‘BN must contest PD’

KJ: By-election is shameless

PETALING JAYA: Umno and Barisan Nasional must contest the Port Dickson by-election despite it not being a winnable seat as they “must fight this shameless political entitlement”, says Umno MP Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

Referring to the way Port Dickson MP Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah resigned from his seat to pave the way for PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s comeback to Parliament, he tweeted: “Coronations are for kings. And Anwar isn’t one.”

Pro- Umno blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, replied to Khairy, saying that Umno should not contest and should instead just let Anwar win.

Khairy tweeted his response: “Don’t disturb those who want to contest.”

Umno’s Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had said he wanted to campaign for Anwar as he believes it is what is best for Umno to pave its return to the government.

He claimed there is some common thinking among Umno MPs that they should come back into government as early as possible.

“The only way to do that is to work with PKR... so we should show some goodwill... if we want to form the government, let Anwar win,” he said.

To this, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Nazri’s statement was his personal opinion and did not represent Umno and Barisan Nasional’s stand.

Meanwhile, in response to public sentiment on the Port Dickson by-election, Bersih 2.0 has called for a wider debate on the first-past-the-post (FPTP) election system and the internal selection of candidates by political parties.

The electoral reform group said in a statement that it was time to consider if elections should be done via the FPTP system, or if the country should employ other systems.

The FPTP system means that a candidate wins the seat if he gets the most votes.