KLUANG: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident that Barisan Nasional has fielded an ideal candidate for the upcoming Mahkota state by-election.
He said despite being young, Syed Hussein Syed Abdullah has a strong connection with the Chinese community, which gives him the upper hand in garnering support from voters.
He was also educated in a Chinese vernacular school and is seen as a bridge between the two cultures.
"With a deep understanding of Chinese culture, language, and mindset, BN hopes to appeal to the nearly 35 per cent of Chinese voters in Mahkota," said Zahid.
Syed Hussein, 40, who is also the Kluang Umno Youth chief, is able to connect with younger voters, while also maintaining the trust of older constituents, Zahid said at the candidate nomination centre at Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail here, today.
"He has been engaging with older voters too and has the strong backing of younger voters."
However, Zahid acknowledged that the upcoming election posed several challenges.
"This will be the third election in recent times, following both a state and a general election, which may affect voter turnout.
"There are challenges both from within and outside the party.
"This is the third time voters are being asked to head to the polls in a relatively short period.
"National issues will undoubtedly play a role, and we found that about 50 per cent of Mahkota voters live outside the constituency, but within the broader Kluang area, while a significant number of voters work in Singapore.
He said the number of voters living outside Mahkota raised concerns about them returning to vote on Sept 28.
However, BN is working closely with parties in the unity government coalition to encourage voter participation, especially for those residing abroad.
"We are not overconfident of BN's victory, but we won with a 5,200 vote majority in the past. We are working hard to ensure a victory is ours again, and we are doing what it takes to ensure we win again," he said.
The by-election was triggered by the death of its incumbent, Umno's Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain on Aug 2.
In the 2022 state polls, Sharifah won the Mahkota state seat for BN in a four-cornered fight with a 5,166 vote-majority.