Zahid promises to consider fielding BN reps left out of Melaka state race for federal seats in GE15
by BY KENNETH TEEFollow us on Instagram and subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Incumbents who were not selected to contest in the Melaka state election will be considered as candidates for parliamentary seats in the next general election, Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
Ahmad Zahid who is also Umno president said he was compelled to provide an explanation over BN’s pick of the 28 candidates in the upcoming Melaka state election.
“Incumbents who were dropped had already provided excellent service to the party for two or three terms and maybe more.
“The party would like to thank them and hope they will help out the new candidates.
“As for those not selected, InsyaAllah they will be considered in the future for a parliamentary seat in the general election. What is important now is to secure a win for our party,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
He explained that the decision to field 86 per cent of new faces in the state election was made collectively by the coalition, which wanted younger blood as well as those with higher academic qualifications.
This was why 78 per cent of the BN candidates for Melaka are aged 50 and below while 82 per cent hold tertiary qualifications.
Ahmad Zahid said the decision taken by BN was a new and bold approach to ensure the chosen candidates would appeal to voters and increase their chances of winning.
He stressed that the coalition had made a thorough assessment before the candidates were chosen.
Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, BN’s election director for the Melaka state polls, previously said only four incumbents — Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali, Datuk Rahmad Mariman, Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis and Datuk Zaidi Attan — would be retained.
Tomorrow is nomination day when interested parties register their candidacy for the 28 seats up for grabs in the Melaka state legislative assembly.
Nomination Day also signals the official start to election campaigning though many politicians have been paying visits to the historical city for the past two weeks.
The Election Commission has set November 20 for polling.
The elections are being held following the dissolution of the state assembly on October 4, after four assemblymen withdrew their support for the chief minister.