High likelihood for Amanah to contest in Tanjong Datu by-election, says state chief
KUCHING: Parti Amanah Negara ( Amanah) is keen to field a candidate for the Tanjong Datu by- election, to be called this Feb 18.
According to state Amanah chief Mohammad Fidzuan Zaidi, the party’s state executive committee will discuss this with the central committee and a decision will be announced later.
He said he had been meeting with some Tanjong Datu constituents and also claimed that Amanah had a support base there.
“The support base has been there since the May 7 state election in 2016,” he said yesterday, adding that Amanah would come out with an announcement on its candidacy (for Tanjong Datu) after Barisan Nasional (BN) announces theirs today.
Fidzuan is not a political greenhorn, having stood in Demak Laut in the state election last year, but lost to BN candidate Dr Abang Hadzand Hipni, who won by a majority of 7,382 votes.
Amanah set foot in Sarawak on September 2015 and it contested in 13 seats in the state election last year.
It is also a component under Pakatan Harapan ( PH), but it remains to be seen if other partners Democratic Action Party ( DAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) would help Amanah in its campaigning.
The Tanjong Datu by- election was called following the death of Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem – the state’s fifth chief minister and also the assemblyman – on Jan 11 this year.
Last week state Amanah spokesman Raphealson Richard Hamid, who was also the party’s candidate for Gedong in last year’s state election, said: “For Amanah, it is a must for it to contest in the Tanjong Datu by- election. We will support any PH component party ( DAP, PKR or Amanah) and any of its candidate contesting in Tanjong Datu.”
The state DAP is expected to come out with a decision after a meeting, which will be called soon. However, it is speculated that DAP would follow the stand by PKR, which wanted to stay out of the by- election out of respect for Adenan.
PAS stated that it would not field any candidate because it wanted to focus fully on the next parliamentary election.
Meanwhile, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak ( PBDS) Baru had said that it did not see any point contesting in a Malaymajority constituency because at the moment, its struggle was for the rights and interest of the Dayaks.