KEMAMAN: After travelling to almost every nook and corner of Kemaman to campaign for the by-election last week, General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor has adopted a more concentrated approach this week.
With only four days left for canvassing, the former Armed Forces chief has no plans to slow down but adopt a more aggressive and focused campaigning method with his team to secure the support on Dec 2.
Raja Affandi said the second phase of his campaign will be focused on places, issues and things that have to be addressed in the constituency.
"The good thing that we have done so far (last week) is that we have managed to cover a lot of areas which now allows us to identify where we should concentrate on the second week. We will give our emphasis on all these areas.
"During the first week of the campaign, my team and I covered a lot of ground. We have met a lot of people and seen a lot of things... now our approach is to identify the places, issues and matters that have to be looked into," he said when replying to his campaign plans before polling day.
Despite many ruling out Raja Affandi's chances to pull a surprise win given the fact that Perikatan Nasional (PN) won by a whopping 27,000-vote majority during the 15th general election, the Barisan Nasional's direct candidate remains optimistic.
"Nothing comes easy in life… even when you want to have a drink and open a canned drink, you have to lift the tab up. Toughness should keep us going and we should be doing what we are required to do.
"I am here (contesting) to make sure we take this constituency... P40 (Kemaman parliament) should be ours (on Dec 2) and we are working towards that," he said.
On the 'pressure' put on his shoulders to deliver the parliamentary seat which will be the first won by the unity government in Terengganu should Raja Affandi emerge victorious, the 66-year-old said it was quite obvious and he is solely focused on getting the job done (winning).
On his family support during the current campaign, Raja Affandi said they have been assisting him through their own efforts in the constituency.
"They will not leave me alone and are helping me out through their own initiatives. Even my relatives, I met some of them during the campaign who assured me that they will go the extra mile to help me get the support," said Raja Mohamed Affandi who completed his primary and secondary school education in Kemaman.
Raja Mohamed Affandi, who spent 43 years in the military, will face Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is fielded by PN on Dec 2.