KUALA LUMPUR: Seberang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah is the best candidate for the Permatang Pauh by-election, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

The Umno president and prime minister said Arif Shah was a good party man who had displayed sincerity and hard work in serving the people of his constituency.

"I think he is the best person to field for Permatang Pauh."

He said Arif Shah was chosen after opinions were canvassed from the people of Permatang Pauh and Umno members.

Asked if the assemblyman stood a chance against odds-on fa-vourite Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the latter's stronghold, Abdullah said there was hope for an upset.
Speaking after officiating at the Federal Territory Hawkers and Small Business Owners Congress yesterday, he said the two other persons said to have been proposed by the local Umno division -- chairman Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid and deputy Datuk Dr Pirdaus Ismail -- had pledged their support for Arif Shah.

Abdullah said the decision to pick Arif Shah was taken by the party leadership despite the fact that the candidate was already a state legislator.

Asked if it took a long time to choose a candidate for Permatang Pauh, Abdullah said the moment it was known that there was going to be a by-election, the search began to find the right person.

In Serdang, Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Arif Shah was picked as he was the only BN candidate to have won in the Permatang Pauh area in the March general election.

Seberang Jaya is one of three state seats in the parliamentary constituency.

"This shows he had an edge, the support of the voters, and we want to capitalise on this," he said after visiting the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) Show 2008 yesterday.

Najib also said Arif Shah had a good track record as a diligent wakil rakyat who ran an efficient service centre.

"Additionally, he is fluent in Mandarin and maybe Hokkien. These are useful traits to communicate to Chinese voters."