MELAKA: After holding the Tanjung Bidara state seat for two terms, Barisan Nasional's Datuk Md Rawi Mahmud has decided to make way for a new candidate in the coming state polls.
He said he felt it was time for a new face to take over and three names have since been submitted to the BN central leadership for consideration.
"I am confident of my successor's capability. The (three) possible candidates understand the demands and aspirations of the locals.
"Voters want new faces with credibility. It is important because the community wants fresh, more aggressive ideas to help bring them out of the current economic and social crises.
"I am not defending the seat this time because I want to see this constituency moving forward, not because I want to make way for a certain individual," he said.
Md Rawi, a retired teacher, said he would be campaigning for BN and the new candidate to replace him, adding that his decision not to contest was welcomed by his family given that he is turning 68 this year.
Md Rawi was first chosen as the Tanjung Bidara assemblyman candidate in the 13th General Election (GE13) where he won the seat with a 4,240 majority.
In GE14, he won the seat with a 2,864 majority in a three-cornered fight.
On Oct 4, former Melaka chief minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron along with Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (PN-Telok Mas), and Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) withdrew their support for the Melaka state government.
The next day, Speaker Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh announced that the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam decided to dissolve the state assembly upon advice from caretaker chief minister, Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali.
According to Idris, they decided to revoke their support for the state government because they were dissatisfied with the set-up with Sulaiman as the state chief while Ab Rauf was both the Melaka Umno Liaison chairman and state assembly speaker.
Political observers have warned that if Umno and BN fail to contain their internal struggles, more states may suffer the same fate and go to the polls amid the pandemic.
Last week, the Election Commission set Nov 20 as polling day for the Melaka state election with nominations on Nov 8 and early voting on Nov 16.
The Melaka State Legislative Assembly has 28 seats with 14 held by BN, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (2), DAP (7), PKR (2), Parti Amanah Negara (2), and Independent (1).
In the GE14, Pakatan Harapan won 15 seats while 13 seats were garnered by BN. It saw PH forming the state government with Amanah's Adly Zahari becoming the Chief Minister.