PEKAN – While Umno’s move to abandon several warlords as candidates in the upcoming national polls (GE15) has received backlash, Datuk Mohd Nizar Najib believes the decision is necessary to meet public expectations.
Nizar, the son of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and candidate for the Peramu Jaya seat in Pahang, said voters are expecting the Barisan Nasional (BN) linchpin to field newer faces as candidates.
The move is also necessary to ensure the party’s long-term survival.
We (Umno) could field the same old candidates but that’s not how you rejuvenate a party.
“Voters are expecting Umno and BN to put up fresh candidates with modern ideas that are more acceptable to the public,” Nizar, who is also Pekan Umno Youth chief, told The Vibes in an interview at his residence here.
Any conflict within Umno arising from this decision should be viewed as “the price (a party has) to pay for implementing change,” he added.
The move to axe Umno stalwarts as candidates has earned the party and its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi some backlash, with reports of lacklustre campaigning in addition to money woes.
Party veterans dropped include Arau incumbent Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Pasir Salak’s Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, Padang Besar’s Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, and Ketereh’s Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Shahidan retaliated not only by closing down the Umno-BN election machinery in Arau but has turned his back on the party and is defending the seat under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner.
Similarly, Zahidi is running as an independent candidate to continue his hold on Padang Besar.
In Pekan, where Peramu Jaya is located, Nizar said the Umno division here has not been particularly affected by the larger infighting.
However, the division here has its own sort of pressure to deal with due to incumbent MP Najib’s incarceration.
“We are heading towards GE15 under trying circumstances after what happened to dad (Najib). (His imprisonment) is a big sorrow and loss for Pekan Umno and BN in general, but we also have the will to carry on and secure a victory for dad,” he said.
Najib helmed the Pekan parliamentary constituency for 42 years, between 1976 and Parliament’s dissolution last month, and served as Bandar Pekan state assemblyman from 1982 to 1986.
He is currently carrying out his jail sentence in Kajang Prison after the Federal Court upheld in August his conviction and sentence for misappropriating RM42 million worth of funds linked to SRC International Bhd.
Nizar also admitted that Pekan – traditionally considered a BN stronghold – has also seen its BN election machinery’s budget for campaign materials slashed, confirming an earlier report by The Vibes on the matter.
“(Pekan Umno) is facing some financial constraints as well, but we are fortunate that the (Pahang) menteri besar (Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail) has been helping us out so our condition is not as bad as in other places.
“Gone are the days when we (BN) dominated the flag and banner coverage, but we have to live with the new constraints and (try to) win the constituencies (we are vying for) by the highest margin possible,” Nizar said.
While BN has paid volunteers for election campaigning in the past, Nizar said there are still those who do not expect monetary allowances for their help, and they have been coming forward to aid in setting up campaign materials such as flags and banners.
“(The situation) is still manageable. I wouldn’t say we’re broke but (our funds) are definitely not what they used to be.”
In the Peramu Jaya seat, which is under the Pekan parliamentary constituency, Nizar faces a four-cornered battle against Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Abu Talib Muhammad, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Tugimon Abdul Hamid and independent candidate Datuk Tengku Zainul Hisyam Tengku Hussin.
The incumbent Peramu Jaya assemblyman, Datuk Seri Sheikh Mohamed Puzi Sheikh Ali, is now gunning for the Pekan federal seat where he faces four other contenders, namely PH’s Mohd Naim Zainal Abidin, Pejuang’s Datuk Mohammad Radhi Abdul Razak, PN’s Mohd Fadhil Noor Abdul Karim, and Tengku Zainul.
Malaysians will vote for a new federal government as well as the state governments of Perlis, Pahang and Perak on November 19. – The Vibes, November 17, 2022
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