In a press conference with Melaka PKR chief Halim Bachik, Amirudin said PH now had two former chief ministers who could take on the role.
He said that Amanah’s Adly Zahari, who was the chief minister for almost two years under the former PH administration, and his immediate predecessor Idris Haron, formerly of Umno, were among several “very qualified” candidates for the post.
“Let us win first. We will take a look at those who are qualified and then we will announce. Everyone has their own views on who is most qualified.
“What’s important is that we have several candidates who are qualified and proven leaders,” he said.
He pointed out that the then Pakatan Rakyat coalition did not name a single candidate for the Selangor menteri besar post in 2008, with a consensus reached between parties only after the polls were over.
DAP has been the only PH component to explicitly state its choice for the Melaka chief minister post, backing Amanah’s Adly, who served in the position between May 2018 and February 2020.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also urged PH to name Adly as its chief minister-designate, saying the coalition could not afford to make any more “mistakes”.
Amirudin also played down talk of DAP’s dissatisfaction with PKR and Amanah for taking in and fielding former Umno duo Idris and Nor Azman Hassan as candidates, saying it would not affect the coalition’s unity.
“At the PH presidential council and state leadership level, there are differences, but we resolve it through discussions and consensus.”
He also said the three parties’ respective election machinery was acting as one and will be campaigning together in several state constituencies.
Meanwhile, Halim urged the Election Commission (EC) to allow candidates to hold walkabouts with a maximum of five PH representatives, in locations permitted by the EC.
He also called for house-to-house visits to be allowed for candidates to distribute flyers and other campaign materials, with interactions limited to the area immediately outside the compound.