This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
Canada: 
Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
A political battle is looming over the Kajang state as Anwar Ibrahim tries to mark his entry in the Kajang state by winning the elections. Malaysia’s Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed has already indicated far-reaching implications of the March 23 by-elections being held in the Selangor state constituency of Kajang. The seat was made vacant by the opposition to make way for the entry of its leader Anwar Ibrahim into the state assembly. Anwar is already warming up for the actual campaigning that officially starts after the nominations on March 11.
‘Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is very hungry to fight for the seat. Whoever is doing this estimation of costs needs to be aware that there are all kinds of costs. Direct and indirect, and whatever direct costs that one can come up with, the indirect will be… in my view, at least a multiple of 10,’ said Mustapa warning of heavy costs that the country will have to face beyond the 0.5 million US dollars allocated by the election commission to spend on the elections.
Apart from costs, the Kajang by-election has led to a heated public debate. Former co-chair of electoral reform group Bersih, Ambiga Sreenevasan, urged the opposition party to tell their true intentions in Selangor. ‘To me, you don’t ask the leader of opposition to take such a huge risk, just to be an assemblyman. To me, there has to be more clarity about the position of MB (Menteri Besar).’ Apart from speculation that Anwar wants to become the Menteri Besar, or Chief Minister of Selangor, Ambiga also took a swipe at the opposition for painting it as a do-or-die battle for the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
Be the first to comment