KULAI, Aug 4 — Barisan Nasional (BN) must secure victory in the Nenggiri state by-election to amplify the opposition’s voice in the Kelantan State Assembly, said Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

He said that a BN win in the by-election would boost the presence of opposition parties in the Kelantan State Assembly, thereby enhancing the state’s system of checks and balances.

“Most importantly, we aim to introduce another opposition representative to provide effective checks and balances, as the outcome of the Nenggiri by-election will not alter the government in Kelantan.

“Therefore, there’s no harm in adding another representative who can advocate for the people, particularly those from Gua Musang, who face numerous land-related issues. This check and balance vote is crucial, and it is one of the key messages we want to convey to the voters,” he said.

He said this after officiating the Kulai Umno Division representative meeting here yesterday.

Meanwhile, commenting on the absence of DAP in the Nenggiri by-election campaign, Asyraf Wajdi explained that it was because the party did not have a branch in the state constituency. However, he assured that DAP would still support BN in other ways.

“The campaign doesn’t necessarily require their physical presence.... As the DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke mentioned to me, they will also help,” he said.

In the 15th Kelantan State Election last year, Perikatan Nasional (PN) won 43 of the 45 state assembly seats contested, while BN and Pakatan Harapan each secured one seat.

In that election, the PN’s candidate in the Nenggiri state seat from Bersatu Mohd Azizi Abu Naim contested using the PAS logo and defeated the BN candidate Ab Aziz Yusoff with a majority of 810 votes.

The by-election was called after Kelantan State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, declared the seat vacant on June 19, after Mohd Azizi ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.

The Election Commission (EC) has set polling day on Aug 17, while early voting on Aug 13 will not be held, as all 14 early voters involved have opted to vote by post, due to their duties during the campaign period. — Bernama