SEREMBAN: Parti Berjasa will contest the Nilai seat in the Aug 1 state polls, said party president Zamani Ibrahim.
Zamani noted that past studies link low Malay voter turnout in Muslim-majority constituencies to the lack of a Malay candidate on the ballot.
"We understand the hearts and aspirations of Malay Muslim voters in Negri Sembilan amidst this highly challenging national political landscape.
"Therefore, as part of the democratic system, and considering the vital importance of offering Malay-Muslim voters the choice to vote for credible Muslim candidates, we hereby announce our candidacy to contest in Nilai," he said in a statement on Friday (July 17).
As of today, only Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional have announced their candidates for Nilai.
Pakatan will field incumbent J. Arul Kumar while Alan Lai Chein Kong will represent Barisan.
Zamani said Nilai has to be the starting point for Malay-Muslims to unite and field a Malay candidate in a Malay-majority area.
"Berjasa remains committed to Malay unity, which is why we have decided not to field candidates in Malay-majority areas to be contested by Barisan, PAS and Wawasan," he said.
On Thursday (July 16), Zamani had said the party decided to sit out of eight of the 15 seats it initially targeted for the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls after Barisan announced its candidacy for the same constituencies.
This decision, he said, was made to sustain the wave of solidarity among the ummah and the Malay community.
Zamani said the party's decision to contest the remaining seven seats will also depend on where Perikatan Nasional will be fielding their candidates.
He said this stance aligns with Berjasa's struggle, which prioritises the interests of religion, race, and nation over mere political competition.
