KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — Pakatan Harapan must now work a “miracle” to win the Cameron Highlands by-election, said DAP’s Lim Kit Siang when predicting that Barisan Nasional will pick the country’s most senior Orang Asli police officer for the contest.
BN has not announced its candidate ahead of nominations on January, but Lim expected that the coalition will go with former ACP Ramli Mohd Noor, the highest ranking Orang Asli police officer in Malaysia’s history.
Ramli is also from the local Semai tribe that forms the bulk of the Orang Asli who comprise 22 per cent of the electorate in the federal constituency.
“Pakatan Harapan by-election workers in Cameron Highlands will have to be ‘miracle workers’ in the next two weeks to clinch a victory for M. Manogaran in Cameron Highlands,” Lim said in a statement.
However, he went on to question why BN and Umno was only fielding Ramli as a candidate now.
“He could’ve gone on to be a deputy or even full minister to end the neglect and marginalisation of the Orang Asli community and bring them to the national mainstream of national development,” Lim said.
The Cameron Highlands seat fell vacant after the Special Election Court annulled MIC vice president Datuk C. Sivarraajh’s victory from the 14th general election due to vote buying.
Sivarraajh is not re-contesting as he is barred from running for public office for five years.
PH has selected Manogaran, who contested unsuccessfully against Sivarraajh.
The Election Commission has set January 12 for nomination and January 26 as the polling day.
