Heavyweights for Selangor

SABAK BERNAM: Umno will identify Barisan Nasional “heavyweight” candidates, including those in the Cabinet, to contest in Selangor in GE15, says its president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said fielding the “heavyweights” would be one of the party’s strategies for the 15th General Election in Selangor.

“We are confident that it is a right criterion. We will identify the candidates,” he said after attending a gathering with youths here yesterday, reported Bernama.

Earlier, Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar said he welcomed heavyweight candidates or those in the Cabinet to contest for parliamentary seats in Selangor and named Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as one of them.

Noh described Tengku Zafrul as one of the young figures who had the potential to be highlighted and made an icon in the state.

There has been talk that Tengku Zafrul would contest the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat with him often seen to be going to the constituency.

He said he strongly encouraged influential young leaders to contest as they can bring new ideas to Selangor.

Tengku Zafrul, said Noh, is an influential and intelligent young figure in the financial sector and he is born in the state.

“Apart from Tengku Zafrul, the economics director in the Prime Minister’s Office, Shahril Hamdan, is also a suitable young man.

“In the Umno top leadership, Selangor has the most people. We have eight of them and among them are information chief, Shahril, who is also the party’s Youth vice-chief, Puteri chief Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan; myself, Selangor Opposition chief Rizam Ismail and Isham Jalil,” he told a press conference after the Kopenas annual delegates’ meeting here.

Noh welcomed a suggestion by Umno veteran Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd ​​Taib for heavyweight general election candidates to be fielded in the state.

On Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who called the government “bangang” (dumb) for being slow to act in addressing the rising price of goods, Noh said the PKR president should not make the cost of living a political issue.

He said the government had set up the National Action Council on Cost of Living, which involved the participation of NGOs to seek views on the current situation and also the Jihad Tangani Inflasi (Jihad on Addressing Inflation), to address the issue of rising prices of goods and cost of living.

The Cabinet had also set up a Technical Committee on Addressing National Food Security Issues, he added.