KOTA BHARU - Ketereh division Umno chief Datuk Seri Md Alwi Che Ahmad who is also the Kok Lanas assemblyman, will make way for new faces to defend the Barisan Nasional (BN) seat in the upcoming state polls.
He said the decision will give the new faces and young people in the party a chance to contribute to the people in Kok Lanas.
"At the same time, I want to give them the opportunity to serve and lead the country either at the lower or upper level.
"Leaders who are 65 years old and above like me should give way to young and new members to lead the country," he said when met at the Kok Lanas State Assembly Aidilfitri Open House yesterday.
He said his experience of holding various positions such as political secretary to the ministers and prime minister, member of parliament (MPs), assemblyman, and chairman of several government-linked companies since joining the political arena in 1986 will be shared with the new generation of leaders.
His past experience would be utilised to train this new generation to take over the country's administration.
"If you want to retire... then retire when our record is good. Don't retire when we have lost and when people hate us and throw us out.
"We can take an example from Tun Musa Hitam, a leader who remains relevant but knows when to quit. We don't want to hold the position until we are 100 years old.
"In my opinion, 70 years old is the maximum age. I train the young people here (Umno Ketereh) just like how I was trained by Tun Musa, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and many others while I was in university," he said.
In the 14th General Election (GE14), Md Alwi obtained 10,921 votes and successfully defeated Pas candidate Nik Mahadi Nik Mahmood (9,799 votes) and PKR candidate Dr Mohd Hanapi Ismail (1,779 votes).