PKR's giant killer disappointed at being denied another big clash

 

MALACCA POLLS | When PKR information chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin sought to contest the Paya Rumput state seat in the Malacca polls, he was expecting to take on Bersatu vice president Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen, who is also the state Bersatu chief.

Shamsul is no stranger to big electoral fights, having defeated outgoing Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam in the 2013 general election in the parliamentary seat of Hang Tuah Jaya, then known as Bukit Katil, thwarting the Umno leader's federal ambitions.

He defeated Ali a second time in the 2018 general election in the same seat.

Despite being an MP, Shamsul isn't sitting out of the Malacca polls and is gearing up for another fight.

However, Rafiq, who is the Paya Rumput incumbent assemblyperson, decided to switch seats and is now contesting in Telok Mas instead.

"I had expected to contest against Rafiq... I'm disappointed as it would have been an opportunity for us to present our agenda," Shamsul told Malaysiakini in an interview.

Paya Rumput is a Malay-majority seat, at around 62 percent, but also has a substantial non-Malay population. Telok Mas has a larger Malay population at 74 percent.

In Paya Rumput, Perikatan Nasional (PN) will instead be represented by Bersatu's Muhammad Faris Izwan Mazlan.

Other contenders include BN's candidate Rais Yasin, Putra's Mohamad Hashidi Mohd Zin, and independent candidate Mohd Jaini Haji Dimon.

Shamsul noted that Rais, like him, was a federal-level leader.

Bersatu won Paya Rumput in the last general election but the party later quit Pakatan Harapan. Shamsul is now tasked with wresting the seat back for Harapan from Bersatu.

But before Shamsul can deliver Paya Rumput, he first has to overcome internal dissent.

Some in Tangga Batu PKR had been angry at the PKR central leadership for fielding Shamsul instead of a grassroots leader.

The state seat of Paya Rumput falls within the Tangga Batu parliamentary constituency.

Fighting internal fires

Shortly after Shamsul was named as the Paya Rumput candidate, an anonymous letter was circulated within PKR renouncing him.

He acknowledged the existence of internal unhappiness but said the matter had been resolved.

"We had an internal meeting with the Paya Rumput coordinator and machinery. In the initial stages, some of them were indeed angered at the decision.

"But that's the reality in a political party. There are some decisions that we like, others that we do not," he said.

He said such issues needed to be resolved wisely and that the party needed to "move forward".

Shamsul said he also spoke to grassroots leaders in the state seat of Machap Jaya where there was also unhappiness over the dropping of their incumbent assemblyperson Ginie Lim as a candidate, in favour of Law Bing Haw.

Having had to put out fires, Shamsul hopes to be able to focus on what he has to offer to local voters.

Among the issues, he seeks to tackle flooding, internet accessibility, and road access.

Shamsul also promised to launch an app next week which will enable constituents to report any issues to his service centre.

Campaigning for the Malacca polls began on Nov 8. Malaccans will vote for 28 elected representatives to the state assembly on Nov 20.

The winners must form a coalition of at least 15 assemblypersons to form the state government. - Mkini