Ex-MB: I did nothing wrong on nomination day

SEREMBAN: Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan says he was not involved in a PKR candidate’s failure to gain access to the nomination centre to contest the Rantau state seat.

He said being named the first defendant in an election petition filed by the Dr S. Streram gave the impression that he was behind a plan to bar the latter from contesting against him at the May 9 general election.

The Umno deputy president said his detractors had exploited the issue and made damaging statements that he was in cahoots with others and had engineered the move to secure an unopposed victory.

Mohamad, who has been the Rantau assemblyman since 2004, said he had nothing to do with Dr Streram’s barring on April 28.

“I arrived at the nomination centre like any other election candidate and waited till the nomination period closed.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with Dr Streram not being allowed to enter the centre and yet I was named as the first defendant,” he said at his office at the state Umno headquarters.

Mohamad said he was happy that the Election Court judge who, when nullifying his win on Nov 16, had not linked him to any wrongdoing.

“The judge said the second and third defendants were the ones who should be faulted,” he said.

Mohamad said he would appeal the decision of the Election Court, which had ordered fresh elections to be held for the state seat.

Dr Streram filed the petition on May 23, seeking a by-election claiming that Mohamad’s election was not valid.

Dr Streram had named Mohamad, who is the former Negri Sembilan mentri besar, as the first respondent; Rembau parliamentary constituency Returning Officer Amino Agus Suyub as second and the EC as third respondents.