KLUANG: Former Johor FA footballer Mohamad Haizan Jaafar (middle) has been chosen by Perikatan Nasional to contest in the upcoming Mahkota by-election.
Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced the 61-year-old, who is also a former Kluang football head coach, as their designated candidate for the polls, which is set for Sept 28.
“His vast experience in sports and discipline has earned him the nickname ‘coach’.
“With his active engagement with youths and the community, we believe Mohamad Haizan has what it takes to win the seat and take Kluang to a better place,” Hamzah said when announcing Perikatan’s main operations room in Kampung Melayu here on Tuesday (Sept 10).
Hamzah added that Mohamad Haizan, the son of a retired health department civil servant, was born in Layang-Layang, Kluang.
The father-of-three, who is a Kluang Bersatu committee member, is also a businessman involved in food and beverage services.
Barisan Nasional had earlier announced Kluang Umno Youth chief Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah as their candidate of choice for the Mahkota state seat last Saturday (Sept 7).
The Mahkota by-election was called following the demise of its incumbent, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, on Aug 2.
Sharifah Azizah, who was also Kluang Wanita Umno chief, won the seat in the 2022 state election with a majority of 5,166 votes, defeating candidates from Perikatan, Pakatan Harapan and Parti Warisan.
The Election Commission has set polling day for Sept 28, with Nomination Day and early polling slated for this Saturday (Sept 14) and Sept 24, respectively.
