Kayveas springs surprise, says not contesting in Cameron Highlands

M Kayveas says the PH candidate can count on his party to stand with them and bring their support to the ballot box.

TANAH RATA: MyPPP president M Kayveas will not contest in the Cameron Highlands by-election.

Kayveas, who had lobbied to be the Barisan Nasional candidate in the May 9 general election, announced this minutes before the nomination period ended at the SMK Sultan Ahmad Shah here.

“I am a supporter of (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim (PKR president)… so with that, and with my long supporting ‘legitimate’ members I hereby announce that I will not be running as a candidate in this by-election.

“I will be openly and aggressively supporting Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate,” he told reporters.

Kayveas added that the PH candidate could count on MyPPP to stand with them and bring their support to the ballot box.

Kayveas had lobbied to be the BN candidate in the last general election, but the seat was given to MIC’s C Sivarraajh.

Kayveas had earlier reportedly said he hoped to create more “excitement” in this by-election with his candidacy, claiming the party had 3,000 votes in hand.

He then said that his party decided to field him as it neither supported PH or BN.

The by-election was triggered by the Election Court’s annulment of Sivarraajh’s victory in the May 9 general election because it found evidence of vote buying.

Sivarraajh, who is MIC vice-president, had said he would not challenge the election court’s decision, and that the BN would opt to fight for the cause of the people in a by-election rather than going to the Federal Court.

This will be the fifth by-election to be called after the 14th general election (GE14). -FMT