BN candidate: I am not local, but local folk know me
SHAH ALAM: Barisan Nasional’s candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election, Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, said he is not an outsider to constituents.
He said when he was a PKR Supreme Council member, he was active in promoting the reformation agenda among folk in Sungai Kandis, which was formerly known as Sri Muda.
“Therefore, the issue that I am an outsider and should not be contesting the state constituency does not arise. I am not a local, but this matter should not be blown up.
“Look at the other leaders, such as the PKR president (Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail), who contested the Pandan parliamentary seat in the 14th General Election. Same with (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim), who contested Permatang Pauh.
“Kota Raja member of parliament (Mohamad Sabu) is also not a local. So, why is this an issue now?” he said after handing his candidacy nomination form at the Shah Alam City Council’s Dewan Besar Tanjung in Seksyen 19.
He said he would highlight national issues during the 14-day campaign period.
“The campaign will focus on Pakatan Harapan’s unfulfilled promises from the 14th General Election (GE14), the position of Islam being at risk, insults to Malay rulers and the fate of the Malay language as the national language, which is slowly declining in Malaysia.”
He said it would be hard for BN to wrest the seat from PKR as it the constituency was its fort.
“If BN wins more votes than it did in GE14, it will be a morale booster for the coalition.”
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the party must do away with its age-old practice of fielding local candidates as they could no longer guarantee Umno’s win. He said Umno members must accept this fact with an open heart and not boycott candidates who were not local.
“We are no longer the government, so we have to change the way we work. We cannot be stuck in old ways.
“Local candidates will no longer get priority,” he said after the Sungai Kandis by-election nomination process.
He was commenting on allegations that several Kota Raja Umno members objected to Lokman’s nomination for the Sungai Kandis by-election because he was an outsider.
He said the new approach of not giving priority to local candidates was among the party’s strategy to face future elections.
“Lokman is a social activist. Hence, he will be able to examine issues if he is elected to the state assembly.”
On a related matter, Mohamad said BN component parties MCA, MIC and MyPPP were involved in the Sungai Kandis by-election.
He said among BN leaders present were MyPPP president Datuk Seri Maglin D’Cruz and Selangor MIC chief Datuk S.M. Muthu.
He said although MCA had yet to elect a Selangor chief and was restructuring itself, its liaison secretary was present.
He said he hoped Kota Raja voters, especially those in Sungai Kandis, would give BN a chance to be their voice in the state assembly.
“There must be checks and balances in the government. Pakatan Harapan must understand that they cannot take the rakyat for granted. We need to measure the rakyat’s acceptance level (to BN) and this by-election is the platform for it.”