KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 – Firebrand politician and incumbent Kulim-Bandar Baharu Member of Parliament Datuk Zulkifli Noordin has been named as the first Barisan Nasional (BN)-friendly candidate by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
A former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) member, Zulkifli will contest the Shah Alam parliamentary seat and face his archrival, Selangor PAS deputy commissioner Khalid Samad who is defending the seat.
The prime minister recently said that the BN was prepared to allow elected representatives friendly to the coalition to contest on a BN ticket in the general election provided they were suitable candidates.
Najib said these people, if given the chance to represent the BN, would not have to join any of the component parties. This concept is not alien to the BN for it had fielded candidates who were not members of any component party before.
Member of Parliament for Hulu Rajang Datuk Billy Abit Joo contested on a BN ticket despite not representing any BN component party in the 1995 parliamentary election in Sarawak, defeating Lucius Penghulu Jimbon (Independent) by a 3,647-vote majority.
Datuk Joseph Salang also contested the Julau parliamentary seat on a BN ticket in 2004 after his party, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was deregistered and won the seat by a 2,688 vote-majority, beating Josephine Randan Mawat (Independent).
In 1960s, Perikatan or Alliance (the predecessor of the BN) had once offered direct membership under the Alliance Direct Membership Organisation (ADMO). Several more BN-friendly candidates are expected to be announced.
In SHAH ALAM, Zulkifli, who is a syarie lawyer by profession, said he was determined to win the Shah Alam seat and help the BN to recapture Selangor from the opposition.
“Winning Shah Alam is pivotal to the BN as it is the state capital and administrative centre, and the power base of the state’s ruling party.
“I am confident that with the support of the BN machinery shown today, we will beat the opposition candidate in Shah Alam and wrest Selangor from the opposition. The BN machinery and I will devise a strategy to ensure the BN’s victory,” he told reporters here today.
Abdul Khalid won the Shah Alam seat by beating BN’s Datuk Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin by a 9,314 vote-majority in the 2008 general election. Asked why he is contesting under the BN banner, Zulkifli said only the BN could look after the welfare of the people.
Asked whether he will be joining Umno, he said, “At the moment, I am under BN and contesting as a BN candidate.” Meanwhile, Shah Alam Unno division head Datuk Ahmad Nawawi M Zin, who will be contesting the Batu Tiga state seat, said Zulkifli would be a valuable asset to the BN to regain Shah Alam.
“At the grassroots level, we abide by the president’s (Najib) decision and will fully support him (Zulkifli). If he wins, I believe he can make a big difference to Shah Alam,” said Ahmad Nawawi.
– BERNAMA
