Nomination Day blunder could affect Bukit Melawati vote, says PKR’s replacement candidate

KUALA SELANGOR, May 2 — Forgetting one’s identification card or being ignorant about the Election Commission’s guidelines on Nomination Day could affect votes in GE14, PKR’s Bukit Melawati replacement candidate has said.

Thirty-three-year-old Juwairiya Zulkifli was accepted as a candidate at the very last minute for the state seat after the original PKR candidate, G. Sivamalar was disqualified.

Sivamalar’s identification card carried a Pahang address, which meant she could not contest the Selangor state seat.

The returning officer had explained that, in order to contest the state seat, the candidate’s identification card must carry a Selangor address.

“This shouldn’t be happening, especially when you are preparing yourself as a candidate,” she told Malay Mail.

“It is worrying if such (an event) happens in the future when managing the country (or state),” the former PKR research officer said.

Although she was fielded as Sivamalar’s replacement candidate, Juwairiya said she was nevertheless prepared to take on the challenge of an assemblyman.

“Although the appointment came to me as a surprise, which was all decided within 15 minutes, I am ready because I have been doing my groundwork here for the past two years,” she said.

Juwairiya noted that the decision to be fielded came from the party president, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

According to her, some of the PKR grassroots were unhappy when her name was left off the PKR candidate list.

“They were quite disappointed when my name was not mentioned during the (candidate list) announcement,” she said.

On facing BN incumbent Jakiran Jacomah, Juwairiya said she respected and regarded the former as an “influential senior person”.

“But in any race, one has to win. I have to work hard for it,” she said.

Juwairiya, who has worked as an assistant and research officer to several PKR leaders, including the party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, pledges to ramp up tourism activities in the town and improve welfare for the poor.

She, however, did not elaborate on how she planned to execute these GE14 pledges.

Juwairiya will take on Jakiran and PAS’s Muhammad Rashid for the seat.

Jakiran previously won the seat with an 806 majority over then-PKR’s S. Manikavasagam.