Ezam Mohd Nor said he decided against throwing his hat in the ring against Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Langkawi as Pakatan Harapan (PH) was not serious about taking on the former prime minister.

According to Berita Harian, he claimed he had met various federal and state PH leaders over his intention to contest in Langkawi, whether under the coalition’s banner, Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), or as an independent.

“However, PH has fielded their own candidate from Amanah in Langkawi. Therefore, we will withdraw so that we don’t face off against PH’s candidate as this will only benefit Mahathir,” he said.

Instead, Ezam said he planned to contest a parliamentary seat in Selangor under a PRM ticket.

Meanwhile, PRM vice-president Ahmad Jufliz Faiza said the party would be vying for six seats in Selangor, namely Kota Raja, Kapar, Petaling Jaya, Sungai Buloh, Shah Alam and Bangi.

All six seats were held by PH prior to Parliament’s dissolution.

PRM will also contest 29 state seats in Perlis, Perak and Pahang. Ahmad said their candidates would be revealed on Thursday.

On Oct 14, Ezam said he would contest against Mahathir, who was described as a threat to reforms in Malaysia. Ezam leads the pro-Anwar group Gerakan Reformasi 98 (Gerak98).

Mahathir, then representing PH, was elected MP for Langkawi in 2018 by a majority of almost 8,900 votes against Nawawi Ahmad of BN and Zubir Ahmad of PAS.

He is now chairman of Pejuang, having left Bersatu in early 2020.