PKR swaps Idris with Rashid in Batu Pahat

JOHOR BARU: PKR has dropped incumbent Batu Pahat MP Datuk Mohd Idris Jusi for local boy Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, who is Penang Deputy Chief Minister I.

Johor PKR chief Hasan Karim is expected to contest against Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin for the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat, while his deputy Jimmy Puah and incumbent Bukit Batu assemblyman is slated to contest the seat again.

PKR, which is expected to contest eight parliamentary and 12 state seats, was the last political party to announce its candidates’ list for Johor.

They included Datuk Seri Dr R. Santhara for Segamat, Natrah Ismail (Sekijang), Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang), Onn Abu Bakar (Sembrong), Steven Chong (Tebrau) and Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (Johor Baru).

The two Indian candidates named for state seats are M. Murugan (Layang-Layang) and S. Gopala Krishnan (Tiram).

Puah said 11 of their 20 candidates are new faces.

He said PKR’s Indian candidates have been increased to three from one previously, while there will be three female candidates this time compared to two in the last polls.

On the police report lodged against Natrah, Puah said PKR believed that it would not affect her during the elections.

Natrah, who is in her 60s, is the Segamat PKR division chief.

Last year, a Segamat PKR branch official lodged a police report against Natrah for alleged criminal breach of trust involving party funds.

Puah said all Johor PKR candidates have been vetted to ensure they do not face the problem of disqualification on technical grounds on nomination day.