KEMAMAN: As a political newcomer, Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election candidate General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor hopes to strike the correct chord during his campaign on the ground.
The former chief of Defence Forces is Barisan Nasional's (BN) direct candidate to contest the by-election against Terengganu menteri besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar from Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The 65-year-old Raja Mohamed Affandi said he had been enjoying the long hours spent on the ground meeting people face-to-face and campaigning to promote the brand name "Affandi" to voters.
"I have been going around the constituency and I believe that touching base is the best thing where people can see and hear for themselves. I agree that there are social media (campaigns) which are also impactful but it is good for me to touch base and engage with the people in person.
"For example, I was campaigning in Kuala Kemaman where I met a man whose parents were BN supporters while he supports the other party. When I spoke to him, I explained and embraced him… that personal touch did make a change.
"People out there assume I am an army general with a different character (serious) but they have since realised the type of person I am. They did not realise that being a soldier, (I) know how to motivate people… these provide me the strength to do more," he said when met during his door-to-door campaign at Kampung Gong Limau here.
On his campaign progress, Raja Mohamed Affandi said he had been giving "all ears" to his campaign team as they would know better on how to manage and run things during the campaign.
"I follow them (campaign team) and do whatever they ask me to. They certainly know better… I am not a politician but I am enjoying it. The election machinery has been providing a lot of support during the campaign.
"I sleep about three hours during the night… once I get home (after campaigning), I prepare myself for the next day. I am a soldier who is prepared for all these challenges," he said.
"I am disseminating 'Affandi' as a brand in order to give people a sense of who Affandi is and to engage with them on a broad scale. I have been optimistic about the by-election and anticipate that the following week will be even more eventful," he said.
On his candidacy, Raja Mohamed Affandi said that he did not hesitate to run in Kemaman after being informed by Umno's highest leadership; however, he did inform his family.
"They (Umno) asked me and I told them that I must inform my family to get some support. At the end of the day, my family will be with me so I have to speak to them.
"We discussed and there were mixed feelings about the things (contesting) but the call of duty overwrites everything else and I have to do this. As for me, I need this (contest and win) for the next generation," he said.
The Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election on Dec 2 is a straight fight between Raja Mohamed Affandi and Ahmad Samsuri.
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.