State of health is important too

Parties advised to vet their candidates following health scares

PETALING JAYA: There are calls for political parties to seriously vet the health of their candidates following the recent demise of a representative and health scares for two others.

Political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the parties could have at least put some effort into ensuring that their candidates were healthy.

“Candidates should at least be free from terminal illnesses,” said Prof Dr Sivamurugan yesterday.

“Maybe it is time for the parties to have in-house doctors to carry out health checks more regularly and make sure that they are fit,” he added.

Prof Dr Sivamurugan added that the matter had been proposed during the 2013 General Election but was not taken seriously.

This comes as barely two months after the May 9 polls, voters in Selangor’s Sungai Kandis state seat will have to set aside time again to cast their ballots on Aug 4 after Pakatan Harapan’s Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei passed away on July 2 due to lymphoma.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman also underwent heart bypass surgery while Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin collapsed during a monthly assembly in Putrajaya early this week.

While Barisan Nasional made it clear that their candidates for the 14th General Election must undergo a health screening, Pakatan Harapan was apparently silent on it.

Before GE14, 13 elected representatives passed away, mostly due to illnesses.

However, six seats did not see a by-election as the vacancy occurred within two years before the dissolution of Parliament.

While the by- election for Sarawak’s Balingian state seat cost RM910,000, the one for the Rompin parliamentary seat cost about RM1.9mil.

The Sungai Kandis by-election is estimated to cost RM1.4mil.

Political and economic affairs analyst Prof Dr Hoo Ke Ping believes it is good for parties to encourage their candidates to undergo medical examination.

Prof Dr Hoo said this was apparently not the priority for them as winning the elections was more important.

“It is difficult even with good health to be a winnable candidate,” he said.

“Apparently, the parties focused on other elements when making decisions on candidacy such as the ability to serve, character and integrity.”

In a Letter to the Editor on Thursday, a reader expressed concern that some elected representatives were already showing signs of health issues and called for the Government and the Election Commission to make it compulsory for all future candidates to submit a medical check-up together with their nomination forms.

Maybe it is time for the parties to have in-house doctors to carry out health checks more regularly and make sure that they are fit. Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian