'Cah keting' a nightmare for imported candidates

MELAKA: The culture of 'cah keting' (internal sabotaging) is always a nightmare for imported candidates because they are seen as if they are trying to nullify the party's decision at the division level which has previously decided who is eligible to contest in an electoral seat.

They are also seen as being given an easy path to contest in the seat set by the party leadership, while the work of wooing voters has been done for a long time by the party machinery at the grassroots level.

In Melaka, there are three imported candidates contesting in the 15th General Election (GE15), namely Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for Masjid Tanah parliamentary seat Mutalib Uthman (PH-MUDA), Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Alor Gajah parliamentary seat Shahril Sufian Hamdan (BN-UMNO) and PH candidate for Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary seat Adam Adli Abd Halim (PH-PKR).

Alor Gajah UMNO Division acting chief Datuk Rospandi Leman said it was normal for the leadership to change candidates at the last minute and field imported candidates if they feel that the candidates have the potential to win in the contested areas.

The Alor Gajah BN chairman, however, said imported candidates need to be humble and aware that they are 'newcomers' in the area.

Meanwhile, Shahril Sufian said his candidacy was decided by the party and he was not contesting as an individual.

"Actually, the most important thing is the willingness of the people in Alor Gajah to vote for BN again", he said.

As for Mutalib, PH component parties have helped him a lot in carrying out the campaign in Masjid Tanah since MUDA does not have a big election machinery like other parties.

"We do ask our components to help in each state constituency. For example, recently our friends from DAP held a talk featuring the party's veteran, Lim Kit Siang in Kampung Paya Mengkuang," he said.

-- BERNAMA