IPOH (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's self-styled shaman Ibrahim Mat Zin said on Tuesday (April 17) he plans to contest a parliamentary seat in Perak state as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election taking on Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Better known as " Raja Bomoh", or the Bomoh King of the World, Mr Ibrahim made the announcement at a press conference, saying he would contest the Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat, where he is also a voter.
The president of the Malaysian silat association Seni Silat Gayung Ghaib Malaysia said members of his group would also be contesting as independents at the May 9 election.
"This is not a gimmick, we truly want to help people who are suffering. 27 members from my association will be contesting nationwide as independents," he told reporters.
Mr Ibrahim added that he would not resort to gimmicks during the campaigning period.
"I sincerely want to help the people. If I win, I plan to share my wealth and I will give my MP's salary to poor people from all races," he said.
Mr Ibrahim said the election contest was something the association had been planning for a year, adding that he had the support of some 25,000 people in Bagan Datuk.
Meanwhile, the silat group's deputy president Leman Kanaullah announced plans to contest the Pangkor state seat in Perak.
The incumbent for Pangkor is Perak Mentri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir.
Mr Ibrahim first made headlines in March 2014, when he conducted two rituals at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport using coconuts, a 'flying' carpet and bamboo binoculars in an attempt to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
He also performed a ritual outside the National Institute of Forensic Medicine at Hospital Kuala Lumpur over the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Last year, he also performed a ritual using coconuts and sticks on a beach in Selangor, purportedly to "defend" Malaysia from North Korea amid tensions between the two countries following the February assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.
