KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh appears to have fallen out of the race to stand in that parliamentary constituency by-election following his selection as senator representing the East Coast state for a second term.
The Terengganu state assembly nominated the Deputy Home Minister and Terengganu Wanita vice-chief Fatimah Ahmad as senators yesterday.
There has been speculation that Wan Ahmad Farid, whose first term as senator ends next January, was a front-runner to contest the seat that fell vacant following its MP Datuk Razali Ismail's death last month. Nomination day is Jan 6 while polling day is Jan 17.
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak was to have named Barisan Nasional's candidate over the weekend but begged off, saying the announcement will be made next week for the seat where the ruling coalition won by just 628 votes in the March general election. Others said to be considered as Umno candidate include division deputy chief Mohd Sabri Alwi, state Umno information chief Datuk Zuber Embong and treasurer Senator Datuk Roslan Awang Chik.
If Wan Ahmad Farid or Sabri were selected, it would be their election debut. Zuber had lost the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat in 1990 to Semangat 46 candidate Datuk Abdul Manan Othman while Roslan was the Ladang assemblyman in 1995 before losing in 1999 to Dr Sulaiman Abdullah from Pas.
Najib has said Barisan Nasional and Umno will have to win the by-election as proof of its revival after its dismal performance in the March 8 general election where it lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority together with four states and the mauling at the Permatang Pauh by-election that saw sacked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim make his political comeback.
In the March polls, Razali, the BN candidate, obtained 32,562 votes, narrowly defeating Pas vice-president Mohamad Sabu (31,562 votes) and independent candidate Maimun Yusof (685).
Maimun has expressed interest in contesting the seat again but a scrap rubber dealer, Isma Airfath Hassanuddin, has already taken nomination forms to contest as an independent candidate.
"It's my hobby (to contest in elections). In fact, I feel the need to contest as an independent candidate in the by-election as I believe democracy is still alive in the country," said the 38-year-old from Kampung Kok Pauh, Rantau Panjang, Kelantan.
Another potential candidate is Hanafi Mamat, who leads a Pas splinter group and had contested in the Permatang Pauh by-election only to lose his deposit. None of these candidates are expected to make much headway in the by-election.
But Barisan Nasional's main adversary will be Pas which is still mulling its candidate in its efforts to win the seat and dispel notions it is a junior member of the Pakatan Rakyat electoral pact. The party list now includes losing Kuala Terengganu candidate Mohamed Sabu, Terengganu Pas deputy chief Wan Mutalib Embong, Pas election director Datuk Mustafa Ali and Batu Burok assemblyman Dr Syed Azman Nawawi.
The Pas election campaign team led by deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa is said to be settling on a young PhD holder in a compromise between party conservatives led by president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the so-called Erdogan faction led by party spiritual chief Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
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