PETALING JAYA: Parti Bersama Malaysia will make its debut by contesting 15 seats in the Johor state election.
Its leaders Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the seats were selected based on several factors.
Among them are the background and voting tendencies of electorates based on surveys and data collected over the past six months; responses the party has received based on membership figures; the suitability of candidates; as well as the party’s capacity to campaign effectively in the chosen constituencies.
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi said the Johor election is not merely a contest for seats and political positions, but an opportunity to pioneer a political culture that is more focused on solving the people’s problems and securing a better future for the nation.
Bukit Batu, which was won by PKR in the last election, is one of the seats Bersama will be contesting.
The fledgling party will also contest in Bukit Naning (N14), Mahkota (N29), Tiram (N40), Puteri Wangsa (N41), Johor Jaya (N42), Permas (N43), Larkin (N44), Stulang (N45), Perling (N46), Kempas (N47), Skudai (N48), Kota Iskandar (N49), Bukit Permai (N50), Bukit Batu (N51) and Senai (N52).
The Johor Jaya, Stulang, Perling, Skudai and Senai are held by DAP, while Muda won Puteri Wangsa in the last election. Bersama will be facing Barisan Nasional for the other nine seats it is eyeing.
“Bersama’s candidates will be announced 8pm this Friday in Johor Baru in conjunction with the launch of the Kancil truck. The launch venue will be announced in due course,” said Rafizi and Nik Nazmi.
They also revealed that an integrated campaign system will be launched today.
“Bersama aims to pioneer a modern election campaign model that does not require excessive campaign expenditure by mobilising as many members and members of the public as possible from across Malaysia to support Bersama’s campaign in these 15 constituencies on a voluntary basis,” they said.
On Sunday, after the Jelajah Kancil programme in Kuantan, Rafizi said Bersama is using the Johor state election as an early platform to gauge the level of public support for the party across all major ethnic communities.
According to him, the party has its own support targets used to measure the strength and future potential of the new political movement.
