Why was Sivarasa Rasiah dropped as Sungai Buloh candidate?

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Sivarasa Rasiah Was Not Selected as Sungai Buloh Candidate Due to Vocal Cord Issues and Campaign Management Concerns

Sivarasa Rasiah was not chosen as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15) primarily due to ongoing problems with his vocal cords, which had persisted for three months. PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed concerns about Sivarasa's ability to effectively manage the election campaign given his health condition, a view Sivarasa, despite his belief in his ability to adapt, ultimately accepted.
Vocal Cord Problems Cited as a Factor

For the past three months, Sivarasa Rasiah has been experiencing difficulties with his vocal cords and has been utilizing a speech amplifier. This health issue was directly raised by PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who voiced concerns regarding Sivarasa's capacity to lead and execute a campaign effectively under these circumstances. While Sivarasa maintained that he could devise alternative strategies to manage campaign activities despite his voice limitations, this was not sufficient to change the party's decision.
Decision Finalised on October 28

Sivarasa's name remained listed as the official PH candidate for Sungai Buloh until the afternoon of October 28. It was on this day that he received a text message from Anwar Ibrahim informing him of the final decision that he would not be fielded for the seat, following further internal discussions. Sivarasa stated that Anwar Ibrahim had attempted to contact him by phone shortly before sending the text message.
Acceptance of Party Leadership's Decision

Despite his disappointment, Sivarasa Rasiah has publicly stated his full acceptance of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's decision. He acknowledged the PKR president's prerogative as the party leader to make the ultimate choice, taking into account his perception of Sivarasa's health status and any other factors deemed relevant to the election strategy. This acceptance underscores the hierarchical decision-making process within Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
New Candidate Appointed for Sungai Buloh

Following Sivarasa's exclusion, Datuk R. Ramanan, the deputy information chief (I) of PKR, has been officially named as the PH candidate for the Sungai Buloh constituency in GE15. This development comes as incumbent health minister Khairy Jamaluddin is confirmed as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the same seat, setting up a notable contest. In the previous general election, GE14, Sivarasa had secured victory in Sungai Buloh with a significant majority of 26,634 votes.

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Why was Sivarasa Rasiah dropped as Sungai Buloh candidate?

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