Mat Sabu's nomination will prove Pakatan Rakyat's strength - Analyst

It is a good proposal to name PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu as the candidate to represent Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming Bukit Gelugor by-election, said political analyst Professor Madya Dr Shaharuddin Baharuddin.

Dr Shaharuddin added that this should be done if Pakatan Rakyat intends to create a strong coalition.

He said Barisan Nasional (BN) has proven its coalition’s strength by giving the seat to UMNO as the party is strong in the area.

“The proposal for Mat Sabu to be chosen to represent Pakatan Rakyat in Bukit Gelugor is good and should have been executed a long time ago.

“To create a strong coalition and prove their (Pakatan Rakyat’s) seriousness, the party should sacrifice the seat for a member of the coalition.

“There should be an understanding, it should not benefit only one quarter. If DAP sacrifices its seat, PAS should also be prepared to sacrifice a seat in Kelantan for example to DAP in the 14th General Election (GE).

“What’s important is that they should prove that Pakatan Rakyat is a strong coalition and is not bound to issues such as which party should contest in which area,” said Dr Shaharuddin to Astro AWANI.

He added that nominating Mohamad will not reduce the majority gained by DAP during the GE13, he is, however of the opinion that this will help mending the relationship between DAP and PAS marred by the hudud issue.

“Earlier, the late Karpal Singh won with a big majority, 42,706 votes. If we place Mohamad it will not allow Pakatan Rakyat’s opponent to wrestle the seat.

“Should there be a decrease it will not be a big one, maybe a few percent and this will not affect Pakatan Rakyat and DAP,” said Dr Shaharuddin.

Dr Shaharuddin said that the leaders of Pakatan Rakyat should view the proposal as an effort to strengthen the coalition for the people.

This he added is because many people still view the coalition as not really strong. There are also many who question the understanding among the coalition members.

“This may be the best time for them (Pakatan Rakyat) to prove to the people that Pakatan Rakyat should be taken seriously,” added Dr Shaharuddin.

On Monday, Pakatan Rakyat activist, Hishamuddin Rais had proposed for DAP to place Mohamad as Pakatan Rakyat’s candidate in the upcoming Bukit Gelugor by-election scheduled to be held on May 25.

Hishamuddin said that by placing Mohamad as a candidate in Bukit Gelugor it will bring a new meaning to the cooperation within the coalition.

Hishamuddin also said that this move may reduce the dispute caused by the hudud issue between PAS and DAP.

This proposal was also echoed by the Mind and Social Care Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation.

Its president Ramesh Rao said that placing Mohamad as a candidate will allow PAS to explain the hudud issue and to ensure that the non-Muslims has a better understanding of the matter.

DAP will announce its candidate for the Bukit Gelugor by-election on Saturday.

The by-election is held following the death of its incumbent, Karpal Singh in a car accident on April 17.

The Election Commision (EC) has fixed May 12 as nomination day while the early voting will be on May 21 and polling day for May 25.

The Late Karpal Singh who was also former DAP national chairman had won the seat during the 13th GE with a majority of 42,706 votes beating BN candidate Teh Beng Yeam who garnered 13, 597 votes.