MELAKA – Incumbents who were dropped and those not selected to contest in the Melaka polls on November 20 will be considered as candidates for parliamentary seats in the next general election, Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
He said the decisions taken by BN are due to a new and bold approach that met its WALI (winnable, acceptable, and likeable) criteria.
“State assemblymen who were dropped had already provided excellent services 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, God-willing, 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 posting today.
BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today announced new faces comprise 86% of the coalition’s candidate list, and that it will retain only four incumbents for the Melaka polls.
Mohamad said the four incumbents are Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali; Health and Anti-Drug Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman; Tourism, Heritage, and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis; and Datuk Zaidi Attan.
The Election Commission has set November 20 for polling and November 8 for nominations, while early voting will be conducted on November 16.
The election is being held following the dissolution of the state assembly on October 4, after four assemblymen withdrew their support for the chief minister. – Bernama, November 6, 2021
