PONTIAN: Respectable and friendly as well as making time for the people, as shown by the late MP Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, would be some of the criteria considered by Pakatan Harapan (PH) in its search for a candidate to defend the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat.
Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) deputy president Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said during a meeting with village heads in Tanjung Piai on Sunday, they were still visibly touched by the kindness of the late Dr Md Farid who always helped them regardless of the time of the day.
He said the village heads were still thinking of the late Dr Md Farid, his kindness and his gentlemanly attitude.
“The night before he died he had met the village heads. This is an example of a young man with an attractive personality, a gentleman, a good man.
“I think it is an example of the potential candidate’s criteria that might be considered to replace him,” he said when met at the Pontian district council office.
Salahuddin said the criteria would be used as the key performance indicators (KPIs) that the PH Presidential Council might consider in order to find the best candidate for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election.
Earlier, Salahuddin, who is also Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, together with Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal, had a closed-door meeting with 45 village heads in the Tanjung Piai Parliamentary constituency.
The hour-long meeting also discussed issues faced by the villagers as well as identifying projects promised by Dr Md Farid before his untimely death.
“We asked all the village heads to submit their documents, whether the letter of application or the promises that have been made. Insya Allah (God willing) we will carry out those promises in the near future,” he said.
He said any urgent need would be prioritised using the allocation from the office of the Mentri Besar or his ministry first.
“The existing budget (under the ministry) that we can use, for example, for projects involving livestock, paddy planting and to improve access roads to the plantation area,” he said. - Bernama