbent Ng Chin Tsai and Perikatan’s Chua Eng Pu.
In the 2018 polls, Pakatan Harapan won 20 seats while Barisan won the remaining 16.
Pakatan, which won the state polls in 2018, is banking on its performance over the past five years where it set a few impressive records. Last year, the state received almost RM9bil in new investments, an all-time high. Its revenue of RM556mil in 2019 was also the highest ever registered by the state.
This year, it has targeted investments to hit over RM35bil through a number of high-impact investments in the aerospace, maritime development and semiconductor sectors.
The launch of the Malaysian Vision Valley 2.0 Catalyst projects, which recently saw the signing of agreements and collaborations totalling RM15.6bil, is yet another achievement which is set to create more jobs for the people.
Perikatan, meanwhile, feels the state can do better due to its proximity to the Klang Valley and the country’s ports.
Apart from addressing issues related to the cost of living, Perikatan will also be banking on the high prices of goods and wants voters to view the state election as a referendum against the Pakatan-Barisan coalition government.
Perikatan’s biggest name is former deputy minister Datuk Eddin Syazlee Shith. The former state Perikatan chief and Kuala Pilah MP will be up against Barisan’s Puan Sri Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid for the Juasseh seat. Bibi Sharliza, who served one term as Paroi assemblyman from 2004, is the wife of Mohd Isa.
