PAGOH: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia will be contesting 16 seats in the Johor polls, says its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said the candidates were vetted to ensure they are not bankrupt, have no criminal records and do not have outstanding tax issues.
“All our candidates will be required to sign a declaration, which is a normal process in any election,” he said when announcing Bersatu’s candidates last night.
They will all be contesting under the Perikatan Nasional banner.
At least two of the candidates are below 35 years old with one woman contesting Johor Lama.
A notable feature of the list is a father-and-son pairing, with former Sedili assemblyman Rasman Ithnain contesting Sedili while his son, Mohamad Alias Rasman, will stand in Panti.
Bersatu will also field incumbent Layang-Layang assemblyman Abd Mutalib Abd Rahim, who won the seat under Barisan Nasional in 2022.
The sole Chinese candidate, Lim Chin Eng from Bersatu Associate, will contest the Stulang seat.
The others are Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal (Bukit Kepong), Dr Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee (Parit Raja), Uzzair Ismail (Kemelah), Idzhar Nasirruddin (Bukit Pasir), Mohd Radzi Amin (Bukit Naning), Mohd Shafiq Abdul Aziz (Semarang), Syed Mohamad Syed Alwi (Rengit), Mahfidz Omar (Serom) and Muhammad Amerul Mohamad (Tenggaroh).
Aisah Esa is Bersatu’s sole woman candidate who is contesting in Johor Lama, Fairulnizar Rahmat is the candidate for Penawar and Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon is standing in Senggarang.
In his speech, Muhyiddin said it was important for candidates to fight for issues such as rising cost of living in Johor.
“What is the state government’s strategy to ensure the people are able to increase their income in the next five to 10 years?” he questioned.
He said it was important to have new ideas to prosper the state to the next level similar to developed countries such as those in Europe, Japan and Korea.
Meanwhile, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali described Bersatu’s candidates as capable, credible and integrity-driven individuals who were selected through a rigorous screening process.
He said they would carry the Perikatan and Bersatu brand, which he characterised as moderate, inclusive and progressive.
Urging Johoreans to support Perikatan and Bersatu candidates, Azmin said the coalition was fielding a mix of experienced leaders and energetic new faces and remained confident of making an impact in the state election.
