CHUKAI, Nov 30 ― The Kemaman by-election is crucial to ensure the continued strength of the unity government and its ability to carry out various efforts to safeguard the welfare of the people, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"That's why I came here today because I want the people of Kemaman to give a clear signal. What else do we want? Faced with the United States, we are willing; educational programmes, we are willing.

"Bringing about change? We invite Umno, Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH), PKR, DAP, Amanah, GPS, GRS; we try to resolve it,” he said at the Kemaman by-election Mega Perpaduan Madani ceramah in Geliga here last night.

Anwar urged the Kemaman electorate to vote for the BN candidate, General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, whom he said had contributed significantly to the country, in the December 2 polls.

He said Raja Mohamed Affandi, the former Chief of Defence Force was no ordinary candidate, having overcome various challenges before being appointed to the highest position in the Malaysian Armed Forces.

"To be promoted as the Chief of Defence Force, he needs approval from the defence minister and then the prime minister and finally the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on behalf of the Malay Rulers, and his record as Armed Forces Chief is good, with no flaws.

"The people of Kemaman should at least remember the service of someone who safeguarded and defended every inch of this blessed land,” he said.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman also gave the assurance that Raja Mohamed Affandi, if elected, would not be merely taking on the role of an MP.

"With his position, I believe that if he becomes a member of parliament, he would not want to be just an ordinary elected representative. We need to assign tasks to ensure good relations with the government and the Prime Minister, so make sure that the BN candidate wins,” he said.

Anwar also expressed his gratitude to BN, especially Umno, which he said strengthened the formation of the unity government in the first year of joint administration.

"Today marks one year of the unity government, and those who helped establish this unity government are BN and Umno because the leaders of Umno, such as (Datuk Seri Ahmad) Zahid Hamidi, are not ordinary people. They dared to make decisions and were consistent with those decisions,” he said.

The by-election on Saturday will see Raja Mohamed Affandi facing Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, representing PAS in a straight fight. ― Bernama