KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan should allow Gerak Independent co-founder Tawfik Ismail to contest in Bagan Datuk under the coalition's banner.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said the PH Presidential Council should give proper and positive response to Tawfik's request to contest against Umno president DatuK Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"This will be an excellent way to highlight the theme of the 15th General Election, which is to fight corruption and to ensure that Umno and BN leaders do not escape from being charged in court for corruption," said Lim in a statement on his blog.
Tawfik, the former member of Parliament for Sungai Benut (now Simpang Renggam), was reported as saying that he had met some senior PH leaders and conveyed his request.
He said he hoped to receive a positive response and he hoped to meet PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim soon.
"Although I will be standing as a 'calon rakyat' (people's candidate), standing under the PH banner will be ideal as I am taking on a huge challenge," said Tawfik, who is the son of Malaysia's second deputy prime minister, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.
Last December, he and lawyer Siti Kasim announced the launch of the Gerak Independent movement to promote independent candidates for GE15.
Last week the New Straits Times reported that PKR plans to name former vice-president Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin as the candidate for Bagan Datuk against former deputy prime minister Zahid, who is the incumbent.
This is part of PKR's plan to strengthen its position in Perak.