Temerloh 2013 rivals may see rematch
Indera Mahkota could see PAS’ Nasrudin and PKR’s Saifuddin square off at the ballot box
KUANTAN: The battleground may differ but a rematch may happen between PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan and former deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, now with PKR.
In announcing Nasrudin as the Indera Mahkota candidate, PAS president Datuk Seri
Abdul Hadi Awang said the incumbent Temerloh MP was the most qualified man to fight for the parliamentary seat.
“He lives here, he has knowledge and qualifications, and can argue well. He does not sit quietly in Parliament,” Abdul Hadi said at a ceramah here on Tuesday night.
Saifuddin, a former deputy higher education minister, went head-to-head with Nasrudin in Temerloh in 2013, losing by 1,070 votes.
At the time, he contested under the Barisan Nasional banner then but subsequently quit Umno and joined PKR in 2015. He is now the chief of the Pakatan Harapan secretariat.
He is widely tipped to be PKR’s candidate for Indera Mahkota after being appointed the Opposition alliance’s coordinator for the seat.
Indera Mahkota PKR chief Lee Chean Chung said it was very likely Saifuddin would challange Nasrudin.
“It is important we do not let this rivalry distract us from issues of the people and our main rivalry with Barisan,” he said.
Lee said they were still waiting for the final list of PKR candidates.
Pakatan will hold a dinner here on Friday night, where it is speculated that the coalition’s candidates for the Kuantan, Indera Mahkota and Paya Besar seats will be announced.
The Indera Mahkota seat was created following a redelineation exercise in 2003. It was first won by Barisan’s Datuk Seri Wan Adnan Wan Mamat in 2004.
In 2008, PKR’s Azan Ismail clinched the seat with a 1,027-vote majority against Barisan’s Salamon Ali Rizal Abdul Rahman.
Wan Adnan returned to contest Indera Mahkota in a fight against PKR’s Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman and an independent candidate in 2013, but lost to Fauzi by 7,523 votes.
Talk is rife that Fauzi will be moving to a state seat this time to allow Saifuddin to make his comeback.