MELAKA: Former Sungai Udang assemblyman Datuk Seri Idris Haron yesterday shot down rumours that he would be contesting the Asahan seat in the upcoming state election on Nov 20.
He explained that his presence at a Deepavali charity event at a residential area in Asahan on Sunday was merely at the invitation of Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) Melaka liaison secretary Datuk Asyraf Minhat.
He said it was a coincidence that he had returned to his hometown in Asahan, and that it wasn't for the purpose of campaigning or to meet the constituents.
"I came back to meet my family members in Asahan. I then received the invitation from Datuk Asyraf.
"I wasn't there to campaign but merely to present food donations to the people," he said when contacted.
Idris, who was former Melaka chief minister, was asked to comment on his presence at the event, which was captured on video.
Reports had previously stated that Idris was still unsure on whether he would be defending his Sungai Udang seat in the state election.
To date, neither he nor three other state assemblymen, namely Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu) and Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas), have announced which party they would be contesting under in the election.
Idris, Nor Azman and Noor Effandi were rumoured to be on the verge of joining a Pakatan Harapan (PH) component party.
The PH presidential council, meanwhile, had last week rejected the possibility of accepting Norhizam as a candidate.
Idris said the announcement by PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the division of seats demonstrated the unity of the component parties within PH.
Anwar had previously announced that DAP would contest eight seats, Amanah nine and PKR 11 seats.
In the 14th General Election, Idris, who was with Barisan Nasional, had defeated Mohd Lokman Abdul Gani (PKR) with a 2,229-vote majority.
