Kluang Amanah Ready To Contest Mahkota Seat 

JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- The Kluang division of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is ready to contest the Mahkota state seat if given the opportunity and has shortlisted suitable candidates to be submitted to the party’s state and central leadership.

Kluang Amanah Chief Dr Mohd Zuhan Mohd Zain said public support and confidence in Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Kluang is currently strong, and local analysis suggests that the party has a good chance of winning comfortably, based on the results of the 15th general election (GE15).

“We openly express our willingness and readiness to contest and hope that it will be considered by the state and central leadership,” he told a press conference today.

He said Amanah had previously won the Mahkota seat in GE14 in 2018 and contested it in the 2022 state election, though they lost to Barisan Nasional (BN).

However, Mohd Zuhan said Kluang Amanah will abide by PH’s decision if a candidate from another party is chosen.

Meanwhile, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong reiterated that the selection and appointment of candidates and seat allocations within PH are determined through mutual consultation among the component parties and should not be discussed in the media.

“We adhere to the principle of ‘incumbency,’ where seats won in previous general and state elections will be contested by the incumbent party in upcoming by-elections, as with the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections, and others.

“Let the leadership make decisions without any speculation or public demands in the media,” he said in a statement today.

In GE14, the Mahkota state seat was won by PH’s Amanah candidate Muhamad Said Jonit, who received 19,507 votes, defeating BN’s Datuk Md Jais Sarday and PAS’s Muhammad Hasbullah Md Najib.

However, in the 2022 state election, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, the former Johor UMNO Women’s Chief, won the seat with a majority of 5,166 votes, defeating PH’s Muhammad Tagiuddin Cheman, Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Nor Lingan and Warisan’s Mohamed Noor Suleiman.

Sharifah Azizah, 63, died while receiving treatment at the Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital in Kluang on Aug 2. 

The Election Commission will hold a special meeting regarding the Mahkota seat by-election on Aug 13, following the official notification of the seat vacancy from Johor state assembly speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

-- BERNAMA