KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Hulu Selangor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) claimed that a majority of Kuala Kubu Baru voters want Perikatan Nasional (PN) to field a Malay candidate in the upcoming by-election for the state seat.
Hulu Selangor Bersatu division’s acting chief Khairul Azhari Saut told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that the desire for a PN Malay candidate was based on a survey by the party's machinery.
“If we look at the current situation, a Malay candidate would gain significant voter support. This is the trend we are seeing on the ground.
“As grassroots leaders, we express our opinions based on the survey we conducted on the ground,” Khairul told FMT.
Earlier, he was at a meeting between the Hulu Selangor Bersatu division and the party’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
In the 15th general election (GE15), PN won the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat as well as two state seats — Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali — in the state polls last August.
DAP, representing Pakatan Harapan (PH), retained the Kuala Kubu Baru state seat that the party has held since 2013.
In the report, Khairul said the Hulu Selangor Bersatu division have done its part by going to the ground and channeling the responses received from voters to the party.
“We will leave it to the party leadership to decide on a suitable candidate,” he was reported saying adding that the Hulu Selangor Bersatu division would still respect any decision reached and support the candidate selected by PN.
On Saturday, PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Amar Abdullah was reported saying that a Gerakan candidate might contest for PN following an agreement reached among the coalition’s components during the August state elections.
He added that PN is confident of winning the seat after the current situation where the people were dissatisfied.
On the same day, DAP national deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo said the PH candidate for the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election is still being discussed.
Last month, it was reported that Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau indicated the party would have an added advantage if it contested the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election scheduled for May 11.
The Kuala Kubu Baru by-election was triggered by the death of DAP’s three-term assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong on March 21 following a battle with cancer.
