ALOR STAR: Perikatan Nasional election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has played down Barisan Nasional's chances of wresting Kemaman from the coalition in the upcoming by-election.
Sanusi, who is also Kedah Menteri Besar said, BN's move to field former Chief of Armed Forces general (R) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor will be not sufficient to swing the 27,000 majority votes won by PN in the 15th General Election (GE15).
"This is an election process. It depends on support. Regardless of how strong is the candidate, if his party is not getting the support, he will lose.
"The candidate factor only contributes about 30 per cent. In an election, the actual strength comes from the machinery and the party's branding.
"Currently, the party's (BN) branding in nosediving. No matter how good the product is, if you placed it under a tainted branding, it will not sell well. It is such a pity," Sanusi said in a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting at Wisma Darul Aman here today.
On Monday, BN chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced Affandi as its candidate for the Kemaman by-election.
Commenting further, Sanusi said Umno's move to field a candidate outside its party hierarchy showed that its failed to nurture capable new bloods to represent the party.
He also claimed that should Affandi is fighting for integrity, the latter has chosen the wrong political party to pursue his passion.
"If he is looking up for integrity, he will not find it in BN. If he wishes to strengthen integrity, to combat tourism, he should not be with BN. It is not the righty platform.
"However, if he is tough enough to face the challenges, I welcome that and I pray him al the best," he said.
The Election Commission (EC) has fixed Dec 2 as polling day for the Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election in Terengganu.
The commission also set Nov 18 as nomination day and Nov 28 for early voting.