The Malaysian Insight

FORMER Negri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad hopes Umno members will stump for him in the absence of the party in the Port Dickson by-election.

The independent candidate said even though he had quit Umno, he is confident of getting the support of the local Umno members and voters.

“I think some of the Umno members will support me. Besides the party members, the ordinary people will also support,” Isa said after nomination process today.

The former Teluk Kemang Umno chief was a popular menteri besar for 22 years between 1982 and 2004.

Known as “PD Boy”, Isa was also the Jempol MP and a five-term Linggi assemblyman. He won the Bagan Pinang state seat in a by-election in 2009.

Both seats are in the Port Dickson parliamentary constituency.

Isa said he wanted to contest in Port Dickson as it was his homeground.

“This is my hometown. This is my base. When the seat became vacant and Umno refused to contest, I had to take the opportunity to stand as a Port Dickson person,” Isa said.

While he left Umno to contest in the by-election, the party veteran admitted his future with Umno was hazy, saying that he may reconsider joining the opposition party once again.   

“I have no idea so far. My focus is on winning the election. I will think on it after the by-election,” he said.

Isa is going up against names like PKR’s incoming president Anwar Ibrahim and Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in a seven-cornered fight.

Others in the race are PAS’ Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and independents Lau Seck Yan, Stevie Chan, and Kan Chee Yuen.

Umno decided to stay out of this by-election on the grounds that it was a waste of money and being held to fulfil Anwar’s ambition to become the next prime minister.

The Port Dickson by-election was called after its incumbent MP, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, vacated the seat to allow Anwar to contest to make his return to Parliament.

The Port Dickson parliamentary constituency has 72,212 registered voters, comprising 42.7% Malays, Chinese (33.1%) and Indians (22%). – September 29, 2018.