Raise bid for Putrajaya seat with PH leadership council, Saifuddin tells Amanah

 The PH secretary-general says a component party should not declare such intentions through newspapers.

PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said seat negotiations should be handled internally through formal channels instead of public statements.

KUALA LUMPUR:

 Amanah has been told to bring its demands for seats, including its intention to contest in Putrajaya, to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential council meeting.

PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this would be a more orderly and constructive approach than airing such proposals publicly through the media.

“Within PH, if a component party wants to contest a particular parliamentary seat, we don’t announce it in the newspapers. We bring it to the PH presidential council meeting or raise it at the secretariat level.

“We also have a seat negotiation committee. That is the proper process,” he told a press conference after an event at Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih.

Amanah’s federal territories chapter is reportedly seeking to expand its parliamentary representation in the next general election (GE16), including targeting Putrajaya.

Its chief, Khalid Samad, also said the party is eyeing two other parliamentary seats in the federal territories, namely Labuan and Titiwangsa.

Separately, Saifuddin said he had instructed the immigration department and Kelantan police to facilitate the travel documentation of 34 students who were detained for crossing the border via illegal entry points to attend school in Rantau Panjang.

However, he stressed that anyone crossing the border must have valid travel documents.

“Border areas are exposed to cross-border crimes such as firearms smuggling, human trafficking and drug offences, and even students can be exploited.

“We cannot take security lightly, so we must pay attention to all these matters,” he said. - FMT