By Danial Dzulkifly
SELAYANG, April 6 — Selangor Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) will not take the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election for granted, even if the coalition has won the seat comfortably in the past three polls there.
State Harapan chairman Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said this is as he expects the opposition to play up issues at the federal level in a desperate bid to secure victory, seeing that it lacks political ammunition to leverage in the coming election.
“I am confident the majority of voters can assess the contributions of the state government since 2013. What I hope for in the constituency is that the services provided are properly evaluated, including benefits that have been channelled back to the community.
“Having said that, I believe it’s not just about state issues. There are definitely federal issues at play. I believe the opposition doesn’t have solid issues to attack the state government with and will resort to using federal matters that may be irrelevant.
“However, the focus should be on the state assembly, and we want members who will work with us and work towards improving federal relations,” he told reporters after distributing Aidilfitri donations sponsored by Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) to Sungai Tua residents, at Masjid Selayang Baru, here, today.
Amirudin said he would leave it to the wisdom of voters to decide who to elect, adding that he would not underestimate their ability to pick the right candidate.
Commenting further, the Sungai Tua assemblyman said preparations for the by-election are already underway, although momentum for the campaign is expected to pick up after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
On Thursday, Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh announced that the by-election for the vacant Kuala Kubu Baharu constituency will take place on May 11.
Nomination will be held on April 27, while early voting will be on May 7.
The by-election in the northern Selangor constituency is expected to cost RM2.5 million, with the involvement of 760 election officers, 20 voting centres and 77 voting channels.
The seat fell vacant following the demise of its incumbent, Lee Kee Hiong, who succumbed to cancer on March 21.
She held the Kuala Kubu Baharu for three consecutive terms since 2013.
Today, Amirudin distributed Hari Raya Aidilfitri donations to some 1,300 recipients from three state constituencies under the Gombak parliament.
Other than Sungai Tua, he also distributed aid to Hulu Kelang and Gombak Setia constituents.
Each recipient, who were selected from among low-income families, received RM500 in cash aid, with the entire programme costing RM620,000.
