PKR's Selayang, Silam contenders welcome re-election

Summary

• PKR will hold re-elections for the Selayang, Silam, and Jempol divisions due to complaints of irregularities and candidate disqualifications.

• In Selayang, contenders welcome a “second chance” after an unusual election outcome. In Silam, a candidate claimed wrongful removal from the ballot.

• In Jempol, a division chief winner was disqualified for prior affiliation with another political party, in line with PKR’s new policy.

Contenders in the PKR polls have welcomed the move to hold elections again for their divisions after alleged irregularities affecting the election results.

Rawang assemblyperson Chua Wei Keat, who lost in a three-way race for the Selayang division chief post, welcomed the PKR Election Committee’s decision to hold a re-election.

“Selayang members have welcomed this decision as a much-anticipated second chance by the grassroots,” he told Malaysiakini.

“The spirit on the ground is intensifying, with many already prepared to go all out once again to prove that support for our team is genuine and strong,” he added.

Chua (above, right) declined to go into detail about the nature of the complaints that led to the re-election. However, Malaysiakini previously reported that Selayang was among the divisions where the outcome was described as a “body without a head” - where the division chief candidate lost, but most of their team members won.

Meanwhile, in Sabah, Silam division chief contender Syafiq Iqhmal Saharudin claimed he was wrongfully removed from the ballot, despite never withdrawing from the contest.

“My own name, as a legitimate candidate, was removed from the ballot during the voting process, and I was labelled as a ‘Withdrawn Candidate’ despite never having withdrawn, nor was any notice of withdrawal ever submitted,” he said.

“What’s even more baffling is that the Election Committee earlier informed all candidates that once the voting system has started, a candidate’s name cannot be deleted or altered as it is locked in the blockchain system to safeguard the transparency and integrity of the process.”

Syafiq (above, left), who also contested for the division’s youth chief post, said changes were still made on voting day, claiming his name was reinstated after it “disappeared”, and that the name of another candidate who died was removed.

“I wish to remind the Election Committee and all relevant parties that this is not merely a technical issue. This concerns the rights of candidates, the rights of voters, and the integrity of democracy within the party,” he stressed.

Winner was a Pejuang member

In Negeri Sembilan, PKR vice-president Aminuddin Harun confirmed that a re-election will be held in Jempol this week, following the disqualification of division chief winner Azizah Salim Shah.

“She only resigned from Pejuang after winning. Upon thorough investigation, it was confirmed she was indeed a Pejuang member. We had to disqualify her for the safety of the party,” said Aminuddin, who is also the Negeri Sembilan PKR chief.

PKR Election Committee chairperson Dr Zaliha Mustafa said official notices would be issued to affected divisions to proceed with re-elections.

This follows a Central Leadership Council meeting yesterday, where PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh announced that any member found to be affiliated with another party at the time of candidacy would be disqualified and their nomination nullified.

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