GUA MUSANG: Perikatan Nasional is banking on a former navy man to reclaim the Nenggiri state seat in Kelantan, in the first by-election triggered when seven Bersatu elected representatives went rogue and tested the limits of the anti-party hopping law.
Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, 41, was announced as the Perikatan candidate for the Aug 17 by-election by Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud at an event here yesterday.
A Gua Musang native, Mohd Rizwadi had served in the navy in Pahang, Sabah, and Perak before retiring and returning to Nenggiri, Mohd Nassuruddin said.
“Since retiring, he and his family have lived in Bertam Lama in Nenggiri.
“He has also been active with the local Gua Musang community, particularly in Nenggiri,” he added.
The candidates: Mohd Rizwadi (left) and Mohd Azmawi. — Bernama
Mohd Rizwadi, who is from Perikatan component party Bersatu, is expected to face Kelantan Umno Youth chief Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani.
Mohd Rizwadi was a Gua Musang PAS youth leader before he joined Bersatu.
For this by-election, instead of the white-on-blue Perikatan logo, he will be using the signature white moon-on-green flag of PAS.
Mohd Nassuruddin said voters had made the right decision by voting for Perikatan in the state polls last year, but its incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim of Bersatu had betrayed the people’s mandate by backing the Federal Government.
The Nenggiri by-election was called after Kelantan state assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat vacant on June 19, when Mohd Azizi ceased to be a Bersatu member.
He, along with five other Bersatu MPs and a Selangor state lawmaker, had over the past year defied their party and declared support for the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Bersatu since declared that all seven of them ceased to be party members and that according to the anti-party hopping law, their seats should be vacated.
However, earlier this month, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and the Selangor assembly speaker ruled that the six Bersatu MPs and one Selangor lawmaker respectively, did not have to vacate their seats.
Meanwhile, PAS secretary- general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who was also present at the candidate announcement, said there are 20,219 registered voters in Nenggiri.
“About 60% of the voters in Nenggiri are aged between 18 and 40, consisting mostly of youth,” he said, adding that despite being a state seat, Nenggiri is larger than Perlis.
“There are 22 polling districts and 46 voting channels here,” added Takiyuddin.
At a separate event in Gua Musang yesterday, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Barisan Nasional candidate Mohd Azmawi was fielded because he was an electable, acceptable, and approachable candidate.
Ahmad Zahid also said Mohd Azmawi was the choice of eight-term Gua Musang MP and Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who is now Umno’s by-election director for Nenggiri.
However, Tengku Razaleigh, fondly known as “Ku Li”, was noticeably absent from the Umno event in Gua Musang.
Kelantan Barisan chairman Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub played down Tengku Razaleigh’s absence, saying that the veteran Umno MP could not attend the event due to unavoidable matters that came up at the 11th hour.
“Nevertheless, Tengku Razaleigh has said he will be together with the Barisan candidate during nomination day this Saturday,” added Ahmad Jazlan.
