GE14 | Umno acting deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has told the party’s candidates within the Sik parliamentary constituency to prioritise the general election over the divisional party election.

He said the people want to see their leaders united in ensuring development for the people, instead of fighting amongst each other.

“The divisional election can wait, go win the parliamentary seat first. I don’t want to get involved in the (local) party election, but non-Umno (members) know, they can see, and they resent leaders who fight (amongst themselves). Right or not?” he said, to which the audience answered with a resounding, “Yes!”.

“What I want, the voters want, the people want, is development,” he continued.

Zahid was addressing at least 1,000 people at a gathering with educators, including the Sik District Education Department, as well as the people of Sik.

About two-thirds of the audience were women dressed in Wanita Umno’s blue and red outfits.

Also present were the Umno candidates Mansor Abd Rahman (Sik), Mohd Tajudin Abdullah (Belantek), and Mahadzir Abdul Hamid (Jeneri).

They stepped forward to pose together as Zahid spoke, while Zahid teased them to take a step further to kiss one another.

Zahid’s warning came after the Kedah Pakatan Harapan chief Mukhriz Mahathir warned Sik voters of possible infighting in the local Umno division if Umno wins.

Mukhriz said that as the Kedah Umno chief during the 13th general election, he was the one who had picked Mansor and Tajudin to be candidates. He said Tajudin had been lobbying to become an MP, but was picked for a state seat instead.

Both later won the election, he said, but a feud broke out between the two when Mansor decided to challenge Tajudin at the subsequent Umno party election to become a division chief. Mukhriz said he had to defuse the situation by calling Mansor and persuading him not to contest.

“Suddenly as we go into the 14th general election, the trio are still contesting in the same places where I know the Belantek candidate is guaranteed to be dissatisfied because he has long dreamed to become an MP; guaranteed that he is dissatisfied that the same person is still contesting for Parliament...

“After this if - God forbid - they win again… it’s guaranteed that the one running for Parliament will challenge the one running for state assembly. Guaranteed, because that was the plan all along,” he told a ceramah of some 300 people at Batu Lima, Sik on Monday.

Sik is a Malay-majority seat that Mansor had won with a 2,807-vote majority during the last election. He is now facing a challenge from PKR’s Azli Uda and PAS’ Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman.

In Belantek, meanwhile, Tajudin won by a margin of just 842 votes at the last election and is now facing a challenge from Amanah’s Abdul Rashid Abdullah and PAS’ Mohd Isa Shafie.