BERSATU must select a candidate for the Semenyih by-election with care to prevent internal discord, its Selangor treasurer Mohd Shaid Rosli said.

“We don’t want to give anyone high hopes that they will become the candidate.

“Bersatu will hold its own elections this year and the choice of candidate for the Semenyih by-election must be done carefully to avoid any revolt,” he told reporters today after distributing school uniforms to children in Puncak Alam in Jeram, where he is assemblyman.

Ahead of the Bersatu elections in June, there are already concerns that an influx of former Umno members into the party will lead to fierce contests for control of the party led by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and which split from Umno.

Selangor Bersatu has been tasked with identifying a candidate for the by-election, which will be held following the death of its assemblyman, Mohd Bakhtiar Mohd Nor, 57, last Friday after a heart attack. The Election Commission has yet to fix dates for the by-election.

Shaid said the state chapter will hold a meeting on January 21 to discuss candidates.

“We are confident of winning because our majority (in GE14) was more than 8,000. We won all the other state seats under the same parliamentary seat.”

Voter turnout will also be a key factor, he said.

Bakhtiar won the seat in GE14, defeating three other candidates, by 8,964 votes. – January 16, 2019.