Sixth by-election since GE14 after Selangor rep dies

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 – A sixth by-election is due to take place after the 14th general election (GE14) with the sudden demise of Semenyih assemblyman Mohd Bakhtiar Mohd Nor early this morning.

The Selangor state rep from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was reported to have died from a heart attack at 4.45am at Hospital Kajang, a statement from the Selangor menteri besar’s office said.

Since Pakatan Harapan won control of Putrajaya and eight states in GE14 on May 9, four by-elections have taken place last year. Three of the by-elections were for Selangor state seats – Seri Setia, Sg Kandis and Balakong – and the other was for the Port Dickson parliamentary seat in Negeri Sembilan.

Another by-election for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat will be held on January 26.

The Semenyih rep’s death brings to four, the number of Selangor state assemblymen who have passed away since GE14.

Two PKR men, Shuhaimi Shafiei (Sg Kandis) and Shaharuddin Badaruddin (Seti Setia) passed away from cancer while DAP’s Eddie Ng Tien Chee (Balakong) was killed in a road accident. Their parties retained the seats in the respective by-elections.

Port Dickson MP quits for Anwar

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won the Port Dickson parliamentary by-election after the incumbent Danyal Balagopal Abdullah from PKR quit to make way for his party president to return to the Dewan Rakyat, following the former’s pardon from sodomy conviction last May.

Bakhtiar, who was the Bersatu Hulu Langat division chief, had defeated incumbent Johan Abd Aziz (Barisan Nasional-Umno) in GE14, winning with a majority of almost 9,000 votes.

The fifth by-election in Cameron Highlands was called after incumbent, MIC vice-president Sivarraajh Chandran’s win in GE14 was declared null and void over over the alleged bribery of constituents.

Rantau by-election pending Federal Court decision

Another by-election was to have been held last year after the Election Court had on November 16, allowed a petition filed by Dr S. Streram of PKR and annulled Umno Deputy President Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan’s uncontested victory in GE14.

However, an appeal has been made by Mohamad against the ruling with the Federal Court.

On November 30, Election Commission chairman Azhar Harun said the announcement on the Rantau by-election will be made only after the appeal against the Election Court’s decision is decided.

Azhar pointed out that the Federal Court has yet to rule on Mohamad’s challenge against the decision stripping him of the Rantau state seat in Negri Sembilan.

“We cannot announce it yet as there is an appeal, so we have to wait for it to complete. The Federal Court has six months to decide,” Azhar was reported to have said.

– NMT