Jamal, KJ and Zafrul to make Selangor debut

Three of BN’s prominent faces will be making their electoral debut in Selangor as the coalition attempts to make inroads in the Pakatan Harapan-held state.

All three of them will have the difficult task of unseating incumbent MPs.

A surprise candidate came in the form of notorious Selangor Umno activist Jamal Md Yunos, who was assigned the Sungai Besar seat, currently held by Bersatu’s Muslimin Yahaya.

Between 2016 and 2018, Jamal (above, left) built a reputation for using gimmicks when criticising the Selangor government.

In 2016, he showed up at the state government’s headquarters in Shah Alam wearing a bathrobe as a sign of protest against frequent water cuts.

He was also known to lead a coalition of groups known as the “Red Shirts” who frequently held counter-protests against electoral reform group Bersih.

The Red Shirts also once held a demonstration against Malaysiakini to demand an explanation over a grant from the Open Society Foundation received by the news organisation.

The Sungai Besar constituency is a coastal and semi-rural one where a majority of the electorate is either in farming or fisheries.

Further south, BN will be fielding finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz for the Kuala Selangor constituency.

Zafrul (above, right), 49, is a political greenhorn. He will have to overcome resistance from members of the Kuala Selangor Umno division who have objected to his candidacy including division chief Jahaya Ibrahim.

Incumbent Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad had previously stated his intention to retire.

However, the former health minister’s party Amanah is keen to field him again in view of Zafrul’s candidacy.

Zafrul’s cabinet colleague health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, 46, has also been assigned a “foreign” constituency - Sungai Buloh.

Khairy (above, middle) is the incumbent MP for Rembau in Negeri Sembilan. He is also the current deputy division head of Umno’s Rembau division.

He was moved to Sungai Buloh after being forced to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan to contest the Rembau seat.

Sungai Buloh is expected to be the toughest of the three seats. It was won in 2018 by Harapan with a convincing 56 percent of votes cast.

Axe falls on 9 incumbent BN MPs, several candidates still being mulled

PKR to revise Sungai Buloh candidate after BN named KJ

Zafrul appointed Selangor BN treasurer

Teresa files bankruptcy notice against Jamal Yunos

Jamal fails to get leave to appeal decision that he defamed PJ MP