Letter doubting Sulaiman as CM candidate false - Umno sec-gen

 

MALACCA POLLS | A letter carrying Umno's letterhead claiming that the naming of Sulaiman Md Ali as BN's chief ministerial candidate in the Malacca polls was "not final" is false, said Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan.

The letter said it acknowledged unease among Umno grassroots in Malacca and acknowledged that Ab Rauf Yusoh deserved to be the chief ministerial candidate based on party hierarchy.

Rauf is the Malacca Umno chief while Sulaiman is the state Umno secretary.

Ahmad pointed out discrepancies in the letter which was in his name.

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He noted that the letter was addressed and copied to the same entities - namely, the Malacca Umno divisions.

"This letter is surely fake. Whoever made this fake letter is a fool," he said on Twitter.

BN's intention to retain Sulaiman as the chief minister if the coalition wins was announced by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan shortly after campaigning for the Malacca polls began on Nov 8.

Real power player

Opponents have portrayed Rauf as the real power player behind Sulaiman. Rauf denies controlling Sulaiman.

Sulaiman is defending the Lendu state seat which he won with a 627-vote majority in the last general election.

Meanwhile, Rauf is making his debut in Tanjung Bidara, which Umno won with a 2,864-vote majority in the last general election. The incumbent Md Rawi Mahmud was dropped.

Among the 13 seats BN won in Malacca during the 2018 general election, Tanjung Bidara was the one it captured with the highest vote share, at 58.15 percent, making it the safest seat for Umno.

However, Umno is facing its biggest challenge yet in Tanjung Bidara after Perikatan Nasional fielded Bersatu's Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who is also the Masjid Tanah MP. Harapan is represented by Zainal Hassan.

Tanjung Bidara is one of five state seats within Masjid Tanah. Mas Ermieyati has also been nominated as PN's chief ministerial candidate.

- Mkini