JOHOR BARU, Oct 5 — The coming Tanjung Piai by-election will serve as a test for Barisan Nasional (BN) as it prepares for the 15th general election (GE15), Johor Umno chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said today.
He claimed the next general election could be announced at any time, due to the alleged unpredictable political situation in the country.
“With that, the Tanjung Piai by-election will serve as a test for Johor BN to prepare themselves for winning back the state during the next general election,” said Hasni in his speech during the Johor Umno Convention 2019 held at the Trove Hotel here.
Hasni, who is also Johor Opposition leader and state BN chief, said winning back the southern state would not be easy due to the unique political situation, requiring a different approach from other states.
Despite that, the 60-year-old veteran politician said Johor BN is gifted with leaders that uphold the principles of consensus and power sharing.
“Through such relationships, MIC and MCA candidates have contested even in Malay majority areas where they were supported by the community.,” said Hasni.
Present was Umno veteran stalwart Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman, who is also a former Johor mentri besar.
Also present were Johor Umno deputy chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed and the party’s state leadership, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, Johor MIC chairman R. Vidyanathan and state deputy PAS commissioner Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil.
They were joined by more than 500 delegates from 26 Umno divisions in Johor.
Towards the end of the convention, the party and wing division leaders made a declaration on Tanjung Piai, vowing to win the parliamentary constituency for BN.
The declaration is meant to empower Umno Johor to support any BN candidate wholeheartedly and move as a team under the coalition’s spirit of consensus.
The declaration was read out by Johor Umno secretary Datuk Samsolbari Jamali who then handed it to Hasni.
Tanjung Piai has traditionally been considered the domain of the BN’s Chinese party, but grassroots Umno members have recently been pushing to contest the federal seat, believing they have a better chance as 57 per cent of voters there are now Malay.
The Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election was triggered by the death of its incumbent Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, following a heart attack last month.
Nomination Day for Tanjung Piai falls on November 2, providing an official campaign period of two weeks.
