Isa optimistic Felda issues will not derail chances of winning

PORT DICKSON: Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, who will be contesting as an independent candidate in the Port Dickson by-election is confident old issues in which he was implicated before this will not affect his potential to garner support and win the seat.
Isa who was former Negri Sembilan mentri besar said apart from himself, other candidates contesting in the by-election also have issues.
"I considered my issues only as issues in a political game in the 14th general election, to shake up Felda. It is up to Port Dickson voters to evaluate whether they know me better," he told reporters when referring to the transfer of the agency's land in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur in December last year.
Mohd Isa who was met at a campaign session in Kampung Bagan Pinang here last night, however hoped the voters would give him a chance to represent them in this by-election.
Commenting on a media report which said he was returning to Umno after the by-election, the former Felda chairman said the news was inaccurate.
"The news headline is different from its content, I said ... my focus is to win this by-election," he said.
Besides Mohd Isa, the Port Dickson parliamentary by-election which is a seven-cornered clash involving Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) retiree Lt. Col. (R) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar (PAS) and four other independent candidates – Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, social media personality Stevie Chan Keng Leong, Kan Chee Yuen and former lecturer Lau Seck Yan.
The Port Dickson parliamentary by-election was held after its incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, vacated the seat on Sept 12 to give way to Anwar for him to return to Dewan Rakyat.
In the 14th general election on May 9, Danyal Balagopal won the seat with a comfortable 17, 710 votes to defeat BN's Datuk V.S. Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan of PAS.
The Election Commission has set polling day on Oct 13 while early voting is on Oct 9. — Bernama