Pakatan Harapan chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah is slated for a return to Parliament with a bid for the Pahang parliamentary seat of Indera Mahkota.
According to sources from PKR, the former deputy minister of higher education is favourite among the proposed names for the seat.
Incumbent Fauzi Abdul Rahman, who is also the Pahang Harapan chief, won the seat in 2013 with a majority of 7,523 votes over Umno's Adnan Wan Mamat.
Fauzi was a former deputy minister and Kuantan Umno chief. He also held the Beserah state seat from 1995 to 2004, before joining PKR in 2008.
On his visit to Indera Mahkota, Saifuddin met with state Pakatan leaders from Paya Besar and Kuantan, before making his way to Kampung Sungai Ular near Balok alongside to give contributions to the poor families.
When met by Malaysiakini after the press conference in Kuantan, Saifuddin said that he is still a new member of PKR, and will leave the decision to the party about his candicacy.
"In PKR, I'm a newbie. Therefore, I cannot say that I must be nominated for any seats in the general elections. I will abide by the party's decision," he said.
Saifuddin stood in the Temerloh parliamentary seat in 2008, but lost the seat to PAS’ Nasruddin Hassan in 2013. He was later appointed to lead the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and quit Umno in 2015.
‘New faces’
When asked, Fauzi Abdul Rahman did not deny the possibly of vacating Indera Mahkota, revealing that four names have been nominated for the seat.
Besides Saifuddin and himself, these include Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung and deputy state PKR chief Nizam Hamid.
Fauzi remained magnanimous, however, stating that he would gladly make way for new faces.
"It depends on the party's decision, and I feel that I've been in politics for too long since I began in 1972.
"We have talents in PKR and I think if we have opportunities, I can take a step back to give others a chance to take over my place.
"I'm definitely ready to give way to new faces. I mean, why should I sacrifice the (chances of) younger, talented politicians. I've been here for so long," he said to Malaysiakini.
He hinted at being fielded in a state seat, such as Sungai Lembing, but added that leaving Indera Mahkota would prove risky.
Apart from the incumbent Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, the state Pakatan chairperson also revealed that they will be fielding more women as candidates, including Sitarunisa Abdul Kadir in Rompin and state PKR Wanita chief Dasimah Zainuddin in the Batu Teras state constituency.
Another source also revealed that PKR Bera division chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid will be fielded again in the constituency to contest against three-term incumbent Ismail Sabri, who defeated him in 2013 by 2,043 votes.
Pahang Pakatan Harapan announced the seat allocation in Kuantan on March 17, with 14 state constituencies allocated to PKR, along with four parliamentary seats, namely Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Rompin and Bera. -Mkini
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