Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman is confident the people in Tenang will continue to have trust in Barisan Nasional (BN) based on its good track record in the state constituency.

“The party machinery together with all the Johor elected representatives will, however, be working hard to ensure solid support from the voters for BN in the coming by-election,” he said in a statement in Johor Baru today.

Ghani, who is also state Umno liaison chief, has been appointed BN’s Tenang by-election director after the Election Commission’s announcement that nomination of candidates will be Jan 22 and polling on Jan 30.

He said the BN machinery had been geared up for the by-election following a meeting held by Johor Umno and another by Johor BN.

The Tenang by-election has been called following the death of its incumbent assemblyman Sulaiman Taha, 59, on Dec 17.

In the 12th general election in 2008, Sulaiman won the seat for the second term after defeating PAS candidate Mohd Saim Siran with a 2,492-vote majority.

In the 11th general electtion, he also won against Mohd Saim with a majority of over 5,000 votes.

Labis Member of Parliament Chua Tee Yong, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, has been appointed chairman of MCA’s Tenang by-election committee and Bekok assemblyman Tan Kok Hong as the coordinator for the party.

The Tenang and Bekok state seats are located in the Labis parliamentary constituency.

- Bernama