Polls to see three-way fight

Keeping their distance: (From left) Tengku Zainul, Shukri and Sharim giving each other elbow bumps as they arrive for the nomination process at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara in Pekan. — Bernama

PEKAN: Despite the absence of Pakatan Harapan, the Chini by-election will be a three-cornered contest with Barisan Nasional challenged by two independents.

Barisan’s Mohd Sharim Md Zain, 41, will face Tengku Datuk Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, and Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli, 49, in the fight for the state seat.

While saying he was “not perfect”, Sharim, however, promised to shoulder his responsibilities well if elected.

“I will look into the issues brought up by the Felda community, and the traditional and Orang Asli villages,” he said when asked about his priorities.

Tengku Zainul, the deputy chief of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Pekan division, said he might have already lost his Bersatu membership due to his decision to contest as an independent.

“I still consider myself a Bersatu member until I receive official notice from the party,” he said after the nomination process held at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara here yesterday.

Tengku Zainul, a businessman, said he was not taking sides in the political dispute between former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“The Pekan division is under Bersatu and not on either side,” said Tengku Zainul, who is using the “house” symbol.

Shukri, on the other hand, had initially thought of pulling out due to the number of possible contenders. The blogger-activist said he would consider it a victory “if I got my deposit back”.

“It will be even sweeter if we can reduce the majority of Barisan, but if we actually win, it will be a people’s victory,” said Shukri, who has opted for the “key” symbol.

Unlike his opponents, Shukri has prior experience in elections, having contested the 12th general election under the PKR ticket and the 13th general election as an independent. He lost both times.

Shukri attempted to take part in the Rompin parliamentary by-election in 2015 but did not meet the requirements.

The Chini by-election was triggered following the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun on May 6.

Early voting has been fixed for June 30 with polling day on July 4.