Speculation has been rife that Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz will contest the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15) due to the recent number of programmes held under his ministry in the area.
However, Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos said the question of whether Zafrul will be fielded as a candidate in that seat in GE15 has not been answered yet.
Jamal added that it is still too early to talk about Zafrul’s candidacy as all decisions related to this matter will only be decided by the Umno leadership.
“I welcome Zafrul’s intention to come and focus on Kuala Selangor and generally throughout all of Selangor. But to say that he will contest in Kuala Selangor, that is still something far away, I think.
“But if he can garner a victory (for BN in Kuala Selangor) and is accepted by the people and voters of Kuala Selangor, then why not?
“But I do not want to get ahead of the party president as this is just my personal opinion,” Jamal said to Malaysiakini.
Jamal was commenting on Zafrul’s legitimacy to contest in the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat in GE15 after the latter announced the area as his ”adopted” district.
Zafrul, who is also a senator, is said to be eyeing the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat and has of late been seen attending more activities and programmes in the area.
Last Saturday, Zafrul caused a stir when he announced Kuala Selangor as the “adopted district” of the Finance Ministry during a Majlis Kenduri Rakyat ceremony organised by his ministry in Puncak Alam.
“Personally, I am a little sentimental with the Kuala Selangor district. There are many local potentials that can be developed and highlighted,” he said during the event.
Zafrul’s determination
Jamal took notice of Zafrul’s determination to serve and win the hearts of voters in the area, even though he has not been nominated as a candidate for the seat yet.
“As I said earlier, the question of whether he will contest in Kuala Selangor or in any part of Selangor is still too early to say.
“But even now, Zafrul has shown that he is serious, not just in Kuala Selangor but in wanting to help Selangor… as we know, Zafrul does not have a seat in Parliament and he entered the cabinet as a senator,” he said.
Jamal also commented on the Kuala Selangor Umno division’s rejection of Zafrul, saying that is just part and parcel of politics.
He added that the claims that Zafrul was disturbing the Kuala Selangor Umno’s machinery in his attempts to stand out in the area were merely the personal views of some people.
“That may be the personal views of some parties and as a politician, we will not get 100 percent support. But in facing the election, I am confident, and I believe that if he can prove himself to be a candidate who can win the Kuala Selangor seat, I am sure that the leadership would be open to giving way to him.
“But from what I have noticed, Zafrul’s presence has not disturbed the preparations of the Kuala Selangor division. He held a programme to attract youths and… I saw an extraordinary response from the locals and the community there and I also saw the presence of the Umno leadership.
“So, I hope the presence of the ministers in the Umno area in this part of Selangor will not be seen as interfering with the preparations of the party machinery. Their coming here brings benefits to the local community.
“They should not be considered as troublemakers unless those who come have nothing (to bring), those executives who are coming are just interfering,” Jamal added.
While he did not mention names, it is believed he was referring to former Selangor menteri besar Mohamad Khir Toyo.
On May 29, Khir had announced his intention to contest in the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat.
The former Sungai Panjang assemblyperson had said he was confident about his acceptance and support level from the local community in the area.
Commenting further on this matter, Jamal said Zafrul’s intention to be a candidate is different from others, who he deemed as merely wanting to fight for positions within the party.
“Zafrul is a minister and when he is holding this position, we all know he has the political allocations that can be channelled to benefit wherever he goes.
“But it is different from those people who formerly held positions… if they are sincere about helping the division, that is fine, but if they are coming just to snatch positions, for example, the division chief position and so on, it will certainly create factionalism in the division.
“So, those who are dissatisfied with the division chief will go to him, but for Zafrul, his arrival is not to fight for positions in the party but only to help the community. If he can be accepted by the community and voters… it will be the party leadership’s discretion, there is no problem,” Jamal said. - Mkini
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