Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) senior leader Khalid Samad has hinted that the forthcoming Sungai Besar by-election may see a three-cornered clash, with Pakatan Harapan joining in the projected PAS-BN clash.

Khalid said there is a chance that Harapan would put in a candidate, either from PKR, DAP or his own party Amanah.

"It may be a three-cornered fight, and if it is so, it will prove that support is for Harapan as a coalition and not for individual parties that are contesting.

"Amanah will meet to discuss this on May 15, though we are already of the view that we want to see a Harapan candidate contest the by-election," he told Malaysiakini.

Though Khalid said that while the consensus is that it must be a Harapan candidate, he has hopes that Amanah will be fielded.

"For Amanah, if possible we want (to contest the seat). We will argue this (in the Harapan meeting). We will discuss it, but it will all be for naught if Harapan is not the main focus in the by-election," he said.

The Sungai Besar parliamentary seat fell vacant with the death of Noriah Kasnon (photo). She was killed in the May 5 helicopter crash in Sebuyau during the run-up to the Sarawak state election.

Asked if a three-cornered fight would split the opposition votes, resulting in them losing like what happened when DAP and PKR stood against each other in least six state seats in the May 7 Sarawak election, Khalid said it was up to PAS to consider the merits of the matter.

"It is up to PAS, if it wants to insist on a three-cornered fight. PAS is a party out of control, it wants to be the third block, so it is up to the party.

"The people must choose, whether they want the third block, which contains PAS and Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan), or Pakatan Harapan, which has Amanah, PKR and DAP.

"If it comes to be a three-cornered fight, it will not be because we want it. PAS does not need to contest, since its leaders have said seats are not important, as they only want to be adviser (to the government)," Khalid sniped.

'Toppling BN not the aim now'

Asked if a three-cornered fight would sabotage the opposition's aim of taking BN down, Khalid, who is the MP for Shah Alam, said toppling the ruling coalition is not the aim of the by-election.

"The by-election is not to defeat BN, We will do that during the general election. What we want is to make use of the by-election as a training ground for the general election. That is more important. We will make use of it for Harapan, we will publicise the pact," he explained.

In the 2013 general election, the late Noriah defeated PAS candidate Mohamed Salleh M Hussin with a majority of 399 votes.

With such a marginal victory, even though the seat was touted to be an Umno stronghold, Sungai Besar is said by many to be the real litmus test for the Malay party currently dogged with a leadership crisis over questions thrown by grassroots at party president Najib Abdul Razak over his 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation scandals.

It is noted that the opposition has a very real chance of testing the waters, even wresting control of the seat from Umno, if it were to focus on this effort.

There is also the chance that a three-cornered fight for Sungai Besar might just negate the opportunity for the opposition and be wasted.