The Gerik parliamentary seat is set to see an electoral showdown between two "youth" leaders from Umno and DAP.
Sources told Malaysiakini that Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki is “almost confirmed” to be BN's candidate for the Malay-majority rural seat.
Gerik, a seat that has been vacant since November 2020, is seen as a safe seat for the 46-year-old Umno leader, according to a party source.
“So far Asyraf is almost confirmed to contest in Gerik... this is a safe seat for him
“His name has been sent to the party leadership for further consideration,” said the source.
While Umno Youth membership is restricted to those aged 40 and below, there is no age cap for the wing's top leadership post.
Asyraf was 42 when he won the Umno Youth chief race in 2018.
Hailing from Kelantan, Asyraf, who is also the Umno Pasir Puteh division deputy chief, lost to PAS’ Nik Zawawi Salleh by 1,360 votes in Pasir Puteh in the 2018 general election.
Asyraf was also fielded in Tumpat during the 2008 general election, but likewise, he lost.
Following this, his appointment as a senator allowed Asyraf to serve as the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic affairs under the BN administration from 2015 to 2018
Moving to Perak would hence give the Umno Youth chief a better chance at being an MP.
Since the seat's creation in 1974, Gerik has consistently been a BN stronghold.
In 2018, Umno's Hasbullah Osman won in a three-cornered fight with a 5,528 vote majority.
However, the parliamentary seat fell vacant following his death on Nov 16, 2020, with a by-election postponed by emergency proclamation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With 70 percent of voters as of 2018 being Malay, candidates for the seat have also shared this demographic background.
During the last general election, it was one of seven Perak parliamentary seats that Pakatan Harapan allocated to Bersatu.
In this election, however, Harapan is taking a chance by allocating one of the seven seats, Gerik, to DAP - a party that is often perceived in rural Malay communities as being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.
Tough fight for DAP
While Perak DAP does have Malay leaders among its ranks, the party is reportedly looking to raise the stakes even higher by fielding a non-Malay - namely former party Youth chief Howard Lee.
Lee, 39, is currently the Pasir Pinji assemblyperson. Malaysiakini learnt that the Perak DAP chief had announced his candidacy for Gerik during an internal meeting at the end of last month.
The DAP source acknowledged that Gerik would be a tough fight for DAP. However, Lee is known for his fluent Malay speaking skills and has a certain level of popularity in national politics, which would serve as an advantage.
Based on 2018 data, of the 30 percent non-Malays voters in the constituency, only 14 percent were Chinese. Another 13 percent were ethnic Siamese, while three percent were Indians.
Chinese voters are the DAP's main source of support in rural areas.
Despite this, a Chinese contesting and winning in Gerik is not unheard of.
Umno had loaned the constituency to Gerakan in 2008, resulting in Tan Lian Hoe representing Gerik for a single term.
In general practice, DAP only allows top leaders to contest both parliamentary and state seats.
'Lee is seen as a rising star'
However, the DAP source indicated that this exception is also being extended to Lee - who is seen as a rising star in the party.
"The party chief has promised to let him defend Pasir Pinji. This would be the current arrangement,” the source said.
When contacted, Lee declined to comment on his potential candidacy in the BN stronghold.
“Everything will be decided by the party leadership. I will follow the decision,” he said briefly.
Meanwhile, Asyraf appeared surprised when asked about being fielded in the Perak seat.
He said that he is currently focusing on the preparation of Pasir Puteh BN's election machinery and was not privy to Umno's list of candidates.
“I will leave this to the leadership. Even if I am not assigned to the contest, I am okay with that. I am a party man and I will follow the decision.
“Whatever the decision is, I would want to make sure that Pasir Puteh will be won by BN,” Asyraf said.
The Election Commission is set to announce the polling date for GE15 on Oct 20. - Mkini
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