Semenyih polls – Farid Ravi dismisses Umno candidature speculation
SEMENYIH POLLS | Well-known Islamic preacher Mohd Farid Ravi Abdullah (above) has dismissed speculation that he is one of the candidates Umno is considering for the upcoming March 2 Semenyih by-election in Selangor.
Speculation had been rife on social media today that Farid, director of the Research Management Center at the Kolej Universiti Islam Selangor, had been proposed as a candidate for the party...
SEMENYIH POLLS | Well-known Islamic preacher Mohd Farid Ravi Abdullah (above) has dismissed speculation that he is one of the candidates Umno is considering for the upcoming March 2 Semenyih by-election in Selangor.
Speculation had been rife on social media today that Farid, director of the Research Management Centre at the Kolej Universiti Islam Selangor, had been proposed as a candidate for the party.
When contacted by Malaysiakini, Farid brushed off the speculation, saying that he had received numerous messages on his phone seeking to confirm his candidacy.
"I don't know about it. I received similar questions from several WhatsApp groups. The members forwarded me screenshots of statuses from various Facebook and Instagram pages regarding this speculation which came with my picture including one with my family.
"I am not one of the candidates and I don't have any intention to join politics as I want to focus on dakwah (preaching)," he said.
The Tokoh Maal Hijrah recipient also said that nobody from Umno had approached him to discuss him being a candidate for the by-election.
"Nobody came to and asked me whether I wanted to contest. If such speculation is true, I would have revealed my intention to the media. I have nothing to hide," he added.
Semenyih Umno chief Johan Abdul Aziz (above) said he respected Farid's decision but refused to comment whether Farid is in the shortlisted candidate list which has been submitted to the party's leadership.
"I respect his decision. He said the same thing (focusing on dakwah) before the previous general election," he said.
Johan said the division had proposed six names including those from the Youth and Wanita wings.
"Umno focuses on winnable candidates and someone that the locals are familiar with," he said, adding that the cooperation between Umno and PAS as well as local sentiment will lead to Umno's victory in Semenyih.
Johan said he expected the leadership to announce the party's candidate on either Feb 13 or 14.
Looks umno trying desperately to get credible candidates ha ha .
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