PETALING JAYA: Former federal minister-turned-PAS ally Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir says his party will not be contesting in the Langkawi parliamentary seat, after the Islamist party last night indicated that it would field a candidate from Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia, a partner in the Gagasan Sejahtera coalition.
Langkawi is the seat where former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is standing as a PKR candidate, in a battle likely against Barisan Nasional (BN) incumbent Nawawi Ahmad who won with a 11,861-vote majority in 2013.
“We have told the PAS leadership in Kuala Lumpur very firmly a few weeks ago that we’re not going to contest in Langkawi because we’re not ready,” said Kadir, whose Ikatan is alligned with Gagasan alongside Berjasa and Parti Cinta Malaysia.
He said Ikatan was targetting two seats in Selangor, but declined to name the seats.
The former MP, who once represented Kulim-Bandar Baharu for seven terms and held Cabinet positions under Mahathir and his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also told FMT that he would not be contesting in the coming polls.