REMBAU: Rumours of punters betting on the outcome of the Rantau by-election have surfaced 24-hours before nomination for the state seat kicks-off.
The move is believed to be aimed at influencing the outcome of the by-election vote numbers.
Umno deputy president, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said he had received information that punters are allegedly placing bets on the votes to be garnered by the respective candidates in the April 13 by-election.
“There are rumours going around that I would win with 3,000 majority and people are putting their bets to reduce the number of votes for me.
“Such rumours would only lead voters to cast their votes just because they want to reduce the voting percentage for me. This is not good and it’s dangerous,” he said.
“For Rantau voters, please don’t fall to punters. Please don’t do it in Rantau by-election,” he said during a press conference at BN’s Rantau by-election command centre in Kampung Kanchong Rantau here, today.
Mohamad, a three-term Rantau assemblyman, will defend the state seat in the by-election, the seventh to be called after the 14th General Election.
On claims that he would score a comfortable win in the polls for the Negri Sembilan state seat which is considered an Umno stronghold, Mohamad said while the chances are there, it definitely won’t be an easy feat for BN to win.
“The task is difficult. I need to convince the voters that they need an effective opposition team to monitor and conduct the check and balance towards the current government.
“I hope voters would not be swayed by perception that I would be able to win. This will end up with them not coming out to vote at all because they would be confident that I would win,” he said.
On claims made by PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that Mohamad had failed to bring in developments in Rantau, the former Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar said the matter is subjective.
“It is not true. Under BN, the state enjoyed massive developments with billions of ringgits being poured into the state. Facilities include public transportation too were upgraded to ease the daily operation of the people here.
“However, development on certain locations must be controlled. We don’t want it to affect the lives of the people which will force them to move out and eventually deserted the area,” he said.