NEGRI MB WINS RANTAU SEAT
PKR challenger cannot file papers because he is barred from nomination centre
THE Rantau state seat became the focus of the nation yesterday when incumbent and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan won unopposed when PKR candidate Dr S. Streram failed to submit his nomination papers at Dewan Sri Rembau here.
After the nomination process ended, Rembau Election Commission (EC) returning officer Amino Agus Suyub said only Mohamad had submitted nomination papers for the seat.
The PKR candidate had been denied entry into the nomination centre for failing to bring his candidate’s pass, while his proposer and seconder were also not allowed to enter as they did not possess EC passes.
Mohamad, who is state BN chairman, had been contesting the seat since 2004, when he first defeated PKR candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, with a majority of 6,199 votes.
He continued to maintain a sterling record by defeating PKR candidate Aishah Lamsah in the 12th and 13th General Elections, with majorities of 4,613 votes and 3,783 votes respectively.
A total of 130 candidates submitted their nomination papers in the state yesterday, with 25 contesting eight parliamentary seats, and 105 contesting the 36 state seats. Four-cornered fights will take place in four seats, namely the Jeram Padang seat, as well as Sikamat, Labu and Rasah parliamentary seats.
Direct fights are set to take place in the Bukit Kepayang, Chuah, Lukut and Bagan Pinang seats. The remaining seats will be three-cornered fights, and they included the Rembau parliamentary seat, which will see incumbent Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin contesting against Mustafa Dolah (Pas) and Roseli Abdul Ghani (PKR).
In the Seremban parliamentary seat, MCA Youth chief Datuk Chong Sin Woon will face DAP national organisation head Loke Siew Fook and Shariffuddin Ahmad of Pas.
The Sikamat seat will see a stiff fight between Syamsul Amri Ismail, known as Syamsul Debat (BN), state PKR chairman Aminudin Harun, Rahim Yusof (Pas) and Bujang Abu (independent).
The Jeram Padang seat will see former Taman Awana Indah MIC head Datuk Seri Dr S. Surash, who quit the party to contest as an independent, square off against state MIC chairman Datuk L. Manickam, Mohd Fairuz Mohd Isa of Pas and S. Musnaldi Sabtu of PKR.
The Klawang, Ampangan and Pilah seats are hot seats as BN won them with slim majorities of 282, 89 and 113 votes respectively in the last election.