BANGI, Nov 2 — Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) announced today that the former chairman of Islamist coalition Gerakan Pembela Ummah, Aminuddin Yahaya, will contest under its banner in Temerloh for the 15th general election (GE15).

Aminuddin joined GTA as part of the civil societies coalition called Gagasan Bangsa.

He was most recently the president of Malay-Islamist lobby group Pembela, and was the deputy president of the controversial Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) before leading Ummah.

As Ummah chairman, Aminuddin was part of the leaders of the December 2018 rally opposing the Pakatan Harapan administration’s ratification of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s decision not to ratify the United Nations’ International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

Ummah later held another rally in May 2019 opposing ICERD, the Rome Statute, PH’s stance on the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), and the untimely death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim during riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Seafield.

At least five more former Isma members and leaders were also fielded by GTA, all of them members of PAS splinter party Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia or Berjasa.

This includes Berjasa president Zamani Ibrahim, a former Seremban Isma chief, contesting in Tampin, and its Youth chief Fahmi Bazlan Muda — formerly Subang Jaya Isma Youth chief — in Kota Raja.

Others were Hamidi Abu Hassan (ex-Seberang Perai Isma chief) in Kepala Batas, Anuar Salleh (ex-Hulu Langat Isma chief) in Bangi, and Nazriq Abdul Rahman (Melaka Tengah Isma member) in Alor Gajah.

GTA named eight candidates from Berjasa out of the 121 it announced today, including its deputy president Datuk Rosli Ramli in Putrajaya.

Rosli was until recently the chairman of Studio Kembara which produced the hit film Mat Kilau, along with former Isma vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali.