PKR wants straight fight

PKR wants a face-off with Barisan Nasional in the Batang Ai by-election without the interference of independent candidates.
Its director of operations Nicholas Bawin said the party hoped to have a one-to-one fight with the Barisan.
“Any independent candidate will split the votes, which could either favour the Barisan Nasional or PKR,” he said yesterday.
Barisan has named engineer Malcolm Mussen Lamoh as its candidate while PKR will field former Lubok Antu MP Jawah Gerang.
The by-election will see a multi-cornered battle if Canada-trained journalism and communications graduate Johnny Chuat sticks to his decision to join the race.
Chuat, 38, who works for an oil and gas company, has claimed in news reports that about 80% of the Ibans in Batang Lemanak in the constituency are related to him.
Another college lecturer here has also offered himself as an independent candidate.
The Election Commission has given out eight sets of nomination papers for the by-election.
Bawin said PKR was mobilising a group of supporters to accompany Jawah to the nomination centre tomorrow.
He said Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and several national and state-elected PKR representatives are expected to lend their support when Jawah files his nomination papers.
The Barisan is aiming for a bigger crowd to drum up support for Mussen.