GE15: Sivarasa says he was dropped over health issues

PETALING JAYA: Sivarasa Rasiah (pic) says he was dropped at the eleventh hour as the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Sungai Buloh in the 15th General Election (GE15) because of health issues.

The PKR legal bureau head said he has been experiencing problems with his vocal cords for more than three months and was now using a speech amplifier to assist with speaking and preserve his voice.

The incumbent Sungai Buloh MP said party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had raised concerns about his ability to manage his campaign.

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“I had a differing view and explained how I would manage the campaign differently, taking into account the state of my voice,” he said in a statement Friday (Nov 4).

Sivarasa said he remained Pakatan’s candidate for Sungai Buloh until the morning of Oct 28.

He said he had received a text message from Anwar at 5pm that day telling him that, after further discussions, Anwar had decided that Sivarasa would not contest the seat.

“I fully accept the decision by Datuk Seri Anwar as head of the party.

“He has the right to make the final decision taking into account his perceived view of my health and any other factors he considers relevant,” he stated.

Sivarasa urged the public to stop discussing his non-participation in GE15 after it was announced that the seat would be given to PKR deputy information chief Datuk R. Ramanan.

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“I ask that this polemic against my not being a candidate stop.

“It is more important to focus on the campaign for Pakatan to win Putrajaya,” he added.

Sivarasa also noted that his party had known for some days that Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin would be the Barisan Nasional candidate for Sungai Buloh.

There had been calls by party supporters to reinstate Sivarasa as a candidate in order to face the tough fight against the highly popular Khairy.

This was after Anwar announced on Oct 28 that Ramanan would be contesting the seat instead of Sivarasa.