JOHOR BARU: Kluang Amanah wants to be allowed to contest the upcoming by-election for the Mahkota state seat following the death of incumbent Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zaid on Aug 2.
Branch founder and chief Dr Mohd Zuhan Mohd Zain said that the decision was made based on three in-depth analyses conducted on the recent political situation.
“First, the Johor State Government today is not a unity government as practiced by the Federal Government and several other states.
Although we see harmony, Pakatan Harapan is nothing more than a friendly party, as we are not incorporated into the government; there is no exco from Pakatan, no councillors, and not even a village chief," said Dr Mohd Zuhan.
He added that the second reason is the recent statement made by Kluang Umno Division chief (Datuk Md Jais Sarday) on July 13 and also said that Md Jais had openly stated that he does not want to cooperate with one of the Pakatan component partners.
"This statement has deeply hurt our grassroots supporters and has opened the door for enemies to divide the unity government in Kluang," said Dr Mohd Zuhan.
He added that Amanah won the Mahkota seat during the 14th General Election (GE14) and 15th General Election (GE15) data shows that Kluang voters support Pakatan
He said this during a press conference at a restaurant in Taman Maju on Monday (Aug 5).
Asked whether he would offer himself as a candidate to contest in the by-election, Mohd Zuhan said that he is not ruling out the possibility.
“I will leave the decision to our state and central leadership; we have decided to nominate one candidate, but the final say is still from the top management.
“Nevertheless, Kluang Amanah will heed the voices of our grassroots for further action. We are prepared for any eventuality, whether it is a two-cornered or three-cornered fight," he said.
In GE14 the Amanah candidate using the PKR logo - Muhammad Said Jonit - won the Mahkota state seat with 19,507 votes, with a majority of 1,668.
Muhammad Said defeated Barisan candidate Datuk Md Jais Sarday, who garnered 17,839 votes, and the PAS candidate, Hasbullah Najib, who received 3,092 votes.
Earlier, the Election Commission said that it will hold a meeting on Aug 13 to decide on the date for a by-election for the Mahkota state seat.
EC secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said the commission had been notified of the vacancy by Johor state assembly Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi yesterday, following the death of incumbent Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zaid on Aug 2.
He said it was stated in the Johor State Constitution that a vacancy in a seat must be filled within 60 days after the EC was notified.
