ID :
15981
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 14:26
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/15981
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BN CANDIDATE HAS THE EDGE IN PERMATANG PAUH, SAYS M'SIAN DPM
SERDANG (Malaysia), Aug 15 (Bernama) - The National Front or Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Permatang Pauh by-election, Arif Shah Omar is seen as having the edge in the contest based on his excellent service record.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Arif Shah was the sole BN assemblyman in the parliamentary constituency and as such, there must be concrete factors as to why the electorate there trusted him, more so with the arrogant attitude displayed by opposition supporters in the People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) (PKR) stronghold.
He said Arif Shah's strength did not mean the BN denied other BN candidates who lost in the March general election in Penang were weak but the situation today forced the party to consider the feelings, choice, attitude and views of the voters.
"He won despite the state, the constituency and two of its (Permatang Pauh's) state seats falling into opposition hands (in the March election). This says a lot about his (Arif Shah's) capability, but I am not saying that others (BN candidates) will not be able to do as well," he told reporters after visiting the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exposition(MAHA 2008) in Serdang, a large developing town in southern Selangor state Thursday.
He said this when asked why Arif Shah was chosen as the BN candidate when Permatang Pauh Umno was said to have named others to contest the seat.
"There were various opinions, we respect the decision of the division but our objective is to win and for that, we have to consider the feelings of the voters.
"And as the voters returned him in Seberang Jaya (in the March 8 election), he stands a good chance of securing support from voters in the other two constituencies in Permatang Pauh," he said, adding that Arif Shah also had an added advantage in that he was multilingual being able to speak in Hokkien andMandarin apart from Malay and English.
This ability could help him win the support of Chinese voters in theconstituency, he said.
Asked about the BN's chances, he said it would be a tough fight butbelieved the coalition would prevail.
On other developments, Najib, who is also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development, said he hoped national men's singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei would do Malaysia proud by bring back Malaysia's first Olympicgold medal from the ongoing Beijing Olympic Games.
He was accompanied by Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister MustapaMohamed during the visit.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Arif Shah was the sole BN assemblyman in the parliamentary constituency and as such, there must be concrete factors as to why the electorate there trusted him, more so with the arrogant attitude displayed by opposition supporters in the People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) (PKR) stronghold.
He said Arif Shah's strength did not mean the BN denied other BN candidates who lost in the March general election in Penang were weak but the situation today forced the party to consider the feelings, choice, attitude and views of the voters.
"He won despite the state, the constituency and two of its (Permatang Pauh's) state seats falling into opposition hands (in the March election). This says a lot about his (Arif Shah's) capability, but I am not saying that others (BN candidates) will not be able to do as well," he told reporters after visiting the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exposition(MAHA 2008) in Serdang, a large developing town in southern Selangor state Thursday.
He said this when asked why Arif Shah was chosen as the BN candidate when Permatang Pauh Umno was said to have named others to contest the seat.
"There were various opinions, we respect the decision of the division but our objective is to win and for that, we have to consider the feelings of the voters.
"And as the voters returned him in Seberang Jaya (in the March 8 election), he stands a good chance of securing support from voters in the other two constituencies in Permatang Pauh," he said, adding that Arif Shah also had an added advantage in that he was multilingual being able to speak in Hokkien andMandarin apart from Malay and English.
This ability could help him win the support of Chinese voters in theconstituency, he said.
Asked about the BN's chances, he said it would be a tough fight butbelieved the coalition would prevail.
On other developments, Najib, who is also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development, said he hoped national men's singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei would do Malaysia proud by bring back Malaysia's first Olympicgold medal from the ongoing Beijing Olympic Games.
He was accompanied by Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister MustapaMohamed during the visit.
