GUA MUSANG: Old foes are facing off again as Barisan Nasional takes on Perikatan Nasional in a straight fight for the Nenggiri state seat in Kelantan.
Barisan, a partner in the unity government, is banking on the charisma and energy of Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, who is also the Kelantan Umno youth chief, to take back Nenggiri, a former Barisan stronghold.
Azmawi’s candidancy was made official yesterday after the nomination process closed for the by-election which will take place on Aug 17. He will take on Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, an ex-navy officer and former Gua Musang youth deputy chief for PAS, the party that has continuously run Kelantan for the past 30 years.
Barisan’s leaders view the contest as a good barometer for its revival in Kelantan, after the coalition suffered huge defeats in the 15th General Election (GE15) and 2023 state election.
Nenggiri, which has 20,259 voters, is one of three state seats in the Gua Musang parliamentary seat.
All four constituencies have long been Barisan strongholds until they fell to Perikatan’s green wave in GE15 and 2023 state polls.
In the 2023 state polls, Barisan lost Nenggiri by only 810 votes.
In a Facebook post, Umno communications director Datuk Lokman Noor Adam described the contest as “the best chance to assess the level of Malay support towards the party”.
Given its history as a traditional stronghold, Nenggiri is also an opportunity to disprove claims by the opposition that Umno members have abandoned their party, Lokman said.
To better increase its chances of taking Nenggiri, Barisan has put Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a former eight-term MP, in charge of the coalition’s campaign in Nenggiri.
Speaking to reporters after the nomination process, Azmawi, 38, is hopeful for the opportunity to represent his community in the state constituency.
“To the voters of Nenggiri state constituency, give me a chance, I will do my best as their (voters) representative,” the father of three, who was raised in Kampung Bertam Lama, told Bernama.
Give them a chance: Barisan candidate Azmawi (left) and Perikatan’s Rizwadi will fight it out in the upcoming by-election. — Bernama
Known in to the community as “Awi”, Azmawi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Honours) from Universiti Utara Malaysia and has received many awards, including a Kelantan Perdana Youth Award in 2022.
Rizwadi, 41, meanwhile, said he and Perikatan will do their best to defend the seat, which is about 85% Malay.
The father of five, also a Gua Musang native, is a coordinator for religious teachers in the district under the Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department.
Rizwadi currently resides in Kampung Bertam Lama and had recently joined Bersatu, a component party of Perikatan.
Both individuals were declared as the only candidates at 10am yesterday by Nenggiri by-election returning officer Nik Raisnan Daud at the Gua Musang District Council office complex.
When filling his nomination papers, Azmawi was accompanied by Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Amanah vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Tengku Razaleigh.
Also present to support the Barisan candidate were Umno leaders Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
On the other side, Rizwadi was accompanied by Perikatan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
Also present were Nenggiri Perikatan by-election operations director Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Bersatu leaders, including secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The by-election was called after Kelantan State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat vacant when incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim had ceased to be a Bersatu member on June 13.
