PN keeps candidacy for Arau open, Shahidan weighing options

An irate Shahidan Kassim has vowed to defend the Arau seat despite being dropped as a candidate for BN.

Speaking to reporters last night, Shahidan said he was still weighing his ticket options.

"I will run for office (again). It won't be with BN. They didn't choose me. I will choose a party that wants me.

"God willing, I confirm that I will be defending (my seat)," the federal territories minister under the Ismail Sabri Yaakob cabinet said.

Coincidentally, Perikatan Nasional did not announce its candidate for Arau, paving the way for the possibility of the coalition adopting Shahidan as its candidate.

Shahidan said he has not been in discussions with PN, but conceded that they have reached out to him.

He also criticised Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allegedly making unilateral decisions on the candidates and penalising critics.

Shahidan claimed that Perlis Umno had submitted five nominees for the Arau seat but none was chosen by the party leadership.

"In my opinion, Zahid has broken his promise and committed a breach of trust. He has a duty to be fair but he clearly wasn't.

"He should have chosen a winnable candidate, not a candidate that is a mesin padi (combine harvester) or a candidate that hasn't been around," he said.

In view of this and other indiscretions, Shahidan said Zahid should step down as the party president and allow Ismail Sabri to run Umno.

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