SHAH ALAM – Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for Sg Buloh, Khairy Jamaluddin, has reiterated his support for Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the coalition’s prime minister candidate, despite talk of replacing him with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
After registering his nomination for the parliamentary constituency, Khairy said BN’s stance on Ismail Sabri’s leadership remains steadfast although the opposition claims that Zahid would be made prime minister should the coalition win the 15th general election (GE15).
“A vote for me is a vote for KJ,” Khairy said, referring to his initials.
“This (opposition) narrative must be corrected immediately, Barisan Nasional’s prime minister candidate is Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“And I will support him (Ismail Sabri) as announced by Datuk Seri (Ahmad) Zahid Hamidi. There is no confusion about that,” he told reporters outside the Petaling District and Land office here this morning.
Khairy, who is the immediate past health minister and incumbent Rembau MP, was responding to Sg Buloh incumbent Sivarasa Rasiah’s contention that a vote for Khairy meant that Zahid would lead the country.
For the next two weeks until polling day on November 19, Khairy will be in a seven-corner fight for Sg Buloh.
His biggest adversary for the seat is PKR’s Datuk R. Ramanan, who is representing Pakatan Harapan (PH). Sivarasa had won with a comfortable 26,000-vote majority in 2018.
Sg Buloh returning officer Husni Yusoff announced the closure of the nomination centre at about 10am.
An hour later, Husni said the other candidates running for the seat are Mohd Akmal Mohd Yusof (Pejuang), Mohd Ghazali Md Hamin (Perikatan Nasional), Abdul Razak Syed Long (independent), Nurhaslinda Basri (independent), and Ahmad Jufliz Faiza (Parti Rakyat Malaysia).
Asked about his chances in the contest, Khairy said this is a challenging election for him due to the large number of votes for the opposition coalition in the previous polls.
“I hope to serve the voters of Sg Buloh but I also hope the voters will help me serve the country.
“It’s not going to be easy. But I will try my best (to win).” – The Vibes, November 5, 2022
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