Bahirah Tajol Aris, wife of Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, has rejected a proposal that she contest the Shah Alam seat in the coming general election.

Stating that the idea "never crossed my mind", Bahirah added that she preferred instead to focus on championing the abolition of the Internal Security Act which allows indefinite detention without trial.

Her cause is also a personal one as her husband Ezam, 35, is currently serving a two-year detention order under the ISA at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak for allegedly seeking to topple the government via militant means.

"I am comfortable fighting for this cause. I want to continue to uphold the fight and struggle against the ISA which is a gross violation of human rights," she told malaysiakini .

Bahirah said this when asked to comment on the recent proposal by Selangor Keadilan Youth that she contest in the same constituency her husband contested in the 1999 general election.

The opposition party is gearing up for the next general election, taking its cue from various hints by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that there it may come earlier than 2004.

Strong support

According to Selangor Youth chief SD Johari, the proposal to nominate Bahirah was strongly backed by the wing in its recent division meeting.

He was quoted as saying in Berita Keadilan 's latest edition that the youth division has studied the matter before making the proposal.

"We are sure that the people will support us due to the mixed racial composition and the [electoral boundary] redelineation exercise," he said in the party organ, referring to the Election Commission's task which officially began in March and must be completed in two years.

Ezam obtained a total of 34,411 votes in the 1999 battle for Shah Alam but it was not enough to beat Barisan Nasional candidate Mohd Zin Mohamed who won by a slim majority of 1,440 votes.

Meanwhile, Bahirah said she understood the proposal was based on the assumption that Ezam will not be able to contest the seat due to his political incarceration.

She, however, was confident that Ezam might be released soon, saying, "Let's us all pray for his release."