PETALING JAYA: Umno and PAS are set to lock horns again in the April 26 Ayer Kuning by-election as both sides have made clear their intention to fight for the state seat.
Barisan Nasional has confirmed that it will field an Umno candidate for the by-election in which the nomination day has been fixed for April 12.
Opposition Perikatan Nasional has also stated that PAS will be fielding a candidate on its behalf in the battle for Ayer Kuning, which is part of the Tapah parliamentary constituency.
Since its inception in 1986, Ayer Kuning – which now has 31,897 voters – has always been won by Barisan, namely Umno.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of Barisan’s Ishsam Shahruddin, 59, from a heart attack on Feb 22.
During the 2022 general election, Ishsam won the seat with a 2,213-vote majority in a five-cornered contest involving Barisan, Perikatan, Pakatan Harapan, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Gerakan Tanah Air.
On March 1, Perak Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said that Umno has six possible candidates, mostly from Tapah Umno.
“The names have been sent to the headquarters and the candidate will be decided by Barisan chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,” he said.
Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the Barisan machinery in Ayer Kuning is all geared up for the by-election.
“The by-election preparations are headed by Saarani. The machinery is already on the ground,” he said.
PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said Tapah PAS has shortlisted three local candidates under the age of 50.
This will be PAS’ sixth attempt to capture the seat, having lost in the past five rounds.
In the last general election, PAS won in four areas within Ayer Kuning, namely Kampung Batu Masjid, Kampung Batu Tiga, Tanjong Keramat and Changkat Petai.
Tuan Ibrahim said PAS will focus on such areas, besides laying the necessary groundwork.
“The campaigning for Ayer Kuning will be led by a PAS vice-president who is responsible for the respective zones,” he added.
Barisan, on its part, will have the support of Pakatan, which has stated that it will back the Barisan candidate in the spirit of the Madani government.
“PKR will give its full support to whoever is standing on behalf of the government,” said PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh.
Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming, when contacted, said the party has set up a coordinating committee led by Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee and state exco member A. Sivanesan to help in the campaigning for the Barisan candidate.
“We will mobilise all our supporters to vote for the candidate who represents the unity government,” he said.
PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said the party is keen to contest in the by-election.
“The matter is being discussed within PSM and with friendly political parties. We will make a decision in the next few days,” he said.
For now, there appears to be a four-cornered fight for the seat, though observers said other smaller parties may want to jump into the fray.
And they believe that Umno is likely to retain the seat despite the challenge from PAS and others.
Prof Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia said while Tapah is an MIC stronghold, Ayer Kuning has remained under Umno.
“On paper, it is definitely an Umno stronghold as in the last round, the Barisan candidate won 67% of the votes,” he said.
As pointed out by Dr Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Barisan has never lost in this Malay-majority seat even when Umno had its worst performance.
“Malay voters tend to be the fixed deposit for the Federal Government during by-elections,” he said.
“As with any by-elections, voter turnout will be lower than in a general election. PAS support tends to depend on young voters who work outside the area. And PAS voters may not return this round,” he said.
