KLUANG: While waiting to be officially accepted into Perikatan Nasional, Pejuang says it will support the coalition's candidate in the upcoming Mahkota by-election.
Party president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the party had received requests for support from various quarters.
“(They) asked for Pejuang's help in the by-election.
“In Johor, Barisan Nasional is the government, supported by Pakatan Harapan.
"Our stand is very clear: where Umno is (concerned), we will not help them.
"So it is clear that Pejuang will throw its support behind Perikatan in this by-election,” he told a press conference after meeting party members at a restaurant on Jalan Penghulu Kassim here on Friday (Sept 13).
He added that Pejuang would mobilise its machinery to help the Perikatan candidate campaign as it had done in the six state elections last year.
Asked if Pejuang would be joining Perikatan soon, Mukhriz said it made an official request earlier but he heard it was turned down, although not officially.
“However, a couple of months back, I met with Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who told me that he would bring up our application at its meeting soon.
“It might (be hesitant) to have another Malay-based party join as Bersatu and PAS are already there.
"But we see the coalition as a platform for the Malay struggle.
“Many Pejuang members are Malay rights NGO leaders,” he said, but declined to reveal the party's membership numbers.
Umno and Bersatu have announced that they will be contesting the by-election while Pakatan has declared its support for the Barisan candidate.
Barisan has picked Syed Hussein Syed Abdullah, 40, as its candidate for the state seat while Perikatan’s choice is former Johor footballer Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, 61.
The seat became vacant when its assemblyman, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain from Umno, passed away on Aug 2, three days after she was hospitalised.
Polling for the by-election has been set for Sept 28 while nomination day is Saturday (Sept 14).
