Muhyiddin: We want a bigger win in Tenang

PAGOH - Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Saturday called on the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno election machineries to try not just to retain Tenang state seat, but also to gain more support from the voters in the constituency.

He said a by-election could not be taken lightly by all quarters and BN would need a united and total involvement from its component parties in order to succeed.

"The previous record was encouraging, but what really matters now is not only to retain the seat, but, if possible, to gain more support," he said when asked on the possibility of a by-election in Tenang following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Sulaiman Taha, yesterday.

Muhyiddin said he was informed that the Election Commission (EC) would convene a meeting soon and the BN and Umno election machineries were ready to be deployed at any time.

About BN's potential candidate for the by-election, he said the name would be announced when the time came.

Sulaiman, 59, died of blood infection and diabetes at 1.10am at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Tenang, which is located under the Labis Parliamentary constituency, has a total of 14,511 registered voters, 50 per cent of whom are Malays.

At the 2008 general election, Sulaiman defeated Mohd Saim Siran of PAS, with a 2,492-vote majority.

-- BERNAMA