KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Rembau PKR division deputy chief Dr S. Streram is confident that Pakatan Harapan (PH) will give him another shot at Rantau and that he can win the Malay votes in the coming by-election, a news report said.
He told Malaysiakini that he believed PH would not be pressured to name a Malay-Muslim candidate to take on incumbent, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who is Umno acting president, in view of the number of non-Malay voters in the state seat.
Dr Streram said he has been working hard on the ground with all communities and that PH performed well in Malay-dominated areas in the past.
“If we can get the support of about 70 to 80 per cent of non-Malay voters, then about 10 per cent of Malay voters is sufficient (to tip the scales in PH’s favour),” he told the news portal.
Malay voters make up 54 per cent of Rantau’s registered voters.
An Election Court recently annulled Mohamad’s uncontested win in Rantau last year after it concluded that Dr Streram was unlawfully barred from submitting his nomination papers.
Mohamad is expected to run in Rantau again and this time, with backing from Islamist party PAS.
The Election Commission has fixed April 13 as voting day for the Rantau by-election.
Early voting will be on April 9 and nomination day will be on March 30.
