Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali had won Bagan Serai in 2018 as an Umno candidate before jumping ship to Bersatu. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
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KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Supporters of Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said they are confident the Bagan Serai incumbent will be fielded to defend his seat at the upcoming general election, amid rumours of Armada head Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal possibility contesting there.
Dr Noor Azmi’s private secretary Azman Ghazali reportedly said despite speculation the deputy Youth and Sports Minister enjoying solid backing from party division members there, the decision to field Wan Ahmad Fayhsal in Bagan Serai has not been decided by the Perikatan Nasional top leadership.
Azman said any party member has the potential to contest there, provided they obtain the approval from the party’s leadership.
“The question of picking a candidate is the absolute right of the top leaders and in my personal opinion, this issue is merely part of the political game, just a gimmick,” Azman was quoted saying in Utusan Malaysia today.
Azman suggested Wan Ahmad Fayhsal first familiarise himself with constituents of Bagan Serai if indeed rumours of him contesting there are true.
“He must get to know the people of Bagan Serai well first, fearing he could just end up being played by those with their own personal interests in mind,” he was quoted saying.
When asked if the folk of Bagan Serai are open to electing a candidate from other areas, Azman said the people will generally agree to vote them in if there is no other qualified local personality also competing.
“Within the context of Bagan Serai, I am sure a candidate who is an outsider will find it difficult to win the hearts of every single person here.
“Many questions would be asked if an outsider is fielded as the people’s representative here,” he said in the report.
Azman added he remains confident the people of Bagan Serai will re-elect Dr Noor Azmi, saying the voters here are an electorate that prefers a local candidate and one that has a proven track record.
Both Dr Noor Azmi and Wan Ahmad Fayhsal are from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. However, Dr Noor Azmi had won Bagan Serai in 2018 as an Umno candidate before jumping ship to Bersatu.
Dr Noor Azmi had won the seat by a wafer-thin majority of merely 172 votes against PAS candidate Rohaya Bakar.