KLUANG, Sept 29 —‘I did it with all my team’ is what Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah intends to tell his late father after winning the Mahkota state by-election yesterday.

He plans to visit his father’s grave today. His father, Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Hamid, died just four days before nomination day.

"I want to tell my father that I did it with my whole team,” he told reporters after the election result was announced at Dewan Tunku Ibrahim Ismail.

Syed Hussien also aims to continue a family-oriented political approach, which he emphasised during his 14-day campaign, often referring to the residents of Mahkota as his ‘big family’.

He hopes for a shift away from unhealthy politics, urging an end to hurling baseless accusations and insults.

Syed Hussien also emphasised the importance of unity, saying: "To prevent division, we must come together as a group that can collaborate.”

He also thanked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the BN chairman, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the dedicated teams from BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) who supported him during the by-election.

BN retained the Mahkota state seat after its candidate, Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah won with a resounding majority of 20,648 votes, leaving his Perikatan Nasional (PN) rival Mohamad Haizan Jaafar securing just 7,347 votes. — Bernama