While the Ketari by-election fever has temperatures soaring in other political parties, Keadilan appears to be in hypothermia with a communication problem between the state and central committees over the shortlisting of candidates.

Keadilan Pahang said today it has yet to shortlist candidates and was waiting for further instructions from the partys central committee.

If the central committee asks us to contest, we will contest, state liaison chief Mohd Jafri Abdul Rashid told malaysiakini .

However, Keadilan deputy president Abdul Rahman Othman when asked if the party had shortlisted anyone, replied that they were waiting for the state liaison committee to make its recommendations to the central committee.

He said the party would hold a meeting to discuss the matter this Ssaturday.

The deputy president also said any decision to contest would require the approval of Barisan Alternatifs presidential council.

The Ketari state seat fell vacant following the death of Gerakans Loke Koon Kam on Sunday.

PAS not contesting

PAS has opted to sidestep the by-election while DAP has shortlisted two local candidates, whom it claimed to be influential and well known to the voters in Ketari.

On the other side of the fence, Gerakan has yet to even finalise its nominees for the Barisan Nasional candidate.

Yet Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob said there were a few names on the list but the final decision rests in the hands of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is also BN chairperson.

According to 2001 statistics, Ketari state constituency has 17,357 voters: 54 percent Chinese Malaysians, 39 percent Malay Malaysians, five percent Indian Malaysians and 1.84 percent other Malaysians.

In the 1999 general election, the late Loke defeated DAPs Chong Siew Onn with a slim majority of 231 votes.

The by-election has to be called within a 60-day period.