[UPDATED] GE15: BN culls Shahidan, Annuar from line-up

KUALA LUMPUR – The announcement of Umno’s candidates for the 15th general election today confirms earlier speculation of several big names who are not aligned with the party president being dropped.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Marzuani Ardila Ariffin will contest in Ketereh, effectively meaning incumbent Tan Sri Annuar Musa has been dropped.

The announcement got one of the biggest cheers today.

Another party veteran, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim of Arau has also been dropped, with the party opting for Rozabil Abd Rahman.

Zahid also dropped Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as candidate for Pasir Salak in Perak, and likewise removed Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba from defending Tenggara in Johor.

Another name on the hit list leaked earlier is Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique, who was dropped from Kota Tinggi in Johor. Instead, BN will field Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Also axed was incumbent Padang Besar MP Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, as Puteri Umno chief Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan was chosen to defend the seat for the party.

Annuar, Adham, Shahidan and Halimah had been ministers in caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s cabinet, while Zahidi was a deputy minister.

Another deputy minister dropped from the candidate list is Datuk Seri Ismail Abdul Muttalib who was Maran MP. Datuk Seri Shahaniza Shamsuddin has been picked instead to defend the seat for BN.

Were these senior Umno members dropped from Barisan Nasional's GE15 lineup because they weren't aligned with Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi?

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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In total, seven of the 20 Umno members who previously held ministerial and deputy ministerial roles under Ismail Sabri’s cabinet were overlooked for the coming election. 

One more deputy minister given the boot was Kuala Kangsar incumbent Datuk Mastura Mohd Yazid who will be replaced by Datuk Maslin Sham Razman.

However, candidates for five seats were not announced today, including for Tanjong Karang, where Tan Sri Noh Omar is the incumbent. 

There had been strong rumours that Noh, another cabinet member in Ismail Sabri's administration, would be axed as a candidate.

Other seats where candidates were not announced tonight are Jempol, Kuala Pilah, Tumpat and Kuala Nerus. 

Zahid tonight said there are more candidates yet to be announced, and this includes 25 BN candidates contesting in Sabah, who will be announced jointly with the state’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition in the coming days.

The nomination of candidates is on November 5, and polling is on November 19.

Of the names announced tonight, 103 are from Umno, 43 from MCA and 10 from MIC.

Three parties who are considered “Friends of BN” — namely Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress, Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party, Parti Cinta Malaysia and Indian Progressive Front — were also given one seat each.

Zahid also announced that he will defend his Bagan Datuk constituency, and caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri is to defend the Bera seat.

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was assigned the Rembau seat, while Khairy Jamaluddin will be fielded in Sungai Buloh.

Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan will stand in Alor Gajah, while former Johor menteri besar Datuk Seri Hasni Mohamad will contest in Simpang Renggam.

Confirming speculations, Zahid also announced former finance minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani as the candidate for the Titiwangsa seat, which the latter held previously for one term.

Earlier in his speech, Zahid said the selection of candidates is based on certain key principles, with priority given to those who are loyal to the party, vow to serve the rakyat, and are able to achieve consensus with the various segments of the community. 

“Being a lawmaker is not to attain special privileges accorded to MPs. Being an MP is not a ticket to be given special treatment. Instead, we must be able to be the best server to the rakyat,” he said. – The Vibes, November 1, 2022