BN divisions told to submit candidate lists to Najib

All party-level divisions of BN component parties in the 222 parliamentary constituencies have been requested to submit their preliminary candidate lists to the BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak and the top leadership as soon as possible.

Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily in its exclusive headline news today quoted sources as saying that that all divisions received the instruction two or three months ago, requesting them to recommend candidates according to the seat allocation in 2008 general election.

Each division is required to submit three names, together with their resume.

The newspaper said the instruction was issued by the BN leadership before the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally, but judging from the current political scenario, it added, the 13th general election, would probably fall in November or in March or April nest year, with the latter date having a higher possibility.

The name list is just a preliminary list which would be read together with other evaluation reports and surveys to determine the winnability of candidates before a final decision was made.

The early submission is to provide Najib with more time to "filter" the candidates as the next general polls is crucial for the premier who is preparing to lead his first general election campaign.

Quoting an MP it did not name, Sin Chew Daily said the BN leadership had interviewed BN Members of Parliament recently and the session was very different from their previous three-minute interviews with Najib, with more discussions on the problems and winnability of the constituencies, as well as strategies to ensure BN's victory.

"According to our knowledge, this time the reports obtained by BN top leadership are not just limited to those from thr Special Branch or the Information Ministry. It will not be surprising if there are 20 or 30 reports on a particular constituency. This can ensure the information in the reports reflect the truth," said the MP.

'Only 40 to 60 percent winning chances in 80 seats'

According to sources quoted by the newspaper, the BN's assessment showed that some 80 out of the 222 parliamentary constituencies only have wining chances of 40 to 60 percent, which key seats if the BN is to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

"These constituencies are not only those BN lost in 2008 but also those it won," said a source, adding that these 'focus seats' have been adopted by BN ministers and deputy ministers.

On the states that fell into the hands of the opposition in the last election, BN is confident about recapturing Kedah and Selangor, the newspaper reported.

However, the BN's bastion in the peninsular, may see a lower support for the coalition in some of its state seats. - Malaysiakini