Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today that he did not come to Hulu Selangor in order to campaign for the coming by-election but in the same breath promised four new schools for the largest parliamentary district in the state.

Addressing some 500 teachers from the district who were gathered at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Selangor, Muhyiddin said that one secondary school and three primary schools would be built.

deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin at masjid kampung sentosa batang kali 020410 04 In his 30-minute speech, Muhyiddin ( left ), who is also education minister, said that teachers were primarily responsible for upgrading the standards of education in the country to that of a global level.

He also held a 15-minute question-and-answer session during which he affirmed he would fulfill the government's promises in prioritising the needs of teachers and students.

Before ending his talk, the deputy premier reminded his audience that a by-election has been announced for the constituency.

"I won't campaign today but I will come back here to campaign another time.

"April 17 is the nomination date and April 25 is the election date. Mark the dates in your diary and also jot down Undilah (Vote) Barisan Nasional," he quipped.

gathering at sekolah menengah sains hulu selangor 020410 After the meet, Muhyiddin left for a mosque in Kampung Sentosa in Batang Kali.

After performing evening prayers, he announced that the village, which often faces floods, will be getting a RM2 million allocation to develop their drainage system.

The fund are expected to be disbursed by the Works Ministry. He also said the Al-Sajdin mosque would be given RM100,000 for infrastructural improvement.

Palanivel the favourite

The Election Commission (EC) announced today the polling and nomination dates for the constituency's by-election which became necessary after the death of its PKR representative, Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

NONE Also present during the deputy prime minister's visit to Hulu Selangor were MIC Deputy President G Palanivel ( right ) and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, A Kohilan, among others.

Palanivel has been highly tipped to be BN's candidate for the seat.

Commenting on that speculation, Palanivel confirmed that he was the sole candidate suggested by MIC, rubbishing reports that stated that there were two other names submitted.

"My name is the only name suggested by the party but it's up to the BN chairperson (to decide who to field)," said Palanivel who lost in his bid to defend the parliamentary seat in the 2008 general election.

He said his chances of winning this time were good as he had a 'squeaky clean image' and his past credentials would further boost his chances.

"I didn't misuse allocations or asked for land for myself and, in fact, I have never even applied to get any. If I did any, then I'm a problem," said Palanivel.

Tomorrow, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to make his maiden visit to the semi-rural district to meet and greet the people.