GEORGE TOWN: Umno Youth’s election machinery is all set for the Kajang by-election, said its head Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy, who is also Youth and Sports Minister, said the wing had drawn up various programmes to win over the 15,000 young voters in the constituency.
“We are fully prepared and will get into top gear once campaigning starts. Our focus will be the youths registered as voters there,” he told reporters after attending the “Wheel’s For All” programme organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Students Representatives Council here yesterday.
Nomination is set for March 11 and polling on March 23.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) has named MCA vice-president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun as its candidate while Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has announced that its advisor and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the MP for Permatang Pauh, will be contesting the state seat.
The seat fell vacant after the incumbent, Lee Chin Cheh, from PKR, suddenly resigned on Jan 27.
In Pontian, BN Publicity and Information Bureau chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said the coalition was fielding an MCA candidate for the seat despite calls for a Malay candidate to be fielded because it upheld the power sharing concept.
Ahmad, who is also Deputy Finance Minister, said this was unlike the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact which preferred to field a Malay candidate although the consituency had a huge Chinese population.
“Where is their (Chinese community’s) right to be represented? None. Before this they had Lee Chin Cheh as their assemblyman but Anwar asked him to resign to make way for him,” he told reporters here. — Bernama