GUA MUSANG: Barisan Nasional (BN) will focus on local community issues in its campaign for the Nenggiri state by-election, said BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is UMNO president, said the BN machinery, with the assistance of Pakatan Harapan (PH), will target all 20 polling district centres to engage with the local community.
Gua Musang UMNO division chief Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been appointed as the BN director of the by-election.
“Whether the voters are from traditional villages, the Orang Asli community, the Kelantan South Development Authority (Kesedar), or Felda, we will do something excellent in this by-election.
“... if there are any national issues, they will be explained by the party machinery at every level,“ he told a press conference after the nomination process at Kompleks Perdana, Gua Musang District Council here today.
The by-election is a straight fight between BN’s Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, who is representing the Unity Government, and PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said Mohd Azmawi Fikri, also known as Awi, not only represents all the voters in Nenggiri but also brings the voice of the younger generation across the Gua Musang district.
“We know that those under the age of 40 make up the majority of voters in Nenggiri, so brother Awi represents not only the residents but also the younger generation,“ he said.
According to Ahmad Zahid, although a BN victory would not affect the position of the Kelantan state government led by PAS, which controls 43 of the 45 state seats, the by-election is still very significant for BN and its partners in the Unity Government.
He is confident that the Nenggiri voters are mature enough to make their decision after going through two previous elections, the 15th general election and last year’s state election.
“I think since it does not affect the state government, it would be good for Nenggiri to be given to the BN candidate,“ he said, adding that he is confident BN supporters will continue to give their support under the leadership of Tengku Razaleigh.
The by-election was called after Kelantan State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat vacant on June 19 because its assemblyman, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, had ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.
In last year’s state election, Mohd Azizi won the seat on a PAS ticket, beating BN’s Ab Aziz Yusoff by a majority of 810 votes.
