Mahathir confirmed in Langkawi
> Opposition announces its candidates for Kedah
LANGKAWI: Pakatan Harapan declared former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its candidate for the Langkawi parliamentary seat, setting the stage for the Opposition’s bid to win the 14th general election.
PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made the announcement with a brief poem and as the cries of “Hidup Tun” (Long Live Mahathir) echoed, a downpour fell from nowhere, which seemed to be regarded as a good omen.
“It’s hujan rahmat (a blessing), we are ready for battle,” said liaison officer for Langkawi Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) Datuk Juhari Bulat.
Mahathir was widely believed to be the architect behind the rise of Langkawi as a premier regional tourism destination.
Just five years earlier, Wan Azizah despised Mahathir for jailing her husband, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for the first time in 1998. He was freed by Mahathir’s successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2004.
But now, she stood on the same stage with the grandfather of the nation’s politics, paying tribute to his legacy in Langkawi to the cries of “reformasi” (reform).
Juhari, a retired teacher turned contractor, will stand in Kedah’s Air Hangat state seat.
His brother, Datuk Hasan Bulat, was a former five-term assemblyman for Padang Matsirat, now called Air Hangat.
There were speculations that Hasan had not bestowed his blessings, but judging from the response from islanders last night, there is optimism among Mahathir’s supporters that the Opposition can seize the parliament seat.
But Juhari dismissed the rumour, saying the family has granted his wish to make an effort together with Mahathir to set things right for the country.
Former technocrat Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who joined PPBM, would be fielded in the Pendang parliamentary seat.
His advice to opponents, which include PAS and Umno, was not to resort to the polemic issues of race and religion, pointing out that voters would have matured by now to not be taken in by divisive politics.
He said politicians should fight on “gentleman” terms as well as to debate on issues central to the development of the country. (Bukit Lada), Syed Fadzil Syed Embun (Kuala Nerang), Abdul Razak Khamis (Sungai Tiang), Mohd Nazari Abu Hassan (Jeneri), Abdul Rahim Kechik (Bayu), Mohd Saffuan Sabari (Guar Chempedak), Mej (R) Annuar Abd Hamid (Tanjung Dawai), Datuk Azimi Daim (Bandar Bahru), Mohd Firdaus Ahmad (Kuah) and Datuk Juhari Bulat (Ayer Hangat).
The parliamentary candidates are Wan Saiful Wan Jan for Pendang, Mohd Taufik Yaacob (Baling) and Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi (Jerai).