Veteran Shahrir ready for Opposition big guns

JOHOR BARU: Veteran MP Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad (pic) says he will not lose any sleep if the Opposition puts up a top gun against him.

The Johor Baru

MP, who has retained the seat since the 1978 general election, said he would leave it to the voters to judge his performance and track record.

“If I have not served them well or have misbehaved, they will be the ones to decide,’’ Shahrir said.

He was asked to comment on speculation among certain circles in the state that either Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang or PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar could be pitted against him.

Dr Mahathir, who is the Pakatan Harapan chairman and Pribumi president, is however heavily tipped to contest the Langkawi parliamentary seat, while Nurul, who is the Lembah Pantai MP, has been linked with the Permatang Pauh seat.

On talk that Lim would hop to Johor Baru from Gelang Patah in a bid to embarrass Johor Umno, Shahrir said “talk is cheap.”

“I leave it to the voters,” the Johor Baru Umno division chief reiterated.

In the 2013 general election, Lim defeated then Johor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman with a huge 14,762 vote majority in Gelang Patah.

Shahrir, 69, also had a good showing, beating a PKR candidate with a thumping 10,134-vote majority.

Shahrir’s stance drew the support of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who said Barisan Nasional was not worried about the Opposition’s plan to field heavyweights in Johor.

He said Johor Barisan was more interested in resolving the people’s problems.

“The important thing is to provide the best service to the people, and to meet their needs.

“I believe voters in Johor know what is best for them,” he added.