My fight is against political entitlement, says indie PD candidate

PETALING JAYA: Stevie Chan Keng Leong, who has announced his candidacy for the Port Dickson by-election, says his fight is not about any individual candidate or party, but against an entitled  political leadership that is insensitive to the mood of the people. 

Chan said the forced by-election in Port Dickson to allow Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim make a comeback in Parliament was against the spirit of the nation's democratic process. 

"As a matter of principle, we shouldn't condone the action of elected representatives taking for granted the mandate voters have given them. 

"The slippery slope with us accepting this may lead to future candidates being pointless placeholders for political manoeuvring, thus, defeating the very idea of elected representation," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 25). 

Chan said the timing for the by-election was inappropriate, claiming that people wanted to see their elected officials move forward with the reform agenda and solve problems. 

According to him, the by-election, also known as "Langkah PD", distracted politicians from their role in serving the people. 

He said the nature of the forced by-election, the seat chosen, the timing and the statements made all indicated a leadership that was insensitive to the mood of the people. 

"My enemy now is political entitlement and arrogance – represented by Langkah PD – which may see Barisan 2.0 emerge, if Langkah PD was condoned and supported," Chan said. 

He added that there was no need to have the by-election, as PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a already free man. Moreover, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had agreed to hand over power to him in two years.

Chan also questioned Anwar's professed intention of wanting to focus on parliamentary reforms. He said such reforms could be addressed by the other 47 PKR MPs, including his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and his daughter, Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar. 

He said even if there was a necessity for Anwar to return to Parliament, the most appropriate seat to make way for his return would be the ones held by his wife or daughter. 

"This is not just because Datuk Seri Wan Azizah had clearly stated she didn't mind giving way to her husband in a 2017 interview with Al-Jazeera, but also the potential  issue of nepotism and concentration of power within one family," he added.

Chan said the reluctance of the opposition to contest was also a "cause for alarm against the values and spirit" that the people voted for on May 9. 

The Election Commission (EC) has set Sept 29 for nomination day and Oct 13 for polling day.

The parliamentary seat in Negri Sembilan was vacated by MP Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah of PKR, after he resigned on Sept 12 to make way for Anwar.