GE15: Businessman quits GTA's Putra to contest Sungai Buloh as independent

PETALING JAYA: Former Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) member Syed Abdul Razak Syed Long Alsagoff says he will stand as an independent candidate for the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat in Selangor.

The 62-year-old, a stock market trader and director of two businesses, hopes to contest using the key logo in the 15th General Election (GE).

“I have always followed my own moral compass and believe I have the capacity to serve,” Syed Abdul Razak said.

“The politics of Malaysia today is headed in a very bleak direction. I’m offering myself as a parliamentary candidate, where the voters will serve as my boss. It is the duty of an MP to debate on laws that will benefit the people,” he added

Syed Abdul Razak contested the Bukit Lanjan state seat on a Gerakan ticket in GE14. He lost by a 40,233 vote majority to PKR’s Elizabeth Wong, though he was quick to point out that he did not lose his deposit.

The father-of-two subsequently joined Putra. The party is headed by Datuk Ibrahim Ali and is part of Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), a coalition that includes Pejuang and two other parties as its members.

“I was offered to contest Sungai Buloh by Ibrahim (Ali) last year. Putra was promised five seats for Selangor in GE15, including Sungai Buloh,” Syed Abdul Razak said.

“However, Pejuang threw me under the bus. They gave Sungai Buloh to someone else and offered me alternative seats instead.

"I spent significant time and effort to set up a base here, so I am resigning from Putra with immediate effect and will contest as an independent,” he said during a press conference Saturday (Oct 29) at his home in Bandar Sri Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Syed Abdul Razak believes his multilingual skill, which includes conversant Cantonese and Hokkien thanks to his late Chinese mother, as well as the fact that he was born and bred in Sungai Buloh would work to his advantage.

According to him, Sungai Buloh has about 158,000 voters, 68% of whom are Malays. It is expected to see at least a five-cornered fight. Ramanan Ramakrishnan from PKR is the only other known candidate thus far.

On issues he would tackle if elected, he said it included flood mitigation measures in areas like Kampung Kubu Gajah and land matters in Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh new village.

“I also want to overhaul the Education Ministry so that our education system, such as the syllabus and production of teachers, are based on quality and not quantity.

“I intend to establish a Sungai Buloh Charity Shield, an emergency fund inspired by the UK Parliament's system. This fund, which will be audited and is tax deductible, will channel money for welfare purposes to victims of floods, fires or other emergencies on a merit basis.”

Syed Abdul Razak added that he would announce his manifesto and campaign strategy after Nomination Day on Nov 5.