MCA pledges to assist Umno candidate in Sungai Besar by-election

BENTONG: MCA has pledged to assist in the campaign for Umno's candidate in the Sungai Besar parliamentary by-election on June 19, said MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said the support was to ensure the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate retained the seat won by Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon in the 13th general election.
"We have held meetings at the BN level on Sungai Besar by-election and will give our undivided support to the candidate from Umno.
"We will go to the ground to garner the people's support to ensure the country's future and development," he told reporters after opening the Pahang state level 'Jom JPJ' carnival at Dataran Trans, here today.
The Sungai Besar by-election was called following the death of Noriah in a helicopter crash while campaigning in the Sarawak state election in Sebuyau on May 5.
The Election Commission (EC) had set the by-elections to be held simultaneously with the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary by-election when incumbent Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad was also killed in the same helicopter accident.
The EC had fixed the nomination of candidates for both by-elections on June 5 while early voting would be held on June 14.
In the 13th general election, Noriah won the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat when she defeated the PAS candidate, Mohamed Salleh M Hussin with a 399-vote majority while Wan Mohammad Khair-il won the Kuala Kangsar seat with a majority of 1,082 votes over Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah of PAS and independent candidate Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim. — Bernama