Wanita has theirs, but Umno Youth has best Mahkota candidate: Akmal

UMNO AGM | Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh is confident his wing’s candidate for the Mahkota by-election will be the best among those considered by the party’s top leadership.

“Very confident (the Youth candidate is) the best. Very confident.

“I will submit the name of our candidate, and the women’s wing will also submit theirs, but our candidate will be the best for Mahkota,” he said.

He was speaking to the media today at the World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur where the final day of the Umno general assembly is being held.

Commenting on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s daughter who appealed for a candidate from the Wanita Umno wing to contest the seat, Akmal stressed the issue should not be about who the request is coming from.

Rather, the issue should be about winnability, he said.

“The most important thing is not about her being the president’s daughter. It’s not about the president, it’s not about Youth or Wanita, but it’s about us wanting to win in the state assembly as a BN family.

“If she (Zahid’s daughter) has a good candidate, that’s okay. But if the candidate is lacking, then it is better to field a Youth candidate,” said Akmal.

The Mahkota state seat is part of the 56-seat Johor legislative assembly. A by-election for the seat is being held on Sept 28 after the death of its representative Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain on Aug 2.

Earlier, Wanita Umno, through its spokesperson Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, appealed for the Mahkota state seat to be retained for a Wanita Umno candidate.

Sharifah was the Kluang Wanita Umno chief.

Nurulhidayah, who is also a Wanita Umno executive council member, had said that female candidates should be given the opportunity to contest in seats considered easy for BN to win.

President is rational

Commenting further, Akmal expressed confidence that Zahid, as the party president, will be “sane and rational” when deliberating and making a final decision on BN’s candidate for Mahkota.

“First of all, the president is sane and rational, so this is not about who is talking, but a question of how to win the Mahkota state assembly seat.

“Yes, it’s true that Wanita has put forward a candidate that they think is good, but it is the same with us Youth. We also have a candidate that we think can be accepted by the community in the Mahkota constituency.

“But whatever the decision is, it is subject to the president and the leadership.

“For the Youth, we have given the best name. If we get it, we will do the work, but even if we don’t, we will still work for a victory in Mahkota,” he said, adding there will be no issue of Umno Youth refusing to accept a candidate not from their wing.

Throughout the current Umno assembly, both Akmal and Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad, as well as delegates from various wings, have staked claims on Mahkota.

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