Pakatan man denies plans to quit seat

By G. Manimaran - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Despite widespread speculation in his constituency, PKR Hulu Selangor MP Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad (picture) has denied he plans to resign because he is ill.

Instead, the former deputy mentri besar said he plans to stay on as a lawmaker until the next general election.

The PKR man also denied rumours that he had asked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to announce his wish to retire as the Hulu Selangor MP.

"I have never asked Datuk Seri Anwar to make such an announcement. I do not know. It is up to him," he told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

While he insists he will not be quitting, a possible by-election in the constituency is the main topic of discussion among not just the locals but also among the top leadership in both PR and Barisan Nasional (BN) camps.

Speculation is at fever pitch, especially with a“high-powered” ceramah in Rasa tonight led by PR supremo Anwar and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

It is understood that many locals are anticipating a major announcement from Anwar.

Notwithstanding Zainal's denials, the anticipation of a by-election continues to be stoked by plans for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to visit Rasa and other surrounding settlements in the constituency on Jan 9.

The MIC machinery in the constituency has also become a beehive of activity with MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel in the constituency nearly every day, settling one local issue after another, his aides said.

Asked yesterday if he planned to attend Anwar's ceramah tonight, Zainal said he would not do so because of family commitments.

"I will not attend the ceramah but I will send my special officer. I am sending a representative because I fear more speculation about my absence.

"My daughter will be getting married so I will have matters to attend to," a frail-sounding Zainal said when contacted at his home in Batu 9 in Cheras.

But when he was asked to comment about reports of his ill health, he replied: "Not true, not true... not true at all.

"No, I have not decided to resign. God willing I will continue to serve as an MP. The voters are getting closer to me and I am getting closer to them. I will continue helping them."

It is understood that he underwent surgery in September for an undisclosed ailment.

Talk about his impending resignation started about a month ago.

In Election 2008, he defeated Palanivel by a wafer-thin 198 votes.

He acknowledged that he had a chat with Anwar in Parliament recently.

"Anwar said he was satisfied with my performance and he asked about my situation and asked me to take care of my health," he said.