PETALING JAYA: MIC has shortlisted four candidates for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat by-election with party vice-president Datuk T. Murugiah (pix) considered the favourite.
The others shortlisted are social activist K. Subramaniam, businessman A. K. Ramalingam and the Pahang Sabai state seat candidate in GE14, Datuk R. Goonasakaren, a news portal reported today.
“Murugiah is seen as the firm favourite as he has been doing work for years now in Cameron Highlands,“ said a party source.
The favourite was formerly PPP Youth chief and deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. He was said to have done work with the Orang Asli in Cameron Highlands during his time in Putrajaya.
“He was in charge of the Orang Asli Department and worked with the community in Cameron Highlands. He is no stranger to them as they are the community which tilted the polls outcome over the last two elections with their solid backing for Barisan Nasional,“ said the source.
Murugiah was also considered as a candidate for the seat in last year’s general election but the party opted for then Youth chief Datuk C. Sivarraajh.
Meanwhile, although DAP has yet to name a candidate for the by-elections. Party veteran Lim Kit Siang has labelled the party as “underdogs” in the contest.
“It will be a miracle if DAP can win,“ he said. “But we are in the era of miracles.”
He said that it would be a tough fight for DAP as it has to wrest power from MIC as the Cameron Highlands seat has always been held by MIC.
He said that during the GE14 DAP had garnered majority support from the Chinese and Indian voters, it however had only obtained minority support from Malay and Orang Asli voters.
On June 4 last year, DAP candidate M. Manogaran filed a petition seeking a declaration that the outcome of the 14th General Election on May 9 for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat held by Sivarraajh was null and void for flouting the General Elections Act 1954.
The Election Commission (EC) on Dec 28 confirmed that Sivarraajh, who was MIC vice-president, was not qualified to contest and vote in the by-election.
At the GE14, Sivarraajh won the Cameron Highlands Parliamentary seat by garnering 10,307 votes beating Manogaran of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with 9,710 votes; Wan Mahadir Wan Mahmud of PAS (3,587 votes); Mohd Tahir Kassim of Berjasa (81 votes) and B. Suresh Kumar of Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) (680 votes).
