Izzah switched constituencies out of fear — Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday poked fun at the incumbent for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat Nurul Izzah Anwar for abandoning her seat and ‘running away’ to a safer constituency in Permatang Pauh in the 14th general election (GE14).

He said Nurul Izzah should remain and face BN in the seat she won in GE12 and GE13, and not be so scared as to run off to Permatang Pauh.

“I ask you, have these 10 years been better? No. Because the person disappeared, where is she now? She has run away.

“She has scooted off to Permatang Pauh. Far away... why not stay here? Because she is afraid… ,” he said in his speech at a gathering with the people at the Pantai Indah Housing Phase 2 in Lembah Pantai here.

Also present were Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat Datuk Seri Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and BN candidate for Putrajaya parliamentary seat Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Commenting on Lembah Pantai, Najib who is also BN chairman, said voters here must be smart in choosing their people’s representative and leaders.

He said every contest, including the GE, must be carried out in a clean environment, not by lying to gain the support of the voters.

“If you want to win, win based on facts. Not lies. On capabilities. Not the ability to lie. On accuracy of facts. Not just talking in Parliament, lying on the social media. Remember that the people’s rice bowl must be well taken care of.

“The point is, we have to choose people who can manage our lives,” he said, greeted by thunderous applause and three calls of “Hidup BN” (Long live BN).

On the choice of Raja Nong Chik as BN candidate in Lembah Pantai, Najib said the former federal territories minister is the right candidate to manage the constituency better.

“There is no other person more suitable for Lembah Pantai than Raja Nong Chik. That is why I chose him on merit. I chose him not because I am giving him a second chance after he lost last time,” he said in the first visit he made in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory parliamentary constituency yesterday.

Najib also spent time visiting several homes and chatting with the local residents who took the opportunity to take selfies with him.

The Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat will see a three-cornered fight between Raja Nong Chik (BN) who is also Lembah Pantai Umno division chief, Lembah Pantai PAS treasurer Fauzi Abu Bakar (PAS) and PKR communications director Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil (PKR) .

Nurul Izzah has been the incumbent for Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat for two terms. In GE13, she beat Raja Nong Chik with a majority of 1,847 votes.

The Lembah Pantai constituency has 79,908 registered voters.