JOHOR BARU, Feb 18 — Parti Amanah Negara deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub and Johor State Assembly Speaker Suhaizan Kaiat are among a group of 16 announced as the party’s candidates for the upcoming state election here next month.
Salahudin will defend his Simpang Jeram state seat, while Suhaizan will contest Pulai Sebatang.
Also named were Johor Amanah chief Aminolhuda Hassan and his deputy Dzulkefly Ahmad, who will defend their seats in Parit Yaani and Kota Iskandar respectively.
This was announced by Amanah president Mohamad Sabu during an event at Thistle Hotel Johor Baru here today.
The others were Dr Sulaiman Mohd Nor and Nor Hayati Bachok, who will defend their respective state seats of Kemelah and Maharani, and Pulai Sebatang state seat incumbent Muhammad Taqiuddin Cheman who will stand for election in Mahkota.
Mat Khairi Samsudin, who is also the oldest Amanah candidate at 66, will contest the Sedili seat, while Mohammad Fakrulradzi Mahmud, who is also the party’s youngest candidate at 32, will run for Endau.
The new faces in Amanah’s line-up are: Elia Nadira Sabudin (Bukit Pasir), Asim Abdullah Ainullotfi (Serom), Norazila Sanip (Penawar), Mat Khairi Samsudin (Panti), Abd Hamid Jamah (Senggarang), Rohani Banu Abdul Rahman Krishnan (Kahang), Mat Khairi Samsudin (Sedili) and Mohd Fakrulradzi Mahmud (Endau).
Mohamad said the 16 candidates had passed a strict screening process.
“Amanah has submitted the 16 candidates to represent Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the Johor state elections, with eight new faces.
“We have also put forward four women candidates and three young men, as well as a combination of various ages who have their own strengths in attracting votes,” he said.
Mohamad said he believes some party members might be unhappy with the shortlist.
“However, I am confident that after the announcement, the entire machinery and supporters will work hard to ensure our candidates win,” he said.
Meanwhile, Salahuddin, who is also a former agriculture and agro-based industries minister, said integrity, dependability and experience in politics were among the important criteria when selecting candidates this time round.
“We are a party that strives to prove that we are relevant and progressive. I believe the approach by Amanah and PH will be able to attract support in the state election this time,” he told reporters after the announcement.
In the previous general election in 2018, Amanah contested 12 state seats and won nine, namely Kemelah, Serom, Simpang Jeram, Maharani, Parit Yaani, Senggarang, Mahkota, Kota Iskandar and Pulai Sebatang.
The Election Commission has set March 12 as polling day, with nomination day on February 26, and early voting on March 8.
