By-election: BN's decision to give way to Amanah is wise

JOHOR BAHRU - Barisan Nasional's (BN) decision to allow Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to contest the Pulai Parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state assembly seat in the by-election is considered wise.

Johor Amanah Chairman Aminolhuda Hassan said the decision made by BN Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would further highlight the spirit of cooperation between the coalition and the unity government.

"First, the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub won the Simpang Jeram State Assembly and Pulai Parliament seats in the state polls and the 15th General Election (GE15).

"So Ahmad Zahid's statement is very wise and an approach that respects friends in the unity government coalition," he said when contacted on Friday.

The Sri Gading Member of Parliament said cooperation would take root in the unity government during the by-election campaign in both areas.

"I am confident that the grassroots of Umno and BN will respond to the call of Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Umno president, and give their full cooperation in the Simpang Jeram and Pulai by-elections.

"I believe that the two major coalitions' operations will be evident in the upcoming by-elections, which will benefit the country's stability and prosperity," he said.

Aminolhuda said Amanah in Bakri and Pulai divisions would meet soon to discuss the candidates.

"The list of candidates submitted by the Bakri division for the Simpang Jeram state seat and the Pulai division for the Pulai Parliament will be reviewed first by the state-level election committee.

"After that, the list will be submitted to the central party for evaluation before the candidates are selected to contest the by-elections," he said.

On Thursday, BN announced it would give way to Amanah to compete in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections in Johor on Sept 9.

Ahmad Zahid said the decision was made in the spirit of political partnership in the unity government.

On Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) set the polling day for the Pulai and the Simpang Jeram parliaments for Sept 9.

The nomination day for candidates and early voting date for the two seats have been set for Aug 26 and September 5, respectively.

The by-elections were triggered due to the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, on July 23.

Salahuddin, 61, who was the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, died at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah, at 9.23pm after being put to sleep following surgery due to a brain haemorrhage.

The Johor Pakatan Harapan chairman became the Pulai MP for two terms in 2018 and 2022, in addition to winning the Simpang Jeram state seat in GE14 and GE15.

In GE15, Salahuddin won a majority of 20,989 votes for the Pulai parliamentary seat.

Salahuddin also managed to defend the Simpang Jeram state seat for a second term in the Johor by-election when he got 8,749 votes, defeating PN candidate Zarul Salleh, who got 6,350 votes, and BN candidate Lokman Md Don, who got 6,062.