Big names out of BN candidate list

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Apr 17, 2013

(Today Online) – In Kelantan, Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali said he was upset that he was not given any reason for being turned down as a candidate. “Not being shortlisted means I was not given a chance. I don’t know why,” he said. He would be contesting as an independent in Pasir Mas, a seat which he had won a few times with different parties.

Coalition’s ‘out with the old’ mantra clear in Johor; mixed reactions in Sabah, Kelantan

Lists of Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates released yesterday for the country’s coming general election confirmed the omission of several big names — including Minister of Information, Communication and Culture Rais Yatim, Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen and former Women’s Affairs Minister Shahrizat Jalil — from the “transformational team” that the ruling coalition has put up for what is tipped to be the most keenly contested elections in Malaysia’s history.

Prime Minister Najib Razak had earlier said BN would field 50 per cent new faces at state level and 30 per cent new candidates at federal level.

Around the country, the announcements of the candidates were greeted with unhappiness by politicians who did not make the cut and their supporters. In Sabah, the announcement of candidates by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) — the dominant party in BN — was met with a mix of cheers and protests.

Sabah UMNO Chief Musa Aman said the reactions were “normal”. “There will be those who are disappointed, but we should all accept the decision of the leadership as we had made that promise to the Prime Minister,” he said.

In Kelantan, Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali said he was upset that he was not given any reason for being turned down as a candidate.

“Not being shortlisted means I was not given a chance. I don’t know why,” he said. He would be contesting as an independent in Pasir Mas, a seat which he had won a few times with different parties.

The BN’s “out with the old” mantra was epitomised in Johor — the coalition’s political fortress and birthplace of UMNO.

Dropped from the official list of candidates to contest 26 parlimentary and 56 state seats in Johor include former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, who is also the President of BN component party, the Malaysian Chinese Association; former MCA President and former Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting, who is the Member of Parliament for Kulai; and Mr Syed Hamid Albar, the former Home Affairs Minister who is the MP for Kota Tinggi.

MCA Vice-President Gan Ping Sieu, the Deputy Youth and Sports Minster, is also not on the list. Household names in the Johor political scene such as Johor MCA Deputy Chief Tan Kok Hong, State Tourism Minister Hoo Seong Chang and long-serving Sri Gading MP Mohammad Aziz were also omitted.

Confirming earlier speculation, Mr Abdul Ghani Othman will lead the BN’s efforts to defend Johor from the opposition. He will step down as Johor’s Menteri Besar — after an 18-year run — for a showdown with Democratic Action Party supremo Lim Kit Siang for the Gelang Patah parlimentary seat. Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin is expected to take over as Johor Menteri Besar.