Give us walkover in Chini to avoid polls during pandemic, Umno vets tell Harapan

The Umno Veterans' Club has suggested that Pakatan Harapan give Muafakat Nasional a walkover in the Chini by-election so as to avoid costly polls during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This will save the cost for the Election Commission (EC) and it will help the government in its effort to combat Covid-19," its secretary-general Mustapha Yaakub (above) said in a statement.

Mustapha pointed out that Harapan's PKR candidate Mohamad Razali Ithnain lost his deposit in the constituency in the last general election after only polling 1,065 votes or 6.3 percent of the votes.

BN won in the three-cornered fight by obtaining 10,027 votes, defeating PAS candidate with a majority of 4,622 votes.

"Chini is the stronghold of BN/Umno. But PAS managed to gain a foothold following the establishment of Felda settlement in Chini. It had since become the archrival of BN.

"The emergence of Harapan/PKR only came during the last general election when political tsunami (swept through the nation)," Mustapha said.

However, he said Umno and PAS are now in an alliance under Muafakat Nasional.

"With Muafakat Nasional, Chini will definitely belong to BN/Muafakat Nasional once again and Harapan/PKR would again be hugely embarrassed under the current political situation.

"It is impossible for Harapan/PKR to challenge the coalition of BN/Umno and PAS.

"As such, it is reasonable that Harapan/PKR to not field its candidate in the by-election to give way to BN/Umno freely," he said.

Chini is one of four state constituencies under the Pekan parliamentary constituency - the stronghold of former premier Najib Abdul Razak who has been the local MP since 1986.

In 1999, PKR, then called Parti Keadilan Nasional, won the Chini seat by a slim majority.

On March 20, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the party was still conducting studies on the upcoming Chini by-election and have yet to make any decisions. 

The Chini state seat by-election was called after the death of incumbent Abu Bakar Harun on May 7.

The polling day is on July 4, with nomination day of June 20. - Mkini