SIMPANG RENGGAM: The spotlight is on the Layang-Layang seat where Simpang Renggam MP Dr Maszlee Malik will face off with a former Barisan Nasional assemblyman in a four-cornered fight.

       Layang-Layang is one of the two state seats under the Simpang Renggam parliamentary constituency. The other is Machap.

       The contest won’t be easy for Maszlee – now with PKR – who will square off with Datuk Dr Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim, the former Barisan assemblyman from 2013 to 2018.

       Maszlee said the contest against Abd Mutalip, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air’s Ahmad Shafiq Othamah and Perikatan Nasional’s Alagathiran Khrisnan, was a sign of maturing democracy.

       “Before this, it was straight fights between two parties. Now, there are four parties vying for the seat,” he told reporters after filing his candidacy at the Simpang Renggam Municipal Council yesterday.

       Maszlee said he was confident voters would vote for the best candidate during polling on March 12.

       Separately, Abd Mutalip said he has been working on the ground since and vowed to retain the seat for Barisan.

       “I want to continue my work, bringing more development to Layang-Layang and improving education and infrastructures as the former assemblyman,” he told reporters after submitting his candidacy yesterday.

       Abd Mutalip polled 8,613 votes against PKR’s Mohd Ishak Shir Mohd’s 6,095 votes in a straight fight during the 13th General Election.

       However, he was dropped as a candidate for Layang-Layang during GE14 in favour of Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

       Onn Hafiz won the seat in a three-cornered fight against Pakatan Harapan and PAS.

       In this polls, Barisan fielded Onn Hafiz at Machap, where he will be involved in a four-cornered fight against Perikatan’s Azlisham Azahar, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance’s R. Sangaran and Pejuang’s Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh.

       Abd Mutalip said it was a non-issue that he was nominated by Barisan as a candidate in Layang-Layang.

       “This is normal and a decision by the top leadership. So there isn’t an issue as I am a local here,” he said.

       “Even when I was no longer an elected representative, I continued serving the people who needed assistance,” he added.

       Asked if he was worried about taking on Maszlee, Abd Mutalip said he would leave it to God’s will and the voters.

       Pejuang’s Ahmad Shafiq was also seen meeting locals at shops during a walkabout near the Simpang Renggam town.

       Pejuang president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir was also spotted with him as they reached out to voters there.

       The 14-day campaigning officially kicked off yesterday. Polling is on March 12.