Former Bersatu Leader Upset Over Recycling Of Candidates

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One of the main reasons why Muhammad Faiz Na’aman decided to leave Bersatu was the party’s decision to continue to uplift leaders who had lost in the 15th general election (GE15).
The former Bersatu supreme council member said he was dissatisfied with that decision.
“...dissatisfied because we know they have been rejected by the people in their own states. They are contesting but they have been rejected...
“Unlike myself before this... I contested in Bagan Datuk,” he said to Malaysiakini.
In GE15, Faiz was Perikatan Nasional’s candidate in Bagan Datuk, going up against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN), Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin (Pakatan Harapan), and Tawfiq Ismail (independent). However, he lost the seat to Zahid.
Elaborating further, Faiz said that “recycling” candidates will become a losing factor for PN.
“If we place a candidate that has already been rejected, we actually do not want the party to win because such arrangements will cause the party to lose, like in the Malacca and Johor state elections before this,” he said.
Muhammad Faiz Na’amanFaiz said Bersatu’s losses in elections in the past have been due to the candidates it fielded.
“Why are we repeating (our mistakes)? There is no awareness from the party itself,” he said.
He also explained that the Bersatu leadership had previously placed conditions on those who want to be fielded as the party’s candidates.
However, he said it does not appear that the party is sticking to those conditions at all.
“The leadership placed some requirements to become a candidate but in the end, they were not followed.
"For example, conditions like their academic qualifications must be equal to that of their opponents, and they must not have any court cases or police cases.
“These are some of the conditions set by the party (leaders); they also wanted a so-called quota for youth candidates, but if you look at the Selangor state polls, are there any candidates from Bersatu Youth wing? There are none.
More nonsensical
“So, it is things like these that made me feel like it (selection of candidates) has become more nonsensical,” Faiz said.
On the other hand, Faiz praised PKR for its selection of candidates, which he described as being very different from Bersatu.
“This we have to praise. It is clear that PKR is serious about giving priority to new faces with professional backgrounds.
“I see PKR is more committed to bringing new, respectable faces as candidates,” he said.
Faiz announced he was quitting Bersatu altogether, citing irreconcilable differences.
Since last week, Faiz has been publicly criticising the party’s choice of candidates for Selangor, which included several party leaders who were trounced during the parliamentary election last year. - Mkini

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