KEMAMAN, Nov 16 — Barisan Nasional (BN) needs to work hard throughout the two-week campaigning period for the Kemaman parliamentary by-election to regain the trust of Kemaman residents who were once die-hard Umno and BN supporters.

Former Kemasik assemblyman Datuk Abu Bakar Ali said the party needs to understand why this constituency, once regarded as an Umno stronghold, could fall to their rival’s hands by a handsome majority.

"To suddenly lose by such a huge majority of 27,000. This time you don’t need to find 27,000 to compete, we need to find half of that, around 14,000 hardcore Umno supporters who suddenly chose PAS if we want to win.

"That’s the only way, to work really hard to pull them back, in whatever fashion, through meetings, we get them back because they actually want Umno but there might be something they’re dissatisfied with, maybe the leadership or they supported PAS because of empty promises,” the five-term assemblyman said when met at his residence in Kampung Baru Kerteh, here after a visit by Kemaman BN candidate Gen (R) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.

A total of 141,790 Kemaman voters will cast their ballots on December 2, with early voting being held on November 28, and choose between the former Chief of Defence Force and PAS candidate Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar after the Terengganu Election Court annulled PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid’s 15th general election victory. — Bernama