Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, the daughter of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, says she will not contest a parliamentary seat as long as her father remains an MP, although she has left open the possibility of contesting a state assembly seat.
Nurulhidayah, who is a Wanita Umno executive council member, said she remained committed to her father’s principle that Parliament should not become a place for family members, Utusan Malaysia reported.
“Abah (father) really doesn’t want me to contest for a parliamentary seat. He has said so because he doesn’t want people to think Parliament is a place for parent and child,” she was quoted as saying.
“So I have to respect Abah as a father who has his own principles. If I were to contest, perhaps I would go for the state assembly seat.”
Zahid has represented Bagan Datuk since 1995
Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, has represented Bagan Datuk in the Dewan Rakyat since 1995.
There have been several instances of family members serving simultaneously in the Dewan Rakyat.
Among them were father-and-son duo Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, who served as MPs at the same time for several parliamentary terms.
Father and son Karpal Singh and Gobind Singh Deo also served concurrently in the 13th Parliament.
BN machinery must remain strong
On a separate matter, Nurulhidayah said Barisan Nasional’s (BN) machinery must be strengthened ahead of the next election, despite several party leaders currently facing legal action.
She said the machinery must continue playing its role in ensuring victory for BN, regardless of whether the coalition works with other political parties.
“Various issues, such as the royal commission of inquiry into Tabung Haji and allegations of corruption, as well as action being taken against our leaders, have caused our efforts to come to a temporary halt.
“We should already be preparing for the Melaka state election, but these issues have disrupted and limited our preparations,” she said.
Her comments came after MIC deputy president M Saravanan claimed trial to three counts of receiving RM1.097 million in bribes linked to foreign worker quota approvals.
