PH to field candidate at Pas stronghold Kota Lama

KOTA BARU: Pakatan Harapan (PH) confirmed today that it will field a candidate from the coalition in the Kota Lama state seat, which is a Pas stronghold.

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) leadership council committee member Datuk Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah said this was agreed during its meeting with the state Barisan Nasional recently.

However, he added PH has yet to decide which party would field their candidate in the state seat.

"Once the PH presidential council makes its decision on which party, we then will select the candidate.

"We have a number of candidates and are waiting for the right time to choose them as we want to ensure Amanah or any party contesting in the seat, will gain victory," he told the New Straits Times.

The former Kota Baru MP was asked to comment whether Amanah would field its candidate at the seat after former Kota Lama assemblyman Datuk Anuar Tan Abdullah decided not to contest.

It was reported on Sunday that Pas would lose one of its longest-serving assemblymen in the upcoming state election after Anuar decided not to seek re-election.

Anuar, the only Chinese assemblyman in the state assembly, is retiring from politics after winning in consecutive elections since 1999.

The former state industry, trade and community unity committee chairman cited his health as the reason for ending his journey in the political arena, saying that it was better for Pas to field a fresh and young candidate to replace him.

Anuar also claimed that he had informed Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob of the decision and Ahmad had accepted it.

The Kota Lama seat has been a Pas stronghold for years.

The constituency is among three state seats under the Kota Baru parliamentary constituency, the others being Tanjong Mas and Bunut Payong.

In the last election, Pas won 37 of the 45 seats in Kelantan, with Barisan Nasional taking seven and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia winning one.