Pahang BN submitted list of candidates to PM

Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob today said the state Barisan Nasional (BN) had submitted its list of candidates for the coming general election to the prime minister.

"The list can be said to be final but it's not impossible for it to be changed until the nomination day and if there are, we will make the changes accordingly," he said.

Adnan said he also discussed some matters regarding the selected candidates during the 15-minute meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Putra Perdana building in Putrajaya, yesterday.

He was speaking to reporters after launching the state community movement programme, Gerak Mesra Komuniti 1Malaysia Pahang, at the Royal Malaysian Navy Region 1 headquarters in Tanjung Gelang, Kuantan.

In Kedah, state Umno Liaison Committee deputy chairman Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said the list of Kedah BN candidates for the 13th general election had not been finalised.

"The prime minister still wants to hear the views of various other parties before the list is finalised although priority is given to the names submitted by the state liaison chief, Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.

"At the meeting with the prime minister yesterday, he had put forward winnability as the main criterion for the selection of candidates," said Mukhriz when met at Dataran Air Hitam, Jerlun.

He said Ahmad Bashah's discussion with the prime minister also touched on capturing the opposition's strongholds.

Although he declined to say whether the state BN candidates who lost in the 2008 general election would be fielded again this time, Mukhriz revealed that there would be a balance between old and new faces for the state and parliamentary seats.

In KELANTAN, state BN chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the list of candidates comprising old and new faces was now going through the final round of screening.

He said this after visiting the National Higher Education Carnival 2013 held at the grounds of Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, Kota Baharu.

Asked why the prime minister had not dissolved Parliament to make way for the general election, Mustapa believed that Najib wanted the benefits of the transformation efforts undertaken in politics, government and the economy to be really felt by the people first.

"It has no connection with any behest from the opposition. Datuk Seri Najib wants to ensure that the people see the results of programmes such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) and Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA)," added the International Trade and Industry Minister.

People's Progressive Party (PPP) president Datuk Seri M. Kayveas said the party would continue using the "Mission 510" strategy in winning votes, with each branch with 51 committee members to garner 10 supporters each.

Federal Territory MIC Youth chief T. Mohan said the party wing would start its door-to-door campaigning to ensure accurate information on the government's development programmes would reach the households.