Datuk Mah Siew Keong best candidate for BN - KJ

Gerakan President Datuk Mah Siew Keong is the best candidate to represent the Barisan Nasional (BN) at the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election on May 31, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The UMNO Youth Chief said Mah's extensive experience as the constituency's two-term former member of parliament and also former deputy minister would be able to regain the voters' support and confidence for BN.

"Although he was not so lucky in the last general election, I'm confident that he's the best candidate in terms of understanding the local issues in Teluk Intan and his experience as former deputy minister," he said after visiting Universiti Sains Malaysia's Doping Control Centre, here today.

Commenting on DAP's fielding of party advisor Lim Kit Siang's political secretary Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, Khairy said: "Obviously, that's a DAP tactic to field her. We are not concerned, we feel that we still have strong support, especially in Changkat Jong."

"We have strong machinery there. I'm confident the Malay voters in Changkat Jong will continue to support the BN candidate," he added.

The Teluk Intan parliamentary seat fell vacant when its incumbent DAP's Seah Leong Peng, 48, passed away due to cancer on May 1.

Nomination day is on May 19, while early voting is on May 27 and polling day on May 31.

In the last general election, Seah defeated BN candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong and Independent Moralingam Kannan by a majority of 7,313 votes.