KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) president Datuk Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz today announced that he will run for the Tanjung Piai by-election as he is disappointed with Barisan Nasional (BN) for fielding a Chinese candidate instead of a Malay one.
The PAS ally who is also a committee member of Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) claimed that the BN leadership was not meeting the aspirations of Malay Muslims by choosing MCA’s Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng.
He also alleged that this incident would shrink Malay political power and diminish the status of Islam.
“Berjasa supports the PAS-Umno Muafakat Nasional to strengthen Malay political parties, but the decision to allow MCA’s Wee Jeck Seng to contest in Tanjung Piai is not in keeping with the aspirations of the Malay-Muslims.
“Berjasa has therefore decided to field a candidate in the by-election,” Malaysiakini quoted Badhrulhisham as saying.
Berjasa was formerly a BN component party until 1986 when it quit in protest of the inclusion of Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia.
Isma leaders contested under Berjasa’s banner in the 2013 general election.
In 2016, the party became a part of Gagasan Sejahtera, a coalition of Opposition parties led by the PAS.
In Election 2018, Berjasa contested in three parliamentary seats — Cameron Highlands, Selayang and Tanjung Piai — and lost all.
Badhrulshisam said Berjasa is still a member of Gagasan Sejahtera, but is not allied with BN or its anchor Umno as it did not sign any pact with it.
“So that means that Berjasa’s decision to contest does not affect the Pas-Umno alliance,” Badhrulshisam was quoted as saying.
He claimed that Berjasa is capable of garnering 1,500 to 2000 votes in Tanjung Piai.
Nominations for the Tanjung Piai by-election is tomorrow while voting is on November 16.
In last year’s general election, Datuk Dr Mohd Farid Mohd Farik won the seat by polling 21,255 votes to defeat Wee (20,371) and PAS candidate Nordin Othman (2,962).
So far Bersatu’s Karmaine Sardini, Wee and Gerakan deputy secretary-general Wendy Subramaniam have been named as candidates.
