Malaysian political activist Maria Chin Abdullah to run in GE under opposition Pakatan Harapan: Reports

Political activist Maria Chin Abdullah is offering herself as a candidate to the four-party opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan. PHOTO: AFP

PETALING JAYA - Prominent political activist Maria Chin Abdullah will resign as chairman of civil society movement Bersih 2.0 and contest in Malaysia's impending general elections, Malaysian media reported on Sunday (March 4).

Ms Chin was quoted as saying in a message to the media that she would be a candidate under the four-party opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan, led by former Premier Mahathir Mohamad.

"I have decided to resign from Bersih 2.0 as the Chair and to take on a new challenge in the political arena," read the message, which invited the media to a press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

Sources had previously said Ms Chin was slated to contest under the banner of PH member Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Former Bersih chairman Ambiga is also said to be a potential candidate to take on MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam in Segamat.

Ms Chin was detained for 10 days by Malaysian authorities under a controversial anti-terrorism law in November 2016, a day before Bersih was to hold a rally calling for Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign to take responsibility for a huge financial scandal.

She is the second prominent non-politician to announce joining active politics in recent days, after political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan officially joined Dr Mahathir's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia on March 1.

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