[UPDATED] GE15: Mustapa Mohamed says will not defend Jeli seat

KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu’s Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed will not defend the Jeli seat in the 15th general election (GE15).

He said he had informed party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman, of his decision, citing health issues.

“My decision was made based on the doctor’s advice about my health, which prevents me from continuing to serve as an effective elected representative,” Mustapa said in a statement today.

A former Umno veteran, Mustapa has defended the Jeli seat in Kelantan since 1995, except for one term in 1999.

He won it again in 2018 on an Umno-Barisan Nasional ticket but subsequently defected to Bersatu.

The Jeli seat was not mentioned by Muhyiddin during PN’s announcement of GE15 candidates last night.

Mustapa’s long career in Umno saw him hold various cabinet portfolios such as finance, entrepreneur development, agriculture and international trade and industry.

The 72-year-old, more commonly known as Tok Pa, quit Umno in 2018 after BN lost federal power in the general election that year, and joined Bersatu.

His last cabinet post, in Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration, was as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of economy. – The Vibes, November 2, 2022