'Give new face a chance to compete for PH' - Raja Bahrin
KUALA TERENGGANU - The time has come to field fresh faces and potential young candidates to compete for the Kemaman parliamentary seat if a by-election is held.
Terengganu Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad said it is time for everyone to make changes for the long term if they want at least one representative from the Unity government in the state.
"Currently, when we look at trends and current needs, many people want the youth to play a role in the future. Hence, it is an important criterion for taking steps in that direction.
"We need to take lessons from the results of the recent state elections. It's not just about Terengganu but also in other places. So we must be prepared to make decisions for the long term.
"In the long run, we need to create room for the best candidate in that area. If there is a suitable candidate, then it should be discussed between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN)," he said when contacted by Sinar today.
Yesterday, the Terengganu Election Court had nullified the victory of Kemaman MP Che Alias Hamid, who represented Pas in the 15th general election (GE15).
The decision was made by Election Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis after finding elements of bribery among voters during the election campaign period for the parliamentary seat.
In that election, Che Alias defeated three other candidates, including former Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, with a majority of 27,179 votes.
Commenting further, Raja Bahrin said discussions should be held with BN regarding the placement of candidates representing the coalition if a by-election occurs in Kemaman.
"The joint committee with PH and BN Terengganu must convene, re-discuss, and make a decision regarding placing PH or BN candidates in the upcoming election.
"If PH places a candidate there later, we will prioritise fresh faces by nominating a young candidate because we want to move forward. But BN may have their own criteria for selecting candidates, which we will not interfere with," he said.
In addition, Raja Bahrin said the "winnability" of the candidate placed in the Kemaman by-election was also crucial.
According to him, this was due to the issue of the unity government losing its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat as a result of the action by the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) withdrawing its support, causing the Madani government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to now only have 147 out of 222 parliamentary seats.
"Therefore, the implication of obtaining one more parliamentary seat may be significant and important to regain a two-thirds majority by winning the Kemaman parliamentary seat.
Hence, the candidate placed later should be an individual with the potential to win, taking into account the current trend that favours young and fresh candidates," he said.
