JOHOR BARU, Aug 22 — Kuala Lumpur Consumer Safety Association (PKPKL) president Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi has become the first individual to offer to stand as an independent candidate in the Pulai parliamentary by-election next month.

Samsudin, 47, who also contested the Putrajaya parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election (GE15) as an independent candidate, said he aims to bring the voice of NGOs to Parliament if elected.

He also said that he decided to throw his hat in the ring after seeing more focus given on positions rather than people’s issues after GE15.

“I feel the need to have an NGO that brings the people’s voice to the Parliament, to convey what is happening to the people because we are directly involved in dealing with various consumer issues. We listen to people’s grievances every day.

“I have been commuting to Pulai for three weeks now to collect data, and I have seen many people who are struggling, for example, with the rising prices of goods,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

The Kluang-born said he chose to stand as an independent candidate because he did not want to be bound by any political party.

“I’m not here to divide the votes. I want the people to understand that choosing an independent candidate will not disrupt the government’s stability. I’m offering them a chance to determine whether they wish to step up as consumer advocates or not. The decision rests with them.

“However, the people’s voice already exists in Parliament, and I am opening the door for other NGOs to progress further,” he said.

In GE15, Bersatu vice-president Datuk Radzi Jidin who contested on a Perikatan Nasional ticket, won the Putrajaya parliamentary seat with a 2,310-vote majority, defeating five challengers including Samsudin and incumbent Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (Barisan Nasional).

The Election Commission (EC) has fixed August 26 for nominations, September 5 for early voting and September 9 for polling for the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections.

There are 166,653 eligible voters for Pulai and 40,379 for Simpang Jeram.

Media previously reported that the EC had sold eight nomination forms for both by-elections as of August 18.

The two seats fell vacant following the death of the incumbent representative, the late minister of domestic trade and cost of living Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, on July 23. — Bernama