No easy road for Azmin, Zuraida to win in GE15: MB
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has admitted that it will be an uphill battle for PKR to wrest back the Gombak and Ampang parliamentary seats held by party defectors Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin in the next general election.
Despite this, Amirudin vowed that it would not be an easy road for the two if they are fielded as candidates in the next poll....
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has admitted that it will be an uphill battle for PKR to wrest back the Gombak and Ampang parliamentary seats held by party defectors Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin in the next general election.
Despite this, Amirudin (above) vowed that it would not be an easy road for the two if they are fielded as candidates in the next poll.
Amirudin's remark came after party information chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the party is determined to recapture the parliamentary constituencies the duo holds.
“In Gombak, 77 percent of the voters are Malays and this is a challenge for PKR. But we will see how far we can go," explained Amirudin.
“Is it going to be an individual factor (Azmin) or a candidate party factor that will draw the crowd?” he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.
“Maybe in Ampang, the opposition might have a chance as 40 percent of the voters are non-Malays," he added.
While acknowledging the challenges ahead, the Selangor Pakatan Harapan chairperson pledged to reclaim Gombak and Ampang and this will definitely not be an “easy road or an open highway” for Azmin (below, right) or Zuraida.
“I believe with our track record and achievements, the people can compare between individuals and what the party has done.
“We must understand that the representation (for the seat) must not focus on only one group (Malays).
"There are state, federal and the candidates’ factors that are involved… which can also determine the outcome,” Amirudin said.
Voters are more pragmatic now, he said, which will make the seats competitive.
“Voters are more open now to whichever party that can explain the current situation (what’s happening in Selangor). In order to win we need to get more than 50 percent from the turnout in the next general election.
“Because if more people come out and we have a positive impact, good governance and a proper campaign, then we can win," he added.
Azmin, who is also the senior minister in charge of economy, won Gombak with a landslide majority of 48,720 votes in 2018.
Gombak is an urban seat with a 77 percent Malay majority while Chinese and Indian constitute 11 percent of the 141,112 voters as of 2018.
Azmin was also appointed as Selangor Menteri Besar from 2014 to 2018.
Zuraida retained Ampang in the 14th general election with a comfortable majority of 41,956 votes. Ampang is a mixed seat with 56 percent Malay, 35 percent Chinese and nine percent Indian voters.
Azmin and Zuraida were sacked by PKR together with 10 MPs who joined Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional (PN).
On another development, Amirudin said Selangor has no issue on the employment of foreign workers in certain critical sectors which are dependent on foreign workforce.
He said this in response to Putrajaya's move to freeze the hiring of foreign workers in all sectors until the year-end.
“We need skilled labour, for example, in the construction and other critical sectors. But they must be strict data on who is allowed to work or not allowed.
“We also have to ensure that there are strict controls (by employers) and that they (foreign workers) follow the standard operating procedures,” Amirudin said.
He told industries which have been impacted by the latest decision, to contact the Human Resources Ministry to explain the need for the foreign workers.
“Preference should be given to foreign workers who can help revive the economy. Apart from managing the pandemic, we have also got to look into the economy which will severely be affected if it is not revived quickly," he added.
There must be an understanding and collaboration between ministries to create policies for the sectors that rely on foreign workers, he said.
“The biggest issue now is control. If we are able to manage and implement proper health checks (for foreign workers), then the process (hiring) will move smoothly.”
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