Nenggiri polls: Voters won't be swayed by national issues brought up by Perikatan, says Zahid

GUA MUSANG: Voters in the Nenggiri state constituency are unlikely to be swayed by national issues raised by Perikatan Nasional during their by-election campaign, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Barisan Nasional chairman said that the coalition machinery had been working diligently throughout the campaign period to address the issues raised by locals across all 20 polling districts in the constituency.

"The voters in Nenggiri are very discerning; the national issues played up by Perikatan have not even stuck in their minds and hearts.

"They have long known the issues in Nenggiri and there have been no solutions offered... the people, especially in Nenggiri, can assess the capabilities not only of the candidate but also the state-level administration that has failed to resolve these issues."

He said this in response to a question on whether water, logging, and land issues would influence voters in Nenggiri after attending the state-level 2024 Risda Open Day Programme at Kampung Kala Star, here, on Thursday (Aug 15).

Also present at the event were Barisan's election director for the Nenggiri polls, Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub.

The by-election, with polling day set for this Saturday (Aug 17), will see a one-on-one contest between Barisan’s Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani and PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, representing Perikatan.

Regarding the campaign, which has less than 48 hours remaining, Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the candidate and the campaign machinery, who have worked tirelessly to engage with voters and address issues raised by Perikatan and the public.

"I would like to thank Datuk Seri Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), and the entire party machinery for their hard work in ensuring our candidate's victory.

"We have made every effort not only to address the issues raised but also to find solutions to the problems raised in all 20 polling districts. The rest, we leave to Allah for our candidate's victory this Saturday," he said.

The by-election was called following the vacancy of the seat, as announced by Kelantan state assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah on June 19, after the former incumbent, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim lost his Bersatu membership on June 13.- Bernama