Umno General Assembly: 'Defending Mahkota not an easy task'

KUALA LUMPUR – A different strategy and approach will be used in the Mahkota state assembly by-election to retain the Barisan Nasional (BN) seat in the area.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said that the Mahkota by-election presented different challenges compared to Nenggiri's and the task would certainly not be easy.

He said they would shoulder the responsibility well and ensure that the candidate possessed leadership qualities and the ability to serve the people.

"Each location has its own limitations. I'm not saying Nenggiri was easy and Mahkota is going to be difficult. To me, they are all the same, but the methodology or approach should be different.

"In Nenggiri, we aimed to take the seat from the opposition, but in Mahkota, we want to defend the seat, so the approach is certainly different. This is not an easy task," he said.

He made these remarks when speaking to reporters during the 2024 Umno General Assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTC) on Saturday.

Previously, the Mahkota state assembly seat became vacant following the death of its incumbent Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63 on Aug 2, while receiving treatment at Enche's Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital (HEBHK) in Kluang.

Following this, the Election Commission (EC) set the polling day for the Mahkota by-election in Johor for Sept 28.

EC Chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said that the nomination day and early voting day for the by-election are set for Sept 14 and 24, respectively.

Commenting further, Akmal said that Umno and BN needed to present a candidate who had the potential to bring about change.

He added that the people wanted a representative who could look after the welfare of the community in the area.

"If Umno or BN can present a candidate who can serve, I believe that regardless of religion or race, the people will choose those who can rightfully serve," he said.