Muhyiddin advises BN workers not to take polls lightly

Barisan Nasional ( BN) deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday advised the coalition’s election workers not to take the Pengkalan Kubor state by- election lightly.

He said they must go down to the ground to explain to the voters what the BN’s struggle was all about and that it gave preference to the people and their needs.

Work hard to win the support of the voters even though the opposition pact was embroiled in several issues and was seen to be fragile, he told a press conference after announcing the BN’s candidate for the by- election.

The BN has named former Tumpat assistant education officer Mat Razi Mat Ail (rpt) Ail, 48, as its candidate for the byelection, nomination for which is on Saturday and polling, on Sept 25.

The by- election has been necessitated by the death of threeterm assemblyman Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar of the BN on Aug 20.

Noor Zahidi had retained the seat in the last general election, held in May last year, by beating Saharun Ibrahim of PKR and independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary by 1,736 votes.

PKR has announced that it was giving way to PAS, one of its partners in the Pakatan Rakyat pact, to contest the seat in this by- election.

Asked about this, Muhyiddin said the BN had gone through all kinds of challenges in past elections.

“The important thing is for us to work hard and retain the seat,” he said.

Muhyiddin dismissed allegations that the BN was short of candidates and that was why it had announced its candidate so late.

“We are not short of candidates, we have too many eligible candidates. Tok Pa ( Kelantan BN chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed) had a problem of whom to put down on the list of candidates,” he said.

Earlier, Mat Razi said he was touched by the confidence placed in him by the leadership. — Bernama