GE14 | Bandar Tun Razak Umno division has denied agreeing to its counterpart in MCA contesting the coveted Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat following a discussion between the two BN component parties.
Bandar Tun Razak Umno division chief Rizalman Mokhtar told Malaysiakini that no such consensus had been reached and he maintained his stand that Umno should contest the seat in next month’s general election.
Rizalman was rebutting a media report that quoted Bandar Tun Razak MCA chief Chew Yin Keen as claiming that Umno has given up fielding a candidate in the federal seat.
"According to initial consensus (with Umno), I will contest in Bandar Tun Razak," Chew was quoted as saying by Guang Ming Daily yesterday.
It was further reported that both parties had met yesterday.
When contacted, Chew only admitted to the meeting taking place but declined to divulge further information.
"We have discussed (the matter of contesting in Bandar Tun Razak). But since he (Rizalman ) denied this, I have nothing to say. It's okay," he told Malaysiakini.
Chew also refused to confirm if he had indeed told the media that Umno had agreed to allow MCA to contest the seat.
MCA had held Bandar Tun Razak in three general elections but lost the seat to PKR in 2008, prompting Rizalman to openly demand that MCA cedes the seat to Umno.
Rizalman himself had been heavily touted to contest the seat until his arrest in a joint MACC and police operation last week. He had initially been tested positive for drugs but was subsequently cleared.
Sources in Umno had previously told Malaysiakini that Umno planned to field its Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (photo) in the constituency. However, Sharizat turned downthe offer.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor admitted that Bandar Tun Razak and Wangsa Maju were MCA seats, but said that his party would adopt a "take one, give one" approach to the seats.
Speculation has been rife that BN may parachute an outsider in for the seat.
Several leaders have been named, including Wangsa Maju Umno chief Mohd Shafei Abdullah, incumbent Setiawangsa parliamentarian Ahmad Fauzi Zahari and former federal territories minister Zulhasnan Rafique.
However another daily, China Press, had also quoted a source stating Rizalman had allowed MCA to contest the seat in order to block the outsider from being fielded in the seat and ultimately impact his leadership in the Umno division.
The source said Rizalman had told BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak and Tengku Adnan about his decision.
Bandar Tun Razak Umno deputy chief Saharuddin Zainal Abidin told Malaysiakini that the Umno division had, at a meeting, rejected having an outsider fielded there.
Instead, he said, the division has proposed a candidate to replace Rizalman and that name had been sent to Najib yesterday.
The candidate being proposed is a lawyer in his early 40s, who is also serving as the Youth leader of an Umno branch.
"He's from here (anak tempatan). Umno members know him, he often appears on television," Saharuddin said. - Mkini
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