KLUANG, Sept 8 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Mahkota state by-election, Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, has expressed his determination to continue the legacy of Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain and ensure the seat remains under BN.

He said the late politician had provided a great service to the constituents, adding that he would continue the initiatives that she had undertaken.

The 40-year-old businessman spoke to reporters after the ceremony to launch BN machinery and introduce his candidacy by BN president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi here today.

Syed Hussien said he was ready to shoulder the responsibility of representing the voice of the Mahkota constituents.

He also expressed appreciation to the party leadership, especially Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, Johor Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Kluang Umno division chief Datuk Md Jais Sarday for their trust.

The member of the Kluang Municipal Council for the Seri Impian zone, who holds a professional diploma in business and administration from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, is active in various youth and volunteer programmes through several non-governmental organisations. He is also proficient in Mandarin.

The Election Commission has set Sept 28 as polling day for the by-election in Johor, while the nomination and early voting dates are Sept 14 and 24, respectively.

The by-election was called following the death of Sharifah Azizah, 63, the incumbent assemblyman, on Aug 2. — Bernama