DAY 8 | Win will be 'meaningful' in time for Umno AGM - Zahid

DAY 8 | It’s day eight of campaigning for the Nenggiri by-election.

On Aug 17, BN candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani and Perikatan Nasional’s Mohd Rizwadi Ismail will battle it out for the state seat.

Malaysiakini reports live from the ground.

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This concludes the eighth day of campaigning in the Nenggiri by-election.

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Residents hope new rep can solve 2-year rubbish pile issue

5.30pm: Kuala Lah Orang Asli Village Development and Security Committee chairperson Ayob Daun says rubbish is piling up along the Jalan Kuala Lah-Jerek route in Nenggiri.

He says this is because there are no large, lockable bins there.

According to Bernama, he says the rubbish pile is affecting over 400 villagers there, and they hope a new state assemblyperson can resolve the two-year-long issue.

“What makes the situation worse is that animals like monkeys and stray dogs are rummaging through the rubbish, causing it to scatter.

“Given that this is the main route to Jerek, scattered waste on the road can disrupt traffic and pose a safety risk,” he adds.

Win will be ‘meaningful’ in time for Umno AGM - Zahid

4.10pm: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urges party members to work hard for a BN victory in the Nenggiri by-election.

He says the win will be “meaningful” as the Umno General Assembly 2024 is set to be held four days after the polls.

“We lost the Nenggiri seat in the last state election by just 810 votes. Ramli knew that many Orang Asli did not go out to vote then due to certain reasons,” he says, as reported by Bernama.

Zahid is referring to Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ramli Mohd Nor who is Orang Asli.

“Many voters in Kesedar (South Kelantan Development Authority) also did not go out. Nine PDMs (polling district centres), traditional villages, also had problems, and Felda Perasu also faced problems.

“But this time, Alhamdulillah (all will go well). Kesedar has five PDMs under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, nine traditional villages are under the ministry, and one PDM Felda.

“It so happens PM (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim) has entrusted Felda to me, which means 20 PDM are under me. Please help me to redeem our dignity in Nenggiri this Saturday,” says Zahid.

He is speaking at a Cameron Highlands Umno meeting in Sungai Koyan, Pahang.

Hamzah advises Orang Asli to split their votes

3.50pm: Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin is urging Orang Asli voters in Nenggiri to split their votes for the Perikatan Nasional and BN candidates in next week’s by-election.

According to him, this is a strategy to ensure no one takes lightly the plight of the Orang Asli community.

“There has to be a strategy, like half (of the Orang Asli community) voting for BN, and the other half for PN.

“This way, both sides (PN and BN) will realise they cannot take the natives’ interest for granted,” Hamzah tells the media after a meet-and-greet session with the Orang Asli community in Kuala Betis in Gua Musang, today.

He claims Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s promised reforms for the Orang Asli have yet to materialise.

In the last state election, Bersatu’s Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, who competed under the PAS logo, only managed to garner 100 Orang Asli votes.

BN seems to have the upper hand when it comes to Orang Asli support in the state constituency.

The Nenggiri constituency recorded a 12,351 voter turnout out of 20,219 eligible voters in the 2023 state election.

The total voter breakdown was as follows: Malays - 85.9 percent, Others - 13.8 percent, and Chinese 0.2 percent.

I will look into getting an ATM: Azmawi

12.30pm: BN candidate for the Nenggiri by-election Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani is promising to get an ATM in the constituency, which is a pressing need for folks in the constituency.

“Following complaints from constituents in Jeram, Bertam, and its surrounding areas who want an ATM, I promise to look into the issue.

“I will contact banks that are willing to consider having an ATM in Nenggiri,” Azmawi says in a video on social media.

More than 30,000 people in Nenggiri have to travel at least 50km to reach the nearest ATM in Gua Musang town.

The journey takes about 45 minutes by car while some ride boats for 30 minutes or spend an hour on a train. The nearest petrol station is also located some 30km away.

Prove K'tan govt uses govt assets, Annuar dares Zahid

9.45am: Perikatan Nasional’s Nenggiri election director Annuar Musa has dared BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to prove that the Kelantan state government used government machinery while campaigning for the by-election.

“Show proof of the Kelantan state government using government assets. Point it out and we shall fix it.

“But don’t simply make accusations without proof. I uploaded evidence of use of government assets by BN,” Annuar claimed.

He was speaking to the media after a ceramah in Jeram Tekoh, Gua Musang, last night.

Yesterday, Zahid, who is also the Umno president, said BN is willing to investigate claims that federal government machinery was used in the Nenggiri by-election campaign, as long as such allegations are backed with proof.

The deputy prime minister then accused the PAS-led Kelantan administration of using state government assets for campaigning.

Bachok PAS member ‘suspended’ for using ‘kafir harbi’

9am: The Bachok PAS member who used the term “kafir harbi” - a label used against non-Muslims who oppose Islam - against DAP at a ceramah in Nenggiri has been “suspended” from campaign duties for three days.

Perikatan Nasional’s Nenggiri election operations director Annuar Musa says this is to enable the temperature to “cool down a bit”.

“On Wednesday, we asked the speaker who mistakenly voiced his opinion on the stage. But a BN leader (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) who said ‘Hidup Israel’ (long live Israel) is still holding on to power.

“We can debate on this issue, but it’s alright. We asked the speaker to take a break, akin to a hockey player being asked to exit the field for a bit,” Annuar tells a ceramah in Jeram Tekoh, Gua Musang.

Yesterday, several Malay DAP lawmakers demanded that PN apologise for the matter.

Annuar, however, dismisses the need for an apology, saying the remarks were reflective of the speaker’s personal stance, and not PAS’ or PN’s opinion.

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DAY 5 | Bung: Political change in K'tan begins in Nenggiri

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