Amanah Youth calls on opposition to nominate youthful candidate in Slim

SLIM POLLS | Amanah Youth has called on the opposition to use the Slim by-election as a rallying point to put aside its differences and nominate a candidate that was acceptable to all parties.

Additionally, Amanah Youth chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin (above) said his wing was asking the Pakatan Harapan Plus parties to consider younger candidates to be given the opportunity to contest the by-election.

"Nominating young people in the Slim by-election will project that impression that Pakatan Harapan Plus will continue to move forward leaving behind conservative political ideas.

"Amanah Youth is of the opinion that this by-election is a platform to test the integrity of Harapan Plus which consists of Amanah, DAP, PKR, Parti Warisan Sabah and the Bersatu (Berprinsip) group (which comprises supporters of ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad."

Despite Shazni's reference to Harapan Plus, Mahathir's camp is no longer with Harapan and has formed a third bloc together with Warisan as an independent opposition faction.

"The people have seen divisions among the opposition due to differences of opinion on many matters and this has also thwarted the opposition's efforts to retake the government," said Shazni in a Facebook post.

He said that the Slim by-election would be a test for Harapan Plus opposition unity and that the people, especially young people, will assess the extent of the sustainability and integrity of the Harapan Plus coalition.

"This includes choosing which party will contest and which candidate will be nominated," he added.

Yesterday disputed Bersatu secretary-general Marzuki Yahya who is in the faction loyal to Mahathir said his group wanted to discuss with its allies in the opposition first before deciding whether they would field a candidate in the Slim by-election.

Marzuki did not dismiss the possibility of going against PKR for the Perak state assembly seat, despite both being opposition parties.

PKR, which is one of the three components of Harapan, had stated its intention to contest the seat, which was made vacant following the death of its incumbent, Umno's Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib on July 15.

Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak announced, a day after Khusairi's death, that PKR will field a candidate in the upcoming by-election.

The late Khusairi won the Slim state seat in GE14 against Bersatu's Mohd Amran Ibrahim and PAS' Muhammad Zulfadli Zainal.

He had held the seat for four consecutive terms since 2004. - Mkini