Wan Saiful candidacy talk sparks anger
KUALA LUMPUR: Trouble appears to be brewing in the opposition pact in Kedah, with talk of a revolt following speculation that Wan Saiful Wan Jan is set to contest the Pendang parliamentary seat.
A source in the opposition pact said the grassrooots were outraged over the expected nomination of Wan Saiful, who is the founding chief executive officer of Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), given that the opposition in Pendang had its own candidate, who had been involved in the election machinery.
The source said opposition supporters had voiced their disagreement with the expected move to field Wan Saiful in the constituency.
“The candidate we chose has put in the hours here (Pendang) day and night to solve the problems faced by locals. And, now, Wan Saiful drops in.
“The people here don’t want him because he’s only showing his face here at the last minute.
“The president’s office needs to be sensitive about such matters. They have to take into account the aspirations and sentiments of not just the grassroots, but also the community,” said the source.
A news portal yesterday reported that Wan Saiful was set to be announced as the opposition candidate in the Pendang constituency, traditionally held by Pas. The article quoted a source as saying that Wan Saiful, who is from Kedah, wanted to contest in his home state.
The Pendang seat was won by Barisan Nasional in the 13th General Election when former Pas deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is now Parti Amanah Negara president, lost to BN’s Datuk Othman Abdul, who won with a 2,638-vote majority.
Wan Saiful was previously expected to contest the Putrajaya and Titiwangsa seats, both held by BN.
When asked about the candidate preferred by the Pendang grassroots, the source declined to elaborate, only saying that the person was a young individual who is active in community activities, and an academic in a local university.