JOHOR BAHRU: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied any internal rivalry within the party’s Youth and Wanita wings over the candidate selection for the Mahkota state by-election.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said that the final decision on the BN candidate would be made by him as the top leader of the party and coalition.
“There is no tussle over the candidate; the decision will be made by the BN chairman,” he told reporters after chairing the UMNO Johor State Liaison Committee meeting at the official residence of the Menteri Besar in Saujana here today.
He made these remarks in response to rumours of a dispute between the two wings of the party.
Ahmad Zahid added that the candidate’s name for the by-election would be finalised before Sept 14, in line with the strategy being devised.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the main priority for BN was to win the by-election and retain the majority previously secured by the late Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain.
“The number of voters in the Mahkota state seat is three times that of Nenggiri, so the strategy must be different. In Nenggiri, there were only 19 Chinese voters, while in Mahkota, 34 per cent of the voters are Chinese.
“Therefore, DAP has a role, as does MCA. Apart from that, eight per cent of the voters are Indians, so we also need the cooperation of MIC and the Friends of BN parties,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development.
The Election Commission (EC) has set the polling day for the Mahkota state by-election on Sept 28, while the nomination day and early voting are scheduled for Sept 14 and 24, respectively.
The by-election was triggered by the death of the incumbent, Sharifah Azizah, 63, on Aug 2 while receiving treatment at the Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital (HEBHK) in Kluang.
In the 2022 state election, Sharifah Azizah, a former Johor UMNO Wanita chief, won with a majority of 5,166 votes, defeating Pakatan Harapan’s Muhammad Taqiuddin Cheman, Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Nor Lingan, and Warisan’s Mohamed Noor Suleiman.
