‘NO NEWS ON CANDIDACY YET’
Talk about running for Bandar Tun Razak seat a mere speculation, says Shahrizat
UMNO Wanita chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has expressed bewilderment over talk of her running for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat.
Shahrizat, who is also a former woman, family and community development minister, said she had yet to receive any instructions from Barisan Nasional’s top leadership to contest for seats in the 14th General Election.
BN has traditionally reserved the Bandar Tun Razak seat for MCA. Shahrizat described the talk as political speculation at the advent of the electoral season.
“(It is just a) speculation. (I am) serious.
“I will inform (the media on the matter) upon receiving news about it (confirmation from the top leadership),” Shahrizat said in a text reply to the New Straits Times Press.
Rumours on Shahrizat’s candidacy for Bandar Tun Razak spread after a news portal claimed to have verified the matter with several sources from Umno, including the party’s top leadership.
In the 13th General Election, MCA lost the seat to then PKR candidate Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who polled an 11,832 vote-majority.
Shahrizat possessed a prolific electoral record, sparked by her victory against the late former lord president Tun Mohamed Salleh Abas from Semangat 46 for the parliamentary seat Lembah Pantai, with a vote-majority of 13,361.
In 1999, she defeated PKR candidate Zainur Zakaria with a vote-majority of 1,417.
In 2004, Shahrizat defended Lembah Pantai with her biggest vote-majority yet at 15,288, defeating Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s candidate Dr Sanusi Osman who had contested under PKR’s ticket.
However, in 2008, Shahrizat lost to then greenhorn PKR vicepresident Nurul Izzah Anwar with a vote-majority of 2,895.
Shahrizat was not fielded as a candidate in GE13.