PKR's Juwairiya: Not my intention to take Hulu Kelang from Amanah

 

STATE POLLS | Pakatan Harapan candidate for Hulu Kelang Juwairiya Zulkifli used her stage at a mini ceramah last night to explain how she ended up being fielded in a seat considered as Amanah's safe deposit.

She told voters and coalition supporters that it was never her intention to take the seat from Amanah Women vice-chief Anfaal Saari.

Anfaal is the daughter of incumbent Hulu Kelang representative Saari Sungib, who has held the seat for three consecutive terms. She was touted to be the party's choice to continue her father's legacy.

Juwairiya (above) said Hulu Kelang was always considered Amanah's seat and it was not part of negotiations between Harapan parties.

Instead, she said, it was her seat Bukit Melawati that was among the few that Harapan's top leadership had to discuss until the last minute prior to announcing their final list of candidates last week.

"The negotiation was only concluded at about 2am (on July 22), before (caretaker) Selangor menteri besar (Amirudin Shari) gave me a call and told me that I should get ready for Hulu Kelang.

"It really shocked me. The first question that came out of my mouth was 'what about Anfaal?'

"Furthermore, it came as a shock because Hulu Kelang was never on the negotiation table. That was why nobody expected that I would be sent to contest here," she told the ceramah crowd at AU3 Keramat.

Mixed feelings turn to acceptance

The first-term assemblyperson, who won Bukit Melawati in 2018, said she personally preferred to defend the seat in Kuala Selangor, but accepted Harapan’s decision to have her contest Hulu Kelang.

Juwairiya told the audience that she felt it was important for her to clear the air over the seat.

After PKR announced its candidates on July 22, Juwairiya said she visited Saari to have a heart-to-heart discussion with the veteran politician about the party decision.

Both of them shared mixed feelings over the matter but eventually accepted the decision.

"We sat together to discuss, and he (Saari) expressed his feelings about the decision. He was upset, disappointed, and to some extent, angry.

"It was the same for me too. Because I had to leave Bukit Melawati and Kuala Selangor, which I have served for the past five years.

"But we eventually accepted the decision, and agreed to focus on securing victory for Harapan in Hulu Kelang, God willing," she said.

In her speech, Juwairiya expressed her gratitude to grassroots party machinery from Harapan and BN, especially Amanah for accepting her as their candidate.

The political secretary to Amirudin also dispelled claims that she was an outsider, saying that she was born and raised in Keramat.

Juwairiya will be facing Perikatan Nasional's Azmin Ali, who is a former menteri besar. Azmin was also once a PKR deputy president before he defected to join Bersatu in 2020.

While the Hulu Kelang seat was given to PKR, Harapan nominated Anfaal to contest the Taman Templer seat. PKR also swapped its Batu Tiga state seat in Shah Alam with Amanah, in place of Hulu Kelang.

The Hulu Kelang seat used to be a BN fixed deposit until 2008, when Saari, then with PAS, defeated Umno's Ahmad Bujang.

Saari defended the seat in 2013, before he left PAS to join Amanah and managed to retain Hulu Kelang again in 2018. - Mkini