PAGOH: Despite facing competition from three other candidates, it does not dampen the spirit of former Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal to defend the Bukit Kepong seat in the Johor state election this March 12.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate is confident that voters in the constituency will continue to give him the mandate to be their elected representative and unfazed by the competition from the other candidates, especially the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, Pagoh UMNO division chief Ismail Mohamad.

"I have served here for four years. Assistance is distributed equally to everyone in the constituency, regardless of the party or race.

"I have also brought development in the Bukit Kepong state constituency," he told reporters after the nomination for the Bukit Kepong state constituency at Dewan Karisma of the Institut Kemahiran Tinggi Belia Negara (IKTBN) Pagoh today.

Asked whether he would be the Johor Menteri Besar if PN were to win the state election, Sahruddin said the matter had not been decided and that he was leaving it to the party leadership to decide.

"I am just a party member, first is to make sure my party wins the Johor state election," he said.

Apart from the BN candidate, the other contenders for the seat are new faces Md Taib Md Suhut, from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) and Nur Afiqah M Zulkifli, of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA).

Meanwhile, Ismail, who is a former Bukit Serampang assemblyman, said he would work on resolving issues on housing, as well as human capital development and to help the poor if given the mandate by voters.

"I want to continue with the work I had done before to help the poor and develop human capital in Bukit Kepong," he said and regarded the four-cornered fight as a healthy competition.

-- BERNAMA