CHUKAI, Nov 23 — Every voter, whether young or old, must be approached with total respect, said former Chief of Defence Force Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.

As Barisan Nasional (BN)’s candidate for the Kemaman by-election who is in need of support, every vote from them could prove to be priceless, he said.

"In fact, as preparation to represent them, we must try to listen to the needs of the various age groups so we can carry out our responsibilities properly.

"Every vote counts, be it from the young or the elderly. For BN (Barisan Nasional), we take the approach of caring for the young and old voters because they are the ones who will bring success to BN,” he said after meeting voters around the Kijal area today.

He was commenting on yesterday’s statement by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who was quoted as saying that the party would not be counting on the elderly as the solid backing from the youths would be enough to ensure victory for its candidate.

Abdul Hadi was even reported to have advised the PAS machinery not to waste time fishing for the votes of the elderly.

The December 2 by-election will see Raja Mohamed Affandi facing Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar of PAS in a straight fight.

With campaigning entering the sixth day, Raja Mohamed Affandi said he has, so far, managed to draw closer to supporters from other parties to understand their intentions, besides introducing himself.

"I see a lot of positives. I met supporters from other parties and, after explaining, (and) giving information, it seems some did not get the real (picture).

"Now, everything is distorted but to find the truth you have to search for it and that distortion is part of the game, for voters to be careful and check because only by checking, will we get to the truth.

He said that throughout the campaign period, he and the BN machinery have been able to make a better evaluation and he hopes to use the remaining few days of campaigning to visit more voters in other areas. — Bernama