Vent anger at me, Khaled tells Puad

Johor BN chief willing to take the heat

JOHOR BARU: State Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has volunteered to take the heat from disgruntled Batu Pahat

Umno chief Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (pic) over his dropped candidacy.

Dr Mohd Puad, said the Mentri Besar, was allowed to say anything he wanted, including lashing out at him.

“As a leader in Johor facing the elections, I am willing to take the heat and let him vent all his frustrations on me.

“Let him do it until he is satisfied and after that, come back to the party and work for the party.

“If we lose, do not blame the president, the deputy president, the people of Batu Pahat or the machinery. Just blame me,” said Mohamed Khaled after launching the Johor Corporation 2017 financial report book here yesterday.

Asked if any disciplinary action would be taken against the recently resigned Special Affairs Department director-general, he said it was not for him to answer that.

In a Facebook post, Dr Mohd Puad had accused Mohamed Khaled of misusing his own tagline “Muafakat Johor” (Consensus Johor) by prioritising the Umno’s party election over the polls.

He questioned why Umno divisions were not consulted when choosing the candidates, which he claimed happened in Batu Pahat.

On Monday, Dr Mohd Puad, who contested in the last general election, was dropped as a candidate for the Batu Pahat parliamentary seat.

Instead, the division’s Wanita chief, Haliza Abdullah, was announced the candidate.