2 theSun | WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7 2009

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Wan Ahmad Farid banks on
number ‘one’
KUALA TERENGGANU: One – that is the magic
number that Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for
the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election,
Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, is banking on
to bring him good luck.
The Election Commission yesterday allocated
the number to him on the ballot papers.
“I hope the number one is a good early sign,”
Wan Ahmad Farid told reporters after the nomina-
tion process yesterday.
He said the large number of supporters who
showed up at the launch of the BN election ma-
chinery at the Islamic Civilisation Park by Deputy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Monday
night was also a good indication of support for
him.
Wan Ahmad Farid said the 15,000 people who
accompanied him to the nomination centre was
a good show of support for him, Umno and the
BN. – Bernama
Akim man withdraws,
supports PAS
KUALA TERENGGANU: Angkatan Keadilan In-
san Malaysia (Akim) vice-president Harun alias
Ab Rahman Mohamad yesterday withdrew at
the last minute as the party’s candidate in the
Kuala Terengganu by-election.
Instead, he openly declared his support for
the PAS candidate in the by-election.
“I’m willingly making way for the PAS
candidate as both parties are struggling for
Islam,” he said.
Harun, 63, who had earlier voiced his
intention to contest the parliamentary seat,
arrived at the nomination centre at 9.20am
but decided not to hand in his nomination
papers. He said he was not pressured into
making the decision.
In KUALA KRAI, Kelantan, Akim president
Hanafi Hamat said Harun will face disciplinary
action for betraying the party. – Bernama
Independent candidate
wants to help the poor
KUALA TERENGGANU: Azharudin Mamat @
Adam, the Independent candidate in the Kuala
Terengganu parliamentary by-election, said yes-
terday he decided to enter the fray as he wanted
to help the poor in the area.
Azharudin, 46, a traditional medicine practi-
tioner from Kampung Ladang Pasar, here, said:
“I’ve seen too many leaders making all kinds of
promises but did nothing when they won.”
He said he had little time to announce his
intention because he only made the final decision
several days ago. – Bernama
Tight race in Kuala Terengganu
Analysis by Zainon Ahmad
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA TERENGGANU: And they
are off – Barisan Nasional’s Datuk
Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, PAS’s
Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut and an in-
dependent candidate, businessman
Azharudin Mamat.
It is apparently such a tight race
that only very few are willing to
predict – that, too, privately – who
would be hailed on Jan 17.
Most would rather give the cliched
reply that “it is too close to call”.
The prize is Kuala Terengganu
parliamentary constituency – the
jewel in Terengganu’s crown which
has in it the state capital and the
gleaming quarter billion ringgit tour-
istic Taman Tamadun Islam – won
in 2004 and 2008 by the late affable
Datuk Razali Ismail.
Very few seem to be in a hurry
to dismiss the contest as just a fight
between Umno and PAS – the tradi-
tional adversaries – after independ-
ent candidate octogenarian Maimun
Yusof gained enough votes to give
the victory to Razali in the March 8
general election.
More is at stake for the BN in this
contest. After its disastrous outing
in Permatang Pauh, it must win this
one if it is to give credence to what
its top leaders, Datuk Seri Najib Razak
included, have been saying that the
coalition is now on a revival course.
Defeat would give leaders of
Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition of
PKR, DAP and PAS, an opportunity
to say that Permatang Pauh was not
an exception but a continuation of
what began on March 8. And Kuala
Terengganu confirms it.
BN has put up what it believes
to be the best possible candidate,
a former advocate and solicitor, to
retain Kuala Terengganu which fell
to its rivals several times in the past,
the latest being by PAS in 1999.
Even though Wan Ahmad Farid
is leader of the Kuala Terengganu
Umno division, others in the party
in the state say he is not the perfect
candidate but they agree that he is
acceptable to the various party fac-
tions, notably those linked to former
mentri besar Datuk Idris Jusoh, who
was snubbed from continuing as the
state chief executive after the March
8 general election, and his successor
Datuk Ahmad Said.
Wan Ahmad Farid was former
political secretary to Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
and until recently was a senator
and deputy home minister. And
Najib, who seems to be everywhere
in Kuala Terengganu, has said that
should he win, he would be deputy
minister again.
“Now wouldn’t you want to vote
for someone who is guaranteed of
becoming deputy minister rather
than someone who has no chance
at all of becoming one,” Najib told
a large gathering of party workers
when launching the BN election
machinery at the Taman Tamadun
Islam convention centre on Monday
evening.
Of course, Wahid, the assembly-
man of Wakaf Mempelam, cannot be
deputy minister even if the voters of
Kuala Terengganu decide that they
have had enough of being repre- Battle for KT
sented by an Umno or BN man. But
the fact that he has been assembly-
man since 1990 must say something
about the man, a former teacher.
(Ind)
It is not going to be easy for
the BN and Najib has admitted as
Mohd Abdul Datuk Wan Azharudin
much. But he has managed to elicit Wahid Endut, Ahmad Farid Mamat @
promises from the various factions 51 Wan Salleh, 46 Adam, 46
to work together at least for this • Former • Lawyer and • Businessman
by-election. At the evening function Terengganu former deputy
on Monday, the mentri besar was executive minister
there and so was Idris. An elder of
Terengganu Umno and mentri besar
councillor
Constituency profile (Electorate: 80,229)
for 25 years, Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar • Wakaf
Ahmad, was also there. Mempelam Malay: 88.2% Chinese: 10.9%
Najib’s speech that evening was a Indian: 0.7% Others: 0.2%
assemblyman
bit of everything – pep talk, warning 2008 General Election result:
and even a little public washing of * Datuk Razali Ismail (BN) 32,562 votes
dirty linen. Wan Ahmad Farid, seem- Mohamad Sabu (PAS) 31,934 votes
ingly a little elitist in his attitude to- Maimum Yusuh (Independent) 685 votes
wards the common folk – a common Majority: 628 votes
complaint, it seems – was reminded
to be a little more humble.
It is not going to be plain sailing
for PAS as well. While Wahid, an
eleventh hour choice, is well-known
PAS confident of
and popular, it is mostly in his state
constituency of Wakaf Mempelam.
winning by-election
Why he was chosen – days after KUALA TERENGGANU: PAS under the Kuala Terengganu
candidate Mohd Abdul Wahid parliamentary area in the last
Wan Ahmad Farid had already began
Endut is confident of winning election and this will certainly
campaigning – when it was known
the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu give me an added advantage,” he
that the candidate would be a toss
parliamentary by-election, saying told reporters at the nomination
between Terengganu PAS commis-
he has the support including from centre.
sioner Datuk Mustafa Ali and Batu
Burok assemblyman Dr Syed Azman among the Chinese voters. Meanwhile, PAS president
Syed Ahmad Nawawi, only the top “Based on my record as a Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang
echelon of PAS knows. five-term Wakaf Mempelam said Mohd Abdul Wahid is the
Everyone knows that PAS, too, assemblyman, I’m confident of most suitable candidate for the
has problems but Hadi was only will- obtaining a strong support in- party.
ing to say that the choice of Wahid cluding from the Chinese voters. “I’m confident we can win the
was divine inspiration. “We won the three state seats seat,” he said. – Bernama

Najib: BN ready to answer issues

raised by Opposition
KUALA TERENGGANU: Deputy Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who
is leading the Barisan Nasional (BN)
charge in the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu
Man sues by-election, said yesterday the coalition
ex-fiancee is ready to answer all issues raised by
for the Opposition.
He said the Opposition is under in-
RM70,000 creasing pressure to use national issues
over and this shows they are running out of
break-up local issues to raise.
“Possibly in this by-election, the
pg4 focus will be on local issues. But if they
raise national issues, BN is prepared to
answer them,” he told reporters after the
nomination of candidates for the Kuala
Terengganu parliamentary seat by-elec-
tion at the state stadium here yesterday.
Najib said the Opposition’s action
here in playing up the issue of murdered
Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu was
totally irrelevant to the by-election. “If
they bring up this issue, it means they
are bankrupt of issues ... it has no con-
nection at all with this by-election,” he
added.
Najib said BN would use a people-
friendly approach with “BN is People-
Friendly” as the campaign theme,
making the people the ruling coalition’s
focus in the by-election.
“Our target group is no other but the
people. They are our prime concern
in carrying out our projects and pro-
grammes,” he said.
On the BN by-election machinery,
Najib said BN had specifically divided
the tasks among its wings.
“We will work hard to inform all that
the policy of serving the people is the
best policy. The support shown by many
people today is a positive beginning for
us. However, we don’t want to be too
confident as we don’t have a crystal ball.
But we believe that we will win well.”
On the issue played up by the Opposi-
tion that the federal government would
give generous allocations and carry out
various projects whenever there was an
election, Najib said the government was
only fulfilling a responsibility as many
requests would be made by the people
in the run-up to the elections.
“We have a duty to serve the people.
It’s just that we are more focused during
this by-election, but other areas are also
given attention,” he added.
Najib said the by-election is to choose
a representative who can best serve the
interests of the people and not to gauge
public support for a party’s leadership.
“Perhaps there is an inclination to
make this by-election a yardstick or
referendum for the leadership of the
prime minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi), of mine, the mentri
besar (Datuk Ahmad Said) and others,
but actually, it is for the benefit of the
people,” he said.
He reiterated that Wan Ahmad Farid,
who was formerly deputy home minis-
ter, would be reappointed to the post if
he won the by-election.
“The people of Kuala Terengganu
will gain if their MP is also a deputy min-
ister. So, between a deputy minister and
an opposition party member, who can
serve the people better?” – Bernama