Flurry of independents set to run in Malaysian poll
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Two major parties expected to face many multi-faceted electoral fights
Malaysia’s biggest parties Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are bracing for a huge number of independents to spoil their showdown in the 13th general election.
The emergence of these spoilers – possibly the largest number ever in the country’s electoral history – is certain to lead to three-way fights and even multi-cornered contests.
Unlike previously, when the independents were maverick politicians, this time most of them are disgruntled party members left out of the Barisan and Pakatan’s lists of candidates.
Notices have already been served to prime minister and Barisan chairman Najib Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim that they can expect to face independents, even if some may dismiss them as minnows.
People’s Justice Party (PKR) supreme council member Fariz Musa, 43, and political science student Mohamed Bukhairy Sofian, 23, who claims to be from Gerakan Mahasiswa PRU13, will take on Najib in Pekan, while controversial blogger Papagomo has declared through a representative he will run against Anwar and Barisan’s Dr Mazlan Ismail in Permatang Pauh.
The independents could include former Malaysian Chinese Association president Ong Tee Keat, should he defend his Pandan parliamentary seat.
Seremban Democratic Action Party MP John Fernandez, Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali and Kajang DAP state assemblyman Lee Kim Sin have said they would contest as independents in the May 5 polls.
Former Umno Tasek Gelugor division chief Mohd Shariff Omar, Bakri Umno committee member Ghazali Salamon, Batu Kawan Gerakan co-ordinator Mohan Apparoo and PKR Tapah division chief Ridzuan Bani have also made their intentions known to stand as independents.
Then there is the 93-year-old Tok Mun or Maimun Yusuf who is expected to again contest the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat.
Another colourful independent is “failure guru” Billi Lim Peng Soon who stood and lost in Bukit Bintang in 1999 and 2004 and in Kelana Jaya in 2008. He is likely to contest Kelana Jaya again.
Most of the multi-cornered fights are expected to take place in Sabah and Sarawak.
In the 2008 election, 89 multi-cornered fights took place in state and parliamentary constituencies, with the bulk of them in Sabah.
The Election Commission believes more than 50 independents will contest parliamentary seats nationwide based on reports on the number of politicians angry at being dropped.
