KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Terengganu UMNO chief Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Said has been appointed as the Barisan Nasional (BN) election director for the Kemaman by-election to be held in December.
UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the decision was made at the UMNO Supreme Council Meeting tonight chaired by UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“However, the candidate to represent BN will be announced later,” he said at a press conference after the meeting at Menara Dato Onn here.
The Election Commission (EC) has fixed Dec 2 as the polling day for the by-election, while nominations and early voting are set for Nov 18 and 28 respectively.
The by-election was called following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on Sept 26 to annul the victory of PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Asyraf said in the meeting tonight, UMNO vice president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani was also appointed to organise the Bumiputera Economic Pre-Congress Colloquium, to support the Bumiputera Economic Congress expected to take place in January 2024, which was a commitment made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Unity Government.
“In facing the challenges of the next 30 years, the Bumiputera agenda needs to have a fresh face and spirit with more strategic and effective planning to further strengthen the Bumiputera economy, as stipulated in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution,” he said.
On Rembia assemblyman Datuk Muhamad Jailani Khamis who was accused of sabotaging the party by attending an opposition party’s event in Johor recently, Asyraf stated that the matter was not discussed during the meeting.
Meanwhile, Asyraf in a statement said UMNO would reactivate the ‘Tabung Muafakat Palestin’ fund which would be managed by the party’s treasurer Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, to be sent directly to Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinians.
“UMNO fully supports the Malaysian government’s position in condemning the inhumane actions of the Zionist regime and will never normalise diplomatic relations with Israel, which has illegally occupied Palestine.
“In the name of humanity and human rights, UMNO urges the global community to unite with one voice and concerted effort to defend the sovereignty of Palestine and immediately provide humanitarian aid to its people,” he added.
