Muhyiddin Yassin today urged voters in the Kajang state constituency to save Selangor from the uncertainty that he feared might take place if Anwar Ibrahim wins the by-election next month.

The deputy prime minister said that based on information from numerous quarters, many, including opposition leaders, disagreed with Anwar’s decision to have forced the by-election to eventually become the menteri besar of Selangor.   

Muhyiddin, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairperson, said that if Anwar, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser, won the by-election, uncertainty would prevail in the state government and this would have a huge impact on the people of Selangor.  

“If this happens ... the interests of the people will not be looked after; development will be affected; there may be problems with investment; the water problem may remain unresolved and there would be many other problems.

“There may be discord in deciding on the post of menteri besar. We do not want such a situation to take place in a developed state like Selangor,” he said when addressing the people at a gathering at the Al-Falah surau in Bukit Dukung in conjunction with his visit to Kajang.

Also present were BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor; Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil; Selangor Umno liaison committee chairperson Noh Omar; MCA president Liow Tiong Lai and the BN candidate for the by-election, Chew Mei Fun.

The by-election, set for March 23, has been necessitated by the sudden resignation of the incumbent assemblyperson, Lee Chin Cheh of PKR, on Jan 27, purportedly to pave the way for Anwar to become the assemblyperson and eventually take over as the Selangor menteri besar. Nomination for the by-election is on March 11.

'Avoid confusion and problems'

Muhyiddin stressed that voters in Kajang must reject Anwar and check his greed to grab power so as to avoid confusion and problems and issues arising thereafter which might cause difficulties for the people.  

“When we made the decision to offer our (BN) candidate, it is to prevent the problems that may arise after the by-election. This, to me, is a responsibility; in Islam, it is a ‘jihad’ (holy war) to seek good, to avert evil, to avoid undesirable disputes. This is our obligation and responsibility,” he said.  

Muhyiddin also announced Noh as the BN director for the by-election. Noh will be assisted by Hulu Langat Umno chief Johan Abdul Aziz.   

At a press conference later, Muhyiddin said the BN machinery would work hard to ensure that its candidate won the by-election.  

He said that as the by-election was a first for the new MCA leadership, it was a test to determine the people’s acceptance of the leadership transformation in the BN component party.

Muhyiddin said that as a concerned government, the federal government would always find a way to help tackle each and every problem faced by the people.

“Although we are contesting the by-election as an opposition party, the BN government always has the heart to help the people, and this will be made easier if we are picked to represent the area,” he said.

- Bernama