PKR's Streram to get another shot at Rantau
PKR member Dr S Streram will be fielded as Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for the Rantau by-election, according to party president Anwar Ibrahim.
Streram was supposed to be Harapan's candidate for Rantau, a Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly seat, during the 14th general election last year...
PKR member Dr S Streram will be fielded as Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for the Rantau by-election, according to party president Anwar Ibrahim.
Streram was supposed to be the coalition's candidate for Rantau, a Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly seat, during the 14th general election last year.
However, he was barred from entering the nomination centre for not having a valid pass thus giving current Umno acting president Mohamad Hasan a walkover.
Anwar said Streram met all the required criteria including being qualified academically and having a good work record.
Streram is an anaesthetist and has participated in several humanitarian missions to foreign countries.
The party decided to field him to re-contest the by-election although it realised that certain quarters will incite racial and religious sentiments during the by-election campaign, Anwar said.
He added that Rantau could not be taken as a measurement of the people's support after Harapan's two consecutive defeats in the Cameron Highlands and Semenyih by-elections.
"Rantau is the former (Negri Sembilan) menteri besar's stronghold for the past three terms. If we were to measure (the people's support), it should be Port Dickson as we won with a huge majority.
"So we will work hard although we know that it is the Umno acting president's stronghold," Anwar said, adding that the party had taken into consideration the 27 percent Indian population in the area.
The Negeri Sembilan state seat was declared vacant by the Seremban Election Court in November last year after it found there was no requirement for Streram to have a pass to enter the nomination centre.
Mohamad had filed an appeal against the Election Court decision but it was dismissed by the Federal Court last month.
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