JOHOR BARU: Parti Amanah Negara wants Pakatan Harapan to contest solo in the Skudai and Kota Iskandar state seats under the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency.
This could mean a head-to-head battle between Pakatan and Barisan Nasional, which is the incumbent in Kota Iskandar.
Iskandar Puteri Amanah division chief Dzulkefly Ahmad said the decision for Pakatan to contest in both the state seats under the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency came during the division’s annual general meeting on Sunday (July 20).
“Amanah is prepared to face any possibilities, including three-cornered fights if necessary, by bringing the people’s agenda of national unity, institutional reform and sustainable development.
“This decision was made in the spirit of reinforcing Pakatan and ensuring Johoreans continue to have the best choice when evaluating principled and capable candidates focused on the people’s interest,” he said in a statement on Monday (July 21).
Dzulkefly, who is also Johor Amanah deputy chief, added that this reflected the party’s commitment to strengthening Pakatan in key strategic areas to ensure continuity of progressive and inclusive governance for the rakyat.
He also said that any negotiations in view of the upcoming state election should consider grassroots strength and the past performance of candidates and parties in each constituency.
In the 2022 Johor election, Dzulkefly went up against a five-cornered fight with Barisan’s Pandak Ahmad (Umno), Perikatan Nasional’s Samsudin Ismail (Bersatu), Gerakan Tanah Air’s Dr Zaini Abu Bakar (Pejuang) and Parti Sosialist Malaysia’s R. Arangkannal.
Pandak won the seat with 23,133 votes while Dzulkefly received 18,773 votes.
Pakatan’s Marina Ibrahim won the Skudai seat, a DAP stronghold, in a three-cornered fight against Barisan’s Lim Soon Hai (MCA) and Perikatan’s Khoo Kong Ek (Bersatu).
