Tengku Zafrul to contest in Pandan or Ampang Constituency?
SHAH ALAM: Following the resignation of Rafizi Ramli, who recently launched the new Bersama party, from his seat as the Member of Parliament for Pandan, Prime Minister and PKR President Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that he would personally take charge of and oversee the Pandan constituency. Following this development, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari announced that former Minister and currently MIDA Chairman Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz (pic) has been appointed as the caretaker coordinator for the Pandan constituency. Tengku Zafrul is also the Senior Political Secretary to the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Tengku Zafrul had already been appointed previously as the coordinator for the Ampang constituency. Given his recent appointment to the Pandan constituency, it is widely anticipated that Tengku Zafrul is being positioned to directly challenge Rafizi Ramli in the next general election.
Despite resigning from his parliamentary seat, Rafizi Ramli remains actively engaged in serving the constituency. It is widely expected that he will defend the seat to retain it for his party Bersama and officially contest the Pandan constituency in the next general election. Consequently, Pandan is expected to emerge as a major battleground between Rafizi Ramli, represented by Bersama and Tengku Zafrul, represented by PKR.
Meanwhile, it is notable that no caretaker coordinator has been appointed yet for the Setiawangsa parliamentary seat in the Federal Territory, following the resignation of its Member of Parliament, Nik Nazmi. While the PKR leadership has shown immense focus on the Pandan constituency, they have somehow not demonstrated the same interest toward the Setiawangsa seat. Nonetheless, it is expected that Nik Nazmi will contest to defend the Setiawangsa constituency in the upcoming general election.
In the midst of these changes, the newly established Bersama party is widely expected to focus its electoral strategy on constituencies currently held by or previously contested by PKR. The new party is expected to field its candidates by absorbing and mobilising dissatisfied former PKR members in those areas. Bersama is also expected to field candidates in the forthcoming Melaka and Johor State assembly elections.
