PETALING JAYA: With exactly two weeks to go to Nomination Day, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan are racing against time to get their list of candidates ready.
Both sides still have their work cut out to resolve issues that range from overlapping seat claims to deciding whether to field veteran warlords who either lost the last time or who carry a lot of baggage.
State Barisan chiefs met Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak separately in a marathon series of meetings earlier this week, and sources said he is expected to unveil the names of candidates next week.
Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan’s seat distribution in Selangor will take at least another week to settle while the list is about 95% complete for the rest of the country.
Pakatan is expected to name its line-up on April 25, three days before nomination.
For Barisan, differences remain over the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat which MIC and MyPPP are fighting over.
MyPPP president Tan Sri M. Kayveas has made no secret that he wants the seat although the constituency has always been contested by MIC.
MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying his party’s list of candidates kept changing practically every day.
Another contentious seat among Barisan parties is the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat. While MCA has fielded candidates there in past elections, Umno is said to be keen to place one of its leaders there this time, with Wanita chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s name being the latest to surface.
Eyebrows were also raised when it was reported that several Umno veterans are still in the running to be candidates. Among them are former Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and former Melaka Chief Minister Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam.
Isa, who is the current Jempol MP, served as Felda chairman from January 2011 to January 2017 and he stepped down amid numerous controversies in Felda.
Mohd Ali served as Chief Minister from 1999 to 2013 when he was fielded in the parliamentary seat of Bukit Katil where he lost.
Umno secertary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has ordered party members who were not selected to contest to respect the party’s decision.
“Anyone who tries to sabotage the elections will be sacked,” he said.
Pakatan, on the other hand, has already started naming some of its candidates and has promised to unveil its full list on April 25.
One major highlight will happen tomorrow – the coalition’s chairman and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is set to announce his candidacy and the seat he will be contesting.
Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia – which has been temporarily de-registered – will also be announcing its list of candidates at the same time.
Selangor, however, remains a key sticking point for the Opposition.
Pakatan has yet to resolve seat distribution in the state and it is understood that both PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her deputy Datuk Seri Azmin Ali are trying to get their supporters into the list, causing overlapping claims.
Selangor PKR information chief Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei has, however, tried to douse the fire by denying claims of a tussle.
PSM, which is not part of the opposition pact, is still waiting for Pakatan’s decision on its bid to contest in Sungai Siput and Cameron Highlands.
Incumbent Sungai Siput MP Dr D. Michael Jeyakumar, who won the seat on a PKR ticket in 2008 and 2013, did not rule out the possibility of clashing with Pakatan for the seats.
In Sabah, Parti Warisan Sabah has wrapped up a deal with state DAP but said it was discussing with the state PKR to resolve overlapping claims for several seats.
Political analyst Prof Datuk Abdul Halim Sidek said Barisan and the Opposition were taking their time to scrutinise the candidate list.
“Both sides are putting each potential choice under the microscope as they are looking for the ideal candidate who will appeal most to voters,” he said.
Prof Abdul Halim expects a few similarities in Barisan and Opposition’s list – both sides will offer a fair mix of candidates from both genders, young and fresh-faced as well as seasoned politicians.
IPOH: Issues involving division heads are among the main reasons why the Perak Barisan Nasional’s list of candidates has yet to be finalised.
Party leaders are still trying to iron out issues and to get the division leaders to close ranks, a source close to Barisan said.
Among the Umno divisions that have issues include Parit, Parit Buntar, Bagan Serai, Tambun, Kuala Kangsar, Bukit Gantang and Larut.
“Some division chairmen are unhappy with new candidates and some with incumbents.
“In Tambun, since MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah quit his party post, he has been given the cold shoulder by many division members,” he said.
“Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi met with the Bagan Serai division recently, hoping to settle a feud between chairman Datuk Sham Mat Sahat and MP Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali,” he added.
During his recent visit to Parit Buntar, Dr Ahmad Zahid also urged component party leaders to have their own point of view and not be easily influenced by their supporters.
He said leaders not only needed to listen to their supporters but also had to be brave to lead and have their own stance.
Barisan’s confirmed candidates in Perak are MCA’s Datuk Lee Chee Leong, Chang Gwo Chyang and Daniel Wa, who will contest the Kampar parliamentary seat and Malim Nawar and Keranji state seats, respectively.
Gerakan has confirmed that its Wanita chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe and Beruas division organising secretary Pang Chok King will contest the Jalong state and Beruas parliamentary seats, respectively.
Barisan holds 13 parliamentary seats while Pakatan has nine. PSM and PAS have one each.
PSM’s Dr D. Michael Jeyakumar, the incumbent Sungai Siput MP, said there has been no feedback from Pakatan Harapan leaders on his seat since they last met on the last day of the Parliament meeting.
“Some local PKR guys are saying they will be contesting here. Our stand is still that Pakatan should let us contest in Sungai Siput and also Cameron Highlands.
“We have a chance in both seats, especially with the support from Pakatan,” he said, adding that a three-cornered fight would only benefit Barisan.
– ANN
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