PKR-turned-Bersatu incumbent assemblyperson Azman Nasrudin has confirmed that he will not be defending his Lunas seat in Kedah in the looming state polls.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Azman (above, right) said he wants to concentrate on the Padang Serai parliamentary seat he won in the 15th general election (GE15).
“I won’t be contesting... neither will I be competing in other seats.
“I’m already an MP, that’s enough. This job is about trust and responsibility.
“I will help our candidates’ campaign efforts in the (state) election,” he said briefly when contacted yesterday.
Azman was a two-term state representative in Lunas.
In GE14, he contested under PKR’s banner and defeated his opponents from PAS and MIC by obtaining a whopping majority of 13,813 votes to retain the state constituency.
However, on May 12, 2020, Azman announced his resignation from PKR, along with comrade and incumbent Sidam assemblyperson Robert Ling.
At that time, the pair said they were independent representatives who supported then-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Perikatan Nasional coalition.
This resulted in Pakatan Harapan and then Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir losing majority support in the state assembly.
On Sept 6 the same year, Azman and Ling joined Bersatu.
PN MPs not contesting
Meanwhile, Kedah Bersatu chief Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah explained that Azman’s decision came after PN MPs who contested in GE15 and emerged victorious in their respective federal seats agreed not to contest on the state level this time round.
“Unless there’s a special case... We will give opportunities to as many people as possible. All candidates can win the election and they have the qualifications.
“So those who can satisfy the qualifications (criteria), we will give them the chance,” Suhaimi told Malaysiakini.
Asked if Ling will be fielded to defend the Sidam state seat, Suhaimi admitted that the former’s name has been mentioned several times.
“Ling is still with Bersatu and he’s an ally of PN.
“For now, his name is still being mentioned (to defend Sidam) but it’s up to the top leadership to decide.”
Malaysiakini has reached out to Ling for comments.
Ling was in a four-way tussle for Sidam in GE14, going up against opponents from PAS, Gerakan, and Parti Rakyat Malaysia.
He defended the seat by obtaining a huge majority of 10,860 votes.
In last year’s general election, Ling made his parliamentary seat debut in Sungai Petani but was defeated by Harapan’s Taufiq Johari. - Mkini
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