BN leaders defend seats to continue excellent service
By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) component party leaders are set to defend their respective seats in the 14th General Election (GE14) on May 9.
BN chairman and UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will defend the Pekan seat, which has been his stronghold since 1976. He will face three other candidates including an Independent.
Similarly, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai will defend the Bentong parliamentary seat for the fifth term, while MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam will defend his 'fort' of Segamat, a seat he has held since 2004.
Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong will defend the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat he won in the 2014 by-election, after defeating DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud with a 238-vote majority.
Mah will now face DAP candidate Nga Kor Ming, who is also Perak DAP chairman and incumbent of the Taiping parliamentary seat which he has held since 2008.
In the Opposition camp, Pakatan Harapan chairman and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will contest in the Langkawi Parliamentary seat, leaving his stronghold in Kubang Pasu.
PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who previously held the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, will contest in the Pandan parliamentary seat, and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu will try his luck in the Kota Raja parliamentary seat after failing to win the Pendang parliamentary seat in GE13.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) geopolitical strategist, Assoc. Prof Sr. Azmi Hassan said the decision for BN's main leaders to remain in their respective constituencies was not because they felt safe, but rather to continue their excellent service to the community.
"Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders are moving around because they want to contest in seats where they feel it is safer for them and their political career. Their strategy is more towards ensuring that the key leaders of PH remain in Parliament or their respective state assemblies.
"We look at Mohamad Sabu, who had lost in three consecutive GEs. This time, he will contest in the Kota Raja parliamentary seat, which is considered safer for him than in Pendang," Azmi told Bernama when contacted today.
Mohamad Sabu, better known as 'Mat Sabu', had previously won the Nilam Puri parliamentary seat in 1990, Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat (1995) and Kuala Kedah (1999). However, he was defeated in Kuala Kedah in 2004, subsequently losing in Kuala Terengganu (2008) and Pendang (2013).
Azmi also predicted a fierce battle for the Teluk Intan seat between Mah and Nga.
He said in the 2014 by-election in Teluk Intan, many DAP supporters did not come out to vote because the candidate at the time, Dyana Sofya, did not resonate with them.
However, according to Azmi, DAP needs to be careful because besides expecting more DAP supporters to come out to vote, one of the reasons they fielded Nga was to kill the political career of Mah and Gerakan.
"We must remember that Gerakan and MCA have done a lot, not only in Teluk Intan but throughout Malaysia. So, by using the strategy of killing off Mah's political career, it may put off the Chinese voters in Teluk Intan.
"That's why, I say this strategy can also backfire on the DAP because it may make Chinese voters take a cautious stand on whether to kill the Gerakan Party which is said to represent the Chinese community's voice in BN, or to give the win to DAP," he explained.
Meanwhile, the other major opposition leaders who have decided to defend their respective seats include PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang in the Marang parliamentary seat; PPBM president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Pagoh, a seat he won while still with BN; DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (Bagan) and Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in Semporna, a seat which he previously won on the BN ticket.
Muhyiddin and Shafie will also be contesting in the state seats of Gambir (Johor) and Senallang (Sabah) respectively.
Meanwhile, on MyPPP president Tan Sri M. Kayveas who was sacked by the party's supreme council recently, and his subsequent decision not to contest in the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat, Azmi said his attitude should be emulated by other parties who were not selected by their respective parties to contest.
In the meantime, four of the eight BN component party leaders in Sabah and Sarawak will be defending their respective seats, namely UPKO president Datuk Seri Madius Tangau (Tuaran-parliament), PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan (Tambunan-state), PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Bintulu-parliament) and SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian (Stampin-parliament).
Pairin, however, will not be defending the Keningau parliamentary seat, and will be replaced by his brother-in-law, who is also PBS deputy president Daniel Kinsik. Besides Pairin, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup will also not be contesting in the Pensiangan parliamentary seat, to give way to his son, Arthur Joseph Kurup.
LDP president Datuk Seri Teo Chee Kang will contest in the Tanjong Kapor state seat, while PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing and PBB president Datuk Abang Johari Tun Openg will not be contesting for parliamentary seats in Sarawak.
-- BERNAMA
