Raja Mohamed Affandi answers 'call of duty' as Barisan's Kemaman candidate

KUALA LUMPUR: Gen (R) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor is answering the "call of duty" as Barisan Nasional's direct candidate in the upcoming Kemaman parliamentary by-election.

The former Defence Forces and Army chief said he was surprised when he was offered the chance to contest the seat.

"I would like to thank the Barisan leadership for selecting me as a direct candidate in Kemaman.

"For me, it is a call of duty to bear this responsibility after serving in the military for more than 42 years," he told a press conference at Menara Dato' Onn here on Monday (Nov 13).

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Raja Mohamed Affandi said he weighed the offer considerably before accepting.

"I had to think about it, but I feel that it is time to give back to the country, especially in Kemaman," he added.

Raja Affandi was appointed the 19th chief of Defence Forces on Dec 16, 2016. Before that, he served as the 25th Army chief from 2013.

He retired in 2018 after serving the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) for 42 years.

He has vast experience in military leadership and diplomacy during his tenure as the MAF headquarters chief of staff and Army field commander.

Raja Affandi, who was born in Besut, Terengganu, holds a Master's in Defence Studies (Australia) and an M.Sc in Defence and Strategic Studies (Pakistan).

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The Kemaman by-election was called following the Terengganu Election Court’s ruling on Sept 26, nullifying the GE15 victory of Perikatan Nasional's Che Alias Hamid when it found the petitioner successfully proved the existence of elements of corruption during the campaign period.

The Election Commission (EC) has set polling day for Dec 2, with nominations on Nov 18 and early voting on Nov 28.

In November last year, Che Alias won the seat by a 27,179-vote majority after obtaining 65,714 votes to defeat Barisan's Datuk Seri Ahmad Said (38,535 votes), Pakatan Harapan's Hasuni Sudin (8,340 votes) and Pejuang's Rosli Ab Ghani (506 votes).