AMANAH communications director Khalid Samad hopes the people of the Titiwangsa parliamentary constituency will see him as an honest candidate, but admits that it will not be easy for him to win the seat if there is a multi-cornered fight.

This, he said, is crucial as voters contemplate their choice of candidate in the November 19 general election.

“A multi-cornered fight is definitely going to be more challenging,” Khalid, who will be contesting the seat, told The Malaysian Insight.

“After a spell of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) governments, the people should realise Pakatan Harapan (PH) was more committed in governing the country in a responsible way.”

The former Shah Alam MP said he is expecting a three-cornered fight for Titiwangsa with BN and PN already showing interest. However, if Gerakan Tanah Air joins the fray, it will complicate the situation.

“In the 2018 general election, there were three-cornered fights. If now we have three-cornered fights, there is a better chance (of winning),” he said. 

“It is not easy to win big, but even if we win by one vote, we still win. So we hope the people have the same aspiration to see a clean government.”

Amanah election director Asmuni Awi has confirmed that the party is fielding Khalid for the seat. 

He said while it was not an easy decision for Khalid to leave Shah Alam given his track record, it was a necessary decision for PH to prove its competitiveness in the polls.

Khalid had held the Shah Alam seat for three terms.

It was reported that Umno Supreme Council member Johari Ghani has also set his sights on contesting in Titiwangsa.

Johari has described the constituency as a place close to his heart having been born in Titiwangsa and gone to school in the area.

The former second finance minister said he wanted to continue serving the local community, including redeveloping Kampung Baru.

He said he has been offered many seats but he prefers Titiwangsa.

Johari did not view his 2018 loss to Wanita Bersatu leader Rina Harun as an absolute defeat, saying that she won with a majority of only 4,139 votes.

Khalid said he stands on principle and wants to see what is best for everyone in Titiwangsa.

“I was the former Federal Territories minister and have interacted with many people here. We believe we will win here,” he said. – October 28, 2022.