Arau’s BN candidate considers Shahidan his mentor

KANGAR: Datuk Rozabil Abd Rahman, the new Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Arau parliamentary seat, says he considers Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim as his mentor.

The former Arau Umno division youth chief said he did not want to be labelled as an “usurper” of the hot seat, adding he was just abiding by the decision made by the Barisan leadership to name him for the seat.

“I am aware the task given to me is a very difficult one, especially since Datuk Seri Shahidan has expressed his desire to defend Arau.

“(But) I never intended to challenge Shahidan let alone ‘disobey’ the teacher who taught me a lot about the ins and outs of politics and administration,” he told Bernama.

Rozabil, who is Shahidan’s former chief political secretary, said before being nominated, he first contacted Shahidan to seek his blessings and ask for his help to ensure victory for Barisan.

The former CEO of a public listed company pledged to contest in a healthy way and avoid any confrontation in order to gain the support of the grassroots.

“God willing, I will do my best to ensure that Arau continues to be a Barisan stronghold,” he said.

In GE14, Shahidan won the seat with a majority of 4,856 votes, defeating PKR candidate Datuk Dr Abd Rahman Daud and Datuk Hashim Jasin of PAS.