KEPALA BATAS: Any discussion on vacant seats and by-election candidates is done internally at the Pakatan Harapan presidential council level and not through public statements by branch or division leaders, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Pakatan secretary-general said the component parties' leaders would meet whenever a seat is officially declared vacant.
"After these discussions, we will reach a decision – that is the proper process," he said after a Home Minister's meet-and-greet session at Dewan Millennium here on Friday (Aug 9).
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He said the process is managed through internal mechanisms and not from leaders at other levels expressing their opinions openly.
He had been asked to comment on calls by Kluang Amanah division chief Dr Mohd Zuhan Mohd Zain for the party to contest the Mahkota state seat in Johor.
The seat fell vacant after incumbent Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, who was also Kluang Wanita Umno chief, passed away on Aug 2 after being hospitalised with breathing difficulties.
Saifuddin said the seat vacancy might be discussed when the presidential council including Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, and PKR president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim meets in Putrajaya at 4pm today.
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He said although it was uncertain if the Mahkota seat would even be raised at this meeting, this was the proper forum for it to happen.
"I always stress that procedurally, before any decision is made on a vacant seat, we discuss it at (the top) level first," he added.
In the Johor state election in March 2022, Sharifah Azizah won the Mahkota seat for Barisan Nasional with 16,611 votes, receiving a majority of 5,166 votes.
She defeated Pakatan’s Taqiuddin Cheman (11,445 votes), Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Nor Lingan (7,614 votes), and Parti Warisan’s Mohamed Noor Suleiman (555 votes).
Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) announced it will meet on Tuesday (Aug 13) to decide on key dates for the Mahkota by-election.
On the upcoming Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan, Saifuddin – who is also PKR secretary-general – said the contesting parties should focus on the campaign rather than look around to see which party is absent.
"I think we should focus on the campaign and (leave it to) the wisdom of the voters in Nenggiri to make their decision," he said when asked to comment about DAP, part of the unity government, being absent from campaigning.
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Last month, Umno Veterans’ Club secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said DAP's presence on the ground in Nenggiri may confuse voters.
Mustapha reportedly said it could be used by the Opposition against Umno and Barisan Nasional.
“It is better that DAP help in other ways to support Umno and Barisan in Nenggiri,” he said.
The by-election was called following the announcement by Kelantan assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah that the seat had been vacated after incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim was expelled from Bersatu on June 13.
The EC has set Aug 17 as polling day, with early voting on Tuesday.
The by-election will see a straight fight between Barisan candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani and Mohd Rizwadi Ismail of PAS representing Perikatan Nasional.
