PONTIAN: Suhaizan Kayat is a unique candidate as he is campaigning in the state election and is currently the sitting Speaker of the Johor state assembly.
The 49-year-old who is contesting the Pulai Sebatang state seat said he still had an office in Kota Iskandar, staff and driver, and could only be replaced once the new government was elected, and a replacement was found when the state assembly convenes.
“Until then, I am the Johor Speaker and even my posters... I have it as YB Speaker Suhaizan,” he said in an interview.
Suhaizan, who is the vice-chairman of Johor Amanah, said this was his fifth election.
“I hope after all my past tries, I will be successful this time around,” he said, adding that the first seat he contested in was the Parit Sulung parliamentary in 2004; Kempas 2008 and 2013, Simpang Renggam parliamentary in 2013; Kukup in 2018; and now in Pulai Sebatang.
“Until 2013, I was contesting under the PAS ticket. In 2018, it was under Amanah and I only lost by 800 votes,” he added.
Suhaizan said in each election, he lost between 800 and 21,000 votes.
“But I’ve never lost my deposit in all my tries all these years,” he joked.
Asked why he did not contest in the same seats, he said he was a “party man” who had to make way for others to contest as Kukup and Kempas were given to PKR, while Puteri Wangsa was given to Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda).
He said that in the past elections, the party forked out the deposits. But this time around, he had to cough up the deposits: RM5,000 for the candidacy, RM3,000 for posters and another RM5,000 to the local council.
Suhaizan’s campaign will look into issues pertaining to: upgrading the Pontian hospital, reviving the tourism sector, improving Internet connectivity and helping the fishmongers at the market.
Suhaizan is in a four-cornered fight against Pontian Umno Wanita chief Hasrunizah Husin, Johor PAS commissioner Abdullah Husin and Abdul Rashid Abd Hadi from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).