Muhyiddin: Bersatu to defend Tanjung Piai seat, Pakatan yet to decide on candidate

MUAR, Oct 4 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) has not decided on its candidate to defend the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat by-election next month.

However, some names have been identified as possible candidates, Johor PH chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

“We did not discuss it (the list of candidates) today. But it is something that we are looking at. We already have several names but we still have time.

“We will decide who is more suitable, who is popular, who is wise, who is educated, who could be local. We will submit the name to the PH leadership to decide,” he told reporters after chairing the Johor PH meeting at the Pagoh Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) office in Pagoh Jaya near here today.

The home minister who is also Bersatu president also confirmed that the candidate would be from the Bersatu party.

“We are holding on to what was decided during the last general election, unless there is a new decision by the top leadership,  this seat will be contested by Bersatu, but during the election, we will not say Bersatu, it will be  PH (candidate),” he said.

Muhyiddin was commenting on the list of candidates whose names were discussed during the meeting and if he would still be from Bersatu.

Describing the by-election as a challenge, Muhyiddin said PH did not see it as a simple task as it was significant and had caught local and international attention.

“We do not take it lightly. I believe the opposition is also ready to challenge, but this is a democracy, we will face it,” he said.

“Whatever the situation, we hope the voters in Tanjung Piai who number more than 52,000 will give their undivided support,” he said, adding that the PH machinery was prepared to defend the parliamentary seat. 

Also present at the two-hour meeting were Bersatu secretary Datuk Marzuki Yahya, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal, and state leaders of the component parties.

Among them were Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) deputy president Datuk Salahuddin Ayub, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong, chairman of the Johor PKR State Leadership Council,  Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, and chairman of Johor Bersatu, Mazlan Bujang. 

The meeting also decided on Dr Sahruddin’s appointment as chairman of the PH machinery during the by-election.

The by-election which is set for Nov 16 follows the death of its Member of Parliament,  Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, from heart complications on Sept 21.

Dr Md Farid, who was also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, left behind a wife and three daughters. — Bernama