Mazlan Aliman, a Johor Amanah central committee member, criticised the party leadership for being “weak” in seat negotiations compared to their counterparts in PKR and DAP.

He called for the Tanjung Piai and Ayer Hitam parliamentary seats to be given to Amanah, claiming that Tanjung Piai had previously been allocated to the party.

“Ayer Hitam is a borrowed seat that failed to be returned (to Amanah). It appears it belongs to DAP indefinitely,” he said in a statement.

Yesterday, Muda announced that Lim Wei Jiet will be fielded in Tanjung Piai while DAP’s former Paloh assemblyman, Sheikh Omar Ali, will stand in Ayer Hitam.

Bersatu’s Farid Md Rafik won the Tanjung Piai seat under a Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket in GE14 in 2018. The seat was then won by Barisan Nasional’s Wee Jeck Seng of MCA in a by-election on Nov 17, 2019, called after Farid died of heart complications on Sept 21, 2019.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong is a five-term Ayer Hitam MP. He defeated Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong in GE14 with a slim majority of 303 votes in a three-cornered fight.

With nomination day still five days away, Mazlan called for the Tanjung Piai seat to be renegotiated and given to Amanah.

He said Amanah leaders must remember that they were given the mandate to lead the party by its members, and that the leadership must manage expectations within the party more effectively.

GE15 will take place on Nov 19, with nomination day on Nov 5 and early voting set for Nov 15.