Adam Adli unworried about GE16 candidacy despite division polls loss
In 2022, deputy youth and sports minister Adam Adli won the Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary seat in a four-cornered fight with an 8,638-vote majority.
PETALING JAYA : Despite his loss at last month's divisional polls, PKR's Adam Adli is not losing sleep over the possibility that he may be dropped as a candidate for the next general election.
The outgoing youth chief said there are many factors that the party would need to consider when nominating a candidate.
On April 13, Adam failed in his bid for the Hang Tuah Jaya deputy chief post, polling 791 votes. His opponent, Zamzizul Nordin won the contest with 1,905.
That loss has sparked concern that Adam may struggle to defend his parliamentary seat.
However, Adam said he was selected to contest the Hang Tuah Jaya seat at the 2022 general election despite not being a member of the division. He went on to win a four-cornered fight with an 8,638-vote majority.
'This shows that PKR does not select a candidate based on which division they are from. That is just one factor.
'So the question of whether or not I am still safe (and will be selected to defend the Hang Tuah Jaya seat) does not arise,' he said in an exclusive interview with FMT.
The deputy youth and sports minister was responding to a suggestion by political analyst Tawfik Yaakub that he search for a new seat to stand in following his loss at the divisional polls.
Tawfik also suggested that Adam make way for Shamsul Iskandar Akin to contest the Hang Tuah parliamentary seat at the next general election.
Shamsul, who serves as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's senior political secretary, pulled in 1,995 votes to wrest the division chief's post from incumbent Rafee Ibrahim, who secured 736 votes.
Adam stated that while PKR values public opinion, its decisions are not always driven by political strategy. He said that despite his loss at the divisional level, he still retains strong support at grassroot level.
'When I return to the constituency, I always receive words of encouragement from the locals. Many also turned up for an Aidilfitri event I hosted after the polls concluded.'
Adam said that for now, his main focus is to serve his constituency. 'My loss (at the polls) has not discouraged me.'
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