KOTA BARU – DAP still has high hopes that the party’s candidate will be given the opportunity to represent Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the Kota Lama state seat in the Kelantan state election next month.
Kelantan DAP chairman Datuk Azaha Abdul Rani said Kota Lama has about 38% non-Malay voters, therefore the party leadership at the state level sees DAP as having a bright chance of causing a surprise in the election.
“We will heed the decision of the party leadership, but the Chinese voters in the Kota Lama want DAP to contest there.
“We are worried that if there is another candidate from the Chinese community such as an Independent candidate, the support and votes will change,” he told reporters after a Kelantan DAP programme here last night.
Also present was Penang DAP secretary Lim Hui Ying.
Azaha said the party has suitable candidates to contest the seat.
“The question of candidates is not an issue because Kelantan DAP has suitable candidates from the Malay and Chinese communities to be fielded for the Kota Lama seat.”
In the 2018 general election (GE14), PAS candidate Datuk Anuar Tan Abdullah won the Kota Lama seat for the fourth time with a majority of 1,445 votes.
He defeated four other candidates including from PKR and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Yesterday, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman, when announcing the list of PKR candidates who will contest in next month’s elections in six states, did not make any announcement about the Kota Lama seat.
He said the announcement of the candidate for the Kota Lama seat was postponed because PKR and Amanah still needed to hold discussions.
The six state elections involve Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan. Polling is on August 12 while nomination day is on July 29. – July 23, 2023