Padang Rengas PN: Is Nazri still keen to contest in next GE?

IPOH: Padang Rengas Perikatan Nasional wondered if social media postings on Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz's controversial trip to Paris is a sign the Padang Rengas MP will not return and defend his seat in the next general election.

Its division information chief Azahari Hasan said Nazri's trip at a time when Malaysia was battling the Covid-19 pandemic showed the Umno MP was insensitive, and this could affect his support among Padang Rengas parliamentary constituents.

"Logically, he will not act in such a manner if he is still keen to contest (in the next general election) since he has been an MP there for six terms.

"If he wants to return and defend his seat, it does not make sense that he allow such postings to become viral on social media and escalate into a controversy.

"This may lead to (some quarters in) Umno thinking he is no longer suitable (to be fielded as an election candidate) when they see the social media postings," said Azahari, who is also Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Padang Rengas division chief, when contacted.

Azhari was referring to social media postings by Nazri's wife, Datuk Seri Haflin Saiful, who shared several stories on her Instagram about the current political situation in Malaysia.

Social media users criticised Haflin for her social media postings.

"If the social media postings only represented the opinion of his wife, then how come Nazri has not issued any statements to deny the matter or issued an apology until today?," he said.

However, Azhari refused to elaborate on the controversy surrounding Nazri.

He said it was not impossible for Bersatu and Umno to adopt the same formula as during the Sabah state election, which saw the two parties working together though they did not belong to the same political coalition.

"Anything could happen (in the next polls) and we do not know if he will be the candidate for the Padang Rengas parliamentary constituency.

"If Umno is working with PN in the next election, further comments on Nazri will only be detrimental for the present government," he said.