'Let me die in my hometown' – Umno No 2 vows to defend Rantau

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan has vowed to defend the Rantau state seat in Negeri Sembilan.

Speaking at a ceramah in Semenyih last night, the former menteri besar said he would rather be vanquished in his hometown than back down.

"I am contesting in Rantau. It is my hometown. I will not run away. (If I am to lose), let me 'die' in my hometown," he added.

Mohamad, a three-term Rantau assemblyperson, had retained the seat in the last general election after his sole opponent from Pakatan Harapan, Dr S Streram, failed to file his nomination papers.

Streram, who was not allowed into the nomination centre because he did not have a candidate pass issued by the Election Commission, subsequently filed an election petition.

Following this, the Election Court ruled that the seat was vacant, paving the way for a by-election.

On Feb 18, the Federal Court upheld the decision and dismissed Mohamad and the EC's appeals.

Chief Justice Richard Malanjum, who chaired a five-man bench, also ordered Mohamad and the EC to pay RM10,000 in costs each to Streram.

The EC has yet to announce the date for the by-election, which would be the seventh since the last general election on May 9, 2018.

On Saturday, voters in Semenyih, Selangor, would cast their ballots for a new assemblyperson in a by-election held following the death of the incumbent from Harapan, Bakhtiar Mohd Nor.

Harapan is fielding Bakhtiar's son-in-law Muhammad Aiman Zainali, who would be locking horns with BN's Zakaria Hanafi, PSM's Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul and independent candidate Kuan Chee Heng. - Mkini