Sulaiman is BN’s sole CM candidate, Najib says

Barisan Nasional (BN) advisor Datuk Seri Najib Razak has confirmed that Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali is the coalition’s sole Melaka chief minister candidate.

(NST) – He clarified that former Melaka state legislative assembly speaker Datuk Seri Abd Rauf Yusoh who is contesting for the Tanjung Bidara seat is not BN’s chief minister candidate.

“No,no,no. We (BN) have decided that it will only be Sulaiman (for chief minister post),” he said briefly to reporters when met at the Tanjung Bidara nomination centre.

Najib earlier accompanied Ab Rauf to the nomination centre here.

Ab Rauf said the reason he was participating in the Melaka state election this month was to bring victory to Umno and BN.

“I am not fighting against (Datuk) Mas Ermieyati Samsuri. This is a fight to bring glory to Umno’s name in Tanjung Bidara,” he said.

The Tanjung Bidara state seat will see a three-cornered fight between Ab Rauf, Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Mas Ermieyati and Zainal Hassan from Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Previously, the Tanjung Bidara seat was held by Umno’s Datuk Md Rawi Mahmud who won the constituency with a 2,864 majority, defeating other candidates from PH and Pas.

The Melaka state election was sparked following the dissolution of its state assembly on Oct 4 after four state assemblymen withdrew their support for then Chief Minister Sulaiman from Umno.

Melaka has 495,196 registered voters and the EC predicts a 70 per cent turn-out for polling day on Nov 20.