Barisan Nasional Youth feels that it is most appropriate for the party’s candidates to be announced two weeks or one month before the general election.

 

Its chief Khairy Jamaluddin however said that would not be applicable for all constituencies due to internal factors and other risks that need to be addressed first.

 

“Don’t announce the candidates six months before election. Rather than announcing them two days before nomination, we can do it two weeks or one month earlier.”

 

He told Bernama that early naming of candidates could be implemented in constituencies where the majority of voters were identified as BN supporters.

 

The suitable constituencies are those with obvious candidates accepted by society such as Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in Pekan and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in Pagoh.

 

On October 26, BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that BN might announce the candidates earlier than in previous elections.

 

Commenting on Umno Youth candidates, Khairy said he had asked Najib as BN chairman to pick BN candidates from among members of the movement.

 

“We did not demand for a percentage or number of candidates because it is important for us to have winnable candidates to ensure victory.

 

“The Youth list submitted was just for the first round and there will be a second round and more to allow for screening. As such, we don’t know who will be picked.”

 

He said the movement was intensifying efforts to ensure that the four states now held by the opposition would return to BN rule.

 

“We are going forward with issues in the four states. Just like what the Auditor-General’s Report said, the opposition states have many weaknesses including the Lembah Sireh scandal in Kelantan.

 

“BN Youth in Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan must highlight issues to the people so that we can exert pressure on opposition state governments and tell the people what they are doing is wrong,” he added.

- Bernama