Dousing fires of dropped hopefuls is the usual pain

PETALING JAYA: Placating those who are dropped or not selected to contest, as well as their disappointed supporters, is a common “headache” for both Barisan Nasional and the Opposition as they head towards the general election.

Both sides have to put out fires among unhappy supporters and aspirants who may resort to acts of sabotage.

In the past, this has ranged from shutting down the election machinery to abandoning the party altogether.

For Barisan, trouble is said to be brewing in some areas, among them Wangsa Maju where reports claim residents have threatened to vote against the coalition if it does not field its Umno division chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Abdullah.

The seat is traditionally contested by MCA but in GE13, Barisan fielded Shafie, who lost to PKR’s Tan Kee Kwong.

Another problem is the tussle for the Cameron Highlands parliamen- tary seat between MIC and MyPPP, with the latter declaring that it might reconsider staying in Barisan should it not get the seat.

In Sarawak, the rivalry for seats is said to be intense, including in Miri where Sarawak United People’s Party and its breakaway, the Barisan-friendly United People’s Party, are both keen to contest.

Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said this was not uncommon during election season.

“We have dealt with threats, sabotage and boycotts before.

“But you can’t say that Barisan is in chaos even before going to war just because some of our members have openly voiced their displeas- ure over candidacy,” he said, adding that the problems affected less than 1% of the total number of seats.

Tengku Adnan said those who sabotaged the party or went against its leadership would be dealt with severely.

The Opposition is also facing the same problem. The decision to field Wan Saiful Wan Jan in Kedah’s Pendang parliamentary seat, for example, has not gone down well with the grassroots, who want another candidate.

DAP’s decision to drop incumbent Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau also did not go down well with the him and his supporters.

Dr Boo was offered to contest in Labis, but declined.

In Selangor, both Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Amanah Negara were eyeing the Sijangkang state seat, which was eventually given to Amanah.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua appeared unfazed by the prospect of potential sabotage by disgruntled party leaders, as he was confident that his colleagues were united in taking on Barisan.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said the party’s leaders trusted its members to accept any decision on candidates.

“As far as we are concerned, everyone must understand any decision made by the party,” said Loke.

Selangor Amanah chief Izham Hashim also expressed similar sentiments, saying that disappointment among party leaders is nothing out of the ordinary during this period.

“It is quite normal to see grouses among hopefuls, but Selangor Amanah has been able to settle all the issues. Now we are focussing on winning the seats allocated to us,” he said.

However, attempts of sabotage by disgruntled leaders will be dealt with immediately by the party’s disciplinary committee, Izham said.