General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor may be a "new face" in politics, but the former Defence Forces chief is more than ready to take on his opponent in the Kemaman parliamentary by-election.
"I am a soldier-statesman, not a soldier-politician, and I want to be seen and be believed as such.
"I have been going into battle and operations, this by-election will be another battlefield for me.
"And in battle, the only thing that we want is to win."
The Barisan Nasional candidate said he would put every effort into securing a win.
"I want to ensure that security in the constituency goes beyond the 'confrontational' or 'military' standpoint, there should also be security in terms of economy and social well-being.
"These are part and parcel of the whole 'security' element."
Born and raised in Kemaman, Raja Affandi said he would leverage his local roots to garner support.
"I am a local. I have my roots, friends and family here. I am a pure Kemaman folk," he added.
His contender, Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is also the Rhu Rendang assemblyman, said the only difference between contesting a state seat and parliamentary seat was the number of voters expected to cast their ballots on polling day.
"The principle (objective of contesting in the by-election), however, is still the same, which is to provide the best services to the people in the parliamentary constituency," the Pas vice-president said during the party's candidate announcement recently.
Fondly known as Dr Sam, Samsuri pledged to continue improving the people's welfare and livelihood not only in Kemaman, but also other parts of the state.
"This will be a bigger responsibility to shoulder in the event I am elected to become the member of parliament.
"The way I see the situation, it (becoming Kemaman MP) will be an 'added value' for the people statewide.
"If the by-election result is in my favour, it will provide me with another platform to raise issues faced by the people of both Kemaman and other parts of the state at national level (with the federal government)," he added.