Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will not be campaigning for Umno candidate Isa Abdul Samad in the upcoming Bagan Pinang state by-election.

"Well, he is the party nominee, I support. My personal feelings does not count," he said when asked whether he was disappointed by the nomination of the BN candidate.

Yesterday, former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Isa, 59, was nominated as the BN candidate for the by-election.

isa samad bagan pinang 02 Mahathir, who is former Umno president, had previously objected to the party fielding Isa, whom he considered a tainted leader.

When asked whether it would jeopardise the coalition's winning chances, he said: "I think it is good. We will win."

However, when asked on the majority, he said: "I won't know that. Probably will increase. I guess."

The seat was won by the BN with a majority of 2,333 in the last general election but it fell vacant after the death of its assemblyman Azman Mohammad Noor on Sept 4.

The announcement that Isa would be the candidate was made by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin at the BN operations centre in Port Dickson yesterday.

The by-election is scheduled for Oct 11 with nomination on Saturday.

To a question on whether fielding of a candidate found guilty of money politics would see some familiar practice in the future, Mahathir said :"It is up to the people to make an assessment."

He's a man of the people

Meanwhile, several Bagan Pinang residents have hailed the choice of Isa as the BN candidate.

azlan They said that Isa would be a factor that will ensure a victory to the coalition as he was a well-known figure among the people.

"Isa has been with us through thick and thin. The people are comfortable with his leadership," labourer K Sagesaran, 46, said.

He said that Isa also had a special trait in that he was able to remember the names of many people in the area.

Trader Salleh Misran, 40, said he was not surprised that the BN chose Isa.

"I was still in school when he became the menteri besar. I find that he mingles easily with the people and at one time he himself advised me to study hard," he said.

A Pasar Tani trader Saudah Soib, 60, said Isa was always there when villagers organised events or when there was death in their village.

"Even when he no longer hold any ministerial post, he still fulfil invitations from the villagers," she said.

- Bernama