Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim today announced new face S Manikumar as the candidate for the Bukit Selambau by-election on April 7.
Anwar made the announcement this morning at the PKR operation centre in Sungai Lalang at Bukit Selambau, in front of a crowd numbering about 500. PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was also present.
Also present were Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and several PKR leaders.
A total newcomer to politics, Manikumar, 35, is a surprise candidate for the crucial by-election.
He is a businessman and a local resident of Bukit Selambau.
Manikumar will face Barisan Nasional's S Ganesan, who is from MIC, and a number of independents in the by-election.
It is not clear how many independents will eventually be contesting the seat with more than seven having indicated their intention to vie for the state constitutency.
The seat fell vacant following the sudden resignation of V Arumugam, citing pressure from BN for him to defect to the ruling coalition.
It is learnt that Manikumar was an Arumugam-backed candidate for the by-election.
Malaysiakini reported on Wednesday that Manikumar would PKR's candidate for the by-election.
Party members unhappy with candidate
Anwar's announcement was however greeted by howls of protest from some PKR supporters.
Eyewitnesses told Malaysiakini that these supporters - numbering about 20 - were from the Merbok division, which had previously backed its division committee member, K Masilamani.
"They are unhappy with Manikumar's nomination as he is an unknown and was not a local born but someone who was born in Alor Star," said a local PKR leader.
Before the announcement today, Masilamani, a Sungai Petani municipal councillor, was among three frontrunners to be the party's candidate.
The other two were Sungai Petani PKR division member Dr R Krishnamoorthy and the division's committee member S Sritharan.
Anwar had to step in diffuse the situation and held talks with several local Indian leaders, including Masilamani, urging them to ask their supporters to cool down.
Soon after the brief meeting which lasted less than 30 minutes, these local leaders came out and urged their supporters - now numbering about 100 - to disperse, which they did.
Malaysiakini
20/03/09
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