Reezal out to avenge GE15 loss by winning state seat

 

Reezal Merican Naina Merican meeting a voter on the campaign trail in Bertam. At left is Umno Supreme Council member Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

KEPALA BATAS: Ousted as MP for Kepala Batas after two terms, Reezal Merican Naina Merican is on a mission to avenge his parliamentary defeat by winning in Bertam, a state assembly seat within his former constituency.

“I just want to redeem the loss that I experienced eight months ago by taking back Bertam and bringing it back to the fold of Umno and Barisan Nasional,” he told FMT after a ceramah attended by supporters in Bertam.

At the November 2022 general election, Reezal lost the Kepala Batas seat to Siti Mastura Mohamad (PN-PAS) by 2,867 votes in a four-cornered contest.

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Asked whether he had been put forward by BN as a candidate for the post of first deputy chief minister of Penang, Reezal said the position had not been discussed by the party, adding he did not wish to go into detail on the matter.

During his speech at the ceramah, he said that even though he lost in GE15, he had beaten his opponent by 881 votes within Bertam, a sign that its constituents wanted him to serve them.

“Is it better if Reezal stays outside the government or inside the government? (Of course) it is inside the state government. If you want Reezal in the state government, we need to work hard throughout these 12 days,” he told the crowd.

Polling takes place on Aug 12 for state assembly seats in six states, including Penang.

Reezal is in a straight fight against Khaliq Mehtab Ishaq (PN-Bersatu) in the contest for Bertam, which Khaliq had represented since 2018 until March, when he was expelled from the Penang state assembly under the state anti-hopping enactment. - FMT