Malaysia politicians in a huff after failing to make the cut as election candidates

Datuk M. Kayveas, president of small Barisan Nasional party myPPP, quit his post after he was not picked for a parliamentary seat that he has been eyeing. PHOTO: NEW STRAITS TIMES PRESS

KUALA LUMPUR - Several Malaysian politicians who have not been nominated to stand in the May 9 general election have thrown public tantrums, with two of them threatening to boycott the campaigning in the former constituencies and another mulling over standing as an independent candidate.

The ruckus happens every five years as incumbent representatives or heads of the local divisions are disappointed to learn that they have been replaced.

Some lash out at their party, others blame hidden enemies within their ranks.

Datuk M. Kayveas, president of small Barisan Nasional (BN) party myPPP, on Wednesday (April 25) said he quit his post after he was not picked for a parliamentary seat that he had been eyeing.

Worse, unlike in previous polls, myPPP - formerly called People's Progressive Party - has been given only one seat to contest, and that too in the opposition stronghold of Segambut in Kuala Lumpur where it has little chance of winning.

In previous polls, the party was given several Parliament and state seats to contest.

But just as shocking were comments by myPPP secretary-general Mohan Kandasamy that Mr Kayveas was in fact sacked from the party that he led for some two decades.

"Following the disciplinary board meeting last night, the decision was to sack Kayveas as president and member of MyPPP with immediate effect," Mr Mohan told a news conference, as reported by Malaysiakini online news. "We did not receive any resignation letter."

He said BN has sent a letter to myPPP to start disciplinary action against Mr Kayveas for unilaterally deciding on a seat that he wanted to contest.

Meanwhile, in the same Wangsa Maju Parliament seat in Kuala Lumpur, both the incumbent MP from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Umno division chief of the area who was not picked to contest said they would not be helping out their parties to campaign.

Both felt they had "serviced" the voters well and felt unhappy at being left out.

"I have served Wangsa Maju for eight years, even before contesting in the 13th general election. How can PKR pick a candidate that is not active in Wangsa Maju?" PKR's Tan Kee Kwong told The Star newspaper on Wednesday.

PKR's Rawang assemblywoman Gan Pei Nei on Tuesday was in tears at a news conference, saying she was dropped from defending her seat due to a "cruel" poison-pen letter alleging she misused state allocations.

She said the allegations were totally baseless. "I strongly deny the accusation and am ready to be investigated by providing the necessary documents to defend myself," said Ms Gan, as reported by the media.

In Johor, its Umno division chief for Batu Pahat, Puad Zarkashi, has hinted that he might contest as an independent after he was dropped as a parliamentary candidate for the seat. He failed to win the Batu Pahat seat in the 2013 general election.

The decision was a big blow for him as he was director-general of controversial government propaganda unit, the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), and a member of Umno's Supreme Council of top policymakers.

Worse, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Datuk Puad must know of the erosion of support for the Umno-led ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Batu Pahat.

Mr Puad's response: "Batu Pahat is the highest division (total of 26) in terms of attracting new voters in Johor," he said on Tuesday. "The poor services of the PKR candidate has made Barisan Nasional popular," he added.

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