The significance of the Hulu Selangor by-election in national politics calls for a candidate of national stature, and by this measure Zaid Ibrahim ticks all the boxes.

NONE "This by-election is not just a constituency or state event. It is a national event," said a senior party leader close to the Shah Alam administration.

As such, the candidate must choose someone who is well-known on the national scale, is experienced, will do well in Parliament and can push forward new ideas, he emphasised.

"The candidate will also need to be someone who can carry out policy, especially Pakatan Rakyat's."

Among the stronger shortlisted candidates which include Dr Halili Rahmat and PKR Youth president Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, Zaid is the person who fits the profile the best.

Other possible candidates are PKR Hulu Selangor vice chief Razali Mokhtar, and Malaysia Trade Union Congress president and human rights lawyer N Surendran.

Despite not having the local advantage over Halili, Kelantanese Zaid, who is also Pakatan coordinator, is well-versed in coalition policy and has a good track record as a parliamentarian.

As a former minister, Zaid also has the most experience compared to others listed.

He also trumps both candidates in terms of popularity, the source added.

"It's not hard to explain to people who Zaid is," he said, adding that Shamsul, while a "brave and young leader" just cannot compete on this front.

Halili's local advantage is also doubtful, he added, as grassroots supporters are split on the matter.

"The grassroots have tried to push him as their candidate but he is only popular among certain groups," he said of the neurosurgeon who has contested twice before.

He is also not very active in the party, he added.

PKR mouthpiece Suara Keadilan is also due to run an exclusive interview with Zaid in their upcoming issue, indicating that odds are in his favour.

But the weekly's editor Dzulkarnain Taib told Malaysiakini that the interview has been long in the pipeline and has nothing to do with the Hulu Selangor candidacy.

"It is about other issues like Perkasa and Umno," he said.

It's complicated

Political analyst James Chin, however, said that there is no way to speculate on the candidacy because each party's decision will be in response to their opponent's candidate choice.

"Right now both parties are spying on each other to know who is being fielded," he said.

At the same time, he noted that Zaid will "do well in the area" but is likely to lose 50 percent of Indian votes if MIC fields a young and popular candidate.

"The thing is, the Malays are split, and the Chinese are almost guaranteed to vote for DAP, so both sides are trying to understand how the Indians will vote.

"Zaid has a name presence, but this won't mean anything. PKR may support one candidate but (PKR de-factor leader) Anwar Ibrahim might think otherwise," he said.

PKR is due to announce their candidacy on April 13, with BN following on April 15.