IPOH, Nov 2 — Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for the Larut parliamentary seat Datuk Mohammad Kazim Elias has bowed out of the race, the coalition’s Perak chief Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad announced today.
The popular Muslim preacher will be replaced by Mohd Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud to face incumbent Larut MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin from Perikatan Nasional.
“Yesterday, the BN chairman announced the candidate for the Larut seat, but there is a change in the last minute.
“Kazim has withdrawn and he will be replaced by Mohd Shafiq,” Saarani told a news conference at the Hotel Casuarina Meru here.
Saarani also said that he does not know why Datuk Mohammad Kazim decided to change his mind.
“Prior to yesterday’s announcement, he agreed in the evening that he would contest the seat and he was announced as the candidate.
“However, at around 1am today, when I was at the Umno office, I was informed that he had withdrawn. Why did he do that? I think the question should be posed to him,” he said.
Kazim had in 2018 said he was offered to contest in the 14th general election, but said he rejected the offer as he loved his tahfiz school more.
His brothers Datuk Mohd Najmuddin and Ahmad Hasbullah are both leaders in Perak Umno.
His school Tahfiz Darul Barakah in Manjoi was previously embroiled in a sexual abuse case involving its students, but police investigations stalled. The facility is now under new management.
In May 2022, Kazim was reported as claiming he was suffering from a “mysterious skin disease”.
