SEREMBAN: There is talk that Negri Sembilan caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun will be leaving the Sikamat state seat, which he has held since 2008, to contest the Linggi seat in the coming state election, Sinar Harian reports.
The Malay language daily said there had been widespread talk following claims that the Negri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan chairman was thinking of contesting a new constituency.
The talk has also spread among political circles on social media, with some suggesting there may be grounds for it, given that Aminuddin is currently the Port Dickson MP and the Port Dickson PKR chief.
When met after the launch of the Negri Sembilan Pakatan election machinery on Friday (June 12), Aminuddin confirmed he would contest in the state polls, but declined to reveal which seat he would be contesting.
He also did not confirm whether he would defend Sikamat, which he currently holds.
“Where I will contest is not decided yet — that will come later because candidates are still being assessed and I leave it to the party.
“I’m still waiting for a dream (a decision on which seat), but I will contest. I’ll inform you of the seat later,” he said jokingly.
Meanwhile, Port Dickson PKR deputy chief Dr Rajasekaran, when contacted by Sinar Harian, said he had no information on the talk as candidate decisions would be determined by the party’s top leadership.
He said what mattered most was ensuring the party’s victory, regardless of who was selected as the candidate.
“I am not sure whether the (caretaker) Mentri Besar will contest in Linggi or not.
“But for me, whoever the PKR candidate is, they will work hard to ensure the party wins and provide the best service to the people,” he said.
For the record, Aminuddin has served as the Sikamat assemblyman for nearly two decades since winning the seat in the 12th General Election (GE12) in 2008.
In GE12, he defeated the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate with a majority of 499 votes after securing 6,036 votes. In GE13, he again retained the seat with a majority of 510 votes after obtaining 8,584 votes.
His performance improved further in GE14, when he won more comfortably with a majority of 3,413 votes in a three-cornered fight against BN and PAS candidates after securing 9,832 votes.
In the 2023 state election, Aminuddin defended Sikamat with a majority of 2,662 votes after polling 12,730 votes, beating a Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate and two Independent candidates.
Meanwhile, in the 2023 state election, Linggi was won by BN’s Datuk Mohd Faizal Ramli with a majority of 1,461 votes after he secured 7,832 votes, compared with his PN–Bersatu challenger Zamri Md Said, who polled 6,371 votes.
For now, whether Aminuddin will continue to defend his stronghold in Sikamat or choose to contest in Linggi remains an open question.
