‘Merlimau key to winning Malacca’

The next battleground is seen as crucial for Pakatan Rakyat because it is a gateway to capturing a BN stronghold.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin considers the Merlimau state seat as a mandatory stepping-stone for Pakatan Rakyat to gain inroads into Malacca.

As such, he said, the coalition must give serious consideration to the selection of its candidate for the March 6 by-election there if it is to secure this crucial victory.

The Merlimau seat fell vacant after BN’s two-time assemblyman Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hassan died of heart complications in mid-January.

He defeated PAS’ Jasme Tompang by a majority of 2,154 votes in the 2008 general election.

While Malacca Pakatan leaders are adamant to resume their fight for the seat, the state PKR has recently offered Shamsul as a potential candidate.

Pakatan national leaders will meet soon to decide between both parties and Shamsul has declined to speculate on the likelihood of his candidacy.

“This matter is in the hands of the Pakatan leaders,” he told FMT today. “We should know within a week as we will be deploying our machinery in early February. But the top priority is that a winnable candidate is fielded regardless of the party he represents.”

Shamsul, who is also Malacca PKR chief, added that the state PKR committee and the Jasin PKR committee would be holding an official briefing tomorrow in preparation for the by-election.

However, he said that this did not indicate that PKR would ultimately be chosen to field a candidate.

“Whether it is PKR or PAS, it is still a Pakatan candidate and PKR will lend its full support,” he said.

Shamsul, who hails from nearby Jasin, also sees the Chinese voters in Merlimau as playing a significant role in the by-election.

Merlimau has a total of 10,679 voters of whom 64% are Malays, 20.8% Chinese and 14.4% Indians.

“We only engaged half the Chinese community in 2008 so we need to reach out to them more,” he said. “But we have to make more inroads into the Malay areas and the many Indian estates as well.”

Opinion divided

Meanwhile, Malacca PKR Youth leaders were divided in their opinion of Shamsul’s suitability as a candidate. They also requested to remain anonymous when speaking to FMT.

“If he is fielded, it would be mainly because of PAS’ poor performance in the Tenang by-election,” said a Youth leader. “But I think PAS should still contest in Merlimau for the simple reason that it has been there longer than PKR.”

“Let’s put it this way. Among the candidates, Shamsul will be the better choice. Among the parties, PAS has a better chance.”

Another Youth leader said that it was PKR Youth’s dream for Shamsul to be fielded as he is considered the only heavyweight Pakatan candidate in Malacca.

“If it’s not him, we will receive any other candidate,” he said. “But PAS must make sure that its candidate is better than Shamsul.”

He also agreed with Shamsul that capturing Merlimau will be Pakatan’s passport to gain a foothold in Malacca.

“Merlimau will be a signpost as to where the Malacca people will swing in the next general election,” the Youth leader said.

“The racial composition there is similar to that of Malacca as a whole and this is our best shot at breaking down the BN barricade. Right now, Malacca is Umno’s strongest state.”

The ruling government holds five of the six state seats and all five are in the Jasin constituency under which Merlimau falls.

While the Youth leader agreed with Shamsul that Pakatan must reach out to the Chinese community, he also indicated who the community prefers.

“The Merlimau Chinese want a PKR candidate,” he said. “And they specifically want Shamsul.” - FMT