Peja: I don't harbour MB ambitions

Perak Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Ahmad Faizal Azumu has hinted that he may not be defending the Chenderiang state assembly seat.

Speaking to reporters, Faizal, also known as Peja, said he does not harbour ambitions to be menteri besar again.

He added that he wants to focus on defending his Tambun seat. The parliamentary seat is set to be the battleground for PKR president and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“We haven’t made a decision (on who we are fielding) for Chenderiang. Personally, I want to focus on Tambun. This has nothing to do with Anwar. I just think it’s better to give others the opportunity to shine.

“I have experience as a state assemblyperson and menteri besar. I don’t want to be like other parties who are fighting for the menteri besar position," he said, according to Berita Bersatu.

Faizal was speaking at a Deepavali function in Ipoh, Perak yesterday.

In 2018, he made history by wresting Chenderiang from BN with just 45 percent of the vote, edging MCA’s Choong Shin Heng by 39 votes.

Chenderiang is a mixed ethnicity constituency with Malays making up 35 percent of the electorate.

This time around, Faizal will be challenged by Anwar in Tambun as part of Pakatan Harapan’s strategy to pivot towards Perak.

Some experts believe that the strategy was designed to create a ”Hawthorne effect” which could lead to further Harapan inroads in Perak.

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