PKR: NO MAJOR ISSUES
We have a candidate of high calibre, says menteri besar
PKR has expressed confidence in defending the Sungai Kandis state seat based on the mood of the people and the party’s excellent record in the constituency.
Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said he believed the rakyat would place their trust in Pakatan Harapan candidate Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, 48.
“We have fielded a candidate who is of high calibre.
“That is the recipe for PKR’s success. On top of that, we feel that there are no major issues that the opposition at the state or federal level can manipulate,” he said yesterday.
He was speaking at the Sungai Kandis by-election nomination process at Shah Alam City Council’s Dewan Teratai in Seksyen 19 here.
He said PKR aimed to match or increase the majority it obtained in the 14th General Election (GE14), but the results would depend on the voter turnout on Aug 4.
Zawawi said the Sungai Kandis constituency was a large area following the redelineation exercise earlier this year, and this might pose a challenge to candidates in trying to win votes. He said determining voters’ mood and support for PKR was another obstacle.
“We will face a three-cornered fight in this by-election.
“I do not know the acceptance level among the public (towards Barisan Nasional and the independent candidate).
“However, based on what we see on the ground, people are leaning towards Pakatan Harapan. I hope the public will (exercise their right to) vote and head out to cast their ballots on Aug 4.
“Vote for me. There are programmes that we have planned that can be implemented (should PKR remain in power here),” he said after submitting his nomination as a candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election.
On issues he will focus on, Zawawi said underdeveloped infrastructure was one of the main problems in Sungai Kandis.
“Issues we often hear about from residents are poor garbage disposal, floods and so on. These are issues we aim to resolve.
“We have a lot of strategies lined up to approach the people, such as those used during GE14.
“We plan to visit residents in rural and urban areas and hold talks at places, like religious institutions, where a lot of people gather.”
On his opinion on the institution of the Malay rulers, Zawawi said PKR upheld the Federal Constitution.
The Sungai Kandis by-election will see a three-cornered fight between Zawawi, BN’s Datuk Lokman Noor Adam and independent Murthy Krishnasamy.
The Sungai Kandis state seat was declared vacant following the death of three-term assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei due to lymphoma on July 2.
In GE14, he obtained 23,998 votes in a four-cornered fight, defeating BN’s Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari (11,518), Pas’ Mohd Yusof Abdullah (7,573) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hanafiah Husin (76).