BN may announce candidates earlier

SYDNEY: Barisan Nasional (BN) may announce its candidates for the 14th general election (GE14) earlier than the previous practice of announcing it two or three days before the election.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also BN chairman, said this would allow BN to solve problems in certain constituencies and for the candidates to make early preparations.

“We will do it earlier this time but not too early. If there are problems in certain constituencies, we will have time to resolve it.

“It will also give time for the candidates to make preparations,” he told Malaysian reporters here yesterday.

Najib said he had the initial list of candidates but needed time to scrutinise it before making the announcement.

“I’m still going through the list. I need a little more time to study it thoroughly and to get the evaluation from the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and other relevant parties,” he said.

Najib is in Sydney to attend the two-day ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2018 which began on Saturday.

Commenting on the suggestion for Barisan to name the candidate for Selangor Menteri Besar’s post if the party managed to wrest back the state, Najib said it could be done if all Barisan leaders agreed to it.

“If there is a consensus, why not? But there must be a strong consensus. BN must identify potential candidates for the Menteri Besar’s post. If there is consensus among BN leaders, then we will announce the candidates,” he said.

Najib was commenting on former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Mohd Taib’s statement calling for BN to name the candidate for Selangor Menteri Besar’s post so that voters can vote for him in the GE14, thus giving an advantage to BN. - Bernama