MELAKA: Independent lawmaker Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee will not have a place in any of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties in the upcoming Melaka state election which will take place next month, said the DAP.
The opposition party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said they were adamant in rejecting the party's former Pengkalan Batu state assemblyman as a candidate to represent the opposition coalition in the polls.
"We will bring this matter up in the PH Presidential Council discussion later. I firmly state that DAP completely rejects (former) YB Pengkalan Batu as a candidate in the next state election.
"This is a firm decision. We do not accept him (Norhizam) as a candidate," he said after a meeting with the Melaka DAP leadership here today.
Lim however declined to comment further on the reason behind DAP's stand.
"I don't want to say (the reason), I just want to say this. Enough, there's no need to go into his origins (the reason), everyone knows.
"I just want to state, DAP does not accept him as a candidate in the state election, that's all," he said.
In the 14th General Election (GE-14), Norhizam won the Pengkalan Batu seat on a DAP ticket but became an Independent lawmaker and backed Umno and Perikatan Nasional leading to the formation of a new state government last March.
However, Lim did not comment on the position of three other former state assemblymen who, with Norhizam, withdrew their support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali causing the state government to collapse.
Apart from Norhizam, the three others who withdrew support for Sulaiman are Datuk Seri Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor) and Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas).
Idris, Nor Azman and Noor Effandi have since been sacked by their respective parties for their actions.
Lim, meanwhile, said the DAP will back former Bukit Katil assemblyman, Adly Zahari as PH's Chief Ministerial candidate if the pact wins the upcoming state election.
"PH has expressed support for Adly as the Chief Ministerial candidate. I hope there is no doubt about this matter.
"This decision is not only from DAP but also from other component parties who back Adly because when he was the Chief Minister, he had done a good job," Lim said.
The Election Commission has set Nov 20 as the polling day for the Melaka state election with the nomination day on Nov 8 and early voting on Nov 16.
