MELAKA: Barisan Nasional will unveil its candidates for the Melaka state election before nomination day, says Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
The state Barisan chairman said the coalition has yet to finalise its list of candidates.
“Wait until nomination day and you will know who the candidates are,” he told reporters when met at an event yesterday.
Ab Rauf said this when asked about potential candidates to represent the coalition in the upcoming state election.
Speculation is rife that senior executive councillor Datuk Rais Yasin may not defend his Paya Rumput seat and could instead be fielded in Sungai Udang, a constituency with a sizeable military community.
At an event in Sungai Udang on Sept 7, Ab Rauf appeared to hint that Rais could be Barisan’s candidate for the seat.
“There are 15,000 military personnel living in the Sungai Udang constituency.
“If you are looking for a leader to represent you, he must first be outstanding and that candidate is Datuk Rais Yasin,” Ab Rauf was quoted as saying.
Rais won Paya Rumput in the 2021 state election with a 629-vote majority, defeating four challengers including Pakatan Harapan’s Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister.
Sungai Udang is currently held by Perikatan Nasional’s Dr Mohd Aleef Yusof.
There is also speculation that Barisan may opt to field several new faces in other constituencies.
Earlier in his speech, Ab Rauf, who is caretaker Chief Minister, said more than RM196mil has been allocated under the Melaka Sayang Rakyat (MeSRa) initiative for school infrastructure, educational assistance from infancy through university, and human capital development programmes.
He said the initiatives have benefited more than 140,000 students to date.
“This is evidence of the state government’s determination to ensure that education development and the well-being of the younger generation are not neglected,” he added.
