Rafizi: Not easy to pick Sg Buloh candidate

PETALING JAYA: A complex and lengthy discussion was held to determine the most suitable candidate for Pakatan Harapan in the Sungai Buloh parliamentary constituency, says PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.

He acknowledged that there had been differences of opinion between the PKR’s candidate selection committee and party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pertaining to the proposal to drop Sivarasa Rasiah as MP there.

“The committee and I had proposed to retain Sivarasa based on his performance record but the president (Anwar) had a different view, and so that view must be respected as in any party, the power to endorse the candidate lies with the president.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), I relayed the feedback from voters (in Sungai Buloh) so that the candidacy can be reconsidered, but I respect the president’s view that it was better to retain the candidate announced (Datuk R. Ramanan) so that ongoing campaign efforts can continue,” he told Bernama at the PKR headquarters here yesterday.

PKR selected Ramanan, who is PKR deputy information chief 1, for Sungai Buloh this time around, and among others, he will be facing Barisan Nasional’s Khairy Jamaluddin, the Health Minister.

PKR has dropped eight MPs in Peninsular Malaysia for GE15, including Sivarasa, Maria Chin Abdullah (Petaling Jaya), Johari Abdul (Sungai Petani), Natrah Ismail (Sekijang), June Leow (Hulu Selangor), Dr Tan Yee Kew (Wangsa Maju), and Chan Ming Kai (Alor Setar), while Dr Lee Boon Chye (Gopeng) is understood to have declined to contest.