Bersama unveils 15 ‘ordinary’ candidates in Johor election debut

PETALING JAYA: Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) has unveiled its 15 candidates for its maiden electoral outing in next month’s Johor state election, fielding a mix of professionals, entrepreneurs and community figures.

Bersama leader Rafizi Ramli said a total of 73 individuals applied, and the party had gone through a rigorous vetting process to ensure its first electoral foray in Johor was well prepared.

“They (the candidates) are not well-known or prominent figures, just ordinary people, but they will carry the voice of the people as representatives entrusted with a proper mandate.

“Maybe we will not win this election, but I am confident that in the next five or six years, Bersama will be accepted and able to win elections,” he said when the party’s candidates were announced in Johor Bahru tonight.

Bersama co-leader Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad acknowledged that the candidates were “not perfect”, but said they were sincere individuals who had chosen to leave successful careers to serve the public.

He described the contest in Johor as a “calculated risk”.

“We want to contest in places where we feel there is potential for us to cause a surprise,” he said. “We are no walkover. Bersama will fight to win.”

The candidates were later introduced by party president Syukri Razab.

All Bersama candidates will declare their assets, income and expenditure via a statutory declaration, and sign four pledges as well as a conditional resignation letter, including a RM2 million penalty bond for violations such as party-hopping or vacating their seats.

Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan have both announced they would contest all 56 seats in the state assembly, while Perikatan Nasional will contest 33 seats through Bersatu (16), PAS (11), the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (5) and Pejuang (1), while Muda and Parti Sosialis Malaysia will contest one seat each.

In the now-dissolved state assembly, Barisan Nasional held 40 seats, Pakatan Harapan (12), PN (3) and Muda (1).

Tomorrow is nomination day, when election candidates will file their papers. Polling will be held on July 11, with early voting on July 7.

The Bersama candidates:

1. Bukit Naning – Iskandar Alias
2. Mahkota – Abd Hamid Ali
3. Tiram – Dr Harith Fakhrudin Abd Malek
4. Puteri Wangsa – Nicholas Paul Vincent
5. Johor Jaya – Lau Yi Leong
6. Permas – Dr Zamil Najwah Arbain
7. Larkin – Norsinah Abu
8. Stulang – Stanley Tan
9. Perling – Boo Wei Han
10. Kempas – Salamahafifi Yusnaieny
11. Skudai – Eugene Chua
12. Kota Iskandar – Sahrudin Omar
13. Bukit Permai – Aidil Riduan Yusof
14. Bukit Batu – Tamili Gopalakrishnan
15. Senai – Tew Chian How