Suhaimi Sabudin picked as BN candidate for P. Pauh by-election

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Umno Permatang Pauh division secretary Suhaimi Sabudin, 44, has been tapped by the Barisan Nasional (BN) to contest the Permatang Pauh by-election.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he had confidence Suhaimi could deliver what the people wanted.

He said 17 years of being represented by PKR was enough and that voters wanted a change.

“This time around will give us a big opportunity to offer a candidate that can bring Permatang Pauh to another level,” he said when announcing the candidate yesterday to the cheers of a 1,000-strong crowd.

Businessman Suhaimi graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia and is the current Umno Kampung Guar Jering branch chairman.

The by-election is held after the seat was declared vacant when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim failed to obtain a royal pardon over a sodomy charge.

PKR is expected to announce their candidate this evening with speculation high that party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will contest.

Suhaimi said he will be going to the ground as his approach to get to know the voters around the area.

“As the division secretary before, I always went to the ground to see and get close to the people in the area, so I will take the same approach for this by-election,” he said.

The local lad said he was ready to face whatever obstacles in his way and stressed he wanted a clean campaign.

“I am sure with the high spirit shown by the BN election machinery, we can win the by-election and will give our best to assist the people in the area,” he added.

In launching the BN election machinery earlier, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged BN component parties to set aside their differences.

He said the objective now was to win the seat with polling schedule for May 7.

“Put aside all differences among us and let us create history by winning this by-election,” he said.