Bersatu admits 'some dispute' over fielding Gerakan president in Bayan Lepas

Bersatu yesterday admitted that there had been some dispute over the decision to nominate Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman Dominic Lau as the candidate for the Bayan Lepas seat in the Penang state election. 

Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu however said that Lau’s candidacy would not have a negative impact on PN, and expressed confidence that the majority of the Malay electorate there would vote for him. 

"Many felt that the seat was better suited for a Malay candidate, but that is the beauty of PN, in which we field a non-Malay in a Malay-majority constituency. 

"So, no reason to fret. Although there was some dispute initially, once nominations were settled, the situation cooled off and we are confident of securing Malay support," he said at a press conference at the Perak Bersatu office in Ipoh. 

Media reports claimed that no PAS supporters were present at the Bukit Belah Hall nomination centre in Teluk Kumbar when Lau, the Gerakan president, filed his nomination papers on July 29.
 
The reports said there were only about 100 individuals comprising Gerakan and Bersatu members present at the nomination centre, and suggested that this could be due to PN standing firm on its decision to field Lau instead of Penang PAS secretary Iszuree Ibrahim for the seat. 

According to press reports, Malays comprise about 64% of the electorate in the Bayan Lepas state constituency.