KOTA BARU: The 14th general election (GE14) is the best chance for Kelantan Barisan Nasional (BN) to wrest power in the state, state BN chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said.
Speaking after announcing the list of the BN candidates for Kelantan at the Kelantan UMNO building here, he said BN was targeting to win at least 32 of the 45 state seats.
Mustapa also appealed to all those who were not happy with the list to put party interest above everything else.
“If they don’t do that it will definitely affect BN’s chance of winning back Kelantan,” he said.
He said all the candidates for the 14 parliamentary seats and 45 state seats in Kelantan for GE14 were approved by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak , who is also BN chairman.
Mustapa said all candidates should shoulder the responsibility entrusted upon them to ensure BN’s win in Kelantan for the coalition to help the state again after 28 years under the opposition.
“To the candidates, we want them to work with full commitment. We want to win in Kelantan,” he said.
He described those chosen to battle it out in GE14 in the east coast state as the best candidates who were capable of bringing victory to the party.
This, he said, was because the candidates came from varied background ranging from political leaders, youth leaders, government officers, private sectors religious scholars and also members of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
He said two new faces would be among the candidates contesting for the parliamentary seats.
The new faces for the parliamentary seats include Nor Azmawi Ab Rahman (Pasir Mas) and Fikhran Hamshi Mohd Fatmi (Kota Baru), while Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has been nominated to stand again for the Pasir Puteh seat after he lost in the fight for the Tumpat parliament seat in 2008.
“At the state constituencies, 62 per cent or 28 of them are new faces including eight young candidates and five women candidates.
“Their names were given by divisional chiefs, party component leaders, government and NGOs,” he said, adding that except for Datuk Nozula Mat Diah (incumbent Paloh state seat), all the parlimentary incumbents would remain while those at the state seats will either remain or change to other state seats.
Mustapa also thanked Nozula for his 28 years of service as Paloh assemblyman.